Hi there! This week in reading I finished this:
It was good! But it wasn’t life changing (I think after reading Ken Follett’s Century Trilogy my bar is set a little too high.) The premise of this book is, a mysterious woman on an airplane goes down the aisle, predicting each passenger’s age and cause of death.
That’s all fine for the people who are told they’ll live into their 90s, but many of the passengers are given an alarmingly early death date. Is the woman actually psychic? Will these people start to die in the manner she predicted?
One thing I know about Liane Moriarty is that her books aren’t going to have some horrible, dark ending that sends me into an existential crisis. But I honestly couldn’t see how she was going to put a positive spin on this one. No spoilers- you’ll have to read it for yourself. I really did enjoy it, and it has this quote that I love:
It is only when we truly know and understand that we have a limited time on Earth and that we have no way of knowing when our time is up that we begin to live each day to the fullest, as if it were the only one we had.
-Elisabeth Kubler-Ross
Nest up is the first book of a sci-fi trilogy:
My son read this. He said the first book was hard to get through, the second book was better and the third book was amazing. He INSISTS that I read them, but I’ve been putting it off (for reasons which are probably obvious.) I finally feel like I’m ready to dive into a “difficult” first book of a trilogy, so here goes.
Eating-wise- yes I did cook! Once. I made Massaman Curry from Minimalist Baker (I made the tofu version.). It was really good!
My only regret is, my daughter can’t tolerate cooked onions of any kind (SIGH) so instead of sauteing the shallots first with the curry paste, I fried them in a different pan and added them as a garnish to my husband’s and my dish. Don’t do this! They were kind of crispy and had a strong onion-y taste. Next time I’ll just leave them out entirely.
And one last thing. A couple weeks ago I mentioned that we were going to have a mini “Oktoberfest” but then forgot to post about it. Possibly the reason I forgot is we drank Sierra Nevada IPA and ate sub sandwiches, so it wasn’t very German. BUT! I did drink my beer out of this mug, which I got a long time ago at a brewpub in Munich- so I think I should get some Oktoberfest credits.
What are you reading?
28 Responses
I’m reading the plan and not sure I like it for now as it feels too casual.
your curry looks sooooo comforting, saving the recipe.
Yes, it’s very good!!!
Nom nom on that curry! Suzanne wrote about Massaman last year and I got it for takeout on one of my single gal nights, and later on I got some Massaman curry paste that I made a few times and it was really good. I might just have to make up another batch.
Your stein qualifies your Oktoberfest celebration as authentic. We have a German biergarten in our town for one weekend in the summer, and this year I crushed hard on a hazy IPA, so I didn’t really have anything “German” at the biergarten either.
Books! I know what you mean about having a hard time settling for a “normal” book after reading an epic. It was hard to come back to earth after 11/22/63. However, I’ve got a good “lite” book going right now. The Wedding People is about a woman who checks into a luxury hotel to commit suicide, but there is a big wedding there and she gets sucked in to the party. It’s very hard to get “lite” right, but this book nails it. I’m in no hurry to finish it.
Yes, everyone seems to like The Wedding People. I’m sure I”ll read it at some point.
This recipe does not call for massaman curry paste! You use red curry paste and some extra spices. Not sure how authentic it is, but it is good.
I have enjoyed all of Moriarty’s books except one, and so I’m really looking forward to reading her newest. Problem is, it will be a while. I’m in the library queue and it will take FOREVER.
I’m reading a book called Three Apples Fell From The Sky. It’s a book about a tiny village in Armenia and all the things that happen in it, with a little unexpected romance. It’s really good BUT there are so many characters that it’s a little hard to keep everyone straight.
Nicole, I think you’ll like this one. And, I don’t know how I got it so fast. I put a hold on it and a week later it was available. Huh? Do people in my town not like Liane Moriarty? It was weird.
I am reading a fun memoir by an introvert. It’s very snarky and I’ve been laughing a lot.
Your reading attire is PERFECT. Cozy, seasonal PJs? Yes, please <3
Yes, my reading attire- and my reading companions. Both cats were snuggled up with me!!!
We have a kid that doesn’t like cooked onions either. I still include them and he fishes them out of the tiny amount of pasta sauce that he eats with his pasta. Sigh.
It’s a commitment to read 2 books to get to a really good 3rd book! I hope it’s so good that it makes it worth it! I love that Paul is such a reader, though! I hope mine continues to be a reader, too!
