Peasreads: The Rock in My Throat by Kao Kalia Yang

 

Description

At first, no one noticed when I stopped talking at school.

In this moving true story, Kao Kalia Yang shares her experiences as a young Hmong refugee navigating life at home and at school. Having seen the poor treatment her parents received when making their best efforts at speaking English, she no longer speaks at school. Kalia feels as though a rock has become lodged in her throat, and it grows heavier each day. Although the narrative is somber, it is also infused with moments of beauty, love, and hope.

My thoughts

This book is beautiful. It truly shows that kindness, understanding, companion can go a long way. My heart hurt for the author. Being a first generation Lao American the language barrier can make quite the chasm between people. I hope this book gives hope to those who need it and inspire those who can help lift others up

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Amazon reviews Katereviews.

Goodreads reviews.

I received this book from NetGalley and Lerner Publishing for this review. I was under no obligation to give a positive review. All opinions are on my own. I am disclosing this per the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Crispy Pork Belly Vermicelli Salad

 

The Crunchy Pork Belly method can be found HERE.

The dressing recipe is here. Just dilute a bit and add more sugar if you prefer a sweeter dressing.

Peasreads: Goodnight Night Sweats A Parody for the Menopausal (and their Perimenopausal Friends)

 What a hilarious parody this is! For those of you who have been following Give Peas a Chance since my first lunch post in 2007 . For my oldest child who is now a full-on (young) adult by the way, yikes! Some of you were young mothers like I was and I loved learning from you all. Sharing lunches, recipes, and crafts, mostly on my Facebook page. We used to pack lunches in the morning and tuck our kids in at night and recite (because by the fifth time it was requested I know you memorized it) Goodnight Moon before kissing those babies. Now here we are. If you're anything like me your body is a vile betrayer and doing all sorts of wrong things, at the wrong times, for no reason at all. Well, to you all I raise a glass in solidarity and present to you:

Goodnight Night Sweats

A Parody for the Menopausal (and their Perimenopausal Friends)

by Haut Flasch and Mina Pauze (Brenda Bowen and Jessie Hartland)

I laughed. I groaned. I may have had a hot flash in between. Who among us was fully prepared for this stage in our lives? Not I! I heard of night sweats... did you know that they also come DURING THE DAY!? Why am I constantly sweating? Who turned the heat on in here!? Are you SURE I'm not premenopausal, doc? Surely there is SOMETHING you can do for me? I hope you ladies have a tribe that you can grumble to about all the trials of menopause AND celebrate all the freedoms that come with it together!

Grab a copy of this for all of your girlfriends and let's celebrate our hard-won battle scars (after this hot flash passes!), toss our silver manes of wisdom, and walk proudly into this new season of life together.

Peasreads: Noodles, Rice, and Everything Spice A Thai Comic Book Cookbook

 

Noodles, Rice, and Everything Spice

A Thai Comic Book Cookbook

by Christina de Witte; Mallika Kauppinen

This is a fun comic book style Thai cookbook written by two people. their stories of childhood food memories make the book fun to read. Easy-to-follow recipes have some substitutions or resources for harder to find Thai ingredients. It has fun drawings. Not all of the recipes have photos, I do wish there were more actual food photos, but then again how many photos can you add to a comic book?  All in all a charming book that I would gift to a fellow foodie.

Description

An approachable, fun comic book cookbook tour of Thai culture and cuisine with 50 recipes and stories from the country's main culinary regions

Peasreads: The God and the Gumiho by Sophie Kim

One of my favorite reads so far this year!

This story about a Korean diety (Seokga)

who has lost everything and is sent to the moral world to earn his powers and position back. His job is to catch demons that tried to help him take over as top god. He is on the hunt for a notorious gumiho. 

The Gumiho, Hani is a nine tailed fox. She is powerful, witty, smart, funny.  She inserts herself into the investigation to throw Seokga off her trail. 

These two characters are fun, snarky, smart, and determined. It's a battle between two strong characters both with everything to lose. Will they risk it all in the end? 

The flow of this book is a good steady one with some twists. In the end I was surprised. I cannot wait for the second installment.  If you like folklore, mythology, kitsune\gumiho, Asian stories read this book! I will definitely add this title to my personal library.

 

Publisher description. 

They'll do anything to outsmart each other. Anything, except fall in love.

In this delightful Korean contemporary fantasy, a fallen trickster god must pair up with a coffee-slinging, shapeshifting fox to track down a demon of darkness before it devours the mortal world.

Kim Hani - the once-terrible gumiho known as the Scarlet Fox - spends her days working at a café and trying not to let a certain customer irk her.

