A Bit of Comfort: The Princess Bride & Hot Cocoa

When things are tough, I usually curl up and lose myself in a book. I burrow under a blanket with tea, hot chocolate, or wine by my side. I let the characters take my problems away. The Princess Bride is one of my favorite books to curl up with. I can read it over and over again. As the weather turns chillier and the blanket comes out (along with this book!), I heat up a glass of hot chocolate and get ready to spend a long afternoon on the couch. The hot chocolate recipe is a new favorite recipe of mine. I’ve given it as a gift, but not going to lie, I kept lots for myself.

One of my favorite food blogs is Everyday Annie (previously Annie’s Eats). It’s the first blog I check in the morning; it’s the first blog I check for recipe ideas. Annie is a full-time doctor, wife and mother. Every time I read her blog, I’m amazed at how much she has accomplished.

Last week, on Thanksgiving day, Annie’s father passed away unexpectedly. As I was blessed with a wonderful day with my parents, in-laws, and siblings, Annie was grieving. Tears come to my eyes as I try to imagine what she must be going through. Annie, I’ve never met you, and you probably don’t follow my blog. But this post is dedicated to you and your family. My thoughts and prayers are with you.

The Princess Bride

By William Goldman

The Princess Bride is a classic. You know the movie? Well, the book is even better.

A father reads aloud to his his sick 10-year old son a story by S. Morgenstern. The story that has everything in it: “Fencing. Fighting. Torture, Poison. True love. Hate. Revenge. Giants. Hunters. Bad men. Good men. Beasts of all natures and descriptions. Pain. Death. Brave men. Coward men. Strongest men. Chases. Escapes. Lies. Truths. Passions. Miracles.” (p 9-10) Years later, Goldman gives the book to his own son for his tenth birthday and goes on to discover that S. Morgenstern’s story is not what he thought it was. Goldman discovers that his father only read him the “good parts.” This book is Goldman’s 1973 adaption of S. Morgenstern’s tale, leaving out the boring family genealogies and pages upon pages of descriptions where nothing happens.

Buttercup was a milkmaid and the prettiest girl alive. She falls in love with her “farm boy” Westley, who leaves to make his fortune in America. Not long after he sets sail, Buttercup receives a letter saying that his ship was taken by the Dread Pirate Roberts, who never leaves prisoners alive. That was the last Buttercup heard of her one true love.

Buttercup’s beauty wins her a an engagement to Prince Humperdinck of Florin. Just before their wedding, Buttercup is kidnapped. Twice. The next two hundred pages is packed with fighting, plotting, deceiving, and revenge as Westley struggles to rejoin his one true love.

If this story rings a bell, it’s because the movie was pretty true to the plot as well as the dialog. However, like all movies, it’s impossible to fit everything into two hours. Read the book. You’ll learn the stories behind Fezzik and Inigo – how they ended up with Vizzini the Sicilian, what Fezzik’s childhood was like, and how Inigo’s father died at the hands of the 6-figured man. These are the pieces that make me like the characters even more.

Recommendation: Read it. Please.

Grade: A+

And to go with The Princess Bride…. make some of this hot chocolate mix. Give some as gifts or hoard it all. But if you give it as a gift, you should at least hoard a little bit. You’d be sad if you didn’t. And then make it every night with a generous dollop of whipped cream. It’s rich, it’s decadent. It’s grown-up hot chocolate. It’s amazing.

Homemade Hot Chocolate Mix

This recipe was adapted from Gourmet (2005) via Everyday Annie

Ingredients:

  • 2 c. vanilla sugar
  • 3/4 lb. good quality semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
  • 4.5 oz. good quality bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
  • 1 c. Dutch process cocoa powder (I used Ghirardelli unsweetened cocoa since I’m unable to find Dutch process cocoa powder)

Place all ingredients in a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Pulse until chocolate is finely ground (mixture should be completely combined).

Makes 38 servings (2 Tbs. mix or 1 c. hot chocolate).

Serve: Mix 2 Tbs. mix with 1 c. warm/hot milk or water, stirring until all chocolate is melted.

Storage: Store in an airtight container for up to 6 months.

