2015...It's Going To Be A Great Year!!!

Great for soup

Used it for my soup and it kept the liquid clear. An easy clean up with all my herbs ending in the trash, also meant the pot was easier to clean as well. I have never used cheesecloth before, but will from now on.

Disclosure: Product sent for an honest review

Cute book about stepping outside your comfort zone and trying new things

Harry's Hair is a hilarious trip through various hair styles and the effect they have on the wearer. Harry had bed head and is going to be late for an appointment. He combs his wild hair in several styles, from Napoleon to the Beatles, with a short rhyme to briefly explain the style. Whether it's his Grandpa's comb back or Elvis's pompadour, Harry tries it and then discards it for the next. This is an adorable book about exploration and trying new things. The snappy ending was a perfect bow to this lovely gift of a story. The illustrations are crisp and funny. This is a great little book about stepping outside your comfort zone.

Happy Reading!
Carole P. Roman

Love the series

Bernard Cornwell's books are timeless tales of an anti hero bucking the system and using his smarts to outwit the folks who feel superiority is based on both wealth and birth. I have been reading these books for over ten years now, and Sharpe's struggle through the ranks, his courage and ingenuity have been entertaining as well as illuminating. The Sharpe series is about the birth of the modern British army. His battles scenes are told through a telescopic lens that places the reader in the middle where they can see the carnage, feel the adrenaline laced fear, the insecurities, as well as the stark realization that the commitment to his fellow soldiers is the only way out. Sharpe should not have been a success. He is little more than a criminal, running from a murder charge, can't sit a horse, borderline illiterate, yet he has a deep rooted sense of morality, a natural affinity for strategy as well as a six sense in understanding a situation, reading it and finding solutions. I love reading about the way he peels back the layers to reveal and then destroy the corruptness that sullies the noble ideals that are the core of his existence. I've learned a lot from the Sharpe books. Cornwell's crisp writing is clear and concise. Sharpe's Havoc joins a superior series about a superior officer and I do indeed hope he and Harper will march again.

Happy Reading!
Carole P. Roman

Jasper the Kingmaker

Comprehensive and detailed biography of Jasper Tudor, the uncle of Henry VII and brother in law to Margaret Beaufort. Jasper Tudor was the unsung hero of Henry's battle to take the throne. "The importance of Jasper's tutelage of his nephew has only recently been fully appreciated by historians. While Henry's mother, Margaret Beaufort, was an indispensable agent of his interests in England, Jasper was his political mentor in the years spent in exile."
Breverton discusses both Edmund and Jasper's Welsh background, their descent from Welsh royalty, to the upbringing in the court of their half brother, Henry VI. He recounts their elevation to the premier earls of the land, second only to the royal dukes. Clearly Henry VI wanted to protect himself by ennobling and enriching his closest and trusted family members. He furthered Edmund's wealth, by pairing him with the richest and most influential heiress in England at the time. We all know that Edmund did not live to see the son born of that union, and Jasper was thrust into the role of protector and guardian of both Henry and his mother. Jasper took custody of Henry when they made their escape to France, shaping him into the man that would eventually become king. "Henry and Jasper both believed Henry was the chosen one, destined for glory. Henry was possibly the first king to leave a full Treasury, and his three children were linked to the other royal dynasties of Europe." Not a bad legacy.
Jasper Tudor was a kingmaker. Born in secrecy, hidden away because of the stigma of his parent's union, Jasper Tudor accepted his destiny, putting his whole life on hold to take on the dangerous cause of his nephew. Breverton points out that the success of this mission, reunited England with Wales, placing the descendants of the native people on the rightful throne where they belong.

Happy Reading!
Carole P. Roman

Colorful recounting of Jacobean England

Brilliant recounting of Jacobean England. Peter Ackroyd details the rise and fall of the Stuart kings. He delves into the background of each king, describing the personalities and quirks that illustrated each of their reigns. The road to revolution is paved by the monarchy's growing distance with the population and disconnect with reality. From James I appointments of his Scottish favorites, to Charles I misguided sense of divine influence, the Glorious Revolution took root. Ackroyd writes of the times and the mindset of the people. His sumptuous descriptions are rich and colorful. His books are a window of an era, masterfully and wonderfully retold, leaving the reader with an understanding that events don't just happen, but are the outcome of our own deeds.

Happy Reading!
Carole P. Roman

"Oh calamity!"

