Moving day for our blog

 


Our blog is just a little over one month old. As with anything, we have learned so much in that first month! Blogger was a great jumping off spot, but we have moved to a location that better suits what we want to do as we continue to share our reviews. We are grateful for your subscription and we hope you will join us at our new website and subscribe!

Withabookinourhands.com 

Until we see you again, Happy Reading!

The Bloggers at With A Book in Our Hand







The Unofficial Disney Parks Cookbook: From Delicious Dole Whip to Tasty Mickey Pretzels, 100 Magical Disney-Inspired Recipes




⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

Ashley Craft

Cooking, Food & Wine

240 pages

Published November 10, 2020 by Adams Media

 

Description from the Publisher:

Experience the magic of the Disney Parks right in your kitchen with these 100, easy and delicious recipes inspired by Walt Disney World!

Stroll right down the middle of Main Street USA, journey from Adventureland to Infinity and Beyond at Pixar Pier, and explore every avenue in between to taste the flavors of the Disney Parks… all without leaving your kitchen.

With The Unofficial Disney Parks Cookbook you can bring the magic of Disneyland and Walt Disney World snacks and treats right to your home.  Recreate favorites like the classic Dole Whip and Mickey Pretzels to new favorites like blue milk from Star Wars land and Jack Jack’s Cookie Num Nums from Pixar Pier.

These 100 recipes inspired by iconic yummies are perfect whether you are a forever Disney fan or just love a good snack.  Now you can feel as if you shared a snack with Mickey himself right from the comfort of your own home!

 

My Thoughts:

If you’re a Disney-phile like me, then you just KNEW the moment you saw this book that you HAD to have it!  The beautiful cover, in signature Disney navy accented in gold, just screams, “PICK ME”.  Flipping over to the back side, you know right away you’re in good hands.  Not only did author Ashley Craft grown up in Anaheim Hills right next door to California’s Disneyland, but she also had the amazing experience of not one, but two, internships at Florida’s Walt Disney World in her college years.   We are GO FOR LAUNCH, people, with a tried and true Disney expert.

Now, if you’ve ever been to a Disney park, you know that the food is an attraction category all its own.  If I lived a little closer, heck, I’d drop into Disney World just to eat!  And, of course, my family and I have stacked up our short list of favorites.  So, the true test for this Unofficial Disney Cookbook – did our faves make the cut?  So, let’s dig in and find out!

The recipes are organized by Disney Park: the original Disneyland, which is followed by Disney World’s Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom; then we swing back to California with Disney’s California Adventure, the newest of the American Disney parks (it appears Craft has organized the parks from oldest to newest.)

Disneyland

·  Craft hit the ball out of the park (ha ha) with her first theme park section.  Perennial favorites that my family has been enjoying for almost 25 years made the list, such as the delicious Mint Julep and scrumptious Beignets from New Orleans Square.

·   I was also pleased to see that popular Adventureland stop, Bengal Barbecue, made the list with its mouth-watering Tiger Tails.   While I, myself, would have included Bengal Barbecue’s Chieftain Chicken Skewer, it was nice to see several skewers in the mix, with the Bengal Beef, Pork Belly, and Safari skewer options.   Not to be outdone are the Jungle Julep and Hummus Trio.

·   I’m not familiar with the Main Street’s Raspberry Rose Mickey Macarons or Fantasyland’s Matterhorn Macaroons, but they sound delectable and I can’t wait to try them!

·    The volume does also include crowd pleasers like Main Street’s Churros, New Orlean’s Square’s Clam Chowder, and Critter Country’s Churro Funnel Cake.

·   If you don’t see your Disneyland faves here, check out the Magic Kingdom section!

Magic Kingdom

·    Beloved Disney Park favorites are well represented with offerings such as Dole Whip, the giant smoked Turkey Legs, and Caramel Apples.  Fun fact: There are only two outlets in the world where you can buy the tropical Dole Whip, a dairy-free, pineapple-flavored, ice cream-like dessert, – a Disney park, and Dole’s home base at the historic Dole Plantation in Honolulu, Hawaii.

