I'm a sucker for good-looking cookbooks...

I'm a sucker for good looking (vegetarian) cookbooks. I wouldn't consider myself a foodie, but looking through a glossy cookbook is an inspiring thing to do. Since bringing this gem home in November, my family and I have not been disappointed. We regularly gather around on Friday evenings or Saturday mornings to pick out which recipes we want to try in the coming week while Daddy prepares the grocery list.

Even though the rest of my family are not veggies, we eat vegetarian meals most nights. My kids complained about the lack of meat on their plates until we started making recipes from this Canadian Living collection. They adore Meatless Polpette in Tomato Sauce, Whipped Sweet Potatoes with Maple Pecan Topping, Thai Green Curry with Tofu & Vegetables, and Eggplant Gnocchi with Brown Butter & Pine Nut Sauce. However our all-time favourite so far (we have only cooked through half of the cookbook) is Vegetable Lentil Gardner's Pie.

It is hands-down the best comfort food I have ever tasted and I crave it regularly - probably part of the reason that we have only cooked through half the cookbook! See page 35 for the recipe and mouth-watering picture.

And for the foodies out there: ingredients featured are easy to obtain (Eating Well if you can't find it at the grocery store), length of cooking time featured is accurate for the most part (though the gnocchi takes some time if you haven't made it before) and most recipes are easy enough to whip up - even the time consuming ones. Trust me, your tummy will thank you for the extra steps!

- Bronwyn

The Next Chapter

Full-on Hilariousness!

In Amish culture there is a phenomenon called Rumspringa, where Amish adolescents are permitted to break free from their modest and traditional lifestyles to indulge in taboo activities. This is the story of Rupinder's Rumspringa (or as she calls it "Ram-singa") at the age of 30. Rupinder leads us through her hilarious journey to experience all the parts of her childhood that she feels she missed: summer camp, swimming and dance lessons, trips to Disney World and more.

"I am 30 years old. I wore my hair in two braids every day until I was 12. I dressed more conservatively than most Amish, barely left my house until I was 18 and spent the last 12 years studying and working hard on my career like a good little Indian girl. The time has come; you are witness to the dawning of my Indian Rumspringa, a Ram-Singha if you will. But instead of smoking and drinking Bud Lights in a park while yelling 'Down with barn raising!' I plan to indulge in a different manner — by pursuing everything I wish had been a part of my youth."

This is the story of the ultimate New Year's resolution, more akin to a new life resolution and walk down memory-less lane. The results are hilariously funny. If you need a laugh and want something light, yet intelligent, pick this one up! And Rupinder is doing an event with us on April 26th - check our website for more details www.wordsworthbooks.com - Bronwyn

TO WIN A HARDCOVER COPY OF "ON THE OUTSIDE LOOKING INDIAN", PLEASE EMAIL BRONWYN (bronwyn@wordsworthbooks.com).

CONTEST CLOSES ON APRIL 15TH AT 4PM.

APRIL 15TH: THE CONTEST HAS NOW CLOSED, THANK YOU TO ALL WHO ENTERED. IF YOU ARE THE WINNER, YOU WILL BE NOTIFIED BY EMAIL.

Collect 'em all

Some soothing warmth for a cold morning.

February is Black History Month

I was in Ghana for the first time in 6 years, in January. It was a wonderful trip and I had the chance to catch up on some reading while there. The three titles I enjoyed the most all make for excellent Black History Month reading.

My favourite of the pile I shlepped around was The Memory of Love, a novel exploring modern-day Sierra Leone. Author Aminatta Forna tells the story through the voices of three different men whose lives intersect in surprising ways. Elias Cole, the former dean of the local university, lies in the hospital, in desperate need of a lung transplant that will never happen. He reminisces on his life before the civil war, sharing his memories Adrian Lockhart, a British psychologist, who is assisting with Post-Traumatic-Stress programs at the hospital. Adrian meets Kai, a gifted young surgeon, and the two become friends. Adrian becomes fascinated with one of his patients, a middle aged woman, who wanders the country. The three men are connected to each other by more than just memories and friendship.

As the story unfolds, they all share a relationship with the same woman. This is a richly crafted novel that took my breath away. I appreciated the delicate way that Forna shares the affects of the civil war. Instead of dripping each page in horrific memory, she explores a few disturbing situations with careful precision. If you enjoyed the masterpiece Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese (one of my favourite books), then please give this a try. If you do, let me know as I am eager to hear what other readers think of this novel. Personally I think it gives Cutting for Stone some serious competition!

