Are you any less of a woman if Cinderella is your favorite story of all time?  Even if you are a couple—well, some years past adolescence?   I mean, where is the crime in LOVING Cinderella.

None, I say.  And, apparently, Eloisa James agrees.  So I revel in great company…and with a great read.  These are the stories that inspire young women into reading and loving fairy tales long after they are grown, wed and have children of their own.  Who, in turn, inspire their own daughters to follow in their stead.

A historical novel that includes a selfish stepmother, airheaded, yet somewhat lovable stepsister, a fairy godmother, prince and glass slipper.  Sound familiar?

Only the prince is rather betrothed to someone else and he likes her!  And he needs her dowry to sustain the people who depend on him.  But can Cinder—Kate settle for a fate less than marriage?  And how could he ask such?  ‘Tis a dilemma worth reading for.

So read and you shall smile.  -Kathy L. Wheeler

We’ve reached the second bookend of summer: Labor Day weekend, which means it’s time to put away our playthings and pull out our pom poms and denim for autumn.

First, I’d like to say a quick “thank you” to the Bookettes for being such faithful and interesting book bloggers here, and to the readers and our book club members for loving books and taking the time to get together to discuss them!

Every month, you’ll find fresh picks in our BEBookshelf in the sidebar of the site. For September, we’ve selected another diverse collection – a story of four women at a crossroads, two “birthday sisters” who love the same man, the story of what happens at a zoo, and a touching memoir about a writer and his mentor.

What they have in common is beautiful, engaging writing that makes you think. Click on the covers to learn more about each book and purchase if you so choose.

If you’d like to start a book club in your area, shoot me an e-mail and we’ll get you set up. We’re happy to add more lit sisters to our readerority.

What are you reading and loving?

50 Great Myths of Popular Psychology: Shattering Widespread Misconceptions about Human Behavior

Do most people in their 40’s to early 50’s experience a midlife crisis? Do psychiatric admissions go up during a full moon? Can playing Mozart to infants boost their intelligence? Do most people only use 10% of their brain power? Is low self-esteem a major cause of psychological problems?

From Oprah and Dr. Oz to the nightly news, we are constantly exposed to psychological concepts on a daily basis.  While some of this information is factual and can be useful, a great deal of what we believe to be true is actually myth and misconception.  Professors Lilienfeld, Lynn, and Ruscio have taken on the task of “Mythbusting” in the field of Psychomythology.  This is a refreshing and fun look at many of the concepts that have been accepted as fact by our popular culture.  It is refreshing to find a scientific, evidence-based approach to psychological ideas in a time that has become so dominated by subjective experience.  This books reviews 50 of the most popular psychological myths and explores both the facts and misconceptions surrounding each of these topics.  This book is sure to spur interesting conversations at your next cocktail party or social gathering.  Prepare to join the ranks of the Mythbusters as you will soon be equipped to set the record straight.

Kristan Higgins scores other winner with her new novel, All I Ever Wanted. Ms. Higgins’ unique and quirky characters will have you longing for your own hometown and your high school friends.

When we first meet Callie Grey she is being dumped by her ratfink boss and boyfriend, Mark. To make matters worse it is her thirtieth birthday. Looking for a “distraction” to ease her out of her failed relationship, Callie sets her sights on the new town vet, Dr. Ian McFarland. However, she’ll have to stand in line because every single women in town is clogging his office with suspicious animal aliment. Agreeing to do some PR work for Ian, they begin to fall in love. Their promising relationship comes to a screeching halt when Ian finds her in Mark’s arms. He vows never to be anyone’s second choice. Callie has to convince him that he is ‘all she ever wanted’.

Grab a copy of All I Ever Wanted, put your feet up, open a bottle of wine and indulge yourself: it’s a great ride.

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Q: Thanks for being a part of our Summer Sizzle Saturdays. What’s your favorite summer activity and favorite summer destination?
A: My favorite summer activity is reading–although that’s definitely trickier with a 14-month-old running wild–and my favorite summer destination is my home in Hawaii, on Oahu where my man lives and operates his surf school. We do this crazy bi-coastal life (Seattle and Honolulu), but in summer we all get to be together in our beach house.

Q: Tell us briefly about the writing process for this book.
A: She’s Gone Country is probably one of my favorite books I’ve written due to the characters, conflict, and Texas setting, but I wrote it in the first 5 months after my son’s birth which was grueling. Mac had severe acid reflux as an infant and couldn’t keep anything down, and therefore couldn’t put on weight. He was always hungry, crying, wanting more and I was trying to write and nurse on months of next to no sleep. I wouldn’t want to do that again!

