Teaser Tuesday: Independent People

It was an incredible blizzard. It was one of those peculiar gales when the mountain sang above the croft as if the trolls that inhabited it had gone demented and taken out their drums; the dog hung whining about the trapdoor, shivering in every limb.

-- Independent People by Halldór Laxness, first published in 1946, is the story of subsistence sheep farmer Bjartur of Summerhouses.  It is like a cross between J. R. R. Tolkien and Thomas Hardy.

Independent People counts as one of my choices for the 2013 European Reading Challenge.  At just under 470 pages, it also counts as one of my Chunkster Challenge books.

Teaser Tuesdays is hosted by Should Be Reading, where you can find the official rules for this weekly event. 

Mailbox Monday

Thanks for joining me for Mailbox Monday! MM was created by Marcia, who graciously hosted it for a long, long time, before turning it into a touring event (details here).

MariReads is hosting in April. Please stop by her blog for some great reviews and other fun bookish posts.

I got two books last week from a prolific writing duo based in the Pacific Northwest.  Carolyn J. Rose and Mike Nettleton have written a number of mysteries together, many set on the Oregon coast, some in the Catskill Mountains where Carolyn grew up.  They also blog together at Deadly Duo Duh.



Through a Yellow Wood. This one is the sequel to Hemlock Lake, both set in the Catskill Mountains and both featuring Dan Stone.



Sea of Regret. This one is the sequel to An Uncertain Refuge, set on the Oregon coast and starring Kate Dalton.

Both books look great, as do the rest of the titles these two have written. Please visit their Deadly Duo Mystery website for more information about their fun collaboration and mystery novels.

Happy Easter!

Kitchen Remodel, Week Five: The Joy of Floors for Easter

The new kitchen has a floor now. Windows, walls, floors -- it's starting to look like a room. We opted for hardwood as being more forgiving for tender feet and less likely to smash dropped dishes to smithereens.

We are  still a long way from a working kitchen, which got us out of Easter duty. Mom is hosting Easter dinner this year. Hubby is still responsible for making the scalloped potatoes -- something we never ate until he joined the family.


He follows the tried-and-true Joy of Cooking recipe:

Ingredients:

3 cups pared, thinly sliced potatoes
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons flour
3 to 6 tablespoons butter
3 pieces of cooked bacon crumbled
1 1/4 cups milk or cream
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (optional as in not in the actual recipe but still very tasty to add!)

Preparation:

Parboil the sliced potatoes with the salt for 8 minutes. Drain well.Grease or line a 10 inch baking dishLayer in the potatoes by sprinkling the flour and butter over them evenly. (Use the 2 tablespoons of flour and between 3-6 tablespoons of butter)Sprinkle the crumbled cooked bacon over the potatoes. In a saucepan, heat the milk, 1 1/4 teaspoons of salt, and the paprika.Pour this mixture over the potatoes.Topping with cheese is optional. The potatoes are good without too. Bake at 350 for 35 minutes or until potatoes seem tender.

NOTES

For more, see my ode to The Joy of Cooking.

WEEKEND COOKING

Hosted by Beth Fish Reads

Book Beginnings: Independent People

Please join me every Friday to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author's name.

TWITTER, ETC: If you are on Twitter, Google+ or other social media sites, please spread the word. You can use the hash tag #BookBeginnings.

MR. LINKY: Please leave a link to your post below. If you don't have a blog, but want to participate, please leave a comment with your Book Beginning.



MY BOOK BEGINNING

In early times, say the Icelandic chronicles, men from the Western Islands came to live in this country, and when they departed, left behind them crosses, bills, and other objects used in the practice of sorcery.

-- Independent People by Halldór Laxness, first published in 1946. Laxness was Iceland's most famous author and only Nobel Laureate.

This story of subsistence sheep farmer Bjartur of Summerhouses is set in the 20th century, but feels like an ancient epic.  So far, it reads like a cross between J. R. R. Tolkien and Thomas Hardy.

Independent People counts as one of my choices for the 2013 European Reading Challenge.  It also brings me one step closer to my goal of reading at least one book by every Nobel Laureate.