BookLook July 2015

Review of ”Finger Foods” by Joyce Tanner Whiting

Debbie Balzotti

June is the month of wedding receptions. Sometimes the food at a reception is really great – like the appetizers and desserts guests enjoy at receptions held in the Whiting’s garden in Springville.

 Joyce Whiting is not only a gardener, but a cookbook author who enjoys creating and sharing recipes in her book “Finger Foods: Elegant Treats and Bite-sized Eats for Every Occasion”.

The book is an affordable paperback edition featuring photos of her garden and tables laden with beautiful food. Whether you are a catering a wedding or serving your family, these are recipes worth having.

Some of the favorite recipes in the book include Lemon Tassies, Chocolate Bombes, Tomato/Olive Bruschetta and Reuben and Cucumber sandwiches. 

When Grandma Joyce, the name she used to sign my book, graciously catered the recent author’s night at the Springville Library, I was able to taste these dishes and more. Since they could all be eaten without a fork, we could hold our books and eat our treats.

Whiting shares her expertise on everything from serving plate sizes to menu combinations for any party you may be planning. The tips included with recipes to encourage inexperienced cooks to try dishes like Coconut Butterflied Shrimp and Cashew Chicken Rolls.

“I get concerned that so many folks think that cooking from scratch is hard or that you have to be a gourmet chef to make something wonderfully tasty. Scratch cooking isn't hard and it's so rewarding for those who need a creative outlet,” said Whiting in a recent interview.

She continued, “But don't discount pre-packaged time-savers either. I'm the first to admit that a brownie mix, and I have my favorite brand, is just as good as most scratch brownie recipes. It's what you do with the mix that makes the difference.”

Whiting wrote the 217 page book after being constantly asked for recipes and has been surprised by the response when it came out just a few months ago.

“The response has been positive”, she said. “But who is going to tell the author they don't like her cookbook? Many have expressed their delight at how easy most of the recipes are and most people comment on how great the book looks.”

“Finger Foods” is available from the author, cedarfort.com, amazon.com. Barnes and Noble and other local bookstores carry it or can order it. The author’s website is www.tableforfifty.com.

Hope after Suicide: One Woman's Journey from Darkness to Light

February is the month we think of love and hearts – but if your heart is broken this is a difficult time of year. I read “Hope after Suicide” by Wendy Parmley to learn more about how to support and comfort those who are left behind after suicide and found it very helpful.

In the United States more than 40,000 people a year commit suicide. How can we support those that have experienced the tragic loss of losing a loved one? How can we get through this experience if it happens to us and heal those wounds?

“Don’t let anyone in the bathroom,” her father screamed as he ran out outside in pajamas. As 12-year-old Wendy sat holding her baby sister and keeping the other 3 young children away from the closed door, she was not prepared for the shocking news that her perfect mother had left them.

Most of us have had someone close to us, even in our own family, who has chosen to end their life. There are many reasons for suicide and as the author urges, we must never judge or condemn the person who makes that decision. She learned many years later to forgive her mother who shot herself in 1975 leaving a husband and 5 very young children to deal with her violent death.

She wrote, “How could I go on living when my mom, the woman who gave me life, was gone? How would I grow up and become a mom myself? How could I ever smile again when I felt like running away…?”

After many years of running away and burying the experience deep inside, she decided to open her heart and share her story.

The author hopes to encourage other survivors to forgive themselves and others, open their heart, seek help when needed, and draw closer to God. Her personal journey is painful to read at times, but her triumph will give courage to others who are on that same path. One step at a time through darkness and into the light.

BookLook Column January 2015

“Softly Falling” by Carla Kelly

Snowed in after Christmas with a stack of new books is a wonderful problem. I’m glancing out the window as Mark shoots snow into the wind with the snow blower and listening to Buble and Menzel sing “Baby It’s Cold Outside”.

I just finished reading “Softly Falling” by Carla Kelly curled up on the couch under a warm blanket in front of the fireplace. It was the perfect choice for a snowy day. When I contacted Kelly and told her I was enjoying her book, she offered to send me a hot rock for my feet.

The historical romance is set on a cattle ranch in Wyoming Territory during the terrible winter of 1886. Lily Carteret has been sent away from her uncle’s wealthy home, to live with her wayward father.  Clarence Carteret married Lily’s mother, the daughter of a slave and a Spanish settler, during the first of several failed attempts to manage his family’s businesses in the Caribbean, India, and Australia.  

After the death of her mother, 5 year-old Lily was sent to boarding school in England where she encountered prejudice and rejection as a mixed-race child. Miss Tilton’s school taught Lily how to close her heart and keep her chin up, but it didn’t prepare her for life on the frontier as a young woman.

The illiterate cowboy Jack Sinclair is the perfect partner for the well-educated lady Lilly. Sinclair is the ranch foreman and becomes her knight in shining armor. They support and teach each other as the novel progresses, and we admire their qualities of bravery and determination.

There is much to respect and love in Jack, Lilly, and the tight-knit cast of characters. Ranch hands and townsfolk have to come to Wyoming Territory from foreign countries and across America for a fresh start.

