Tumbleweeds

Tumbleweeds by Leila Meacham
Publisher - Grand Central Publishing
Publish Date - February 2013
Genre - Southern Fiction
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My Rating:

If you read my previous post on Roses, then I think you know what you are in for with this novel. I LOVE Southern Fiction. There is something about the grand, family dramas and the very specific world that Southern novels generate that just transports you through time and space and makes you feel happy. Good Southern novels should make your couch feel like a front porch swing with the sun on your face, wildflowers in the distance, crickets chirping and a cold glass of sweet tea on the table next to you. Feels good, right!?

It’s hard to create this feeling through writing and only the best of the best can do it. *cough* Margaret Mitchell *cough*.

Tumbleweeds is another epic Southern family tale that transports you through time. It tells the tale of Cathy Benson who is orphaned at the age of 11 and forced to uproot her California lifestyle to go live with her grandmother in a small town in the Texas Panhandle. Cathy’s grandmother, Emma, was not close with her son and his wife and is hesitant to take on the role of Cathy’s guardian. Their relationship starts off rocky but they eventually find common ground in their grief.

 Like most towns in Texas, football is life. Cathy meets John and Trey Don who are also both orphans and (after some initial coaxing) they take her under their wing. Of course, this all results in a complicated love triangle with tons of twists and turns that determine the fate of all three of them. The story takes you through their years growing up in Kersey, graduation, and into their adult lives until their eventual reunion at the age of forty back in Kersey, Texas.

Let me start off by saying that I did not love Tumbleweeds as much as I loved Roses. While the characters in Tumbleweeds were dynamic and interesting, the plot was not so much. It started off captivating much like Roses but lost some of its gusto as the story went on. Many of the twists and turns, while unexpected, were a bit too unbelievable. The way that the story all wrapped up in the end was too neat and perfect for my taste. Certain points in the story that should have been truly dramatic turning points were glossed over and some that didn’t seem so important dragged out for too long.

I think that if I had read this novel before Roses, I would not have been as disappointed. But, since Roses captivated me in a way that a book hadn’t in a long time, my expectations were high. Unfortunately, Tumbleweeds fell short of meeting that bar.

Pair This With: Hunt's Vineyard Rose

This is one of my favorite local VA wines and it pairs perfectly with this novel. It's light, crisp and easy to drink but not too sweet. A perfect hot summer day sipping wine!

Wine Festival Fun!

As I mentioned in my previous post - it's wine festival season! Last Saturday, we went to one of our favorite festivals, the Central Virginia Wine Festival.

This was our 3rd year in a row attending and we always have a great time. There's always a manageable number of wineries to visit, never too many people and it's always very well organized. This festival is sponsored by the Virginia Chapter of the Virginia Tech Alumni Association so each year we attend with our Hokie friends!  

If you live anywhere on the East Coast, you know how miserable May has been weather-wise so far. We were really hoping Mother Nature would be on our side - and she was! We ended up having a good solid 4 hours of beautiful weather before it poured rain.

There was a great mix of wineries this year with some of our favorites alongside a few that we had never tried before. Trying new wineries is my favorite part of wine festivals. The lineup this year included Byrd Cellars, Delfosse Vineyards, Hunt's Vineyard, Rebec Vineyards, Horton Vineyards and Elk Island Winery. 

We ended up bringing home just 2 bottles with us this time. It might be a new record. I have so much wine at my house - I really need to do a better job of consuming it so I can buy more! We brought home a bottle a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon from Elk Island and the Deer Rock Farm Red Blend from Delfosse. It's rare to find a good Cab Sauv in VA so we were excited to find this one! It's smooth and bold but not too dry or heavy. My husband is way more of a fan of Cabs than I am but even I liked it!

In addition to wine, there are always so many fun vendors at festivals like this. Our favorite VA peanut company - Plantation Peanuts of Wakefield was there and we of course had to buy a 3-pack of peanuts. They are so delicious and have tons of varieties to choose from. We got cashews, roasted redskin and sweet & spicy. Caramel apple are also favorites that we've gotten in the past. You can't beat 'em!

I have to look at the calendar to see what our next festival is but, we do have a fun trip planned to my favorite VA winery next Friday - Pippin Hill. I can't wait to share it with you!