·    Other tempting recipes being slapped onto my weekly menu as we speak are the Mickey Sugar Cookies, Cheshire Cat Tails (a puff pastry, vanilla pudding, and chocolate-chip dessert), Peter Pan Float (which sounds like a heartier version of an Italian Soda, but with ‘eggs to make you grow strong’), and the Maple Popcorn. 

Epcot

·    Ahhh, Epcot – if Disney holds the gold standard for theme parks, then Epcot holds the triple crown!  It’s hard to pick a favorite when it comes to Epcot, because there are just so many great options.   Not to mention the annual Food & Wine Festival where Disney really takes it up a notch – or three!

·    Some my family’s favorites come from the Canada area of Epcot, in the form of the beer cheese soup from Le Cellier and the beaver tails (like an elephant ear – we like it topped with chocolate-hazelnut spread!) occasionally offered at seasonal food stands.   I don’t see those in the cookbook, but with so many options available, I can only imagine the difficult task Craft had in narrowing this volume down to a mere 240 pages.  I am thrilled, and you will be too, to see pages for France’s Macaron Ice Cream Sandwiches and Crepes, and Germany’s Caramel Corn from the Karamell-Kuche (German for Caramel Kitchen), all three of which my family can personally attest are absolutely mouth-watering as well as addictive!

·    On my “must try” list are Craft’s recipes for the Caramel-Chocolate Pineapple Spears, Caramel Pecan Bars (Sensing a theme yet?  Epcot is a veritable caramel-lovers paradise!), and of course the Coconut Popsicles.

·   Fun fact: Epcot stands for “Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow”, which was Walt Disney’s name for the park, which he sadly didn’t get to see visualized.  Disney passed away in 1966, while Epcot did not open until 16 years later in 1982.

Other Disney Parks

·     While there certainly is much room for debate, in my family’s minds, Disney’s Hollywood Studios (DHS), Animal Kingdom (AK), and California Adventure (DCA) have never really been known for their food, unlike their Disneyland, Magic Kingdom, and Epcot counterparts, so I’ll review these three together.

·    That said, DCA has recently stepped it up in recent years, with efforts such as bringing in celebrated chefs.  And this reviewer does in fact believe it appropriate to include a section for each park, as the cookbook wouldn’t be complete without it.   So, I was enthused to dive in and see what intriguing options Craft includes for her readers.

·    I was glad to see a top favorite, Candy Apples, in the DHS section, along with the Frozen Chocolate Covered Bananas.  Every child’s dream Mickey Waffles enter in the AK section, as well as Mickey Ice Cream Sandwiches and Bars (kiddos and grown-ups alike can’t get enough of Mickey-shaped food!).   DCA brings us Pumpkin Spice Churros, Chili-Lime Corn on the Cob, and Bavarian Pretzels.   

All of this!  And more!!!

·    A very handy feature is a section on The Disney Cook’s Essentials, a valuable grouping of the tools of the cooking trade, Disney style, for your home kitchen.

·     One of my absolute favorites about this book, though – and I’m sure it will be one of your as well – is the tales, anecdotes, and interesting factoids sprinkles throughout the book like pixie dust.   In fact, this is what really makes this book special, as each recipe is thoughtfully headed with a small tale relating to the recipe you are about to read – truly a treat that will whisk you off to that Disney magic in a jiff!

Conclusion

With 240 pages, numerous full-color, full-page illustrations, and even maps of the park marked with the location of each of the tasty treats, this is sure to be a treasured volume in your kitchen cookbook library for years to come.

A big thank you to Ashley Craft, Adams Media, and NetGalley for providing a complimentary copy of this publication in exchange for this honest review.

The Unofficial Disney Parks Cookbook released Tuesday, November 10th and is available now from Adams Media, a division of Simon & Schuster.  Please consider buying from BookShop.org, the online book seller that contributes 75% of the profit margin to support independent bookstores.  (Note: Desiree does receive a small commission should you purchase through this link, however she shares this out of her enduring love for corner bookstores everywhere, rather than for any monetary gain.)