Since Kelly is a careful researcher, I know her historical facts are accurate. As she weaves them into the story, the authenticity of language and setting helps readers slip easily back in time and place. And isn’t this one of the reasons we pick up a book?

The only downside to reading a Carla Kelly book is that she quickly puts you into the story as a sympathetic observer. I felt cold and hungry until I turned up the thermostat, grabbed a left-over Christmas cookie and went back to reading on the couch.

Make Every Day Meaningful

Make Every Day Meaningful

Realize, Record, and Remember Life’s Grand Lessons

Author: Randal A. Wright

“God gave us memory so that we might have roses in December.” James M. Barrie (Peter Pan author)

I found it. A book that motivates me to improve my journal writing so I can have roses in December.

Writers are often too busy writing for deadlines to write their own story. We have perfected procrastination, harsh self-criticism, and we get writer’s block. Sound familiar? “I can’t write my personal history because I am too busy, I’m a terrible writer and I don’t know what to write.”

Make Every Day Meaningful is the book I found while searching for a book about gratitude to review for November. Sometimes a book chooses you.

The gratitude chapter titled, “Learn to Be Grateful Every Day” includes inspirational quotes, personal stories and encouraging words. Wright observes that less than ten percent of attendees express gratitude to speakers, teachers and musicians who serve them in Sunday church meetings.

In his travels as a speaker and author, he rarely sees those who have spent many hours in preparation and presentation thanked by those they serve. A Sunday School teacher told him that only a handful of people thanked her during her almost five years of teaching.

“Over the years, I’ve had the responsibility of asking hundreds of people to speak at forums held for LDS college students. During that time, I have watched on multiple occasions as not one person approached the speaker afterwards,” wrote Wright.

I recently received a letter from Springville Mayor Wilford W. Clyde thanking for the many years I have written news stories about the city. This brief expression of gratitude from a very busy man prompted me to send a note to someone I noticed quietly serving. Gratitude is contagious – it’s spread by mouth and hand to hand.

Each chapter in Randal Wright’s book encourages the reader to “realize, record and remember life’s grand lessons”. Many people do this with a gratitude journal or other small notebook they carry with them. Some spend a few minutes at the end of the day to record those observations and lessons.

“Journals are a way of counting our blessings and of leaving an inventory of these blessings for our posterity.” Spencer W. Kimball promised.

Many times I have wished my grandmothers had written their experiences and thoughts for me to read and share with my children. These fastidious little housekeepers even threw away precious letters from other family members and family photos! I have their jewelry and dishes but I don’t have their memories.

I appreciated the encouragement to write my autobiography - a work in progress, and keep a better journal, but what this book really gave me were some practical tools and suggestions. The list of 600 memory cues, and three word-word summary suggestions are more helpful to someone like me than quotes I've managed to ignore for decades.

 It’s not too late to start or start again. Your journal and your life story may not seem like a bouquet of roses but your memories and life lessons are priceless gifts to yourself and your family.

The Rosefields of Zion

by Marilyn Brown

March 2014 BookLook column for Serve Daily Newspaper

Writing a book review column just once a month shouldn’t be a challenge for someone who reads as much as I do. My problem is I’m too busy reading to write reviews. I love to read because it makes me happy. Writing doesn’t cause that same blissful state – it feels too much like work. However, reviews are helpful to me when I choose a book so hopefully this BookLook column will help you when you are looking for some happy reading time.

I recently opened a new book by local Springville author Marilyn Brown titled, “The Rosefields of Zion”. Brown is the author of more than a dozen novels, five histories, two musicals for the stage and five books of poetry. She has won many state and local writing awards for her fiction.

“The Rosefields of Zion” is romantic novel set in historic Zion National Park and the St. George area of Utah. It’s definitely a book women will enjoy more than men or teens. It is written for the LDS reader, but could be enjoyed by readers not familiar with the religion or culture of the Mormons in 1920s Utah. I especially enjoyed the historical information and legends woven into the story of the fictional Rosefield family.

At the beginning of the book the author states: “This book is much more fiction than history.” Brown then identifies the historical figures for us and tells us that there was a real family who lived on the farm at the entrance to Zion National Park from approximately 1912 -1931 but they did not resemble the Rosefields. Their name was Crawford and they were finally forced to sell their land to the National Park Service in 1931 during the Depression.

I liked reading about how the park came to be named Zion. A Mr. Behunin, who had been a bodyguard to the Prophet Joseph Smith and suffered persecution in Missouri traveled west with Brigham Young. When he came to the safety of the red hills for the first time he exclaimed, “These are the temples of God, built without the use of human hands. A man can worship God among these great cathedrals as well as any man-made church. This is Zion.” I agree Mr. Behunin.

The story’s main character, Marissa Rosefield, narrates her family tale of tragedy in the shadow of the red rocks of Zion. The story begins in 1925 as the family prepares to attend the funeral of their mother. Things don’t get any better for the Rosefields as more trials and tragedies visit this small family.