I just finished ‘I hope this finds you well’ which was just ok. Next I will read ‘expiration dates’ which is a lighter romcom/romance kind of book which is perfect for airplane reading! I have thought about reading that Moriarty book, but I haven’t really liked the last couple of books I had read by her so had kind of sworn off her. This latest book sounds like a debut novel called ‘the measure’ which I really liked!
Yes, this reminded me of The Measure. Hard to say if you’d like it or not- the style is very typical Moriarty and the plot was interesting. It was nothing stunning though, just an enjoyable read.
If I include cooked onions in a dish, my daughter just won’t eat it- I’ve learned this the hard way. At least your kid will pick them out!
Ha ha ha! My husband read that book for his book club and told me that I would hate it, so I believed him.
I’m reading a cozy fantasy on my Kindle and a weird book about Northern Ireland and the IRA in physical format. I’m not absolutely loving either one, but there is a description of a used bookstore that I marked in the cozy fantasy that indicates exactly how I feel about used bookstores, so I can’t wait to share that with you.
WHAT. You mean your husband said you would hate The Three Body Problem??? Oh, great.
Yes, I can’t wait to hear the description about the used bookstore. I have a feeling I know what it will entail.
I love Liane Moriarty. I think this would make a great plane read!!! Haha.
I kind of forgot about Massaman curry, and I love it!
This actually would make a great plane read (nothing bad actually happens on a plane, so you’re safe there.)
Now I am craving Massaman! YUM. I wonder if I have the ingredients on hand???
I watched the Three Body Problem tv series and loved it, and when I found out it was based on a book I immediately downloaded the audiobook… and then could NOT get into it. Perhaps it’s a book I need to read with my eyes (TM Sarah) instead of with my ears. I hope you enjoy it — I have heard the series is terrific.
I will definitely let you know! And- if you have red curry paste, you probably have the ingredients for this curry.
That Massaman looks so good!! I meant to say this a long time ago when you and Engie were talking about onions, but have you tried onion powder/onion flakes? They may be undetectable to your finicky eaters while still imparting flavor?
You read fast! I will mark that Moriarty as a to-read if it comes my way (my last Moriarty wasn’t the best experience). I’m currently reading Niall WIlliams’s _This is Happiness_. All my bookclub friends loved this and his previous work, and it’s about Ireland (and I adore the Irish and their anti-colonial politics), so I should love it, but I don’t. I think I’m just not in a good enough place for reading…
No one seemed to like the last Moriarty book. I definitely think this one is better. And, yes- sometimes I do just use onion powder, and that works fine. It’s not the flavor of onion that my daughter objects to, but the texture. I’ll definitely do that next time I make this dish.
I’m about halfway through the Moriarty book and, like you, can’t figure out how she is going to make a positive out of this! But it’s definitely attention catching
Yes, I thought the same thing in The Husband’s Secret- HOW is this going to have a happy ending??? I’ll say no more.
The Massaman curry sounds really good! I’m ready for it to cool down so I can really enjoy some cozy fall foods like curry and soups!
I haven’t read fiction in awhile but the plot of Here One Moment sounds intriguing.
Technically it isn’t really “cool” here (although today was only 80 degrees! That’s probably frigid to you) but I make all these things anyway. Whatever- we have AC and I can pretend.
I just finished The Women. Loved it. I didn’t want it to end.
I’ll add liane Moriarty to my list.
I really enjoyed Here One Moment too! Just finished listening to The Life Impossible, by Matt Haig, which I also really liked. Now I’m listening to Tell Me Everything, by Elizabeth Strout. I love her books, especially the ones with Lucy Barton, who is in this one, so I’m happy.
My physical reading is much slower. I’ve just started (as in, still reading the introduction) The United States Governed by Six Hundred Thousand Despots, by John Swanson Jacobs, who was an ex-slave who emigrated to Australia. It was written before the Civil War and recently unearthed. Really interesting.
Ooh, I have that Moriarty book on my Goodreads TBR. Hopefully I will get around to it soon!
I’m currently reading The Ex Vows by Jessica Joyce, which is a romance that’s very cute and just what I need right now. I’m also listening to the third Finlay Donovan book on audio.
My husband’s read the first two of those books and really highly rated them!
No he hasn’t – he has the first and third and can’t find a sensibly priced copy of the second!
Eating and reading sounds like a great plan for an autumn evening 🙂 Interesting books should always be on our bookshelf, reading perfectly develops our imagination.