Welcome 
Hi! My name is Margot. My blog is about the things I love to do. That could be what I'm reading, places we visit, my family, food, or whatever else is happening. I hope you'll stay and visit a while.
Contact me by email: joyfullyretired (at) gmail (dot) com. What I’m Reading  Saying It Well
 Justice
 Forever
 The Sense of an Ending
 Wish You Were Here
 A Moveable Feast
 Clarissa
 The Odyssey
My Book Rating System A = Excellent in every way
B = Very good story
C = Good/Average
D = Poor
F = So Bad I couldn't finish it
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 In today’s edition of Wondrous Words Wednesday I have only one word. It’s, of course, new to me but also very interesting. The word is from Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha Lai.
The word is durian and here is how it was used in the book:
No one has offered
to share
what I smell: sardines, dried durian,
salted eggs, toasted sesame.
 The word durian was not in my dictionary, so I checked Wikipedia. There I found the nicest explanation and several great pictures. I learned that durian is a fruit grown on beautiful trees in Asia, primarily southeast Asia. “It is oval, spiny, and contains a creamy pulp. Despite it’s fetid smell, it is highly esteemed for its flavor.”
Uses for durian seem to be for a variety of sweets: candy, cookies, ice cream, and so forth. There are also some traditions regarding this fruit. Some consider it a medicine, and others say it is bad to eat it with coffee or alcohol. Still others consider it an aphrodisiac and state certain rules for it’s use. To read more, visit Wikipedia here: durian
I’m curious – Has anyone seen a durian or had experience with it?
For more Wondrous Words Wednesday, visit Kathy at Bermuda Onion.
 Author: Agatha Christie
Publisher: Dodd, Mead, & Co, 1938
Genre: Mystery
My Rating: A-
Summary:
A lovely cruise down the Nile River is the perfect trip for honeymooners unless the wife’s former best friend, who is also the husband’s ex-fiance, is also on board, determined to spoil the fun. The honeymoon is definitely over when the wife, also one of the richest women in England, is murdered.
In addition to those three, there are about 15 other passengers on board. Each one has something of interest to offer to the story. Fortunately, two of the passengers are well known for the detective work: Colonel Race and Hercule Poirot. Together they begin a thorough and orderly investigation of all the facts. As they proceed they are thrown a few surprises and additional challenges.
My Thoughts:
This is now my 29th book in my goal of reading all of Agatha Christie’s 87 novels. I’m reading them in order, as she wrote them. Within the last four or five books I’ve begun to see the value of reading them this way. By now the author is confident in her writing abilities and in the public’s acceptance of her books. It shows.
As I read this one, my overwhelming thought was that Agatha Christie must have had so much fun writing this book. The fun just came through loud and clear. In the beginning she took her time setting up all the characters and laying out the plot. The murder doesn’t occur until almost the mid-point of the book.
Here are some of the other things I really liked about Death On the Nile:
- Each one of the characters on board the ship were interesting. I always the feeling that each one was possibly more than what they appeared on the surface. That added to the mystery.
- Ms. Christie did an excellent job of describing the people on board. She seemed to take more care with the details.
- Hercule Poirot was much more lighthearted in this story. He actually made little jokes about himself. I was glad the other “official” along on this trip was Colonel Race. I always imagine him as the classically handsome man-of-the-world who always knows the right thing to do. He’s a great partner for Poirot.
- I liked the romances allowed among a few of the characters.
I only have a couple of disappointments in the book, and they are small disappointments. For one thing, I thought she waited too long to stage the murder. I knew who was going to be killed and I kept expecting it to happen at the start of each chapter. Did Ms. Christie want the reader to be happy when she was finally murdered? Again, this is a minor complaint, and probably due to my impatience.
Something I would have liked in the book was a drawing of the ship. It would have helped a lot in understanding the movements of all the passengers. Plus, I had to keep reminding myself the definitions of stern, aft, port, and so forth.
All in all a fun, interesting, and compelling mystery. The final outcome and “who-dun-it” could only have come from the pen of Agatha Christie.
For more Agatha Christie, check out the Agatha Christie Reading Challenge at Mysteries In Paradise.
We finally have winter in northern California. No, no snow. Winter here is defined as lots of rain and overnight temps in the 30s and 40s. And when it comes to defining winter food, soup is what usually comes to mind.
 I played around with some ingredients I had on hand and came up with a new-to-me soup. Fortunately, this one turned out good so I’m willing to share it. This recipe is going to be very casual, just the way I made it.
- In my large pot (2 quarts) I heated about a tablespoon of olive oil on medium high heat.
- I added two cups of chopped leeks and two cloves of minced garlic.
- I stirred and cooked that for about five minutes until the leeks became soft.
- Then I added a large box (32 oz.) of chicken stock. I turned down the heat to medium low. (This would have been better if I’d had some homemade chicken or vegetable stock, but I didn’t have any. I’ve got to get to it. After all, it’s soup season.)