Book Review: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

Book Review:

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

By Rebecca Skloot

1950s Baltimore, Maryland: Henrietta Lacks, an African American woman who grew up a tobacco farmer in Virgina, just gave birth to her fifth child. Shortly after, she was diagnosed with cervical cancer, and just weeks later, after undergoing radiation treatment, she died. Henrietta didn’t just have cervical cancer – her body had been engulfed by the disease.

Tumors the size of baseballs had nearly replaced her kidneys, bladder, ovaries, and uterus. And her other organs were so covered in small white tumors it looked as if someone has filled her with pearls… (p. 90)

Throughout her treatment and after her death, samples of Henrietta’s cancer cells were taken by Johns Hopkins Hospital and sent to a lab research. Her cells, unlike any other ever discovered, did not die. Instead, they multiplied constantly. Henrietta’s cells, HeLa, become one of the most important advances in medicine – the first immortal cell. Since they’re unable to die, they’re used by scientists across the world to better understand cells themselves, to learn about the impact of diseases on our bodies, and to test new immunizations and antibiotics.

Over the fifty years following Henrietta’s death, Henrietta’s family gradually learned that their wife’s/mother’s cells still lived. Their fight for information, years after Henrietta died, and their struggle to understand what has happened to Henrietta is difficult to describe. It’s scary to imagine living in such ignorance. It’s scary not being able to understand scientists’ and doctors’ explanations and the sci-fi like headlines in newspapers and magazines. The Lacks family, particularly daughter Deborah, took over a year to trust the author of this book, Rebecca Skloot. Then together, the Lackses and Skloot embarked on a journey to learn about Henrietta’s life and her life after death.

Review: The story flips between past and present, which actually make the book very easy to read. When I heard about it, I was concerned that it would be far too scientific, and frankly a bit boring. I was completely wrong. I was completely sucked into Henrietta’s story and didn’t want to put the book down.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks combines the stories of Henrietta’s life, her daughter’s journey to learn about her, and the progress medicine has made as a result of her cells. The book is much more about the woman behind HeLa, her family, and history – African America history and medical history – than about the nuances of science. It is simply astonishing to think of the advances made over the past 50 years…. the differences in race relations, the increase in education among the general population (and thus, the way we perceive and treat those in the medical field), the advances in medicine (from diagnosis to treatments).

While the book was just a glimpse into these advances, it made a serious impression on me. It’s made me want to go back to the library for another book that will tie in with one of the themes in The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks rather than work on my large to-read-before-I-move stack on my bookshelf.

Recommendation: If you love history, memoirs, or science, this is a must read.  If you don’t, I’d still recommend it. So basically, no matter who you are, read this book.

Grade: A

Book Review: A Discovery of Witches

Book Review:

A Discovery of Witches

By Deborah Harkness

Diana Bishop was born a witch but after her parents died, she wanted nothing to do with being a witch. She avoided it every way possible – she refused to use her powers and refused to learn about witchcraft from her aunts. Instead, Diana ran, rowed, and did yoga to get out her excess energy caused by the bottled up magic.

One day, everything changed. While doing research in an Oxford library, Diana calls up an ancient alchemy manuscript, Ashmole 782. The manuscript is cursed and releases a long chain of events that forced Diana to return to her roots. She gets thrown into a world of vampires and unknown magic, mystery and conspiracy.

Recommendation: If you enjoy the paranormal, than this is a book for you. Stories of witches, vampires and daemons are intertwined with the present and the past. There was just enough flare of romance, violence, and mystery to keep the reader engaged.

I’ve heard someone compare A Discovery of Witches to Twilight. If that’s what you’re thinking, I would disagree. Sure, A Discovery of Witches has love between a vampire and a non-vampire, but I felt this book was a far cry from the Twilight series. While still classified as a young adult book, it did not feel like one while reading it. The characters were older and much more mature. There were scholarly strands running through the book as the characters consistently referenced alchemy and great authors and works of the past.

I was disappointed when the book ended. I wanted to reads the next part of the story. You know it’s a good book when you keep thinking about it after you’re done, and stalk the author’s website for information about the next book. Unfortunately, book 2 in the trilogy, Shadow of Night, isn’t due to be released until summer 2012. It’s going to be a long way

Edit: Read my review of Shadow of Night, book two in the series, here and book three, Book of Life, here.

