How cool is that? I have meant to take a photo of an individual slice, but whenever I cut myself a piece I just can't be bothered to grab the camera because I end up rolling my eyes in ecstasy and then suddenly my slice is gone. This pie is really absolutely perfect -- just the right amount of sweetness, not enough so that it'll make you queasy, with a light, perfectly-flavored, flaky crust. Shoot, I could just sit and munch on the crust, alone, all day. I highly recommend ordering from Mom's Apple Pie Company if you're looking for a nice dessert to send someone for Christmas. Or, for any other reason.Bookwise: I am all over the place. Yes, I'm a bit of an ADD reader, anyway, but usually I can focus enough to complete the reading of a book every 2 or 3 days. This month has just been Attention Deficit Goes Insane. I'm currently reading 7 books. I'm enjoying every single one of them, but I'm doing sort of a musical books thing . . . read a little of one book, put it down, read a little of another book, set it aside, read a little of another. On and on, round and round we go.
There's one book I managed to finish (apart from the dragonfly children's book), but it's one I found in a bin full of books in the garage -- no help whatsoever toward hacking down the recent TBRs, but I liked it and that's that. Here 'tis:
Stories from the Heart by various authors -- Much like a Chicken Soup for the Soul book, this book (published in 1996 by Multnomah Books) has short entries about faith, family, love, etc. Some are deeply touching and brought tears to my eyes. A few made me smile or laugh. A couple were familiar, but I haven't the foggiest idea where I may have read them. The book is no longer in print, as far as I can tell, so I was unable to locate an image. I kept it in the bedroom and just read 2 or 3 entries per day, pinches and bits till it was done.
Books I'm currently reading:
King George: What Was His Problem? by Steve Sheinkin, Illustrated by Tim Robinson - This is a Young Adult nonfiction book that I snatched up at the library and it's due quite soon. The author says he used to write textbooks; for years he set aside all the interesting stories that his bosses would have probably fired him for adding to those dry old school books. Whilst laboring away at organizing boring facts, dates, charts, and other things he knew would likely put students to sleep, he set aside the stories he liked --the stuff that makes history rock -- and now he's writing a series of fun books. All history should be this enjoyable to read.
Queen of the Road by Doreen Orion - The true tale of one couple's travels around the U.S. in a converted bus. And, by converted, I mean "ridiculously luxurious". The fact that the author is all about fancy brand names and that she and her spouse settled on kitchen counter material that cost $320 per square foot (it was, in fact, harvested underwater) combined with the author's breezy -- if a bit uppity -- style gives this book a bit of a chick lit tone. I'm enjoying it, but . . . let's just say I can imagine the head-to-toe scan the author would give me if I entered her territory, and that puts me off a bit.
My Sister Dilly by Maureen Lang - This one's a novel. Hannah loved her life in Los Angeles, but since her sister Dilly's conviction for a crime she probably wouldn't have committed if she'd just had a bit of help from friends and relatives, Hannah has planned to return to small-town Iowa to atone for her absence when Dilly desperately needed her. Things aren't turning out quite the way she planned, though. This book is so good. Brittanie sent it to me because she thought I would like it and so far it's wonderful. Thank you, Brittanie!
Hurricane of Independence, Fear in North Carolina, The Pages in Between and Enslaved by Ducks -- Wow, I had no idea I read so much nonfiction, truly I didn't. Each of these are interesting for completely different reasons, but Enslaved by Ducks is decidedly the most fun and the one I'm picking up most often because I like to laugh and I love animals. It's a light-hearted book about pet ownership.
This is weird: I love bath fizzies and keep a pretty decent supply. Walmart has some 6-packs of fizzies in their Christmas package section and my friend Judy likes smelly bath stuff, as well, so I bought several -- two for gift-giving and one for myself. I tried one out and its fizz fizzled. Meaning, it worked for a while and then just lay there, a cratered lump on the bottom of the tub. It left this odd-looking streak of purple bleeding across the enamel and there wasn't much scent. Bizarre. I'm taking the other two 6-packs back. I've never encountered fizzies that didn't work, before. Judy has read one book the entire time I've known her, whilst her husband reads approximately one book per day (sometimes more) or I'd buy her a book, of course. Poor Judy. I hate to think what she's missing.
Speaking of which . . . gotta go. And, I'm going to use something I know smells good and fizzes till it's gone, this time. Happy reading!
Today, I'm about 1/2 way through that book about the library cat,