No Acceptable Excuse

D. S. Murphy's No Acceptable Excuse has the appearance of a self-published work and could have used some judicious editing and spell checking. However, I found myself riveted to the story. It is a searing drama about a family history of physical and sexual abuse and incest. This tale is set in the early part of the 20th century and centers around Lela. A neighbor, Sam, becomes obsessed with her and forces her into marriage--her nightmare begins and continues until Sam's death. Lela and Sam eventually have seven children, who all suffer at their father's hands. This is a brutal tale and even though it has been a month since I read it, I still think back on it. I feel for all the abuse that everybody that came in contact with Sam suffered. And upon reading about the incident that made Sam the way he was, I can understand Lela's forgiveness--which is really the theme of the book--but she is a much better person than I. I still cannot understand why no one ever called Sam out on his behavior, but then, insn't that the way with bullies?

Try a Taste of Thai

I have recently donned my "cooking hands" and dabbled with Thai cooking. I am a great fan of dumplings and chicken satay and was pleased when I received a bamboo steamer for my birthday! Wanting to broaden my horizons, I decided to check out the Thai cookbooks in the library. I enjoyed looking at the Complete Thai Cooking book by Hamlyn so much that I went ahead and purchased a used copy for myself. This book has beautiful full-color illustrations of 90% of the dishes listed in the book---the few pictures that aren't included are mainly of sauces or stocks. The book opens with a nice history of Thai cooking and a description of the equipment needed to make traditional Thai food. Also included is a glossary of "Cook's Terms" that defines many of the ingredients used by Thai chefs. Most of the recipes are on the left page of the book with a picture of the finished item facing it on the right page, and include the number of servings, the preparation time and the cooking time for the recipe. I can't pick out my favorite recipe, but I have decided to try the "Khun Tom's Pumpkin Soup" and the "Mushroom and Snow Pea Stir-fry" as soon as my cookbook is delivered. I really enjoyed exploring the dessert section of this cookbook---the coconut cream custard served in bowls made from banana leaves looks especially wonderful. If this book has made your taste buds salivate, try also Classic Thai Cuisine by David Thompson or The Food of Thailand by Sven Krauss.

Meet the Queen Mother

The Queen Mother by William Shawcross is the official and definitive biography of the woman. The author was given unrestricted access to the Queen Mother's personal papers, letters and diaries and offers us a portrait of unprecedented vividness and detail. Here is the witty girl who won the affections of convalescing soldiers during the First World War; the assured young Duchess of York helping her reluctant husband assume the throne when his brother abdicated and the stalwart Queen who refused to take refuge from the bombing of London, risking her own life to instill courage and hope in others who were living through the Blitz. The book shows a woman whose many interests included the armed services, the environment, horse racing and music; and whose wide circle of friends included everyone from the Sitwells to Ted Hughes, from Noel Coward to Charles de Gualle. And here also is showcased the dowager Queen--the last Edwardian, the survivor to both her family and the country throughout her long widowhood, representing her nation at home and abroad, the matriarch of the Royal Family.

Dexter is Delicious

When I picked up the first Dexter Morgan book, I never thought that I would enjoy reading about a serial killer. Or even "sympathizing" with a serial killer! Dexter is Delicious by Jeff Lindsay is the fifth novel in the series starring Dexter Morgan, a blood spatter expert with the Miami Police Department. Dexter is basically an okay guy--he only kills people who deserve it (like rapists, child molesters and murderers)--and he makes sure that they know why they are being eliminated from life. All is good in Dexter's life until his sister, Detective Deborah Morgan, is placed in charge of a child kidnapping case. As Deborah enlists Dexter's help in locating Samantha, they stumble onto a ring of cannibals and torturers. Meanwhile, Dexter tries hard to fit in to society and act like a normal human being, while hiding his Dark Passenger killing side. This book is certainly not for the squeamish, but if you can come to grips with the fact that you like Dexter, you'll certainly enjoy this book. Darkly Dreaming Dexter is the first book in the series--check it out and let us know if you like it!