Last year I was all about the thrillers. Prior to that, I went through at an least a two-year phase where I devoured all the celebrity memoirs I could. This year, my book list comprised a whole lot of fiction in general.
Here are the best of the best out of the 97 books I read in 2023.
For the past few years, close to or on New Year’s Eve, I’ve been doing a roundup on social media of my favorite books I read during the year. This year I decided to elaborate on my fiction favorites here, but keep scrolling to see my entire Best Of 2022 list.
I read 85 books this year. It’s more than I’ve ever read in one year since I started keeping track in 2011. How did I do it?? I allowed myself to enjoy fiction on audio.
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I successfully cooked my first Thanksgiving turkey this year! Here’s the step-by-step process I used to pull it off, along with the rest of my menu.
But first a shoutout to Tully, our beloved feline friend who passed away shortly before the holiday.
We’d had Tully, named for the Firefly Lane character back before the book became a show, for 13 years. She was 15 when she died. For some reason I’d had it in my head that she would go at 20.
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I know. I’ve written a novel before, and “I’m working on a novel!” sounds like one of those things people say for years without it actually coming to fruition. I thought I’d give an update on the situation, since I haven’t posted in quite some time. Insert “It’s been 84 years” Titanic lady gif here.
January 9, 2021: When I escaped from my crazy family to stay the night and write in a hotel room.
(more…)Yes, I said the blog was abandoned or on hiatus, but when someone just writes it for me how can I say no?
This is a guest post by Joe Legault. I took that picture, though.
Why feel clammy or crabby and flounder about when you can eat one of New England’s most popular types of seafood – the lobster! Best served whole or in a roll, lobster is a delicacy that you can find in lobster shacks, diners, food trucks, and seafood restaurants along the New England shoreline and around the world.
However, not all lobster rolls are the same, and there are actually two main styles you should know about before ordering. Join us as we take a dive into the difference between the Maine lobster roll and the Connecticut lobster roll.
This blog is on a hiatus for the time being!
Feel free to browse the archives and ask questions if they come up. Comments are still checked sporadically, or you can email. Once in a great awhile I’m updating certain posts to ensure info is still current.
I’ve gone back and forth on keeping this up but don’t want to put energy into something that doesn’t feel authentic anymore. I’ve grown away from food writing, and no longer take joy in recording every new recipe I try.
With a full time “real” writing job and a second baby on the way my time is more precious than ever. I’m at a point in my life where I want my free writing time to be dedicated to my original true writing love: fiction.
This is a guest blog post by Joe Legault.
Did you know sea levels are rising and eventually octopods will take over and inherit the Earth? I learned this at a comedy show a few weeks ago, and if there’s anyone you can 100% trust, it’s a stand-up comedian.
Since I was sitting near the front, the comedian asked me how I would handle the threat of thousands of octopods writhing their way toward world domination. In the heat of the moment, I said we should all deep fry them (there’s a reason I’M not a comedian).
Looking back, I realize I should’ve said, “Well, we could try turning all those octopods into octo-pie.” But instead I sat there wondering if it would be easier to deep fry or air fry all those dang octopods, and what is the difference between those two cooking methods anyway?
(more…)Can’t believe I haven’t done this one yet! Let’s check out the difference between lo mein and chow mein.
I’ve been taking a break from my soaps (The Young and the Restless and The Bold and the Beautiful) over the last few months. After a couple of soap-free weeks, I started feeling the need to watch Lifetime movies; apparently I was craving something to fill that void.
I have now watched eight Lifetime movies – well, technically six, with two Lifetime-like movies – and I’m here to tell you some are better than others. A few are the cheesy, eye-rolly films you might expect, but a couple were actually quite decent. Here’s what’s what.
This is a guest blog post written by Joe Legault.
Back in 2001, everyone’s new favorite animated donkey, Donkey (from Shrek), said the famous line, “We can stay up late, swapping manly stories, and in the morning, I’m making waffles!” But we never really found out if those waffles were manly waffles, special fairy tale waffles, or just plain old waffles.
Not all waffles are the same, and two of the most popular types in North America are the Belgian waffle and the regular waffle. Let’s take a look at the key differences between these waffles.