Anonymous: A Madison Kelly Mystery

 

⭐⭐⭐

 
Elizabeth Breck
Mystery Thriller
320 pages
Published November 10, 2020 by Crooked Lane Books
 
Think every private eye looks like Tom Selleck and drives a flashy red Ferrari?  Well, think again!  Meet Madison Kelly – a tall, blonde, cool drink of water who revels in her hometown surfer haven of San Diego.  She may not look like your average PI, but don’t let that fool you – she can definitely hold her own.  Not even a battle with breast cancer can slow down this feisty, feminine force of nature.
 
Madison, fresh off her first murder investigation, is taking some time off to decide which direction she wants to take her career next – stick with her “old hat” of insurance fraud, or is the arena of high-stakes murder cases where her heart really lies?  Out of the blue, Madison comes home to a threatening note nailed to her front door – with one of her long blonde hairs streaming from the nail, no less – warning her to back off her current investigation.  Only she’s not investigating anything currently.  Madison is convinced that the threat is a direct result of her Tweets to a local radio show concerning two cold cases involving missing young women from the Gaslight district.  Not deterred by the threat, but inspired by it, Madison begins her own investigation of these seemingly similar disappearances.
 
My Thoughts:
This spunky who-dunnit is a serious page turner with a lively and fun heroine.  At times, I found myself wishing for a little more “show” rather than “tell” in the story, which left me feeling the novel could have used another round or two of editing to tighten up the descriptions and language.  However, the story is solid and I have no doubt this series (of which this novel is the first) will be a favorite of those crime drama lovers out there (and I know there are a lot of you!).  This is a winning formula for Elizabeth Breck, a first-time novelist, who brings her real-life private investigation experience to the fore in this energetic tale.  If you’re a crime fiction fan, sit back and enjoy Anonymous with The Anonymous Cocktail and don’t miss the Virtual Book Launch Facebook Live event on Thursday, November 19th at 4:00 PM PST.
 
A big thank you to Elizabeth Breck, Crooked Lane Books, and NetGalley for providing a free Advance Reader Copy in exchange for this honest review.
 
Anonymous: A Madison Kelly Mystery released yesterday, November 10th, and is available now from crime fiction imprint Crooked Lane Books.  Please consider buying from BookShop.org, the online book seller that contributes 75% of the profit margin to support independent bookstores.  (Note: Desiree does receive a small commission should you purchase through this link, however she shares this out of her enduring love for corner bookstores everywhere, rather than for any monetary gain.)

Moonflower Murders

 

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Anthony Horowitz

Mystery

608 pages

Published November 10, 2020

by HarperCollins

From Goodreads: Retired publisher Susan Ryeland is living the good life. She is running a small hotel on a Greek island with her long-term boyfriend Andreas. It should be everything she’s always wanted. But is it? She’s exhausted with the responsibilities of making everything work on an island where nothing ever does, and truth be told she’s beginning to miss London.

And then the Trehearnes come to stay. The strange and mysterious story they tell, about an unfortunate murder that took place on the same day and in the same hotel in which their daughter was married—a picturesque inn on the Suffolk coast named Farlingaye Halle—fascinates Susan and piques her editor’s instincts. 

One of her former writers, the late Alan Conway, author of the fictional Magpie Murders, knew the murder victim—an advertising executive named Frank Parris—and once visited Farlingaye Hall. Conway based the third book in his detective series, Atticus Pund Takes the Cake, on that very crime. 

The Trehearne’s, daughter, Cecily, read Conway’s mystery and believed the book proves that the man convicted of Parris’s murder—a Romanian immigrant who was the hotel’s handyman—is innocent. When the Trehearnes reveal that Cecily is now missing, Susan knows that she must return to England and find out what really happened.

My thoughts about Moonflower Murders

Conway was notorious for working real people into his books so Susan, and you the reader, must figure out how the characters in one mystery relate to those in the other.

This book is intricately plotted since you’re actually reading a mystery wrapped in a mystery with places and characters in one related to those in the book within a book – it’s very meta.

The writing is clear and descriptive but avoids floweriness.

The characters are well-developed, even – maybe especially- the unlikable ones. It shows that Anthony Horowitz spent years writing television shows because he paints detailed and clear images of his characters.

This is a slow read – Horowitz wants you to pay attention as first Pund and then Susan solve their respective mysteries. Take time to appreciate all of the clever wordplay, deftly hidden clues, and brilliant reveals. Both mysteries are incredibly satisfying.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins for the DRC.