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Book Review: One Day

I first became aware of One Day when trailer for the movie began appearing on t.v. I watched the trailer with mild interest, thinking it could be a decent rental for one night when the hubby was out of town but figuring I would pass on the book. A few weeks later, One Day was chosen as our next book club book. I put my name on the list at the library and waited…..  month and a half later, I finally got the book, and began reading in a rush to finish it before out next meeting.

Book Review:

One Day

By David Nicholls

 

The Story: Nicholls introduces the reader to the two main characters of the book in the first scene – Emma Morley and Dexter Mayhew are in bed together on July 15, the night of their university graduation. Emma was raised in a working class family, worked hard through school, and hoped to pursue a career in writing. Dexter was raised by a wealthy family, did mediocre in school, and had no real thoughts about the future other than traveling for a year and having fun. They have one night and one day together before going their separate ways.

The unlikely pair, Emma and Dexter remain friends for many years. Nicholls presents a snapshot of their lives (often apart from one another) and their relationship, every year on July 15. Emma struggles to make a life for herself, working in a restaurant and teaching while trying to pursue her writing career. Dexter makes it in the media as a television presenter. He is almost constantly drunk and on drugs.

Review: I had a lot of trouble with this book. The characters just didn’t do it for me. I didn’t find them particularly likeable, and got tired of drunk and drugged Dexter. Remember how I feared that there would be too much teenage angst in Revolution for my liking? Well, Jennifer Donnelly managed to do what Nicholls didn’t. While Revolution was heavy and not very uplifting, the book didn’t have the same mood-changing affect on me that One Day did. One Day began to feel like constant sulking after a while. I know not everything is happy and peachy keep, but as I read, there seemed to be a constant black cloud bringing my mood down.

This being said, I appreciate the structure of the book – the snapshots of one day over the years. The book was well-written and the characters were well developed. It was interesting to see the landmarks in Emma and Dexter’s lives, and how those experiences shaped and changed their personalities. Nicholls excelled in showing character progression over many years, despite having only one day a year to do so.

Recommendation: Maybe, for someone who appreciates the writing and the literary structure.

Grade: C+

Book Review: Revolution

Book Review:

Revolution

By Jennifer Donnelly

When I began Revolution, I was not sure I would enjoy it. The book began with a glimpse at Andi Alper’s life, which was falling apart. Andi and her mother were both hit hard over the death of her younger brother. Andi blamed herself and  was suicidal. Her mother was consumed by grief and unable to function normally. Andi’s father lived far away, uninvolved in her life. When he showed up, the father and daughter butted heads and could not understand or relate to one another. Andi had lost interest in everything but her music, but even that couldn’t keep her out of depression and away from suicidal thoughts.

I thought this teenage anguish would dominate throughout the book, but it didn’t. Andi’s emotional turmoil was still there,but did not dominate the story.The first two-thirds of Revolution flashes between Andi in the present and the diary of Alexandrine Paradis, a French woman who lived during the French Revolution. Andi becomes increasingly interested in Alexandrine’s life – her time living with the royal family as a companion to the prince, her close relationship with prince Louis Charles (Louis XVII), and France during the French Revolution. As Andi continues her music, both playing her guitar and researching a French composer for her thesis, and delves deeper into the diary, she takes the first steps to overcoming her grief and guilt over her brother’s death.

The last third of the novel consists of Andi’s “trip” back to 1795, where she lives the history she had been reading about. Initially Andy was convinced that she had overdosed on her antidepressants. Before long, Andi starts making connection back to Alexandrine’s life and as well as that of the composer she was researching.

These experience bring Andi back to life. She starts to overcome her problems and regains the will to live.

Recommendation: I would definitely recommend Revolution to anyone who enjoys historical fiction novels. While I was originally concerned that the book would have too much teenage anguish, I found that the French history played a much stronger role in the storyline than Andi’s emotional struggles. There was just enough there to maintain a connection with the characters but not get bogged down in her depressing thoughts. I found the storyline creative and addictive – I didn’t want to put the book down!

Grade: A- (4 of 5 stars on goodreads)