Tess Reads and Bakes the Final Batch page 4

Hi, I'm Tess. A once-retired high school history teacher and now part-time history professor and a very part-time (6 hours per week) private school history teacher. I tell people that I'm recycled! I live with my husband of 45 years on 3 acres in central Ohio. No, it's not "good" land, mostly clay; but I do manage to grow peppers, tomatoes and herbs. Going to try sweet potatoes next year. My flowers do quite well! I'm really into canning and dehydrating foods to have a sustainable pantry. I have about 300 quarts of canned chicken, beef, and pork and about 100 pints/quarts of green beans, kidney beans, green pea soup, ham and bean soup, and pinto beans. I also have 20 half pints of jam and 10 pints of canned cherries and blueberries. This weekend I processed about 30 pounds of apples and canned 8 quarts of apple pie filling and 20 half pints of applesauce (just the right amount for two people). I will have no spend November and December and eat from the pantry and freezer. I will allow myself $10 per week for things such a milk, lettuce, fresh fruits, etc. Since my Christmas shopping has been done since about July, I should be able to complete the no spend November and December (also aiming for January!).

I have never yet stuck to a CAT challenge since I've been doing this. I find the cats too confining no matter how broad I try to make them. This year I'm just creating cats each month with a favorite cookie recipe of mine.

How will I choose my reads? An assortment off my TBR, kits/cats, and an automatic number generator which will correspond to a TBR book number.

My goal is to read 100 books from my TBR.

Some of the cookie pics are mine (I have a digital cookbook) and some are courtesy of Google. Credit is given when it can be ascertained.

My rating system:
1 star--waste of paper and ink
2 stars-Is this literature? -major flaws or mind numbing boring
2 1/2 stars-not so bad I had to stop reading, but I wanted to!
3 stars-average
3 1/2 fun, informative, thought provoking
4 stars-excellent read
4 1/2 exceptionally good, among my favorites
5 stars-in all ways a superior read

My reading year runs from Dec. 25 to Dec. 24

I try to always read from my own TBR. I have whittled down my TBR from 1500 books to a little less than 500 in the past 10-11 years. My goal is to get down to somewhere around 200. New books are so tempting!

TBR on Dec. 25 2022 521

Kits/Cats I am hosting
Feb-ClassicsCat before 1900
March-KiddyCat YA historical fiction
June-Randomkit
August-GeoCat Central Asia/Mideast
October-RTT Traditions
November-Scaredykit-November I don't like spiders and snakes
December-Series Cat--Set in a country/region in which you do not live

January Cranberry White/Chocolate Chip


image from eat often live well

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons orange juice
1 egg
3 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup white chocolate chips
2 1/2 cups coarsely chopped fresh cranberries

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars together; beat in milk, orange juice, and egg.

In medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; add to creamed mixture. Blend well; stir in white chocolate chips and cranberries.

Drop by teaspoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375°F for 10 to 15 minutes.

Remove from oven and place on wire rack to cool completely. Once cooled, store in a sealed container.
****************************************************

1. The Mountains Sing 3*
2. The Thirty-Nine Steps3*
3. Every Last Fear 4.5*
4. The Runaway Pancake, Make Way for Ducklings, Peter Rabbit, The Little Red Hen
5. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
6. The Housekeeper 5*
7. A Fire Sparkling 4*
8. The Berlin Zookeeper 2.5*
9. After Dunkirk 3*
10. All Quiet on the Western Front 3*
11. The Real Story of the 1914 Christmas Truce3*
12. The Light Through the Leaves 2.5*
13. Not my Mother 3.5*
14. Barnaby Rudge 2.5*
15. The Years of Rice and Salt 4.5*
16. Stubby the War Dog 4*
17. The Elephant Keeper's Daughter 4*
18. Billy Summers 5*
19. The Great War: July 1, 1916: The First Day of the Battle of the Somme: An Illustrated Panorama 5*
20. Oblomov 2.5*

February Molasses Sugar Cookies (my fav cookie of all!)