 

After All I've Done


⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Mina Hardy
Thriller | Psychological Suspense
265 Pages
Published November 10, 2020 by Crooked Lane Books

We have a triple-crown winner today – all three of our lovely, bookish bloggers loved Mina Hardy’s After All I’ve Done – five stars all the way around (wow!).   Let’s tune in to see what Desiree, Patricia (Grantsbrarian), and Stephanie have to say!

 
With a Book in Our Hand: What is After All I’ve Done about?

Desiree: Diana is fresh out of the hospital after both a devastating car crash and an appendectomy.  Due to side effects from the surgery, she has a big gaping hole of several months in her memory, which she finds severely disorienting and more than a little disturbing.  She often seems to “get things wrong” and even her close friends and family patronize her with little comments such as, “Oh, Diana, you just forgot”.  But Diana is certain that’s not the case.  She finds little things that just don’t feel quite right – like the “to do” list in her nightstand drawer that she can’t remember writing.  What do these things mean?  What else has she forgotten and is not remembering?  One thing that she IS sure of is that her husband is sleeping with her best friend.


With a Book in Our Hand: What did you each like about the book?

Grantsbrarian: Full disclosure: I love books about amnesia after a traumatic event.  I love how the characters struggle to figure out what happened to them before their amnesia, who the people in their current reality are, and who they can trust.  So, After All I've Done was right up my alley! 

Mina Hardy has created a cast of characters whom you both dislike yet pity, as their stories play off one another.  No one is who they appear to be – you're never sure from one chapter to the next who is guilty of disloyalty, who is using another person, and who is being gaslighted.  You will definitely guess some of the twists and turns, but you won't see others coming, and there are quite a few!

Desiree: Oh my gosh, Patricia – yes, gaslighting!  That is the word that kept replaying over and over in my head as I was reading After All I’ve DoneI literally kept (fun-lovingly) “shouting” at my Kindle as I tore from one page to the next in this novel (my husband guffawing at my antics from his easy chair all the while).  “This lady’s totally being gaslighted!  But I don’t know who’s doing it – is it her mother-in-law?  Her husband?  Her best friend?  Her cute flirt-partner Cole?  Or is it ALL of them?  I just don’t know!”  (Side note: If you haven’t seen the 1994 film “Gaslight”, with Ingrid Bergman, go queue it up for your next movie night right now!)

Stephanie:  I can’t believe this is Mina Hardy’s first novel in this genre!

Grantsbrarian: I know that this author writes under a pseudonym – Megan Hart writing as Mina Hardy – and I can't wait to read another one of Ms. Hart’s books!

Stephanie: I’m absolutely breathless after reading After All I’ve Done.  It ticked every single box for me: Had me gripped from the first page.  Kept my attention throughout.  Relatable characters.  Every storyline explored and resolved.  Twisty.  Shocking.  Appalling.  Shocking ending.

And, I didn’t expect to love the characters the way that I did.  I thought I had it all figured out and then WHAM!!! - she hit me over the head with that ending.  I’m still sitting here just thinking about it.  And now I wish I could get amnesia and read it all over again for the first time!  I’ll be putting this on my permanent list of standalone books to recommend, right up there with The Wife Between Us, Take it Back, and The Wife Stalker.

Desiree: I’m so with you on that, Stephanie.  I – LOVED – THIS – STORY!  I was on the edge of my seat.  Biting my nails.  Couldn’t put it down.  On pins and needles waiting to see what happened next.  I finished this one in just two evenings after work!  Thrills, and chills, and whatever else ends in “ills” including a main character suffering from anesthesia-induced amnesia (that’s a kind of “ill”, right? Ha ha).
A truly great read and quite a page turner.  If you’re a fan of psychological thrillers, in the style of Daphne DuMaurier’s Rebecca, or Jo Furniss’s The Last to Know, then this one’s for you!  Trust me, you won’t be disappointed.


With a Book in Our Hands: We hear that each of you recommend this as a five-star ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ must-read?

Grantsbrarian: Yes, definitely!

Stephanie: I wish I could give it more than five stars!

Desiree: Five stars, hands down – one of the best novels I’ve read all year!
 

