Finishing Up The Devil in the White City & Starting Reconstructing Amelia

I absolutely loved this book. It has to be one of my all times favorite books that I have ever read. I cannot wait to read more of Eric Larson's book. Simply amazing!! What did you think about The Devil in the White City?

Did you know that this book is going to be a movie and
Leonardo DiCaprio will be Dr. HH Holmes? WHAT! I can't even wait to see this movie. 

Here are a couple questions about The Devil in the White City. Let me know what you thought about this book. :) 

1. In what ways does the Chicago World's Fair of 1893 change America? What lasting inventions and ideas did it introduce into American culture? What important figures were critically influenced by the Fair?

2. At the end of the book, Larson suggests that "Exactly what motivated Holmes may never be known" [p. 395]. What possible motives are exposed in The Devil in the White City? Why is it important to try to understand the motives of a person like Holmes?

3. How was Holmes able to exert such power over his victims? What weaknesses did he prey upon? Why wasn't he caught earlier? In what ways does his story "illustrate the end of the century" [p. 370] as the Chicago Times-Herald wrote?

4. What satisfaction can be derived from a nonfiction book like The Devil in the White City that cannot be found in novels? In what ways is the book like a novel?

Our next book is Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight. We will be starting it August 21st and ending on Sunday September 4th.

Synopsis From Goodreads: Litigation lawyer and harried single mother Kate Baron is stunned when her daughter's exclusive private school in Park Slope, Brooklyn, calls with disturbing news: her intelligent, high-achieving fifteen-year-old daughter, Amelia, has been caught cheating.

Kate can't believe that Amelia, an ambitious, levelheaded girl who's never been in trouble would do something like that. But by the time she arrives at Grace Hall, Kate's faced with far more devastating news. Amelia is dead.

Seemingly unable to cope with what she'd done, a despondent Amelia has jumped from the school's roof in an act of "spontaneous" suicide. At least that's the story Grace Hall and the police tell Kate. And overwhelmed as she is by her own guilt and shattered by grief, it is the story that Kate believes until she gets the anonymous text:

She didn't jump.

Sifting through Amelia's emails, text messages, social media postings, and cell phone logs, Kate is determined to learn the heartbreaking truth about why Amelia was on Grace Hall's roof that day-and why she died.

Lets Get Reading! 

Healthy Protein Cookie Dough For One

Here is a super simple treat that you can make with ingredients you probably already have in your pantry.

Ingredients: 
1/2 Banana, Mashed
1 Scoop Vanilla Protein Powder
1/4 Cup Oat Flour
1 Tbsp Almond Butter or Peanut Butter
1/2 Tbsp Maple Syrup or Honey 

1/2 Tbsp Milk
1 Tbsp Chocolate Chips (Optional)

Directions: 
In a bowl, combine the banana, protein powder,oat flour and maple syrup or honey and mix very well.

In a small bowl melt the nut butter with the maple syrup or honey.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients until fully incorporated.

Add milk until desired consistency is reached. 

Top with chocolate chips if using.

Enjoy!

Grilled Lime Salmon with Avocado-Mango Salsa and Coconut Rice

This is my ultimate favorite meal right now!! It is so good. You need to try it ASAP! :) This recipe is for two. But I will recommend to double the salsa if you really like salsa because it is delicious and you can never have enough salsa. ;) 

Try this recipe and let me know what you think. I hope you love it as much as I do! :) 

Ingredients:

Lime Salmon
2 Skinless Salmon Fillets
3 Tbsp Olive Oil
3 Tbsp Fresh Lime Juice
3 Cloves Garlic, Crushed
Salt and pepper, to taste

Coconut Rice
1 1/2 Cups Coconut Water
1 Cups Brown Rice

Avocado-Mango Salsa
1 Large Mango, Peeled and Diced
1 Chopped Red Bell Pepper
1/4 Cup Chopped Fresh Cilantro
1/3 Cup Chopped Red Onion
1 Large Avocado, Peeled and Diced
1 Tbsp Fresh Lime Juice
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Tbsp Coconut Water
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

For Salmon:
Mix the olive oil, lime zest, lime juice, garlic and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Place salmon in baking dish, cover and allow to marinate in refrigerator 30 minutes, then flip salmon to opposite side and allow to marinate 30 minutes longer. 