3/4 cup shortening
1/4 cup molasses
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. cloves
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup sugar
1 egg
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. salt

Melt shortening in saucepan over low heat. Remove from heat; cool.
Add sugar, molasses and egg; beat well.
Sift together the dry ingredients. Add to first mixture. Mix well and chill thoroughly.
Form into 1 inch balls; roll in sugar and place on greased cookie sheet 2 inches apart. Flatten with bottom of glass dipped in sugar.
Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

Servings: 48 (depending upon size of cookie)

22. The Open Window 3*
23. The Boarded Window 4*
24. The Open Boat 3*
25. In Distant Fields 3*
26. The Zimmerman Telegram 3*
27. The Boxcar Children Mystery Ranch 3*
28. Wuthering Heights 5*
29. The Dark Heart: A True Story of Greed, Murder, and an Unlikely Investigator 3.5*
30. A Single Swallow 3*
31. The Guns of August 3*
32. The Return of the Soldier 3.5*
33. The Spanish Flu of 1918 and the Pandemic History3*
34. Fever 4.5*
35. The 1916 Battle of the Somme Reconsidered 4*
36. The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax 4.5*
37. A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 4*
38. Gas The Battle of Ypres 3-*
39. A Place to Land 3*
40. The Return of Captain John Emmett 2.5*
41. Uncovering the Truth About Meriwether Lewis 4*

March Lemon Crinkle Cookies



1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 egg
1 tsp. lemon zest (fresh lemon rind, grated)
1 TBSP. lemon juice
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease light colored baking sheets with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Whip in vanilla, egg, lemon zest, and juice. Scrape sides and mix again. Stir in all dry ingredients slowly until just combined, excluding the powdered sugar. Scrape sides of bowl and mix again briefly. Pour powdered sugar onto a large plate. Roll a heaping teaspoon of dough into a ball and roll in powdered sugar. Place on baking sheet and repeat with remaining dough.

Bake for 9-11 minutes or until bottoms begin to barely brown and cookies look matte {not melty or shiny}. Remove from oven and cool cookies about 3 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.

Makes 3 dozen cookies

Borders by Thomas King 4*
Light in the Forest by Conrad Richter 4*
The Ardent Swarm 3.5*
There Will Come Soft Rains 4.5*
The Sniper 4*
The Other Wife 3*
The Silence 3*
49. The Journeyer DNF 1.5*
50. The Nowhere Child 3-*
51. Paint me Gone 3-*
52. The Amazing Mrs. Pollifax 3-*
53. Island Beneath the Sea 4*
54. Winesburg, Ohio 3-*

April Mexican Wedding Balls


image from sweetandsavory.com

1 cup butter, softened
1⁄2 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1⁄4 cups sifted flour
1⁄4 teaspoon salt
3⁄4 cup chopped walnuts or 3/4 cup pecans
powdered sugar (for rolling baked cookies in)

Cream together butter and powdered sugar until light and fluffy; stir in vanilla.
Whisk together flour and salt; add gradually to butter mixture; stir in chopped nuts.
Chill dough if it seems too soft.
Form dough into 1 1/4" balls and place onto parchment-lined or ungreased baking sheets. Will make 36 balls. Reducing size to 1 inch ball will yield 48 cookie balls.
Bake at 400° for 10-12 minutes or just until the cookies start to turn light golden-brown; remove from oven and allow to cool slightly; while cookies are still warm (but NOT hot) remove them from baking sheets and roll, a few at a time, in powdered sugar until evenly coated; cool cookies completely on wire racks.
Cookies may be rolled in powdered sugar a second time once cooled to room temperature. (This is optional, but I do it!)