On a lighter note, Baking Cakes in Kigali by Gaile Parkin is a treat. This light-cup-of-tea-read reminds me of The No. 1 Ladies Dectective Agency series. This is a tale of baking confections and behind each cake lies a story. Baker Angel Tungaraza busies herself with her customer’s orders: Ken Akimoto, her best customer; his lovesick driver Bosco; Odile, an AIDS worker whose love life Angel has taken a keen interest in and more. Angel works her magic, helping to solve their problems as they enjoy her edible works of art. By the end of this heartwarming story all the loose ends are tied, problems mostly solved, and Angel’s heartaches put to rest. If you are eager for a light yet intelligent read, this is a good choice.

Of the three novels, Wench by Dolen Perkins-Valdez, is perhaps the only novel that is truly “Black History”. The novel takes place in Ohio, a free territory before the Civil War. Tawawa House is an idyllic summer retreat for Southern white Massa’s and their black slave mistresses. Lizzie, Reenie and Sweet are regulars at the resort, building strong friendships and support for each other over the years. When Mawu comes, things start to change with her fearless talk of running away. To run away would mean leaving everything including their children. It also means freedom from the emotional and psychological bonds that bind them to their masters. This engaging page-turner reminded me of The Help by Kathryn Stockett. Even though The Help takes place in the 1960’s, both books explore similar issues. - Bronwyn

Unleashed works for Ruby!

Brad Pattison- who you might know from his reality show At the End of My Leash couldn’t be coming to the store at a better time-- for me, anyway. Forget about the Ice Dogs festival, I’m talking about the fact that I am the proud new mamma of an adorable puppy!

We got Ruby just before Christmas, and although so far she’s fairly well behaved- I found Brad Pattison’s book Unleashed really helpful.

Brad’s book is full of step by step instructions on how to get your dog to sit, stay, stop and come on command, and eventually go off-leash, as well as a tonne of anecdotal material from his many human and dog clients to explain various training problems and how to rectify them.

Apparently I’m a bit of a soft touch… I’d been trying to train Ruby using treats as an incentive for one thing- which according to Brad is a big no-no, unless you want your dog to turn into (to use his colorful terminology) a crack head! Well, Mamma didn’t raise no crack heads, so since starting the book I’ve replaced treat rewards with a good “chest scrunch”, which is just a friendly squeeze between the front legs. The idea of cupboard love never really sat that well with me, so this feels like a positive development. The other thing I’d been doing wrong, was using baby-talk. This once has been a bit harder to stop. She’s just so cute (as you can see from the picture above), I turn into a babbling idiot around her.

It’s not only that I find it hard to speak in a calm, reasonable voice to her- but that Brad recommends not speaking to your dog at all during an initial 2-week training period! The reasoning behind this is pretty sound, as dogs communicate more through movements and body language than speech. The same way you eventually tune out an annoying barking dog, a dog that receives too many voice commands eventually is just going to start ignoring them. I’ve been trying to bite my tongue, but it hasn’t been easy.

Brad does a really good job of illustrating why you really have to take charge around your dog- for her sake and yours. I’m trying to show Ruby who’s boss, but I’m certainly glad I’m going to get to meet Brad on the 19^th to get a few extra pointers. You should drop by the store to meet him too, whether you already own a dog, or you’re thinking about getting one in the near future, his advice is invaluable.

Bookfourm

The new Bookforum is out.

For those who haven't stumbled onto the magazine yet, I think it's essential stuff for intelligent, challenging and lenghy reviews across all genres.

It's not online, but Ed Park (fave) has a long piece on Jonathan Coe's upcoming novel The Terrible Privacy of Maxwell Sim.

I'll read anything Coe writes, usually in one sitting.

Order it through the site here

Tiger Mothers

I was immediately intrigued by the title and the premise of Amy Chua's book. I was also eager to read the book considering all of the controversy around her parenting style. I finished the book in a day. I found it to be hilarious (if you can catch her dead-pan humour) and inspiring. Raising four kids with a husband from a different culture, I could relate to much of the book and to many of her complaints about the "lax" parenting style in North America. I think that we have become to sensitive about children's self esteem without giving them opportunities to build said self esteem. Amy Chua is right - in many ways, we underestimate our kids, which leads to dumbing them down (my words, not hers). This is a valuable book to read and consider as a parent, teacher or grandparent. Highly recommended by Bronwyn