Q: We’re ready to have a pool party with your characters. Give us your main character’s names and a one-line definition for us to get to know them at our pool party.
A: Shey Darcy and Dane Kelly grew up in rural Texas on neighboring ranches and have always had a strong connection but life, work and family have kept them apart, but Shey’s now back in Texas as a single mom of three teen boys, and there’s a lot of unfinished business between them.

Q: Book End Babes is all about girlfriends and great reads. What are some of the themes we could explore in your book?
A: A lot of my books have connected characters–girlfriends who went to school together or grew up together or now live near each other–and this one is no exception. As a single mom grappling with lots of life changes she neally needs her girlfriends and the women in her family’s moral support. Probably my favorite theme in SHE’S GONE COUNTRY is that of empowering women and using your strength and success to help girls achieve their dreams, too.

Q: What is a “must read” book in your beach bag this summer?
A: I’ve got The Help tucked into my beach bag and it’s wonderful. It’s the one book I really want to read this summer!

Thanks, Jane. I’ve always been a big fan. Babes, BUY THE BOOK HERE or at your favorite retailer. Leave a comment for a chance to win a copy of SHE’S GONE COUNTRY.

Website: www.janeporter.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/authorjanep

I remember first hearing about David Leite’s Book The New Portuguese Table a little over a year ago. When I first heard about it, I could not wait to get a copy. For years I have been fascinated with the food of Portugal, Madeira, and the Azores. I had a friend named Pam in Jr. High, whose family was in the military and they were Portuguese. Pam introduced me to a spicy dipping sauce called Piri Piri, which we would dip everything into. Guam has it’s own version of this sauce called Finadene, and between the two of us we would usually have one or the other with our lunches. I do not know where Pam is today, or even remember her last name, but I remember that sauce as my first experience with Portuguese cuisine.

David’s book is a wonderful representation of Portugal’s culture. He literally introduces you to the regions of this wonderful country, and graciously tells you what to eat and drink while you are there. He even has a lovely primer on port wine within these pages.

The recipe that really grabbed my attention in this book was not the Piri Piri Sauce, although there is a really great recipe for that too, but a lovely Chilled Fava Bean Soup with Apples. I love the savory and sweet combination, and although the soup is chilled, it is very hearty.

Chilled Fava Bean Soup with Apples

Ingredients:

3 1/2 pounds fresh fava beans shelled (you may also use 1 1/2 pounds frozen favas peeled, or 1 pound frozen baby lima beans  .

3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 large yellow onion, diced

1 medium yukon gold potato, peeled and diced

6 cups prepared chicken stock, or low sodium broth

Kosher salt and white pepper (I used freshly cracked black pepper)

1 shallot halved,  cut through the root end, and sliced into half moons

1/2 a medium sized granny smith apple cored and cut into thin half moons

If you are using fresh fava beans (skip to the next step if you aren’t) , bring a large stock pot to a boil and blanch the favas for one minute. Shock them in ice cold water. With a small pairing knife, score the beans and remove the hulls.

In a large heavy pot, heat the oil until it just starts to simmer. Add the onions and saute over medium heat until softened (approximately 7 min). Add the diced potato and continue to cook for 5 minutes. Add the prepared stock, and bring to a boil. Continue to cook for another 5 minutes, or until the potatoes have softened. Add the prepared favas (reserve about 18 small beans for the garnish). Bring to a boil, and continue to cook for an additional 5 minutes or until the beans are tender.

Prepare an ice bath with a bowl big enough to comfortably nestle inside of it. Set  aside. With a stick blender (you may also use a regular blender or food processor, in small batches) puree the soup. Pass the soup through a fine mesh sieve, and into the bowl meant to nestle in the ice bath. Place the bowl in the ice bath, stirring occasionally until the soup is cooled. Chill the soup in the refrigerator for at least one hour or overnight.

Season the chilled soup with salt and pepper to taste. Heat the butter, add the shallot and cook until until the edges start to brown and set that aside to cool.

Pour the soup into bowls and garnish immediately with apple slices and the prepared shallot and serve.

Like most my age, I first read Farenheit 451 in English class when it was assigned to me. I don’t know if it was love at first sight, but this is a smartly-written tale about a future where firemen start fires to burn books.

I love the character of Guy Montag; he’s a strong man who is called to question his motives and actions, and he does just that; he doesn’t ignore the scary stuff, he faces it head on.

These are the kinds of tales I like: no matter the genre, be it highbrow literature or lowbrow pulp romance, if the characters learn and grow, the story is a keeper for me.

If you’ve not read it before, I urge you to pick it up. If you’ve read it before, dip into it again. You can find it here. Hmm, I don’t see a digital version available …

Two examples of custom message rings from JLD.