55. The Brethren 3.5*
56. Will the Real Heretics Please Stand Up: A New Look at Today's Evangelical Church in the Light of Early Christianity 2.75*
57. Savage Run 3*
58. The Gates of November 5*
59. 21 Sermons By Evangelist Billy Sunday With Biography, Photos, Newspaper Articles, and More Compiled From Internet Resources by
Bennie P. Blount 3*
60. The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk and Germany's Eastern Policy 5*
61. Knaves, Fools, and Heroes in Europe between the Wars 5*
62. Their Morals and Ours 3*
63. All The Rivers 3.5^
64. The InterWar Years (1919 - 1939): The Best One-Hour History by Robert Freeman 3*
Two Opposing Essays on "Help" During the Great Depression
The King's Grace 5*
65. The Price of Paradise 2.75*

May Orange Drop Cookies with Orange Icing This was my great Aunt Ivah's recipe. She was born in 1897. She only made these at very special times because oranges were very expensive throughout the wars and the great depression.



For cookies:
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 TBSP. grated orange rind (use only fresh)
1/2 cup orange juice
2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

For frosting:
1 lb. powdered sugar
1 TBSP. butter, softened
1 TBSP. grated orange rind (use only fresh)
orange juice, enough to make the right consistency of
frosting

For cookies: Cream butter and sugar together. Add eggs and mix well. Blend in orange rind and orange juice alternately with dry ingredients. Bake at 350 until cookies are set, but don't overbake. (About 9 minutes) These cookies do NOT get brown. Cool and frost.

For frosting: Mix all ingredients together, adding either orange juice to thin out or powdered sugar to thicken, as needed.

Makes about 3 dozen, depending upon size.

1. The Schoolteacher of Saint-Michel: inspired by real acts of resistance, a heartrending story of one woman's courage in WW2 3-*
2. Cold Cases True Crime: True Murder Stories And Accounts Of Incredible Murder Mysteries From The Last Century 3*
3. Royal Mistress 5*
4. In the Garden of North American Martyrs 4*
5. Mao Zedong: A Political and Intellectual Portrait 3.5*
6. Scenes of a Clerical Life 3*
7. Hiroshima in History and Memory 4*
8. The Custard Corpses 3.5*
9. P.S. from Paris 3.5
10. Arsenic for Tea 3*
11. Romulus and Remus 3*
12. Mr. Finchley Discovers His England 3*
13. Murder at Teal's Pond 3*
14. The Tiger Came to the Mountains 2.5*
15. My Evil Mother 2.5*
16. Death of a Russian Priest 3*
17. Dr. Zhivago 4*

June- Kitchen Sink Cookies The easiest recipe here!

pic from nospoonnecessary.com

Make your favorite batter for chocolate chip cookies. Add 2 cups of anything! I literally clean out my chips, pretzels, nuts, when there are little bits left! Examples: any type of cookie chip (peanut butter, chocolate, vanilla, butterscotch, etc.), any type of nut (pecan, walnut, almond slivers, peanuts, pistachios), flaked coconut, any type of dried fruit (blueberries, cranberries, cherries, etc.), dates, figs, toffee chips, pretzels, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, etc. My grandchildren always want to put potato chips in...thankfully I never have any!

1. The Four Winds 5*
2. Mask of Duplicity 5*
3. Ulysses 2.5
4. The Pastor's Wife 3*
5. Seven Words 5*
6. Hebrews Study 3*
7. The Mask Revealed 4
8. Saratoga Trunk 3
9. Sheep for Beginners5
10. No Man's Land 3
11. Ulysses 2.5
12. Burmese Days 3
13. Praying the Bible 5
14 The Puritans: A Captivating Guide to the English Protestants Who Grew Discontent in the Church of England and Established the Massachusetts Bay Colony on the East Coast of America 3*
15. Saturnalia 3.5
16. The Heart Shaped Box 3.5
17. Inherit the Wind 3
18. The Secret Life of Angels5*
19. they Came in Ships 5*
20. The Borning Room
21. The Rime of the Ancient Mariner 5*
22. Vermeer The Complete Paintings 5*
23. The Last Green Valley 4*
24. Duma Key 2.5*

July-Southern Tea Cakes (Mid 19th century cookie)
These were "popular" in the south amongst the poor as they could be eaten plain. I have included a recipe for butter cream frosting, also. They are good both ways. I have read that some in the south poured maple syrup over them. I prefer mine plain, but others much prefer them with the frosting.



