Books and food
It's March 31st and I have already finished reading 35 books this year!!

My usual yearly goal is two books a week, or 104 books. So I'm well on my way to making up for last year, when I read a dismal 78 books.

The latest book recs:

Miss Spitfire by Sarah Miller was a story told with passion and fascinating detail. It tells how Annie Sullivan taught language to Helen Keller, basically covering from Annie's arrival to the famous moment at the water pump. Snippets of Annie's past are woven through the narrative. I was already interested in the story of these two women, as it touches on both issues of disability and language, which I find fascinating, but Sarah knows and loves her subject, and she brought something fresh.

Sold by Patricia McCormick is a moving verse novel about a young Nepalese girl sold into prostitution to India. Like other good verse novels I've read, it packs a serious emotional punch, especially considering the tragic subject. I can read some pretty upsetting stuff without getting upset, but considering how many women are in this situation in the world, and how hopeless their lot in life generally is...well, it's really sad. Still, Lakshmi's story does have as happy an ending as such a story could have.

In other news, our printer gave up the ghost this week. I am now the proud owner of a laser printer. This means I am SO prepared to send out manuscripts for MUG when it'd done!

In food news, Saveur just had an issue on butter. Naturally, page after page extolling the deliciousness of butter got a real craving for the stuff going, and might prompt one to become a butter connoisseur. Especially since the latest (ever-contradicting) nutritional news has been saying that butter is better for you than was previously thought. Today I bought some parmigiano-reggiano butter to try (the butter from the milk used for making the cheese). I also have to note that Saveur's suggestion to dip french fries in kecap manis, the sweet soy sauce from Indonesia, was a good one indeed. Kecap manis tastes like a rich, molasses-y soy sauce and I've been dipping roasted veggies in it too.

I also made this very basic mango lassi (an Indian-style smoothie) yesterday and it was PHENOMENAL.
Blend:
Flesh of 1 mango
1 c. whole milk yogurt
A little ice
1/2 t. cardamom

It sounded so simple. I didn't expect it to taste like heaven. The rich yogurt and the sweet creamy mango were good enough, but the cardamom gives it a lingering aftertaste of spice...it was almost as decadent tasting as a good chocolate bar.