Summer Reading Challenge

I have been in a reading-for-pleasure slump, mostly because of the spring cleaning but also because I never know what I want to read. I blazed through those two new books I just bought as well, so I'm back to square one. To cure this malady I thrifted a box of vintage Harlequin romances for the minimum bid. They arrived in remarkable condition, looking as new as they did when they were published.

I know people turn their nose up at these type novels, but I enjoy them a lot. They're usually well-written, have an interesting storyline and aren't too graphic (I have nothing against graphic romances, btw; they're just not what I read for pleasure.) A lot of talented, prolific romance authors like Anne Stuart got their start writing for publishers like Harlequin.

I'm hoping to read all 25 books this summer, starting with this one. I'll post about the best books in the lot, and then do a big wrap-up of all of them once I finish the pile. As for what I paid for them, I bid the minimum and won the entire lot for $9.99. The books retailed new for $4.99 back in the eighties and nineties, when it would have cost me $124.75 to buy them new, so it's an excellent value.

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Stuff

After finding this Caron one pound skein of lovely peach yarn in my thrifted lot I raided my stash for two cakes of Mandala in Pegasus, which matches it perfectly. For practice and hand therapy I'm going to make another Worth Street Afghan with this free pattern , but this time I'll use the yarn that was recommended for it plus the one pound skein. I'm not quite ready to do the vintage/recycled linen quilt I had planned (still a bit too nervous about the idea), so I'm going to use some color therapy and make a quilt from these thrifted green fat quarters. I considered doing another Yellow Brick road patchwork pattern, but I might go with a split rail fence like this one.

Better than Fried

I cut some chives from the kitchen garden to make garlic-chive baked fries for dinner. This is a great side dish for veggie burgers. Click here for the recipe from Taste of Home.com.

In the Kitchen Garden

Our strawberries are taking over the kitchen garden, but I don't mind. This week I want to make some strawberry banana nice cream (a vegan version of ice cream) and maybe a chocolate cake with berries and cream for the topping. There's thyme in the garden now, too, which I'll dry and jar for cooking along with the chives and the oregano. Next we'll plant cucumbers, as I use a ton of those in our salads and for snacks.

Rayen

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