Blue Bells of Scotland: A Book Review

Friday 4 December, 2009 By 3 Comments

Title: Blue Bells of Scotland
Author: Laura Vosika
Publisher: Gabriel’s Horn Publishing
Publication Date: September 11, 2009
Paperback: 372 pages
ISBN: 978-0984215102
Genre: Historical Fiction

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About the book:

Shawn Kleiner has it all: money, fame, a skyrocketing career as an international musical phenomenon, his beautiful girlfriend Amy, and all the women he wants– until the night Amy has enough and leaves him stranded in a Scottish castle tower.

He wakes up to find himself mistaken for Niall Campbell, medieval Highland warrior. Soon after, he is sent shimmying down a wind-torn castle wall into a dangerous cross country trek with Niall’s tempting, but knife-wielding fiancee. They are pursued by English soldiers and a Scottish traitor who want Niall dead.

Thrown forward in time, Niall learns history’s horrifying account of his own death, and of the Scots’ slaughter at Bannockburn. Undaunted, he navigates the roiled waters of Shawn’s life– pregnant girlfriend, amorous fans, enemies, and gambling debts— seeking a way to leap back across time to save his people, especially his beloved Allene. His growing fondness for Shawn’s life brings him face to face with his own weakness and teaches him the true meaning of faith.

Blue Bells of Scotland is both a historical adventure and a tale of redemption that will be remembered long after the last page has been turned.

My Review:

Blue Bells of Scotland is the first in the Blue Bells Trilogy and when asked if I would review this book I immediately accepted. The story line sounded promising and Laura Vosika does not disappoint, as she had be completely hooked by page 64, which was a delightful surprise.
Blue Bells of Scotland is a delightfully intricate tale of time travel, life lessons, challenges of faith, and redemption, alternating between present day Scotland and 1314 Scotland, where the lives of Shawn Kleiner and Niall Campbell become intertwined. In a superb twist, Vosika has Shawn, an arrogant, self-centered, brilliant trombone player travel back in time to 1314 Scotland where the MacDonald clan is preparing for the Battle of the Pools. Meanwhile Niall, the next Laird in the MacDonald clan travels forward in time to take the place of Shawn. The results of this fantastically seamless time travel bring about a rather exciting first novel in Vosika’s Blue Bell Trilogy. Shawn must learn to live as a warrior, while Niall must learn to live 700 years in the future, both determined to find a way back to their own time. I found myself more drawn to Niall, who not only appeared to handle the thought of hurdling 700 years into the future better than Shawn did traveling back in time, but Niall also appeared to care more of those lives he was affecting as well as worrying about those he left behind and the duties and honor his had sworn to uphold. Rather than stare in wonderment at a future Niall could never dream of he gets to work, trying to fit in as well as to repair relationships and deep wounds Shawn afflicted on too many by his careless and self-centered deeds. I found the story moving, witty, and captivating. This was indeed a page-turner and I look forward to finishing the trilogy. I highly recommend this novel to anyone. It makes for a fantastic read and would make an excellent gift.


About the Author:

Laura Vosika is the author of the Blue Bells Trilogy. In addition to the Trilogy, she is working on several other novels and a non-fiction book on raising a large family.
Laura grew up in the military, visiting castles in England, pig fests in Germany, and the historic sites of America’s east coast, and living in climates ranging from Mississippi’s heat to the subzero temperatures of Duluth, Minnesota.
She earned a bachelor’s degree in music, and worked for many years as a freelance musician, playing trombone for pit orchestras, ballets, and symphonies, and flute and harp for other venues. She spent three years as a member of the Buz Whiteley Big Band and Farragut Brass Band in Bremerton, WA.
After earning a masters degree in education, she took a job as a music teacher and band director. She has also taught private lessons on wind instruments, piano, and harp, for twenty years.
In her spare time, Laura likes to play piano, harp, and flute, do sudokus, and learn Gaelic.
She currently lives in Minnesota with her husband, nine children, and assorted menagerie.

I received a free copy of Blue Bells of Scotland by Laura Vosika from the author. Receiving a free copy in no way reflected my review of aforementioned novel.

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How To Roast A Lamb, New Greek Classic Cooking : A Book Review

Friday 4 December, 2009 By 5 Comments


Title: How To Roast A Lamb: New Greek Classic Cooking
Author: Michael Psilakis,Barbara Kafka
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Publication Date: October 28, 2009
Hardcover: 304 pages
ISBN: 9780316041218
Genre: Cookbook

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About the Book:

A rising star in the food world, Michael
Psilakis is co-owner of a growing empire of modern Mediterranean restaurants, and
one of the most exciting young chefs in America today. In How to Roast a Lamb, the self-taught chef offers recipes from his
restaurants and his home in this, his much-anticipated first cookbook.
Ten chapters provide colorful and
heartfelt personal essays that lead into thematically related recipes. Gorgeous
color photography accompanies many of the recipes throughout.
Psilakis’s cooking utilizes the
fresh, naturally healthful ingredients of the Mediterranean augmented by
techniques that define New American cuisine. Home cooks who have gravitated
toward Italian cookbooks for the simple, user-friendly dishes, satisfying
flavors, and comfortable, family-oriented meals, will welcome Psilakis’s
approach to Greek food, which is similarly healthful, affordable, and satisfying
to share any night of the week.