Royal Flush

Royal Flush by Rhys Bowen
Publisher - Berkley
Publish Date - September 2010
Genre - Mystery
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My Rating:

I think part of what keeps reading exciting for me is the fact that my literary preferences seriously span the entire spectrum of genres. There really are only a few exceptions that I tend to shy away from (horror, true trashy romances and I don’t read much non-fiction).

Most of the time, I enjoy books that challenge me, make me think and truly draw me in to a world unlike the one I live in every day. Sometimes though, I really want a light, breezy read that doesn’t require much thinking. This series by Rhys Bowen – Her Royal Spyness – has been the perfect find to fill that hole on my bookshelf. Check out my review on the first book in the series too!

Royal Flush is the 3^rd of 10 books and I’m still hooked on the quirky, hapless character that is Lady Georgianna. It’s British humor at its dry, glorious best and I can’t get enough of it. In this latest edition, we find that Georgie has been sent back home to Scotland after the latest scandal threatens to tarnish the great royal name. Her housecleaning business has slowed for the season so she decides to hire herself out as a theater and dinner companion. Her ad puts forth quite the wrong impression so in order to lay low and avoid further embarrassment, back to Scotland she goes.

Georgie’s mission while home is two-fold. First, is to keep a promise to Her Majesty and prevent a loose divorcee houseguest from seducing her son, the Prince of Wales. Second, is to keep an eye on a shooting party for Scotland Yard to prevent someone from shooting the Prince. With Georgie’s naïve, clumsy ways, she gets herself into pickle after pickle and her top secret mission is threatened to be revealed.

The entire cast of motley characters I’ve grown to love in the first two books make their appearance in this novel as well which really rounds out the entire fiasco that is Georgie’s life. The plot is fresh and the writing style remains light and fun and witty. It will keep you laughing and rooting for Georgie the whole way through – but it also keeps you guessing as only a true whodunit can. You’ll finish this one in no time!

Pair This With: Roscato Sparkling Sweet Red

I wanted an easy, breezy wine to pair with this fun book and the Roscato Red is perfect. This red is served cold, it's slightly sweet and just a bit fizzy. Who doesn't love bubbles!? Just be careful with this one - you could put down the entire bottle without even knowing it (until you stand up).

Picnic Packing Tips for Wine Festival Season

It is getting to be my favorite time of the year – wine festival season! I love wine festivals. They are a beautiful gathering of a bunch of local wineries and you get to try so many new varieties. Throw in some sunshine and a yummy picnic and you have yourself a perfect day!

Speaking of picnics, we always pack food to tote with us to these festivals. There are usually food trucks around to buy food but, I prefer to save my money to buy wine instead. I have some go-to foods that I always pack so let me share some tips with you on how to pack the perfect wine festival picnic.

FIRST THINGS FIRST!

Check the festival’s website or facebook page for what they allow you to bring in to the event. Every festival is different so make sure you know the rules ahead of time so you aren’t stuck lugging a cooler back to your car to sit in the hot sun all day.

BRING WATER 

Again, check the rules on the size or type of water bottle you can bring in to the event but this is so important. I don’t know about you but day drinking in my 30’s is a MUCH different experience than when I was in college (read: this can lead to the dreaded 2-day hangover). So, hydrate, hydrate, hydrate! Don't be this guy.

Pack lightly but efficiently 

We have this awesome insulated tote bag that we got from, yes – a wine festival! We use it for every event we go to that’s outdoors. We tuck one or two ice packs in the bottom to keep everything cool. It’s plenty of room to fit lunch for 2 and it’s not a hassle to lug around with you. We always bring our camping chairs with us so we can claim a spot on the lawn to eat and hang out. Also make sure you remember to pack the paper plates and napkins. Some of the serious festival-goers I’ve seen around have one of these bad boys – it is definitely on my list of things to get!

Easy to eat foods 

We are always sure to pack foods that are easy to eat and don’t require much fuss. You want to make sure though that you bring enough to soak up all that wine you’ll be drinking! One of my favorite things to pack is a BLT sandwich. The secret to this BLT though is guacamole. Slather some guac, add a slice of juicy tomato, a few slices of bacon and lettuce and you are good to go. So delicious! My other go-to foods are crackers, cheese (bring a small cheese knife with you!), some sort of salami or prosciutto and grapes. All of this food travels well, are easy to eat and of course, pair perfectly with some delicious vino.

I hope these tips will help you pack the perfect picnic. Now get out there and enjoy wine festival season!