Preheat a grill over medium-high heat.

Brush grill grates with oil or place sliced limes on the grill to place salmon on. Sliced limes are a great way to prevent the salmon from sticking and also gives the salmon great flavor. 

Place salmon on grill and grill about 5 minutes per side or until just cooked through.

For Coconut Rice:
While the salmon is marinating prepare the coconut rice. 

Bring the coconut water to a full boil. 

Add rice and cover.

Turn heat down to a simmer and simmer until liquid has been absorbed. About 30 minutes. 

For Avocado-Mango Salsa:
I like to prepare the salsa while the salmon is grilling. 

Toss together mango, bell pepper, cilantro, red onion, avocado, lime juice, olive oil and coconut water. 

Season with salt and pepper to taste.

To serve I like to put the coconut rice on top of my salmon and then top the rice with salsa.

Enjoy!!  

Cookie Dough Peanut Butter Cups

Cookie dough is by far one of my favorite treats in the whole world besides puppy chow! One food that I do not like are beans. I have been making myself eat black beans when we have Mexican on Tuesdays and I have been getting use to them. ;) So, when I saw the idea today to use chickpeas to make cookie dough I just had to try it. 

I honestly try a lot of healthy homemade treats...and a lot of them are a giant failures. Last week I made a protein brownie and it smelled amazing but when I had my first bite it was awful..So I am always cautious when trying my new food inventions but always hopeful! 

So, when I tried this recipe I wasn't expecting much and assumed it would gross me out with the chickpeas. Well I presently surprised and they turned out AMAZING!!! You cannot taste the chickpeas at all. 

This is a healthy treat you need to try! :) 

Cookie Dough Peanut Butter Cups

Ingredients: 

1 can Chickpeas
2 Tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
1/4 Cup Smooth Peanut Butter
1/2 Cup Pure Maple Syrup
1/2 Cup Old Fashioned Oats 
1/4 Tsp Sea Salt
1/8 Tsp Baking Soda 
1 Cup Melted Dark Chocolate Chips 
Optional: Mini Dark Chocolate Chips For Cookie Dough 

Instructions:

Line a mini muffin pan with sixteen mini cupcake liners.

To make the cookie dough start by draining and rinsing beans beans extremely well, and pat dry.

Put all of the ingredients except the chocolate and mini chocolate chips in a strong food processor until completely smooth. Stir in a handful of mini chocolate chips if desired. 

Melt the chocolate. Add about 1 teaspoon of melted chocolate to the bottoms of mini cupcake liners. 

Freeze for about 5 minutes to set.

Next add 1-2 teaspoons of the cookie dough on top of the hardened chocolate.  

Top with 1-2 teaspoons more of the melted chocolate and immediately freeze till hardened. I froze mine for about thirty minutes.  

Store in the fridge. 

Enjoy! :) 

Finishing Up The Husband's Secret & Starting The Devil in the White City

I thought this was a decent book. I was happy to find out that the secret was not what I was expecting. I do not think it lived up to all the hype behind it though. It was a nice read though. What did you think about The Husband's Secret? 

Here are a couple questions about The Husband's Secret. Let me know what you thought about this book. :) 

1. When Cecilia finds the letter addressed to her from her husband, “To be opened only in the event of my death,” she is tormented by the ethics of opening it. Do you agree with her ultimate decision? What would you have done?

2.Consider the title The Husband’s Secret. Several characters in the book have secrets they hold on to that they eventually reveal. Felicity and Will share the secret of their affair to Tess; John-Paul guards his secret from Cecilia until he is forced to admit it. What are the ramifications of their secrets? Is secrecy is ever warranted and justifiable.

3.Tess has suffered her whole life from crippling social anxiety. How has this made everyday situations a challenge for her? Why has she never confronted her problem? Why doesn’t she tell anyone about it?

4.The Berlin Wall is referred to throughout the novel as Esther works on her school project. And in fact, we learn that Cecilia met John-Paul on the day the Wall finally came down. What does the Wall signify in the book?