My Review:

How to Roast A Lamb, New Greek Classic Cooking is one of the most beautiful cookbooks I have ever laid eyes upon. This book definitely should be out on display as well as used frequently. How to Roast A Lamb is filled with 150 mouth watering recipes from vinaigrettes to swordfish, brilliantly detailed photographs as well as heartwarming narratives, which lead up to each of the 10 sections of this cookbook. Being one not inclined to cook too adventurously, I was delighted to come across the section titled, “My First Recipes”, a section for me. I successfully made Lentil Soup as well as White Bean soup, both of which were delicious. The instructions for each recipe are clear, concise, and well thought out. The photography of the dishes are of the highest quality and the narrative personalizes this exceptional cookbook. I cannot praise the narrative enough for the ability to bring the feelings of these foods and the traditions behind the food to life. The prose is beautiful and gently leads the reader into such wonderful sections as “Psilakis Birthday Dinners” and “Big-Party Cooking”. It was from “Big Party Cooking” that my son, a much more adventurous chef than me, made Spanakopita, which was exquisite! From Lentils to Swordfish, this beautiful memoir/cookbook has it all.

About the Authors:

Michael Psilakis A long time front-of-house man with no professional cooking experience, Michael Psilakis took control of the kitchen when, as owner of his Long Island restaurant, Ecco, his chef simply failed to show up for work one night. Since then, his star as a chef and entrepreneur has risen considerably. He now owns three restaurants in Manhattan–Anthos, a showcase for his modern take on fine Greek dining; Kefi, a cozier spot that serves the more classic home cooking he grew up on; and, Mia Dona, a new Italian restaurant with a Greek bent. Psilakis lives in New York.

Barbara Kafka is the author of Vegetable Love, Roasting: A Simple Art, Party Food, Soup: A Way of Life, and the New York Times bestseller Microwave Gourmet. Vegetable Love was winner of the 2006 IACP award for Best Single
Subject Cookbook. She was a regular contributor to the New
York Times and has written extensively for food magazines in the United States,
Great Britain, and Australia, and was recently honored with the James Beard Foundation lifetime achievement award. She lives in New York and Vermont.

I received a free copy of How To Roast A Lamb from Hachette as part of the tour. Receiving a free copy in no way reflected my review of aforementioned novel.

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Guest Author: Lois Herr and her new novel Dear Coach: Letters Home From WWII

Friday 4 December, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Author Lois Herr has stopped by to share with us an excerpt taken from her new book Dear Coach: Letters Home from WWII.

I’ve compiled together a variety of the letters mom and I stumbled across in the attic written to dad, Elizabethtown College coach Ira Herr, by his athletes during WWII, with pictures, scrapbook clippings, newspaper articles and a wide variety of historical information from the time to paint a picture of what life must have been like for these small-town college men and women as not only their country went into war, but so did their friends and family. I hope you enjoy the following excerpt taken from Chapter One of Dear Coach: Letters Home from WWII.

“Known in the campus family as “Coach,” Ira Herr covered all sports plus intramurals, physical education, and health classes, and thus he knew every student. Coach believed that sports had a definite role in the educations of the whole individual. In one of his talks he said, “Participation in competitive games is invaluable in training youth for life.” He believed that life itself was a struggle, with each individual competing with forces seen or unseen in his fight to better his position in life. “The keener the competition,” he would say, “the greater the value and the more satisfactory the victory.” He felt, however, that the win-at-all-costs approach was dangerous and would teach disregard for rules as well as lead to dishonest. He practiced what he preached and controlled his own behavior, never inciting either the players of the crowd to poor sportsmanship. Known for his low key, non-emotional style, Coach did have rules and insisted in his own quiet way that they be followed, as those caught smoking or missing games discovered. He cared about each player as a person, on and off the field. He helped with guidance, arranged financial aid, found jobs and just listened. What mattered most to him was that the students on campus would develop their own best selves—physically, mentally, morally, socially, and emotionally. He was “like a father.”

Coach defined his role as a politician, diplomat, psychologist, parent, teacher, trainer, weatherman, and sometimes laborer. A good coach, he would explain, “Dare not be an optimist and cannot afford to be a pessimist.”

When war came and Elizabethtown’s athletes went off to military or civilian public service, they wrote letters home to their coach, talking about the school, each other, and opportunities they had in sports. They talked about the war itself, but mostly they shared their lives and confided in him how being away from home affected them; they wrote about the decision they made and those that were made for them. They gloried in new skills; they chafed at waiting. They wanted to know how the teams were doing without them and how Coach and Mrs. Coach were getting along with their baby.”

As you continue in the book, you’ll meet the men and women athletes who wrote to my dad more intimately. Their journeys are ordinary ones but their connection to my father as a friend and mentor is something quite extraordinary. I can’t wait to share it with you. Thank you so much to Rundpinne for allowing me this opportunity!

I hope you have as enlightening of a time reading “Dear Coach” as I did writing it. Thank you again to Rundpinne for having me!

Follow the rest of Lois Herr’s virtual book tour by stopping by her official blog to see where she’s headed next!

I have not read Dear Coach: Letters Home from WWII by Ira Herr, but I am enjoying the tour and look forward to obtaining a copy of the novel. * Standard disclaimer: I have not been compensated in any manner for posting about this tour.

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Decorating-Aloha Friday

Friday 4 December, 2009 By 29 Comments


Seeing how it is Friday, today’s question is going to require as little brain power as possible.

The question for today: Have you decorated for the holidays yet?

The short answer is yes! We spent several nights making decorations (mainly garlands, wreaths, and center pieces) and then decorating our home with the lovely pieces as well as decorating our Christmas tree. The house looks and feels quite festive. Christmas is my favourite holiday.

Visit An Island Life for more fun Aloha Fridays.

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