The Last Bookaneer

The Last Bookaneer by Matthew Pearl
Publisher - Penguin Press
Publish Date - April 2015
Genre - Fiction
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My Rating:

I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned this on the blog before or not but, I have a thing for Pirates. Not the real-life creepy pirates who seize ships and have horrible pirate fashion sense but rather the romanticized pirates of days past. Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Carribbean Pirates. THOSE Pirates. You can't help but love all of their swashbuckling, eye-patch wearing, lawless behavior. Maybe deep down I just really love Johnny Depp but who knows.

At any rate, my love of pirates is what caused me to pick up this book while I was perusing the shelves at my local library. The Last Bookaneer just sounded pirate-y so I of course had to read it.

The title did not disappoint – it did have a touch of pirating (pirateerring?) I think I made up a word here. Just stay with me. Pirates make me a bit crazy. We’ll just say the book lets you into a world of the pirate life from a literary perspective – literally.

The Last Bookaneer takes place in the late 1800’s when the publishing industry was on the verge of collapse because of loose copyright laws hundreds of years old. Bookaneers of the time made a living off stealing the latest manuscripts from famous authors, selling them to publishing companies for a pretty penny all without the author’s permission. Pen Davenport is the most infamous Bookaneer in Europe and new copyright laws threaten his very existence.

Pen and his reluctant assistant Fergins set off on their last big heist – to steal a dying Robert Louis Stevenson’s final novel. Of course, Pen is not the only Bookaneer after this novel and he runs into trouble when his adversary Belial shows his face. They end up embarking on a journey that has more twists and turns than any of them ever expected as the sun begins to set on their bookaneering way of life.

The title and the synopsis had me hooked and I couldn’t wait to dive in to this novel. I expected excitement, action and crazy adventures. While the underlying plot and eventual conclusion was exciting, I was ultimately left disappointed in the novel as a whole. The writing style was never able to truly draw me in and keep my attention. I don’t give up on books though – even if they are slow, rough reads, I always finish them.

The narrative was weak and it tended to ramble without doing much in terms of development. I kept waiting for the story to really take off and it did keep me guessing at each turning point like “here we go, this is when it gets good!” Unfortunately for me, that never happened. Great premise and great promise that fell short on execution. For now, I’ll stick with Jack Sparrow.

There are studies about why we love pirates so much so read this and this. Or, if you wait until the fall, you can celebrate Talk Like a Pirate Day on September 19th. Yes it's a real day. WikiHow teaches you what you need to know here so you'll be prepared.

Pair This With: La Sirena Pirate TreasuRed

I HAD to try to find a wine out there to pair with this novel that was pirate-y and I found it! I have to admit that I haven't actually tried this wine but I will be going out to find it ASAP. First of all, the play on the name? Come on. How cool is this wine? La Sirena's website describes this wine as a "rambunctious blend of seven varieties with full ripeness and big flavors..." I need this wine in my life and you do too so drink up ye sorry scallywags!

The Nightingale

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
Publisher - St. Martins Press
Publish Date - February 2015
Genre - Historical Fiction
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My Rating:

It’s hard to believe that it’s already April – time is flying by this year! While I’ve  been slacking on my book reviews, I haven’t been slacking on reading that’s for sure. I’ve already read 9 books this year so far which is kind of crazy. What is that, 3 a month!? Not sure how I managed to do that but needless to say, I’ve got a lot of content to write!

I get my book suggestions from so many different places that it’s hard to keep track which ones come from where sometimes. This one falls into that category. I have no idea how I heard about this book (it may have been another TheSkimm recommendation) but regardless, I’m so glad I found it.

The Nightingale takes place in France during WWII and tells the story of sisters Vianne and Isabelle. When it’s clear that the Nazis are going to invade France, Vianne has to say goodbye to her husband, Antoine and she is left on her own with her young daughter. A German soldier requisitions her house forcing Vianne and her daughter to live side by side with the enemy.

Vianne’s sister Isabelle is a stubborn, rebellious girl who is determined to make a difference for France during the war. Isabelle falls into a young love with a man who is part of a movement that believes France can fight the Germans from within. He eventually betrays her and in order to cope, Isabelle joins the Resistance where she risks her life over and over again in order to save the lives of French and American soliders.

While the two sisters live incredibly divergent paths during the war, they are both forced to make unthinkable decisions in order to survive. The Nightingale does a remarkable job of telling the story of the Women’s War during WWII, a story not often told. It’s a powerful novel that displays the utter resilience of humans during tragic times and the absolute strength of women. It’s inspiring, fast-paced and full of emotion that will leave you raw and reflective.