This book started like a slow moving train weighted down with a heavy cargo. There were a lot of characters, and it felt hard to keep up with all the gossipy quips of the catty mothers. With relentless speed, the momentum built, finally taking off to a predictable destination- but it didn't matter. The ride was terrific. By the time I got to know them, the characters lively quirks made them so well defined that when the final chapters arrived, I felt like they were my own neighbors. I loved this book. The mothers were wonderfully neurotic, professional micro managers squeezing details of everyday life into slots that please their well ordered and compulsive minds. I have known several of them, and recognized the little lies that are used to keep the appearance of perfection in tact. Every stereotype was there, from earth mother, to the helicopter corporate mom's and their minions who always manage to manipulate the school. Jane was sweet, and I loved her growth. Madeline angst over her teenage daughter, her warrior heart , her insecurities made her endearingly real. Celeste, well, all I am going to say is I know a Celeste or two, and have seen them struggle the narrow line of real or imagined, love and hate, and the lies they use to survive.

Happy Reading!
Carole P. Roman

Introduces the Tudor court to young readers

Henry VIII's court was a lace of mystery and secrets. Wendy Dunn creates an atmospheric coming of age book about Katherine Carey, Anne Boleyn's niece. Locked in typical teenage struggle with her mother and stepfather, Kate yearns to live at court with her glamorous aunt, the Queen on England. Tantalizing tidbits of gossip tease her, but she is young and innocent and unaware of the storm brewing in the troubled court. Like a flower unfolding, Katherine slowly learns the secrets of both her and her brother's birth, her mother's sordid past, and her growing role of importance in her aunt's life. Maturity comes with responsibility, and Kate proves her bravery as she steps into history to take her role at her aunt's side as Anne Boleyn meets her fate. Great book to introduce the Tudors to young readers. Uncomplicated and written for teenagers, The Light in the Labyrinth is relatable, as well as irresistible.

Happy Reading!
Carole P. Roman

Wonderful collection of stories recreating the last days of Pompeii with realism

Perceptive and beautiful collection of short stories strung together like a pearl necklace, each one bringing the reader closer to a tragic and combustible conclusion. Six writers collaborated to highlight the last day of Pompeii, with personal stories of a group a residents from different walks of life. Some based on factual people, others imagined and wrought from the skeletal remains, each tale is powerful and masterly written. Pliny the elder, as well as his nephew, Pliny the Younger are given a backstory as to why only the General left the safety of his home. The story is craftily written, the angst of a teenager finding his adult voice a compelling read. Another coming of age story is of a young bride, torn between her love for a handsome, young artist and the older man her parents arrange for marriage. Each story is connected, the characters sharing plot lines as well as similar fates. Poignant, and perhaps my favorite, is the story of the family destined to be entombed together. Each writer captures the stark panic upon the realization that this is no ordinary tremor. Some fight their fate, other rush to it knowing the futility of resisting. Whether aristocrat or slave, each has hopes and dreams that hang on nature's whims. Though there are survivors, they are scarred forever, their lives altered in ways they could never anticipate. Either way, this is a powerful collection of stories that haunt the reader about an event that took place two thousand years ago. Ultimately it is a tale of love and courage, loyalty and the will to survive.

Happy Reading!
Carole P. Roman

Tender, sweet, and wickedly funny

Wickedly funny journey of self discovery, This Is Where I Leave You is a week long visit with the family that is the stuff of nightmares. Judd Foxman's walks in on his wife and boss in his bed, ending his decade long marriage, as well as his career. His father has died, and requested his wife and four children sit shiva for seven days. Bruised and broken, he finds himself sitting on the hard shiva chair, in the midst of his snarky family, where secrets surface, rocking his world and making him reevaluate the relationships with his siblings as well redefine the truths that have been the backbone of his life. Jonathan Tropper taps in on the disconnect of our culture, the failure of communication, the selfish quest for self gratification. Everyone is a loser, each one abandoning the hopes and dreams of youth, caught in a cosmic twilight zone of never wanting to grow up. Paul is bitter after losing his chance at professional baseball due to a grievous injury, Wendy yearns for her first love; pinched out when he became disabled, Phillip the overindulged baby of the family refuses to grow up, and lastly Judd mourns the perfect life he lost, refusing to acknowledge it was nothing but an illusion, after all. Throughout the book, the distant siblings bond, learning the blood is indeed thicker than water, and while they may not understand themselves, their family knows and loves them no matter what. This was a marvelous book. Funny, fast moving, and achingly sweet. This is a story about loyalty and love, redemption and forgiveness. Sometimes we need a little help from our loved ones to help ourselves.

Happy Reading!
Carole P. Roman

Good News!!!

I won two awards from NABE for my books, "If You Were Me and Lived In Peru" and Captain No Beard and the Aurora Borealis!