The central conflict is between the family of farmers who want to keep their land and the government officials who want to use for a park visitors center. As tensions increase between the two groups, Marissa makes a disastrous choice. It’s the kind of decision where you yell out loud, “Don’t do it!” as you are reading.

I wish I had been in St. George in February reading this story instead of Iowa. Being right there “on location” would have been the perfect place to read and relax. If you want to take a book down to southern Utah for spring break this year pick up “The Rosefields of Zion”. It’s a page-turner and it will make you appreciate beautiful Zion National Park even more.

BookLook January 2014 - with a few blog only changes

 Review of “Living the Healthy Life” 
by Springville author Randi Gerber

It’s January – the cruelest month of the year. The poet T. S. Eliot chose April as the cruelest month but he was wrong. In January we have to make New Year’s Resolutions! It's also the month with no chocolate holidays - the month between Christmas chocolate and Valentine chocolate. And apparently this is the month we take a good look at our lifestyle and make those tough resolutions to be healthier.

Where do we start with our resolutions? Read some good books and get informed. Searching for a new book to help set and keep healthy life-style resolutions, I opened the front cover of “Living the Healthy Life” by local author Randi Gerber and was intrigued by her introduction.

She wrote, “This book begins by establishing what disease is and what it means to heal naturally. It includes basic diet and lifestyle information designed to support he body in its natural healing processes. It also includes a chapter explaining the real secrets to hormone balance using a system I recently developed called Holistic Hormone Therapy.”

The author adds that although her holistic weight-loss and anti-aging tactics work, readers may need to work with a doctor to develop their specific natural treatment program. She also starts with the disclaimer that the book is for informational purposes and not intended to diagnose, treat, prevent, or cure any disease since she is not a doctor or licensed healthcare professional.

Gerber almost lost me when she told me not to skip to the “Health Conditions Protocol” chapters without reading the preceding chapters. She knows that’s how we all read – go straight to the chapter on weight loss or zero in on our specific concern. Just give me the information, an easy plan and what I need to buy. This book however, is designed to educate first and offer solutions second so go back and start at the beginning after you peek at your chapter.

Back cover statements remind us of the suffering found in every family. “Autoimmune disorders plague up to 8 percent of the population and counting. Cardiovascular disease is the number one killer in the US and continues to climb. Hormonal balances are epidemic and causing widespread suffering. Autism now plagues one in eighty-eight children.” Cancer, diabetes and mental illness are also included in the list.

Gerber is the mother of four children and has been gathering information for 15 years to keep herself and her family healthy. She is passionate about what she has learned and enthusiastic about sharing it. You many not agree with everything in the book, but read with an open mind and take advantage of her research which is well documented at the end of the book. You will a few changes to make, or a complete health makeover program.

If you don't plan on giving up chocolate completely, use January as the one month to give it up. I found a couple of other useful diet changes and some reminders like add lemon to my water bottle daily. 

BookLook Review
“Carla Kelly’s Christmas Collection”

When author Carla Kelly moved to Utah we got another state treasure. She’s right up there with the Tabernacle Choir, Arches National Park, and the seagull.

She has written more than 40 books and has won many awards including two RITA awards from the Romance Writers of America for Best Regency of the Year.

When I asked Kelly why she wrote a collection of romance stories about Christmas she replied, “From ‘The Little Match Girl’ to Della in ‘A Gift of the Magi,' Christmas stories make the season for me. It's a privilege to write my own, because anything goes at Christmas.”

Her book titled “Carla Kelly’s Christmas Collection” contains four Regency romance stories that I absolutely loved. I’m not a romance novel reader so this was an unexpected pleasure. Each story has a Christmas theme and is just the right length for holiday reading with a cup of cocoa in front of a cozy fire.

The first story, “The Christmas Ornament”, begins in London in 1815 as two gentlemen plot to bring their adult children together in marriage. A socially awkward son who is too wrapped up in academics and an intelligent daughter who is too well-read to be considered a proper wife, are an entertaining pair.

“Make a Joyful Noise” reminds the reader that love conquers all as two people who have suffered greatly find love. Kelly shares her love of Welsh singers by weaving these musicians into the choir competition.

“An Object of Charity” brings the reader to the coast and the hardship of those who sail the seas. It is a story of families and forgiveness and of course romance.

In the opening scene of “The Three Kings”, the reader meets the English noblewoman Lady Sarah who has been caught in Spain by the French army. Her bravery and compassion make her a great character and a true romantic heroine.

This book is appropriate for all the ladies on your list from young adults to grandmas. Readers will enjoy talking about the stories and defending their favorite of the four.

Women love to get a book for Christmas because it gives us an excuse to postpone housework and ignore requests for meals saying, “I’m enjoying the Christmas book you gave me so much I just can’t put it down.”  Don’t ever give a self-help book to a woman for Christmas – it’s like a mop and a bucket. Give them a sweet, sentimental romance novel instead.

If you’d like to join me and purchase the majority of your Christmas gifts from local companies this year, go to the Cedar Fort outlet store on the west side of I15, at 2373 W. 700 S. Springville  Call (801) 489-4084 for hours and more information.