Seokga - a trickster god thrown from the heavens for his attempt at a coup - spends his days hunting demons and irking a particular gumiho.

When a demon of darkness escapes the underworld, and the Scarlet Fox emerges from hiding before quickly vanishing, Seokga is offered a chance at redemption: kill them both, and his sins will be forgiven.

But Hani is prepared to do anything to prevent Seokga from bringing her to justice, even trick her way into his investigation. Anything, that is - except fall in love . . . 

Find more book reviews here under Peasreads.

Amazon reviews Katereviews.

Goodreads reviews.

I received this book from NetGalley and the publisher. I was under no obligation to give a review. All opinions are my own. I am disclosing this per the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Peasreads: Escape to the Rome Apartment by Kerry Fisher

 

Escape to the Rome Apartment

A heart-warming and emotional romantic page-turner

by Kerry Fisher

My thoughts:

I've never read a book my this author before. This is a part of Kerry Fisher's The Rome Apartment trilogy but it is a stand alone read.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It's about friendship, letting go of the past, unlearning who you aren't and finding yourself again, boundaries, and bit of romance.

I could have highlighted most of this book. It's refreshing to read books about older mature women who are still living life. Learning, exploring. Letting go of expectations, even though there is some reluctance to let go of what's comfortable and live fully. Getting second chances, whether at love or life in general. Kerry Fisher's writing is so thoughtful.

I liked this book so much I put the other two in this series on my to be read most.

#EscapetotheRomeApartment

Description

Sara’s eyes fill with tears as she reads the letter, her last words from her dearest friend: ‘I’m buying you your freedom. You don’t need to ask your husband’s permission and you have to put yourself first for once. Have an incredible adventure before it’s too late for both of us…’

Sara has lost her zest for life. Trapped sharing a house with her soon-to-be-ex-husband, with grown-up children who still need her but take her for granted, working in a job where her boss bullies her, the final straw is the heartbreak of losing her beloved best friend Lainey.

But Lainey’s death could be the beginning of Sara’s new life… as the last gift Lainey gives to her friend is a sum of money and a request: that Sara travels to Italy, the scene of the pair’s youthful adventures, and scatters Lainey’s ashes on the beach at Portofino.

For once, Sara decides to be brave. She quits her job, tells her family they can manage without her, and sets off on the trip of a lifetime. Swept up by new friends and relishing the freedom of being away from home in beautiful Florence, Sara finds herself drawn to Carlo. Handsome and charming, he is everything Sara finds it so hard to be: carefree, impulsive, living in the moment without worrying about the future.

And then Sara sees something she shouldn’t… and discovers a secret about Carlo that makes her question everything she thought she knew. Stuck at a crossroads in her life and her travels, she can’t face returning home yet, but nor is she brave enough to continue the challenge that Lainey set her. And then she meets an English woman who tells her about an apartment in Rome, that could just be the answer to everything…

Return to the sunny streets of beautiful Rome with this heart-warming and romantic story about discovering your true path in life. Perfect for fans of Jill Mansell, Elin Hilderbrand and Sheila O’Flanagan.

Find more book reviews here under Peasreads.

Amazon reviews Katereviews.

Goodreads reviews.

I received this book from NetGalley and/or the publisher, Bookouture. I was under no obligation to post a review. All opinions are my own. I am disclosing this per the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Peasreads: Women of Good Fortune- By Sophie Wan

My thoughts:

Crazy Rich Asians. A risky heist. Friendship. Love. Betrayal. Societal expectations. Healing family trauma. Women of Good Fortune has it all.

During the first 2-3 chapters of this book, I wasn't sure if I would like the characters. As I continued to read I saw their weaknesses, their flaws, and their strengths. I began to see the character development. Seeing how their upbringing and societal pressures shaped who they were and how they reacted to different situations. This book is a fast-paced page turner, and in the end, I wanted to read it again. Congratulations to Sophie Wan on her debut novel!
Find it on Amazon.

Description:

Peasreads: Kawaii Birdies Learn to Draw 80 Adorable Feathered Friends by Jen Budrock

 Description

Explore the amusing personalities of 80 birds by drawing them in the adorable artistic style of author Jen Budrock, founder of the blog Birdhism.

Welcome back to the world of kawaii, with this new drawing class of Kawaii Birdies! These birdies are so cute they can fit right in your palm. From their chubby bodies to the anatomy of their wings to the beautiful colors of their plumage, there is so much to learn and love about our fair-feathered friends. Thanks to Jen Budrock, advocate and all-out bird nerd, this guide will teach you how to create little birds with big personalities on the page, and even give you some tips on how to go about bringing a real companion bird home.