With a Book in Our HandsAwesome!  We love a good thriller and we’ll definitely put this on our TBR list of reads not to be missed!  So, what else do we need to know?
 
Grantsbrarian: A huge thank you to #MinaHardy, #CrookedLaneBooks, and #NetGalley for allowing us the incredible privilege of reading this book in advance in exchange for our honest reviews.

Desiree: After All I’ve Done goes on sale tomorrow, November 10, 2010 and is available in hardcover, audio CD, and MP3 CD.  Please consider buying from bookshop.org, the online book store that gives back 75% of each book’s profit margin directly to indie book sellers.  (Please note that while I do earn a small commission should you buy via this link, I share this out of my enduring love for indie, corner bookshops everywhere.)

Stephanie: Drop us a comment below and let us know what you think of our review, and of After All I’ve Done – we’d love to hear from you!

Tsarina

 

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Emma Alpsten
Historical Fiction
496 pages
Published November 10, 2020 by St. Martin's Press

St. Petersburg, 1725. Peter the Great lies dying in his magnificent Winter Palace. The weakness and treachery of his only son has driven his father to an appalling act of cruelty and left the empire without an heir. Russia risks falling into chaos. Into the void steps the woman who has been by his side for decades: his second wife, Catherine Alexeyevna, as ambitious, ruthless and passionate as Peter himself.


Born into devastating poverty, Catherine used her extraordinary beauty and shrewd intelligence to ingratiate herself with Peter’s powerful generals, finally seducing the Tsar himself. But even amongst the splendor and opulence of her new life—the lavish feasts, glittering jewels, and candle-lit hours in Peter’s bedchamber—she knows the peril of her position. Peter’s attentions are fickle and his rages powerful; his first wife is condemned to a prison cell, her lover impaled alive in Red Square. And now Catherine faces the ultimate test: can she keep the Tsar’s death a secret as she plays a lethal game to destroy her enemies and take the Crown for herself?

From the sensuous pleasures of a decadent aristocracy, to the incense-filled rites of the Orthodox Church and the terror of Peter’s torture chambers, the intoxicating and dangerous world of Imperial Russia is brought to vivid life. Tsarina is the story of one remarkable woman whose bid for power would transform the Russian Empire.

My thoughts:
The Romanov family never disappoints. Alpsten tackles the enigma of Catherine I, Peter the Great's second wife. Catherine, or Marta as she was originally named, is a prime example of a rags to riches story. Her actions paved the way for women to legally rule in Russia in their own right. Alpsten does a very good job at weaving together a story of a historical character with minimal historical records. The book is captivating as it expounds upon the lifestyles of two very different groups of people. It also provides a great amount of depth to the personality of Peter the Great. Well worth the read.

I received an advanced copy of this title via NetGalley.

Lies Like Poison

 

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Chelsea Pitcher

Mystery, Young Adult

304 pages

Published November 10, 2020 by Margaret K. McElderry Books

From Goodreads: Poppy, Lily, and Belladonna would do anything to protect their best friend, Raven. So when they discovered he was suffering abuse at the hands of his stepmother, they came up with a lethal plan: petals of poppy, belladonna, and lily in her evening tea so she’d never be able to hurt Raven again. But someone got cold feet, the plot faded to a secret of the past, and the group fell apart.

Three years later, on the eve of Raven’s seventeenth birthday, his stepmother turns up dead. But it’s only belladonna found in her tea, and it’s only Belladonna who’s carted off to jail. Desperate for help, Belle reaches out to her estranged friends to prove her innocence. They answer the call, but no one is prepared for what comes next.

My thoughts

Lies Like Poison is an atmospheric, high drama mystery romance. Told from multiple perspectives, the highschoolers try to solve a murder, discovering truths and uncovering the lies they've told each other.

Throughout the story, their relationships, both friendship and romantic, shift and change along with their loyalties to one another.

I loved the lyricism and spareness of the writing. The plot was satisfyingly intricate and fast-paced. I was amazed at how many plot twists happened in such a short book. 

The author created a cast of characters that's inclusive with regard to race, gender, and sexuality.

CW: Abuse, murder, addiction, suicidal thoughts.

Thank you Netgalley and Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing for the ARC.