Teddy Rose Book Reviews Plus More


Book Description:

National bestselling author Michelle Moran returns to Paris, this time under the rule of Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte as he casts aside his beautiful wife to marry a Hapsburg princess he hopes will bear him a royal heir

After the bloody French Revolution, Emperor Napoleon’s power is absolute. When Marie-Louise, the eighteen year old daughter of the King of Austria, is told that the Emperor has demanded her hand in marriage, her father presents her with a terrible choice: marry the cruel, capricious Napoleon, leaving the man she loves and her home forever, or say no, and plunge her country into war.

Marie-Louise knows what she must do, and she travels to France, determined to be a good wife despite Napoleon’s reputation. But lavish parties greet her in Paris, and at the extravagant French court, she finds many rivals for her husband’s affection, including Napoleon’s first wife, Joséphine, and his sister Pauline, the only woman as ambitious as the emperor himself. Beloved by some and infamous to many, Pauline is fiercely loyal to her brother. She is also convinced that Napoleon is destined to become the modern Pharaoh of Egypt. Indeed, her greatest hope is to rule alongside him as his queen—a brother-sister marriage just as the ancient Egyptian royals practiced. Determined to see this dream come to pass, Pauline embarks on a campaign to undermine the new empress and convince Napoleon to divorce Marie-Louise.

As Pauline’s insightful Haitian servant, Paul, watches these two women clash, he is torn between his love for Pauline and his sympathy for Marie-Louise. But there are greater concerns than Pauline’s jealousy plaguing the court of France. While Napoleon becomes increasingly desperate for an heir, the empire’s peace looks increasingly unstable. When war once again sweeps the continent and bloodshed threatens Marie-Louise’s family in Austria, the second Empress is forced to make choices that will determine her place in history—and change the course of her life.

Based on primary resources from the time, The Second Empress takes readers back to Napoleon’s empire, where royals and servants alike live at the whim of one man, and two women vie to change their destinies.

My Thoughts:


This is the third Michelle Moran novel I have read and though it isn’t my favorite, I still loved it.  Cleopatra’s Daughter is my absolute favorite.  I didn’t know much about Napoleons rein in France before I read The Second Empress. 


Marie-Louise is the daughter of the King of Austria.  When she turns 18, Napoleon insists on her hand in marriage.  If she refuses, Napoleon will declare war on her country.  She does the only thing she can, 

marry him.  To her, he is vulgar.  He treats her more like a prostitute than a wife.  Telling her to “undress” at every whim he has.  He wants a male heir and works at getting one every chance he gets.


Marie-Louise also has rivals in Napoleon’s first wife and his sister, Pauline.  Pauline loves her brother so much she wants to marry him!  Pauline has her servant, Paul, spy on Marie-Louise and report back to her.  She will stop at nothing to get Napoleon divorced.


The Second Empress was well research and the character came alive.  At time I felt like I was there.  The backdrop was well defined and colorful.  Moran writes a stirring portrait of a strong woman and what she will endure to save her country.  Highly Recommended.


4.5/5


I received a print copy of this book for my honest review.


Copyright 2007-2010: All the posts within this blog were originally posted by Teddy Rose and should not be reproduced without express written permission.

Today it is my pleasure to kick off the Tour for the adorable, The Christmas Cats Chase Christmas Rats by Constance Corcoran Wilson

Book Description:

Publisher: Quad City Books (October 22, 2013)
Genres: Children’s Picture Book, Christmas
Tour Dates: December, 2013
Available in: Print and ebook 32 pages, with Illustrations
The Christmas Cats Chase Christmas Rats is a Seuss-ical tale for young children which builds upon the moral of the first ChristmasCats book to once again teach children a valuable life lesson.
In this second Christmas Cats adventure the lesson to be learned is:  In life, always keep an open mind.  Don’t accept stereotypes as true or let the unfounded opinions of others prevent you from finding out the truth for yourself. We all need to act without prejudice and learn to accept each other as individuals.
The Christmas Cats learn that rats, too, should be judged as individuals. Another message: all of us should try to help others.
Written for the author’s four-year-old granddaughters, Ava and Elise Wilson, with the assistance of talented professional illustrator Gary McCloskey, The Christmas Cats continue to have adventures while attired in their familiar silly hats from Book One (The Christmas Cats in Silly Hats).
Learning to accept others in a non-judgmental, open-minded fashion is a lesson we all must learn. If children can internalize this behavior while young, learning to help others and to do good works, the world will be a better place.
My Thoughts:

Christmas isn’t my thing but occasionally I will read a short story or children’s Christmas related book.
The Christmas Cats Chase Christmas Rats is such an adorable and fun book.  I wish I had children to share it with because this book must be shared.  The illustrations by award winning artist, Gary McKluskey pop with color and are gorgeous!  The writing and pictures pair together seamlessly to tell a fun story with a moral on making judgement on others based on stereotypes.  This is actually book two of a series but both can stand alone.  The first book is The Christmas Cats in Silly Hats.
I highly recommend this picture book for children ages 3 and up and their parents!  If you are looking for a great Christmas gift for children, you just found it!
5/5
I received the ebook version of this book for my honest opinion.
Buy The Christmas Cats Chase Christmas Rats here:
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Quad City (if you order here, you also get book 1 free and both are signed by the author)
About Constance Corcoran Wilson:

CONSTANCE WILSON graduated from the University of Iowa with a degree in English and Journalism, but she began writing for her hometown
(Independence, Iowa) newspaper at the age of 10 and was Editor-in-Chief of her high school newspaper. She continued her education, including a Ferner/Hearst Journalism Scholarship and a Freshman Merit Scholarship at Iowa, and then at Berkeley, WIU, NIU and the University of Chicago. Connie holds a Masters (+30) in English, Journalism and Education. Her career path led to teaching 7th and 8th grade language arts (Silvis, Illinois) and teaching writing at 6 IA/IL colleges or universities, including a class teaching film at Black Hawk Junior College. She then established the second Sylvan Learning Center in the state of Iowa and a Prometric Testing site, in conjunction with ETS of Princeton, NJ. She has taught writing and literature classes at all 6 IA/ILQuad City colleges.
“Constance (aka Connie) was Midwest Writing Center Writer of the Year, Content Producer of the Year for Yahoo, and Illinois Women’s Press Association Silver Feather Award winner (Chicago chapter.) She was named one of the “10 Most Creative Teachers in America” in a TAB Scholastic Books competition. Her Sylvan Learning Center (#3301) in Bettendorf, Iowa, was named Best Business of the Year by the Bettendorf Chamber of Commerce that year and the free reading program for poor kids she established was the largest scholarship program of its kind among a 900-member chain, for which she was personally awarded a Bi-State Literacy Award by then sitting First Lady Barbara Bush in 1993.
Constance lives in East Moline, Illinois with husband Craig and in Chicago, Illinois, where her son, Scott and daughter-in-law Jessica and their four-year-old twins Elise and Ava reside. Her daughter, Stacey, a graduate of Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, recently returned from a year spent living and working in Australia and now lives and works in Nashville, Tennessee.
Connies Website: www.WeeklyWilson.com
Christmas Cats Website: http://www.thexmascats.com/

See an Interview with Connie:

Thanks to the author, Constance Corcoran Wilson, I am giving away one copy of The Christmas Cats Chase Christmas Rats!  This giveaway is open internationally.  Resident of the U.S. is elidgable for print or ebook.  International resident will receive ebook.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tweet

Copyright 2007-2010: All the posts within this blog were originally posted by Teddy Rose and should not be reproduced without express written permission.

Review: The Vegan Divas Cookbook by Fernanda Capobianco

Posted by Teddyrose@1 on December 1, 2013
Posted in Books Read in 2013Cooking  | 3 Comments

Book Description:

The creator of the acclaimed Vegan Divas product line and the chef and owner of New York’s Vegan Divas Bakery shares her award-winning recipes for creating decadent, flavorful treats adored by vegans and carnivores alike

For Fernanda Capobianco, eating vegan doesn’t mean sacrificing divine taste. A vegan since she was seventeen, the native Brazilian chef and wife of acclaimed French Chef François Payard founded Vegan Divas, a New York City dessert company specializing in utterly decadent yet supremely healthy, vegan desserts. Her cruelty-free fare has been featured everywhere from Vogue to New York Magazine’s “Grub Street,” and her much buzzed-about low-cal, mini-desserts have been included in events for institutions like Martha Stewart, the New York Times, and Soul Cycle. In her first book, she shares more than 75 recipes for both sweet and savory dishes that are high in protein and fiber but low in fat and calories. Filled with dozens of four-color photos, The Vegan Divas Cookbook includes:

• Delectable treats like Mango-Pineapple Cake, Espresso-Lemon Panna Cotta, Spicy Carrot Cake, Chocolate Mousse, Spelt Brownies, and Gingersnap Cookies
• Brunch favorites like Peanut Butter and Jelly Scones, Eggless Scrambled Eggs, Sweet Potato Pancakes, and Detox Granola
• Hearty breads (some gluten-free) like Jalapeño Corn Bread, Spiced Pumpkin Bread, Eggless Whole Wheat Challah, and Tomato-Basil Country Bread
• Light lunches such as Smoky Tomato-Bean Soup, Walnut Paté Apple Sandwich, Roasted Pumpkin with Peanut Sauce, and Blue Potato Kale Salad

The Vegan Divas Cookbook also offers tips for creating a vegan kitchen, such as pantry essentials; basic recipes like for pie crust, whipped topping, and icing; and easy swaps for healthier cooking and baking, including how to replace animal-based oils and fats, chocolate, and thickening agents, for healthier and lower-calorie versions. Fernanda also provides entertaining and decorating tips for creating perfect plates and beautiful baked goods the Vegan Diva way.

My Thoughts:

As you have probably figured out, I can’t resist a chance to try out new vegan cookbooks.  So, here’s another one.  

I found the recipes to be very creative and fun to make.  I tried the peanut butter and jelly scones, Jalapeno corn bread, the Chilled Sweet Corn with Red Pepper Coulis and Croutons, and other recipes.

The Chilled Sweet Corn soup (pictured above) was the most labor intensive.  It is not a recipe for a beginner cook.  Luckly, I have been cooking for many years.  You need to use fresh corn for this so it requres you to cut the corn off of many ears of corn.  Was the work worth it?  Yes and no.  It was a nice change of pace and good on a hot summer’s day.  However, I actually preferred it warm which, is how we ate the left overs.  Would I make it again?  Probably not.  Though it was good, I usually only make outstanding recipes again, when they are that labor intensive.

That said, I do recommend this cookbook for the other recipes.  Most of them are much easier to make than the soup and good.

4/5

I received the ebook for review from Edelweiss for my honest opinion.
Tweet

Copyright 2007-2010: All the posts within this blog were originally posted by Teddy Rose and should not be reproduced without express written permission.