The Chemist - Stephanie Meyer

If you pick this book up expecting something in the line of The Twilight Saga or a sequel to The Host, you are going to be very disappointed. Nothing paranormal here.

However, if you want a book to keep you on the edge of your seat, then pick up The Chemist.

Alex is on the run and has been for the past three years. On the run from her past employers at a top secret government agency. Hoping to resolve her dilemma she gets involved, quite by accident, with other people and dogs.

I enjoyed the book on one hand. However, I do have a couple of problems with it.  First, it did take me a bit to get into it. It was quite lengthy in describing how she has been protecting herself for the past three years and all the precautions she takes - gas, poison rings and other booby traps. However, part of me feels it is necessary to really understand why she is referred to as The Chemist.

Secondly, I'm not really sure I understand exactly what she was running from or trying to stop from happening and even if was really resolved.

Given my issues with the book, would I recommend it? Absolutely! No sparkling vampires here, but an intense action read, well worth settling in on a cold and snowy winter day with.

By the way, I want a dog like Einstein.

Under the Tuscan Sun - Frances Mayes

Twenty years! Where did the time go?

If there is one book I have given away more copies of it's this book. 

This is the book which is responsible for starting my love affair with travel books, it's Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes.

Forget the movie (please, forget the movie) and settle back in a chair, preferably in the sun. I always seem to wind up with a sprig of basil as a bookmark and fix lots of Italian food to eat afterwards.

From the trials of buying property in Italy, to the difficulty of finding people to help restore your new, but falling down, villa, it's a romp through Italy which will have you packing your bags and heading to the airport.

With a new copy of the book in my hands, it's time for a dinner of spaghetti, red wine and fresh bread.

Ciao!

"I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review."

Amaro - The Spirited Worlds of Bittersweet, Herbal Liqueurs

I really don't know much about bitters. I do know a local distillery has started producing their own bitters.  So when I had a chance to get ahold of Brad Thomas Parsons new book, Amaro, I was pleased to not only get a history of amaro, but also a volume of fantastic sounding drinks and recipes for using bitters.

A beautiful book filled with recipes for various drinks and the stories behind them, I was particularly taken with the section on how to make my own bitters (and the Autumnal Amaro sounds so good), as well as other recipes using amaro.  Right now, despite the cold in Helena, a Campari Float, made with orange soda, ice cream and Campari sounds like a wonderful slice of summer.

This is a keeper for our drink shelf.

"I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review."

A Study in Scarlet Women - Sherry Thomas

Charlotte Holmes has invited ruin upon her good name in order to live the life she choses. And she does so under the guise of being Sherlock Holmes.

The names are familiar...to a certain point. And the interweaving of story lines makes for a great read. Between the deaths which occur (or were they murders?) and the twists and turns of Charlotte's own life, you find yourself flipping pages and reading far past your bedtime.

A great alternate version of the Sherlock Holmes legend and I can't wait to read the next one. 

You can find the book here, on Amazon, just in time for Christmas reading!