The rings retail for $36 and Jamie is offering them to us for $28. Visit her website for more information.

Last week I packed lunch boxes, loaded backpacks with supplies, laced up new shoes and walked both my children to their classrooms. At promptly 9:00 AM the bell rang and just like that, a new school year had begun.

This year I have a fourth grader and a Kindergartener.  Till now I’ve felt fairly superior in my homework-helping skills.  My spelling is above average, I can rattle off multiplication tables with ease and if you ask me to, I will gladly list all fifty states in alphabetical order. . . in under a minute. Over the summer, however, I noticed a few chinks in my armor.  The humiliation began one evening as we watched the charming little program, “Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader.” As comedian, Jeff Foxworthy, lobbed question after question at the TV audience I felt myself slowly sinking in to the couch.  When my son insisted, “Geez! Mom, that was a fourth grade question. Shouldn’t you know that?”  I simply kept repeating, “well, yes, of course I DID know that at one time but now it’s just. . . gone.”

The information was there at one time.  I took tests, finished high school, even graduated college for heaven’s sake so how can I not remember the difference between a rhombus and a trapezoid triangle?  Thankfully I’m not alone.  A few weeks ago I was a contest winner on my friend Suzanne’s live web chat.  The prize, a new copy of “Homework For Grown-Ups — Everything You Learned At School And Promptly Forgot.”  Weary parents take note. This book should be part of your personal homework arsenal.  You know, the arsenal that includes a sharp pencil and a stiff drink?  Yes, that one.

Homework For Grownups is divided in to nine categories including English Language and Literature, Mathematics, Home Economics, History, Science, Religious Education, Geography, Classics and Art.  Halfway through the book there is even a tongue-in-cheek section on Recess where authors E. Foley and B. Coates, explain rules to the game Rock-Paper-Scissors and give step by step directions for folding a perfect paper airplane.

This book is the mother of all CliffsNotes.  In a mere 351 pages, Foley and Coates summarize everything you learned in grade school and high school and they make it entertaining.  In the chapter on English/literature, not only do they review common misspelled words and grammatical mistakes, they also have a section entitled, “Speed-Reading: A very Short Guide To Some Key Works Of Literature.” Classic books are listed with a two-three sentence summary and the result is often hilarious.  For the William Golding staple, “Lord Of The Flies,” this description is given: “Schoolboys survive plane crash but quickly start killing each other and end up crying on the beach.” Clearly some details are missing but the key elements are there.

This weekend I combed through the book, intrigued by all the facts I’d forgotten that were fun to read again, and relieved at how much I really did remember, I just needed a little brain jog.  “Na” is the abbreviation on the Periodic Table for sodium.  Yes, yes, I knew that, I knew that!  The book is designed to be used as a reference guide with helpful tables, charts, graphs, and definitions for every topic.  It’s fun AND educational.  In my opinion it should be required reading for anyone over 25, especially if they plan on going on a televised game show in front of millions of people.  In fact, now that I’ve read through the book and had a little refresher course, “come on, Foxworthy, let’s dance.”

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Our travel-themed wedding features items from the destinations we love.

The next time I post on Bookend Babes, I’ll be posting as a newlywed. Our wedding is quickly approaching, and I can hardly wait for the actual day to arrive.

Because my fiancé and I share a love of the journey, we’ve planned our big day around a travel theme. It’s been such an adventure to find the little details that will make our wedding unique to us. So here are a few things that we’ve got planned – you’ll get a sneak peak.

1. A “suitcake” – Our cake will be shaped to form 2 suitcases, one on top of the other – a masculine-looking suitcase on the bottom, and the more feminine-looking one on the top. Two passports will serve as our cake toppers. It’s one of the few things that I won’t get to see until the actual event. I’m both nervous and excited about how it will look.

2. The flowers – We’ve sprinkled lots of details into our day that represent a destination we’ve visited together. The flowers are tulips, a sweet memory of our trip to Holland last spring to see the tulip fields in full bloom. There are also tulips submerged in vases for the centerpieces for each table, topped with a glass globe.

3. Symbols – We’ll have a pomegranate to break for good luck – a Greek tradition. My fiancé will carry a piece of iron for good luck – an Italian tradition. And we have a very special piece of décor – a cake topper bought in Las Vegas, complete with a bride and groom standing in front of the Welcome to Las Vegas sign.

4. Ceremony – We’re going to perform the Arras, a coin ceremony practiced in Barbados and Mexico, into our ceremony.

We’ve also included several other travel references into the ceremony, but in the spirit of this being a bookish-sort of blog, I’ll share with you part of the John Steinbeck quote we’re including, where he compares the journey to a marriage.

“We find after years of struggle that we do not take a trip. A trip takes us.”