What are you reading, January 10, 2009 (edit/delete)

It was my New Year's resolution, the only one I made, to finish the tortuous job of reading Anna and the King of Siam. I did enjoy it, but it was not compelling. It wasn't one of those books that you thought about when you were out with friends and couldn't wait to get back to. You see, that's how much I love to read. I actually think about the characters when I should be enjoying the here and now of the company I am in. Oh well, the tortured soul of the true reader.

I just finished a quick overnight read. Rough Weather. It's a Robert B. Parker novel.. you know.. Spencer! Always good for a quick diversion, where the men are gruff but moral and the women are gorgeous and eat like birds. Robert Parker spends quite a few lines in every book describing Spencer's meals with his lady love Susan. No comparison to me, who eats with gusto, Susan daintily nibbles on salads while Spencer eats like a man's man. If I could say I didn't like one thing about his novels, that would be it. Real women love food. Deal with it. Other than that, I highly recommend this book for a quick and entertaining read.

Thanks to my friend Don Rogers, who recommended the book I am reading now. I am thoroughly enjoying Dogs Don't Bite When a Growl Will Do. What Your Dog Can Teach You about Living a Happy Life. I don't usually find myself compelled by self-help, happy feeling books, but I am so enjoying this book. Quick one or two page chapters, each with a quote, and I love quotes. My new quote for my signature on email came from this book, although I changed it to suit me, I'm hoping Plato won't mind. The quote is: I do not live to play, but I play in order that I may live and return with great zest to the labors of life. I changed "play" to "laugh" in both places and it suits me to a "T". So Plato, I sincerely hope you don't mind.

So, I'd love to know what you are reading. And Gary.... it's okay if it's non-fiction. Go ahead, tell me, I can take it!

Also, don't forget to check out goodreads.com. You can keep track of all of the books you are reading, read reviews and get great ideas on what to read next. Chris Fisher recommended it to me and I love it.

What are you reading, January 22, 2009 (edit/delete)

I am taking a brief hiatus from my life lessons as learned from the wonderful book Dogs Don't Bite when a Growl will do.

I am loving these stories, each with a nice quote, but it was time for me to dive into a big novel. I have many favorite fictional authors, but Nelson DeMille ranks right at the top. Always irreverent, witty and suspenseful, so far, my new book is not disappointing. My mom bought it for me for Christmas, and I have been saving it for a treat to read, and now the time has come!

The Gate House is a follow-up to Mr. DeMille's wonderful book, The Gold Coast. John Sutter, the main character, is funny, smart, a real smart ass and a great person to hang around with in a book His insights into human nature make me want to use a yellow highlighter to remember some of the great lines in this book. In fact, just this morning, I wondered to myself if I shouldn't start it over, with highlighter in hand. It's very witty!

I highly recommend this book, but if I were you, I'd read the Gold Coast first!

So, what are you reading?

South Philadelia... Gravy vs. Sauce

love it over at Facebook, and my cousin Joe Carlini sent me an invitation to join a group called Gravy Wars, South Philly Food Feuds and Attytudes.

Growing up, we always called the red sauce you put on pasta (macaroni for us South Philadelphians) gravy. It wasn't until I was an adult that I realized that for the majority of people in the area, gravy was brown and you put it on roast beef. Well, we call that brown gravy! If you are having a seafood sauce, my mom always called it seafood gravy. Just putting crabs in it... crab gravy. Very simple.

Of course, this was only one of the many things that I realized was different about me than my non Italian friends. When I go out to lunch, I love to get soup and a 1/2 of a sandwich. Now, when the menu says, your choice of bread. to me that implies I can have my choice of bread. Okay, I'll have chicken salad on a roll. Bad enough they are going to call it a kaiser roll, wherever that name came from, but now they tell me I can't have my sandwich on a roll. I say why not... the menu says my choice of bread. Oh, it has to be sliced bread. They can't cut the roll in half... who else will eat it? Seriously? There isn't one other Italian girl in this restaurant that wants a 1/2 of a sandwich?

Italians make meals into great social gatherings. I love to sit around the kitchen table with friends and family and eat, talk and laugh. Meals are meant to be celebrated and enjoyed. Not something to get over with. I have my doubts about a person who doesn't love food. How passionless. I love to watch people eat that love it! I love to cook for people who love to eat.

My husband makes me mad every time we have dinner. I go to great lengths to delicately spice my meals and the man puts hot pepper relish on everything. Why do I bother? He wouldn't know the difference! And he doesn't like seafood gravy? And he likes to watch TV while he eats. And he wants to eat his salad first. What is up with that? We always had salad at the end of the meal. How else would your stomach know it was time for dessert? His family always rushed through the meal so that they could all line up in front of the TV. One family meal that included his side of the family forced me to unplug the TV and pretend I didn't know what was wrong with it. Sadly, they figured it right out!

I loved growing up in South Philadelphia. I loved having close neighbors and sitting on the front step on a warm summer night, talking and laughing. I loved walking down a South Philly street on a warm summer Sunday and smelling everyone's gravy simmering on their stoves! I loved that I could walk every where I needed to go and I loved feeling like I belonged somewhere. I looked like everyone else, I talked like everyone else. I was Italian, and pretty much, so was everyone else!

So, the next time a pretty Italian woman invites you over for gravy, at least now you'll know what she's talking about!