Curry Compendium by Richard Sayce

*Disclosure of material connection- I received a copy of the book in exchange for my honest thoughts. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions stated are 100% my own. 

About the book-

Richard Sayce, the man behind Misty Ricardo’s Curry Kitchen, is renowned by his many fans for quality recipes, attention to detail and his affable style. Having sold more than 50,000 copies of his first books, and amassing over six million views of his recipes on YouTube, there is a huge appetite for this new magnus opus packed with mouth-watering, easy-to-follow recipes.

Curry Compendium includes starters, side dishes, curries, rice and bread, along with a generous portion of traditional and street food style recipes. Readers benefit from supporting YouTube tutorials for the majority of recipes, each with a QR code to scan with a smartphone/tablet to watch online instantly. 

My thoughts-

I grew up around Indian food. My step dad is from Pakistan and food from these regions was often present in our home, especially when his family came to visit. Ironically, I didn't really fall in love with the taste of Indian food until I was 19 and found myself in London with my family on vacation. It may have been because it was familiar in a very unfamiliar place, but I think a lot of it was the the food was exceptionally good. Curry Compendium is a cookbook dedicated to the art of the British version of Indian food. This type of cuisine is not an easy one to conquer in the kitchen, so I really appreciate the very detailed efforts of this cookbook. The beginning introduces you to the spices, the tools necessary to make the food, and the step by step process of how to make the spice and curry mixes. The rest of the cookbook is dedicated to mouth watering recipes. Yes, Indian food is a labor of love, but the finished product is worth the effort, and Curry Compendium gives you the tools necessary to great the best BIR (British Indian Restaurant) curries possible.

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The Santa Suit by Mary Kay Andrews

 

*Disclosure of material connection- I received a copy of the book from the publisher in exchange for my honest thoughts. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions are 100% my own. 

About the Book- 

When newly-divorced Ivy Perkins buys an old farmhouse sight unseen, she is definitely looking for a change in her life. The Four Roses, as the farmhouse is called, is a labor of love—but Ivy didn't bargain on just how much labor. The previous family left so much furniture and so much junk, that it's a full-time job sorting through all of it.

At the top of a closet, Ivy finds an old Santa suit—beautifully made and decades old. In the pocket of a suit she finds a note written in a childish hand: it's from a little girl who has one Christmas wish, and that is for her father to return home from the war. This discovery sets Ivy off on a mission. Who wrote the note? Did the man ever come home? What mysteries did the Rose family hold?

Ivy's quest brings her into the community, at a time when all she wanted to do was be left alone and nurse her wounds. But the magic of Christmas makes miracles happen, and Ivy just might find more than she ever thought possible: a welcoming town, a family reunited, a mystery solved, and a second chance at love.

My thoughts-

I love the magic of this novella. The Santa Suit Ivy finds ties together the whole story in the end which was absolutely lovely. I always like a good Christmas romance and Mary Kay Andrews delivered just that. I love the added touch of suspense surrounding the mystery of the letter to Santa from the little girl thats in the pocket of the suit, as well as Ivy's sweet relationship with her elderly neighbor. If you love small town Christmas romance, you will love The Santa Suit.

Dear Santa by Debbie Macomber

*Disclosure of material connection- I received a copy of the book from the publisher in exchange for my honest thoughts. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions are 100% my own. 

About the book-

 Lindy Carmichael isn’t feeling particularly joyful when she returns home to Wenatchee, Washington, for Christmas. The man she thought was “the one” has cheated on her with her best friend, and she feels completely devoid of creativity in her graphic-design job. Not even carolers or Christmas cookies can cheer her up—but Lindy’s mother, Ellen, remembers an old tradition that might lift her daughter's spirits.

 
Reading through a box of childhood letters to Santa and reminiscing about what she'd wished for as a young girl may be just the inspiration Lindy needs. With Ellen's encouragement, she decides to write a new letter to Santa, one that will encourage her to have faith and believe just as she’d done all those years ago. Little does Lindy know that this exercise in gratitude will cause her wishes to unfold before her in miraculous ways. And, thanks to some fateful twists of Christmas magic—especially an unexpected connection with a handsome former classmate—Lindy ultimately realizes that there is truly no place like home for the holidays.

My thoughts-

I am in the camp of people that think Hallmark movies are absolutely wonderful, and I count down the days every year leading up until it is time to watch them. I also love books that read like Hallmark movies, and find myself reading them often between August and December. Dear Santa is the perfect sweet small town romance with a twist of Christmas magic to make you soon. The characters were well developed, and the story was a page turner. I highly recommend to my fellow hopeless romantics.