Category Archives: Reviews & Recipes

“Before I Go To Sleep” and Something to Make You Sleepy

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I guess I’m on a kick of reading books that are being made into movies.  A friend recommended I read “Before I Go To Sleep” by S.J. Watson.

I had been reading the book for a couple of days, and could just not get into it.  The plot wasn’t moving at a brisk enough pace and I kept expecting something else to happen.  It wasn’t until almost the end of the book that I became more interested in what was going on.  By that time, of course, it was very late and I was upset that I hadn’t gotten to the good part sooner.  Needless to say, I had a rough go of it trying to wake up the next morning.

This is another one of those books with a plot twist at the end.  While I’m usually a big fan of the twist, this one just didn’t work out.  I don’t know if it’s that the author left too many clues along the way, but I was not in the least surprised by the surprise ending.  While it wasn’t a bad book, I wouldn’t say it was a very good one either.  Maybe the movie is more successful?  In reading the book, I found myself thinking that I could see how they would film certain scenes.  Also, I think the movie has a little something special that automatically makes it better than the book . . . Colin Firth.  EVERYTHING is better with Mr. Darcy.

I know we’ve all heard that warm milk is a good way of getting sleepy.  Frankly, it sounds kind of gross.  I prefer hot cocoa.  And since my name if The Tipsy Bookworm and not just The Bookworm, I’ve found a delightfully yummy recipe for a spiked hot cocoa.  This drink is the perfect accompaniment to a good book on a cold night.

Find this and other delicious recipes at http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2012/02/tequila-mint-spiked-hot-chocolate-recipe.html

Tequila Mint Hot Chocolate

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup cocoa powder
  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • pinch kosher salt
  • 3 cups whole milk
  • 4 ounces milk chocolate chips
  • 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate chips
  • 4 ounces tequila
  • 2 ounces peppermint schnapps
  • Whipped cream and mint leaf garnish

Procedures

  1. In medium saucepan, stir cocoa with sugar and salt. Stir in milk, milk chocolate, and bittersweet chocolate. Heat over medium heat until, stirring constantly, until chocolate is melted and mixture is hot. Gently whisk to completely homogenize mixture.
  2. Add tequila and peppermint schnapps. Divide into serving cups and top with whipped cream and mint.

“Gone Girl” and A Classic Dark & Stormy With A Twist

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This is my first post on this blog, and I thought I’d start out with something both current and classic.  Gone Girl is the first book that my new book club (The Bookworm Buddies) chose to read.  As I’m pretty sure the entire world knows by now, it’s a pretty intense book with lots of twists and turns.  *Spoiler Alert*

I found it to be a fun read that I just couldn’t put down.  Even though I had read the book before, I had no problem going back and reading it again as a refresher for my book club.  It turns out that it didn’t disappoint the second time either.  I’m a sucker for a good plot twist.

The second time around, I found myself having more time to think about Amy and her motivations.  What is it that made her go to such extremes to retain absolute control over her husband, and in so doing, her life?  Could it be entirely blamed on her parents and the fact that they seemed to exploit her entire childhood for the sake of publishing a few books?  Or was Amy just a monster? I don’t have answers to these questions, but I appreciated the fact that the book provided some background into Amy’s past that helped shed light on her character’s development.

Something I may love more than a good plot twist is an unreliable narrator.  Switching from Amy to Nick’s point of view throughout the book took it to another level, and I think it was executed perfectly.  I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who hasn’t had a chance to read it yet.  It would be a great companion for any upcoming holiday travel.

Honestly, I drove myself a little crazy trying to find the perfect cocktail to pair with Gone Girl.  I looked at complicated cocktails that involved fancy ingredients and some form of “muddling” or another.  I’ll have to admit that I’m not an expert bartender, but I would identify myself as more of a connoisseur of creative libations.

Rather than pairing Gone Girl with a cocktail that’s as complicated as the plot (and Amy’s psyche), I figured I’d go with something classic–with a twist.  So what’s more fitting for a suspense-thriller novel than a Dark & Stormy?

Ingredients

  • 2 ounces Gosling’s or Myers’s dark rum (I used Gosling’s and it was great)
  • 5 ounces ginger beer
  • Lime wedge– Gotta have a twist!

Preparation

Pour the rum over ice in highball and fill with ginger beer. Squeeze in the lime wedge.

Find this recipe and others at:

http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/holidays/halloween/sedarisdrinks/recipes/food/views/Dark-and-Stormy-235964

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