Cookies:
Tea Cakes
2 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking powder
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp. vanilla

For the frosting:
1 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar
6 TBSP butter, room temp
1/2 tsp. vanilla or almond extract
1 TBSP milk (perhaps a few drops
more)

Preheat oven to 400. Beat eggs and stir in oil and vanilla. Blend in sugar until the mixture thickens. Stir together flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir into the mixture. Drop by heaping teaspoons 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.

Press each cookie flat with the bottom of glass that has been dipped in vegetable oil and then sugar.

Bake 8-10 minutes. Do not overbake. Makes 24-36 tea cakes. If frosting, make sure tea cakes are completely cooled.

114. The Seventh Most Important Thing 4*
115. Dune 3*
116. Scaramouche 4 *
117. The Colorado Kid 3*
118. Murder on the Old Bog Road 3*
119. Old Goriot 4*
120. Little Kid Paper Plate Crafts 5*
121. The Passing Storm 2.5*
122. Churchill's Hellraisers 3*
123. The 100 Year Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared 3*
124, After the Black Death: labour legislation and attitudes towards labour in late-medieval western Europe (pamphlet)
125. The Hiding Place 5*
126. Within the Walls 3*
127. Ponzi's Scheme: The True Story of a Financial Legend 4.5*
128. The Singer's Gun 3-*
129. The Saracen Storm 5*
130. How to Astronaut 2 DNF
131. The Gold Rimmed Spectacles 3*
132. Blackout 3*
133.

August-Cry Baby Cookies (teething biscuit) This recipe is from my great grandmother Edna Wright. She claimed these cookies were used in the 1930's-1940's when babies teethed and were fussy. They "massaged" their gums. She said they were used a lot during WWII, as women went to work and oftentimes babies were in play pens for a good part of the day and fussy. Grandma Edna said this about these cookies, “When baby has at least two teeth and begins to eat items by their self, they cry and cry – rocking don’t help, so give them a Cry Baby Cookie. It works.” Hence, the name of this recipe is: Cry Baby Cookies


pic from gfjules.com

1 cup brown sugar
2 TBSP shortening
2 eggs
1 cup white Karo syrup
1 cup milk, sweet or sour
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. cloves
1 tsp. cinnamon
2-3 cups flour

Mix flour and dry ingredients together. Cream sugar and shortening, stir in eggs and Karo. Stir in by alternating the milk and dry ingredients until well mixed. Drop by Tablespoon on greased floured cookie sheet. Bake 350 degrees about 10 minutes. If you notice that the cookies are bubbling up, stick some holes in the top of the cookie with a tooth pick.

134. The Guns of Navarone 4.5*
135. The Garden of Finzi-Continis 2.5*
136. A Conspiracy of Mothers 4.5*
137. Danger Close 3*
138. A White Bird Flying 4.5*
139. Beneath Devil's Bridge 3.5*
140. Dragonwings 3*
141. Goodbye, Mr. Chips 4.5*
142. Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl 3.5*
143. The Half-Life of Ruby Fielding 2.5*
144. Field Marshal: The Life and Death of Erwin Rommel 4*
145. The Beantown Girls 4.5 *
146. The Cost of My Faith 3.5*

September-Tangerine Butter Cookies I was told this recipe was in the Better Homes & Garden Magazine sometime in the 1950's. However, seeing that an ingredient is olive oil, I sort of doubt that. I don't use olive oil, I just use vegetable oil.


pic from cooksrecipe.com

3/4 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
1 tsp. salt
2 eggs
2 tsp. finely shredded tangerine peel or orange peel
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. orange extract
3/4 cup olive oil (I use vegetable oil)
1/2 cup cornmeal
4 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar

In a very large bowl, beat butter with electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds.

Add 1 1/2 cups sugar, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt. Beat until light and fluffy.

Beat in eggs, tangerine peel, vanilla, and orange extract until combined.
Gradually beat in oil until smooth. Beat in cornmeal. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in any remaining flour. If necessary cover and chill for 30-60 minutes or until dough is easy to handle.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place 1/2 cup sugar in a small bowl. Shape dough into 1-inch balls and roll in sugar to coat.