Our next book is The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America by Erik Larson. We will be starting it today Sunday August 7th and ending on Sunday August 21st.

Synopsis From Goodreads: Author Erik Larson imbues the incredible events surrounding the 1893 Chicago World's Fair with such drama that readers may find themselves checking the book's categorization to be sure that 'The Devil in the White City' is not, in fact, a highly imaginative novel. Larson tells the stories of two men: Daniel H. Burnham, the architect responsible for the fair's construction, and H.H. Holmes, a serial killer masquerading as a charming doctor.

Burnham's challenge was immense. In a short period of time, he was forced to overcome the death of his partner and numerous other obstacles to construct the famous "White City" around which the fair was built. His efforts to complete the project, and the fair's incredible success, are skillfully related along with entertaining appearances by such notables as Buffalo Bill Cody, Susan B. Anthony, Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison.

The activities of the sinister Dr. Holmes, who is believed to be responsible for scores of murders around the time of the fair, are equally remarkable. He devised and erected the World's Fair Hotel, complete with crematorium and gas chamber, near the fairgrounds and used the event as well as his own charismatic personality to lure victims.

Lets Get Reading!

Finishing Up The Silent Wife & Starting The Husband's Secret

I liked The Silent Wife but did not love it. I was happy with the way it ended though. What did you think about The Silent Wife?

Here are a couple questions about The Silent Wife. Let me know what you thought about this chilling book. :)

1. Describe Jodi and Todd—separately and together as a couple. How would you define the quality of their 20-year relationship? Why has Jodi looked the other way with Todd's occasional affairs? What does it say about her expectations for the relationship...and what does it say about Todd and his expectations?

2. Then there is Natasha—what do you make of her? Why is Jodi's reaction so powerful to this particular dalliance of Todd?

3. To what degree does Harrison's use of psychology elucidate the mental state of her characters? Did you find the author's information on psychotherapy helpful...interesting...overdone...distracting?

4. Harrison's novel switches back and forth between Jodi's and Todd's points of view. Why might the author have used this technique? What does it add to the story? Or would you have preferred a single point of view?

Our next book is The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty. We will be starting it today Sunday July 31st and ending on Sunday August 7th. 

Synopsis From Goodreads: Imagine that your husband wrote you a letter, to be opened after his death. Imagine, too, that the letter contains his deepest, darkest secret—something with the potential to destroy not just the life you built together, but the lives of others as well. Imagine, then, that you stumble across that letter while your husband is still very much alive. . . .

Cecilia Fitzpatrick has achieved it all—she’s an incredibly successful businesswoman, a pillar of her small community, and a devoted wife and mother. Her life is as orderly and spotless as her home. But that letter is about to change everything, and not just for her: Rachel and Tess barely know Cecilia—or each other—but they too are about to feel the earth-shattering repercussions of her husband’s secret.

Acclaimed author Liane Moriarty has written a gripping, thought-provoking novel about how well it is really possible to know our spouses—and, ultimately, ourselves.

Lets Get Reading! 

Finishing Up The Deep & Starting The Silent Wife

I absolutely loved The Deep. It was such a creepy book and really kept me guessing. I was shocked with how it ended and wanted to know more. I wish this was a series and there was another book to read because I feel it could've kept going. 

What did you think of the book? Did you expect it to end the way it did? 

Our next book is The Silent Wife by A.S.A. Harrison. We will be starting it Friday June 1st and ending on Friday June 15th. 

Synopsis From Goodreads: Jodi and Todd are at a bad place in their marriage. Much is at stake, including the affluent life they lead in their beautiful waterfront condo in Chicago, as she, the killer, and he, the victim, rush haplessly toward the main event. He is a committed cheater. She lives and breathes denial. He exists in dual worlds. She likes to settle scores. He decides to play for keeps. She has nothing left to lose. Told in alternating voices, The Silent Wife is about a marriage in the throes of dissolution, a couple headed for catastrophe, concessions that can’t be made, and promises that won’t be kept. Expertly plotted and reminiscent of Gone Girl and These Things Hidden, The Silent Wife ensnares the reader from page one and does not let go.

Lets Get Reading!