Featured Book: A Conspiracy of Mirrors by David McLeod

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About the book:

We are all mirrors, reflecting one another so that we can see ourselves more clearly. The provocative and moving poems in A Conspiracy of Mirrors speak to our universal human need to connect deeply with another person, to marvel at the wonder of the world, to fully experience the spectrum of emotion revealed through experience. David McLeod’s deeply felt work brings you into powerful connection with ideas and feelings revealed through the unique lens of his words. David has collaborated with artists who have been invited to create visual depictions of his work, resulting in a rich feast for the senses, the mind, and the soul. Relax, breathe, and immerse yourself in this prismatic constellation of images and perceptions, where you will be captivated, soothed, and inspired.

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About the author:

David McLeod discovered the mystery and truth of poetry when he was twelve years old, and has been on a lifelong journey to express the depths of his heart. In writing many hundreds of poems, David has found healing, liberation, and great joy. While most of his work remains private, a select number of his poems have been shared with friends and family, and published in magazines and journals – and now he shares this gift with you, in his first published collection, A Conspiracy of Mirrors.

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Review: Sweet Macarons by Mercotte

With macarons firmly in place as the latest baking craze, famed French foodie and macaron maker extraordinaire Jacqueline Mercorelli, known as blogger Mercotte, provides 25 no-fail French macaron recipes in Sweet Macarons, now available for the first time in English.

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From NetGalley.

I love all cookbooks about baking and I simply could not pass this one up, however, I was sorely disappointed.  Despite the lovely photographs by Sigrid Verbert, the recipes themselves are incredibly complicated and simply not for the average, or even advanced, baker.  Seriously, you actually need to be Martha Stewart to get these right.  The "level of difficulty" on each recipe is just a joke.  It refers to the difficulty of making the fillings not the nightmare of making the cookies themselves. 

The book does present a wide array of unusual flavor combinations, each one beautifully photographed which is always nice in a cookbook, from Licorice to Mint Chocolate but most of the recipes require specialty ingredients that you need to order online and will most likely never use again. 

This would make a nice gift book for a pastry chef or an interesting flip through for everyone else.  The photography alone is worth a peek.

★★☆☆☆ = Just Okay

Reading Challege: 2012 Chunkster Challenge

Yup, another challenge!  Since I have some heavy reading planned for the year (a re-read of The Lord of the Rings series, etc.) I decided this was just what I was looking for.  I'm going for The Chubby Chunkster level.  My list may be found here.

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Definition of a chunkster:

A chunkster is 450 pages or more of ADULT literature, whether non-fiction or fiction. A chunkster should be a challenge.

If you read books in large print, your books will need to be 525 pages or more. The average large type book is 10-15% larger or more so it’s a fair estimate.

The rules:

• No audio books. (There are exceptions to this rule.)
• No e-books allowed. This was discussed in much detail in the 2011 challenge. The short version: a chunkster isn’t a challenge if you’re reading it on an e-reader. (There are exceptions to this rule.)
• This year for the first time, essay, poetry, and short story collections will be allowed. Collections have to be read in their entirety to count. If you’ve needed a reason to finally pick up your copy of The Collected Works Of ____ now is the time.
• Books may crossover with other challenges.
• Anyone may join. (If you don’t have a blog, just leave a comment on this post with your challenge level and your progress throughout the challenge.) 
• You don’t need to list your books ahead of time.
• Once you’ve picked a level, that’s it. You’re committed to it!

You must pick a level of participation:

1. The Chubby Chunkster – this option is for the readers who want to dabble in large tomes, but really doesn't want to commit to much more than that. FOUR Chunksters is all you need to finish this challenge.
2. The Plump Primer - this option is for the slightly heavier reader who wants to commit to SIX Chunksters over the next twelve months. 
3. Do These Books Make my Butt Look Big? - this option is for the reader who can't resist bigger and bigger books and wants to commit to SIX Chunksters from the following categories: 2 books which are between 450 - 550 pages in length; 2 books which are 551 - 750 pages in length; 2 books which are GREATER than 750 pages in length (for ideas, please refer to the book suggestions page for some books which fit into these categories).
4. Mor-book-ly Obese - This is for the truly out of control chunkster. For this level of challenge you must commit to EIGHT or more Chunksters of which three tomes MUST be 750 pages or more. You know you want to.....go on and give in to your cravings.