Using a wooden skewer or toothpick, press an ex into each ball of dough.

Bake in oven for 9-11 minutes or until tops are very lightly browned.

While warm, lightly press with wooden skewer to make deeper the x indentations. Transfer cookies to a wire rack, let cool.

Makes 5- 6 dozen.

147. From Ashes to Life 4*
148. The Watchmaker's Daughter 4*
149. Dutch Girl 4*
150 Lonesome Dove 5*
151. Six Million Paper Clips 5*
152. The Work of Art 4.5*
154. The Crossing by Matt Brolly 4*
155. We Should All Be Feminists 4*
156. The Grownup 3*
157. The Bobbsey Twins at School 3*
158. The Road to Wigan Pier 4*
159. Collection of Golden Books
160. Stories From The Tenants Downstairs 2.5*
161. The Discoverie of Witchcraft 4*
162 The Grownup 4*
163 The Voyage of Pedro Alvares Cabral to Brazil and India
164 Early Church Fathers - Post Nicene Fathers II - Volume 1-Eusebius Pamphilius: Church History, Life of Constantine, Oration in Praise of Constantine (The Early Church Fathers-Post Nicene II) 3.5*
165 Inside the Gas Chambers 3.5*
166 Jane Eyre

October--Vanilla Butter Meltaways You can change the flavor of these by substituting your favorite flavor for the vanilla (peppermint, orange, lemon, almond, etc.) I got this recipe from a B&B in Virginia that is now defunct.



For the cookies:
1 cup butter unsalted (I only ever have salted, so I use salted)
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups flour
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. baking powder

For the frosting:
1 lb. powdered sugar
1 TBSP. vanilla (I think this is too much. I use 1/2 TBSP)
3 TBSP. milk
1/2 cup butter, room temperature

For the cookies:
With mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until it’s light and fluffy

Add the Egg and Vanilla to the sugar mixture.

Next add the Flour, salt, soda and powder and combine well.

Create 1 inch cookie balls and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment.

Flatten the cookies using the bottom of a glass and bake at 350 for 7 minutes.

Pull the cookies out when they appear to not be cooked completely, they will continue to cook on the pan.

Ice cookies when cool.

168. The Nickel Boys 3.5*
169. The Trial of the Century 3*
179. Erasmus Ten Colloquies 3*

November--Pumpkin cookies with maple icing Recipe and picture from Martha Stewart



For the cookies:
2 3/4 cup flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 1/4 tsp. ginger
3/4 tsp. nutmeg
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, slightly softened
2 cups packed brown sugar
1 15-oz can pumpkin (1 1/2 cups)
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup raisins, optional, but delicious

For the frosting:
4 TBS. (1/2 stick) butter (salted or unsalted)
2 cups confectioner's sugar
2 TBS. milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. maple extract (don't use real maple syrup--I tried and it was too
runny/sticky

For the cookies:
Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices in a medium bowl, set aside.
In a mixing bowl, better butter and sugar on medium speed until fully blended and slightly fluffy. Mix in eggs and beat. Add pumpkin, raisins, and vanilla and continue to mix until well blended.
Add flour mixture, and mix until combined.
Chill batter in refrigerator at least 15 minutes (this will help the cookies from spreading too much while baking.)
Scoop batter onto parchment lined or lightly greased cookie sheet using a cookie scoop or large spoon. (About 1-2 to 1 tablespoon)
Bake cookies in a pre-heated oven at 375 degrees for 12 minutes.
Cool a few moments on the baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack. Frost the cookies with Maple Icing while still slightly warm.

For the frosting:
Melt butter in a small sauce pan or in the microwave.
Mix melted butter with powdered sugar in a large bowl, using a whisk until well combined.
Add milk, and extracts. Whisk until smooth.
Use a small knife or the back of a spoon to spread icing on top of cookies. If you frost the cookies while they are still just slightly warm, the icing will dry with a nice smooth finish.