- Then I added two cut-up potatoes and stirred everything. I covered the pot and cooked about ten minutes.
- Next, I opened a can of artichoke hearts. Artichokes? Well, why not give it a try. I drained them and cut off the stem. I chopped them fine, and added them to the soup. I covered the pan again and cooked it for another ten or fifteen minutes.
- As to seasonings, I only added about a half a teaspoon of salt and a teaspoon of fresh ground pepper. My husband added a bit more salt and pepper, but for me, that was enough.
Result: Not over the top Wow, but quite delicious. It was just right with a grilled cheese sandwich. I’d love to see what else can be done with this combination. Besides being delicious, it was a one-pot dish and easy. I just did a little chopping and stirring. All in less than an hour. Not bad for a cold winter day.
This post is linked to Weekend Cooking, a weekly feature at Beth Fish Reads. Click the button below and it will take you there.
 Full Title: The Western Lit Survival Kit: An Irreverent Guide to the Classics, from Homer to Faulkner
Author: Sandra Newman
Publisher: Gotham, January 3, 2012
Genre: Nonfiction
Back when I was in college one of the graduation requirements was a two-semester course called Survey of Western Civilization. Although it was challenging, it remains one of my favorite college courses. It covered the major written works in philosophy and literature from the 1500s to the twentieth century.
I kept all those books for years after college, intending to go back and reread them. But after graduation I began focusing on career, then family, and more career events, and I never got back to them. The closest I got to those classics was when my two oldest children went to St. Johns College, a four-year program in the Great Books.
And now along comes this book: The Western Lit Survival Guide: An Irreverent Guide to the Classics, from Homer to Faulkner by Sandra Newman. This light-hearted and educational tome has me saying to myself, “What are you waiting for?” These retirement years are the perfect time. My brain hasn’t turned to mush; it’s filled with a lifetime of experiences and thoughts – just right for the classics.
The suthor, Sandra Newman, is . . . .
on a mission to restore the West’s great works to their rightful place (they were intended to be entertaining!), Sandra Newman has produced a reading guide like no other. Beginning with Greek and Roman literature, she takes readers through hilarious detours and captivating historical tidbits on the road to Modernism. Along the way, we find parallels between Rabelais and South Park, Jane Austen and Sex and the City, Jonathan Swift and Jon Stewart, uncovering the original humor and riskiness that propelled great authors to celebrity.
There are several things I like about The Western Lit Survival Kit.
- It’s written intelligently but in a way that makes the reader believe the classics are not impossible.
- The summaries about the time period. They give the reader an overlook at what was going on and why a particular literary work is important.
- Sidebars throughout the chapters are fun “by the ways.”
- The author offers a rating system for each classic. It’s a three-point system of 1 to 10. They look at Importance, Accessibility, and Fun. (Pride and Prejudice: 10-10-10)
- I liked the two timelines in the back of the book. They make nice lists: Books To Read and a Check-Off list
The use of humor is widespread throughout the book. (It’s subtitled “An Irreverent Guide.”) The first few chapters were a bit over the top that they actually seemed silly. After those beginning chapters, however, the humor levels out. The author is, after all, a professor. Her knowledge shines through in the book. She’s a great salesperson for the classics.
I usually donate my review books to the library or library book sale. Not this one. I’m hanging on to it as a great reference book. The publisher is offering one copy as a GIVEAWAY to any US resident reading this blog. In the comments, please tell me if you are interested in winning a copy. I’ll use Random.org to pick the winner and let you know who that is on January 26th.
Thanks to the publisher for my copy of the book and to TLC Book Tours for allowing me to be a part of it all. To see other stops on the book tour, visit the schedule here: TLC Book Tours
 INSIDE OUT AND BACK AGAIN by Thanhha Lai is the story of a year in the life of ten-year-old Hà and her family. It’s a very tough year for them and Hà is convinced her action caused all the bad luck.
At the beginning of the year the family is living in Saigon but they soon realize they must leave before the country falls to the communists in North Vietnam.
The family escapes to a boat and then eventually are relocated to Alabama. Somehow the family survives the year but it’s traumatic for them all.
Written in free verse, this story is being talked about in many circles. It’s been hinted at as a possible Newberry Award winner.
Come read my review at Quirky Girls Read.
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What You’ll Find On My Blog: *Book Reviews  Click the button to go to my 2012 Book List
2012 CHALLENGES:
- Library books: 3/30
- Agatha Christie: 29/87
- American Battle of Prizes: 0/3
- British Battle of Prizes: 0/3
- European Challengwe: 0/5
- Foodies Read 2: 1/20
- What’s In A Name 5: 0/6
- Classics: 0/6
- Persephone: 0/3
- Virago: 0/3
Total books read: 8
2012 Book Challenge I’m Hosting  Click the button to sign up
You can also find me here  Click the button
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