Sunday, December 19, 2010

Mailbox Monday: December 20


Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week. (Library books don’t count, but eBooks & audiobooks do). Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists!

Mailbox Monday, created by Marcia @ The Printed Page, is on tour! Last month's host was Julie @ Knitting and Sundries, and she did a fantastic job! Rose City Reader kicks off 2011.

Mailbox Monday is one of my favorite memes, and I am delighted to be hosting, especially during my favorite time of the year! I'll be putting the posts up on Sunday afternoons for all you early birds!

I received three books this week:

 
Madame Tussaud: A Novel of the French RevolutionARC from Crown Publishers. To be published February 15, 2011. The world knows Madame Tussaud as a wax artist extraordinaire…but who was this woman and how did she become one of the most famous sculptresses of all time? In these pages, her tumultuous story comes to life as only Michelle Moran could tell it. The year is 1788, and a revolution is about to begin…


 

The Queen's Rival: In the Court of Henry VIIIARC from New American Library/Penguin. To be published March 1, 2011. As the beautiful daughter of courtiers, Elizabeth "Bessie" Blount is overjoyed when she secures a position as maid of honor to Katherine of Aragon. But when she captures the attention of the king himself, there are whispers that the queen ought to be worried for her throne. When Bess gives birth to a healthy son the whispers become a roar. But soon the infamous Boleyn girls come to court and Henry's love for her begins to fade. Now, Bess must turn to her trusted friend, the illegitimate son of Cardinal Wolsey, to help her move beyond life as the queen's rival...



The Winter SeaI won this one from Historical Tapestry, which incidentally, was the very first book blog I followed! In the spring of 1708, an invading Jacobite fleet of French and Scottish soldiers nearly succeeds in landing the exiled James Stewart in Scotland to reclaim his crown. Now, Carrie McClelland hopes to turn that story into her next bestselling novel. Settling herself in the shadow of Slains Castle, she creates a heroine named for one of her own ancestors and starts to write. But when she discovers her novel is more fact than fiction, Carrie wonders if she might be dealing with ancestral memory, making her the only living person who knows the truth--the ultimate betrayal--that happened all those years ago, and that knowledge comes very close to destroying her...


I've already read The Winter Sea and LOVED it!
I'll post my thoughts next week.

Since I anticipate my Mailbox to be on the lean side this month (at least until after Christmas :), I'm fattening it up by sharing the goodies I'm baking this month. Yesterday was our annual Christmas Kitchen day, where the ladies in my family gather in my aunt Donna's kitchen and make cookies and candies to share. It's a deliciously fun day and I'm sharing two of my favorite candy recipes with you. Both are super easy to make and when you drop a few pieces in a bag and tie it off with a ribbon, you've got cheap and yummy gifts!

Haystacks


12-oz. bag of butterscotch chips
1/4-cup of peanut butter
5 cups of Cornflakes

Melt the butterscotch chips and the peanut butter on the stovetop in a large saucepan, mix in the cornflakes, and drop mixture by tablespoon onto waxed or parchment paper and allow to cool. That's it! So good!


Cookie Bark


1 package of semi-sweet chocolate baking squares (8 squares)
1 package of white chocolate baking squares (6 squares)
2 tablespoons of peanut butter
10 Oreo cookies, crushed

In separate microwave-safe dishes melt the chocolate and white chocolate. Add peanut butter to the melted white chocolate. Divide the crushed oreos and add to both chocolate mixtures. Drop in alternating spoonfuls onto large cookie sheet covered with wax paper. Use a knife to swirl through the mixtures, creating a marbled effect. Refrigerate until firm. Break into pieces and enjoy! Note: This recipe makes a half-cookie sheet of candy, so I make two batches to fill up the entire cookie sheet before I pop it in the fridge. Afterwards I store this candy in an airtight container in the fridge.


Enjoy! Happy Holidays!


26 comments:

  1. I'm jealous of Madame Tussaud! Can't wait to hear what you think of it. I won The Winter Sea too but haven't got it yet. Everyone seems to love it. Enjoy your books!

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  2. I can't wait to hear about Madame Tussaud! Thanks for the cookie recipes :-)

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  3. Cover LOVE for The Winter Sea! Can't wait to see what you think of it! The Queen's Rival sounds great and I received Madame Tussaud as well! Hope we both like it! I hope you have a wonderful holiday!

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  4. Ahhhhh you got Madame Tussaud! Ohhhhh sigh... I join the jealous ranks of the commoners.. sigh... your recipes are my only saving grace... Yum.

    Enjoy Christmas and hope Santa brings you some more delish reads ;)

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  5. I love the cookie receipes - at least to read about them. Madame Tussaud - that should be a wonderful read.

    I wish you all the very best for Christmas - peace, joy, love and prosperity for you and your family.

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  6. Looking forward to your review of The Winter Sea and The Queen's Rival sounds like something I would really like!

    Enjoy your week reading and hope you have a happy holiday :)

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  7. The Queen's Rival looks good and that Cookie Bark! Oh yum!

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  8. You've got great historical fiction! My blogging partner, Sandra, read The Winter Sea and loved it too. Enjoy all your books.

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  9. All three sound just wonderful, and they have great covers too! Here's my Mailbox! ~ Wendi

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  10. You have some nice historical fiction books this week. Madame Tussaud was the one that caught my eye.

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  11. The Winter Sea sounds great - love a story about someone writing a story.... Noticed you're reading a Kate Morton title at the moment, I have one of her books in my Mailbox Monday also.

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  12. Madame Tussaud sounds so good! Enjoy!

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  13. I got Madame Tussaud too and I'm really excited about it. Enjoy your new books!

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  14. I've been to Madame Tussad's and would love to learn more about her. Enjoy all your books!

    PS The candy looks wonderful!

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  15. Nice books...but even better yummies. I think I have put on weight this month just looking at your great recipes.
    Have a Happy Holiday!!

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  16. The books on Madame Toussand and Bessie Blount look incredible. Two more I need to add to my TBR list!

    I also just read The Winter Sea and loved it.

    Your recipes made my stomach growl - - they look delish!

    Happy reading!

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  17. Enjoy your books. The recipes sounds delicious!

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  18. The Madame Tussaud book appeals to me. I just finished Antonia Fraser's biography of Marie Antoinette, and Tussaud pops up in it several times. I never thought of her as a real person living in remarkable historic times.

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  19. Cookies and books?! Best Monday ever!

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  20. Ok so I basically want to read all 3 of those books! I can't wait to see what you think of them :)

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  21. You always seem to get the best books..:) And I keep having to add them to my never ending WL and TBR piles..LOL! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and yours this season!

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  22. I'm excited to be a part of Mailbox Monday! This is my first time. Thanks for hosting & for sharing the recipes - that cookie bark sounds so good!

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  23. Your mailbox was good to you and those recipes sound delic! I think i'm going to have to try them.
    Natalie :0)
    www.thebookinn.net

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  24. of course i'm running late--i've got a mailbox tuesday post! :) happy holidays and thanks for hosting.

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  25. I am so glad that you loved The Winter Sea. It is probably the book that I am pimping most to anyone who asks me for book recs! And the bonus is I have thoroughly enjoyed the other books I have read from Susanna Kearsley as well!

    Can't wait to get hold of the Michelle Moran book myself!

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