Makes 3 dozen

December--peanut butter fudge This is my most requested baking item by both family and friends. I make about 10-15 pounds of it between Thanksgiving and Christmas. This is often a gift item. Follow this recipe exactly, no substitutions and you will have perfect fudge every single time! This is only good for peanut butter fudge. Chocolate fudge is a different recipe and they can't be swapped out!



4 cups sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 12 oz. can evaporated milk
3 oz. marshmallow creme
1 16 oz. jar peanut butter (plain or crunch)
1 tsp. vanilla

Grease a jelly roll pan with vegetable shortening (no spray!)
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine sugar, brown sugar, butter and evaporated milk. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Once the mixture is at a boil stop stirring and boil for 7 minutes (234 degrees on a candy thermometer). Remove from heat; let stand 2 minutes; stir in marshmallow creme until well incorporated and melted. Stir in peanut butter and vanilla until smooth; spread in prepared pan. Let cool before cutting into squares
Yield: 3 lbs.

You must work quickly! I often do NOT let it sit for 2 minutes because it becomes so thick you can't add anything. Sets up very quickly.

As I am swamped this week with grading and the 90th birthday party planning for my mother (I'm the caterer), I won't get anything else finished this month. Here are September's stats:
Books Read-19
I had a multitude of 4-5 star reads--a very good month 13/19! Fav: Jane Eyre
Only one book less than 3 stars, The Tenants Downstairs.

October Plans/Possibilities
Finish Jane Eyre (audio) FINISHED
Finish The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead AOTM Oct. FINISHED
Finish Goliath by Richard Turner been reading since August!
Agnes Grey Women's ClassicCat FINISHED
Maria Chapdelaine GeoCat Canada/US
Five Little Peppers and How They Grew KiddyCat Siblings READ
The Gardener of Baghdad RTT 1946-current
October treat--TBD
October trick--will wait to see which book "tricked" me into reading it!
The Coroner's Lunch (A Dr. Siri Paiboun Mystery Book 1) Oct Series Cat/Asia

Happy new thread, Tess. And a happy birthday to your mother!

Happy Birthday to your Mom, Tess. Enjoy the party!

Happy new thread

Happy New Thread, and Happy Birthday to your mom!

Happy new thread and I hope your mom has a great birthday!

>15 MissWatson:
>16 DeltaQueen50:
>17 lowelibrary:
>18 threadnsong:
>19 lsh63:

Thank you all! It is a blessing to have my mother around for 90 years in good health. She just quit driving and wearing heels this past summer.

167. Didn't think I would get anymore finished in September, but I was wrong! Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead wasn't as long as I had anticipated. Whitehead won a Pulitzer Prize for this book in 2020 and I expected much. I was slightly disappointed. Nickel Boys is the fictional account of a 1960's boys reformatory school in Florida. It is based on a true story, the Dozier School for Boys. I have no qualms with the writing and mechanics, they were all good. However, the story seemed very generic. I know that I have read something like this before, but I can't put my finger on it. The story was predictable and safe. I was left wanting. The subject matter is very worthy, but the characters and their plight were distant. Sadly, I have read better. I wanted this story to jar and shake me, but it didn't. I really did love the protagonist as he tried to live by Dr. King's precepts. 210 pages 3 stars

168. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte was a long overdue re-read for me. My favorite book of all time is Wuthering Heights and Jane wasn't even on my radar as an all-time favorite. However, it seems that I had forgotten many major episodes and characters contained in Jane Eyre, such as St. John Rivers, Jane's benefactor when she ran away from Thornfield. I'm saddened in the manner in which Mr. Rochester and St. John treated Jane. She is a more forgiving soul than I. Glad I re-read this after 40 odd years. I listened to this on audio and Emma Messenger was a superb reader. 21 hours 47 mins (435 pages) Now has a place in my top reads. 5 stars

169. The Trial of the Century by Gregg Jarrett is the non-fiction account of The Scopes Monkey Trial. Jarrett is fairly well known in the academia world, mostly for magazine articles and newspaper columns. This book really isn't anything new, the ever ongoing argument about who has the right to control the content of a student's education. I didn't learn any new facts, but this book was a refresher "course." The only downside was that it was obvious that the author was a Darrow champion. Yeah to me, I read a book that has been on my shelf less than a year! Woot! 301 pages 3 stars

>22 Tess_W: I've reread Jane Eyre more than any other book. It was a sort of comfort read when I didn't have any other book to pick up, like dropping in on an old friend.