If you love historical fiction, stories about the triumph of women during a man’s time or just a good “can’t put it down” page turner of a book then go get this one right now and start reading. You won’t regret it!

Pair This With: Chateau Bellevue Bordeaux

This wine will leave you feeling like you are reading The Nightingale right on the banks of the Seine River. It's an easy drinking Bordeaux blend that's rich and fruity. The perfect sip for this page-turner - and easy on the wallet too!

Girl Scout Cookie Wine Pairings

I don’t know what it’s been like around your neck of the woods lately but here, it’s GIRL SCOUT COOKIE SEASON. Now, with this whole healthy eating thing that we’ve been doing, Girl Scout Cookies aren’t exactly part of our “approved diet”. Thank goodness for cheat days.

If you remember my post about pairing Halloween candy with wine, then you know I have awesome friends willing to do pretty much anything if it includes wine. Well, thanks to the internet, a friend found this post about pairing wine with Girl Scout Cookies. Needless to say, this event was planned immediately.

The big night finally arrived and my friends even put up with me staging all of the cookies and wine together for blog photos before diving in. We had 8 different cookies and 10 different wines – waiting was no easy feat. But, everything looked so amazing when it was all put together. It made the whole thing seem very official!

We also learned some things about cookies since we couldn't find all of the flavors on this list. Apparently there are different bakers and so not every cookies is available everywhere! Who knew? So, our cookies and pairings were a bit different than the list above but creativity is good!

Here’s our pairings and what everyone thought about each one:

Rah-Rah Raisins with Cotes Du Rhone Reserve

Last year was the first time I had these cookies and they are AWESOME. According to other suggestions online, this one should be paired with a Bordeaux. This wine is technically a rouge but close enough. It was smooth, bright and the subtle fruits but deep flavor were a perfect match to the cookie. 

Savannah Smiles with Old Green Tractor White Blend/Framboise Raspberry Lambic

This was another new cookie for us and again - AWESOME. We paired this one with two different drinks - a local white blend and a raspberry lambic. The light, crisp and citrusy flavor of the wine was absolutely perfect with the cookie. And let me tell you, the raspberry lambic with the lemon also simply delicious. This cookie and the two drinks were the favorite pairing of the night!

Thin Mints with Beritage Lodi Red

The suggested pairing online for Thin Mints was Pinot Noir but we went a bit off the reservation with this interesting choice. It was one I had on hand from a fund raiser and wanted to try it. It was an easy sipping wine but still full of flavor. Mint is very difficult to pair with wine and while this one was good, everyone seemed to enjoy the cookies and wine separate.

Toffee-tastics with Chateau Ste Michelle Riesling

Most of us had never tried this cookie before either but it kind of fell short of expectations. There was really no flavor to the cookie at all. I think the Riesling was the right wine to pair with this cookie but since the cookie wasn't very good, we moved on pretty quickly.

Samoas with Agua de Piedra Malbec

This next pairing was another favorite of the evening. I mean, who doesn't love Samoas first of all? Then we paired it with this light, fruity Malbec. The light flavor of the wine held up well against the richness of the cookie.

Tagalongs with Magistrate Cabernet Sauvignon

Tagalongs are my favorite Girl Scout Cookie so I was excited to see them paired up with wine. Peanut Butter can be hard to pair so I wasn't sure how this one would go. I'm also not usually a huge fan of Cab Sauv. I was surprised though at how good this pairing was. The heavy wine was exactly what this rich, creamy cookie needed.

Trefoils with Barboursville Chardonnay

It was nice that we had a good balance of white wines and reds paired up with all the cookies. The Trefoils with the Chardonnay was a super light, easy pairing that worked really well. It would be really easy to down a ton of these cookies and a bottle of this wine so be careful!

Do-si-dos with James River Cellars Merlot

Our last pairing of the night was Do-Si-Dos with a local Merlot from James River Cellars. This Merlot is a bit lighter than most but the flavors were still deep enough to match up with the peanut butter. This one was good but again another one where they were better enjoyed separately.

So there you have it - our Girl Scout Cookie Wine Night! It was a huge success and we will probably make this a yearly tradition. 

What's your favorite Girl Scout Cookie and what wine will YOU pair with it?