And happy birthday wishes to your mother.

Did some harvesting today. Carrot, sage, parsley. Did not harvest rest of carrots, want them to be a bit larger. Also Pontiac Red Potatoes and what I thought were Spanish onions, but they don't look like the ones I'm used to buying. Yet to harvest: Sweet potatoes. Sorry pics upside down...took with my tablet instead of phone! And now..........I can't even get them in this little box! Here is the link!: https://www.librarything.com/gallery/member/Tess_W

Happy Birthday to your mum and happy catering to you, Tess.

>26 pamelad: TY, Pam!
>24 VivienneR: TY, Vivienne!

170. Erasmus: Ten Colloquies by Desiderius Erasmus Another academic book off the shelf, read, going bye-bye! It is my understanding that Eramus wrote these discussions so that school boys could memorize them as part of their education. He started out serious, but by the time he got to about the 100th one, his tone became ironic--or so my old notes from 50 years ago say. Craig R. Thompson is the translator of this book (1957) and has been criticized for his selection of the ten. It would seem others have varying opinions on which ones were more significant. My favorite was "Cyclops or the Gospel Bearer." This was written in play form where Cannius comes upon Polyphemus, a known womanizer and drunkard. Cannius discovers that Polyphemus is actually reading the Gospels. Cannius goes on a long rant/rave about wolves in sheep's clothing. The dialogue ends much as it began, with Cannius fully accusing Polyphemus as being a drunkard and Polyphemus admitting to the same 208 pages 3 stars for educational purposes 2.5 stars for entertainment! Selling for about $40 on Amazon, going to list it for $30 and hope it goes quickly!



ETA: Just sold! Not bad, but 30% goes to Amazon in fees. Fees are why I don't sell on Amazon unless the cost is $30 or more...not worth it to me to wrap it (or box it) and go the post office for less than $20.

Since I have 10 pounds of sweet potatoes, I need to use them. I'm thinking a sweet potato pie (tastes like pumpkin), a sheet pan with Brussel sprouts, sweet potatoes, and kielbasa with a curry sauce. I've seen lots of recipes that include cheese, but I don't think the combo of sweet potatoes and cheese will work for me. Of course there are muffins and bread, but I just did that with 10 pounds of zucchini; I don't need anymore! Any suggestions?

I have an old (1970's) recipe for baked sweet potatoes and apple, sort of a casserole dish. And a more modern Roy Overton recipe for Gingered Sweet Potato and Apple Soup, using crystalized ginger. Mighty tasty, and you could probably can a couple of batches.

The sweet potatoes with curry sauce sounds delish!

>30 threadnsong: Can you post or message me the recipe for the gingered sweet potato and apple soup, please and thank you!

171. Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte Definitely not on the level of her sisters, (Jane Eyre or Wuthering Heights), but a good, simplistic tale of a woman trapped by time, religion, and passion on the Yorkshire moors. Tough life! I listened to this on audio and the narrator, Anne Flosnik was superb. 6 hours 49 minutes. 3.5 stars

My Thingaversary is in December. I don't need any gifts in December. So this is my partial list of Thingaversary books EARLY!:
Gothic Tales by Elizabeth Gaskell
A Disappearance in Fiji by Nilima Rao
Beyond the Door of No Return by David Diop
The Duke and I by Julia Quinn
The Gardener of Baghdad by Ahmad Ardalan
The Library Window Mrs. Margaret Oliphant (short story)

Still due 7 books!

172. The Five Little Peppers and How They Grew by Margaret Sydney. This is the story of the Pepper family from the 19th century. A story of family love and overcoming poverty. I really enjoyed this as a child but it is so sugary now I could barely tolerate it! 284 pages 3 stars CAT: KiddyCat Siblings