Ellie Kreiger's Paella and Queen Victoria

By the way......Went to see an excellent girl/boy movie last night, "Young Victoria." Then back to my casa for paella from Elie Krieger's "So Easy" cookbook. And it was! I tell you it was a piece of cake and 30 minutes in the oven after the movie and voila....din-din was ready. Definitely worthy of guests! Jim and Marta loved it! Get the book. These are recipes that will become mainstays.

Baby It's Cold Outside

I love the winter, the more snow the better...but it has been a little nippy out there the past couple of days.
Here are some perfect cold reads.

The Tenderness of Wolves by Stef Penney






Ice Bound by Jerri Neilsen











The Outlander by Gil Adamson

Attwood Lecture

Just in from a wonderful night at the New Canaan Library where Jon Meacham spoke for the Attwood Lecture. History at its best. Great speaker. Packed house. Fun was had by all. We still have some signed copies.

I am off tomorrow. Hot yoga, snowy walks, reading The Ice Princess by Camilla Lackberg. Terrific. My head will be buried in it. Not releasing in the U.S. until June so pre-order your copy. If you liked "The Girl With the Dragon Tatoo" you will want to read this.

It's snowing!

It's snowing. Yes...Out to the woods with Jackson.

A Little Bookstore in New Canaan

So Susan (Brain Child of ESB) and I had a very productive meeting with Anne (Financial Wiz-Kid) to discuss how we combat the forces that are working against the independent bookstores of the day as well as our own weaknesses. I can't stop thinking about it all. Always potential is in your vision.

My dog Jackson (look down the blog if you want to see how great he is) did not have enough fun today.That hurts me. Maybe that is what we should all be saying???? Did we have enought fun today?? And if we did'nt maybe we are in the wrong place. Or maybe there is a better way to do it????

Good Night...

Ellie Kreiger, Cookbook Author is Great!

So now I am home from the Ellie Kreiger event. Remember... she is the Food Network, host, as well as the cookbook author of "SO EASY." What an excellent presentation..she told everyone about her top ten ideas for starting good nutrition habits. Duhhhhhh keep it simple and that is exactly what she did. She is so real and down to earth in her nutritional ideas that it is a no brainer to change your unhealthy eating habits into better choices. So many of the audience questions touched on our toxic food supplies....wow...won't go there in this, but it is becoming more evident that people are worried about their food sources.

On that note the latest book from Michael Pollan is right on. He is quickly becoming the guru of the 21st century. BUY IT. It is easy to understand and attainable.

Jon Meacham

I am just about to head over to the New Canaan Library to hear Food Network Host, Ellie Kreiger speak. Great cookbook author.

Don't miss Jon Meacham at the New Canaan Library tomorrrow night! Note the time - 7:00 pm What amazing speakers Elm Street Books bring to this community. STANDING ROOM ONLY!

Ughhhhh Stomach Flu

Well I came home from work on Saturday and proceeded to enter the ughhhhh world of the 24 hour stomach flu. Not Good. BUT, while I was stuck in bed I read " Impatient with Desire" by Gabrielle Burton. It releases in March. It is the historical fiction account of the tragic Donner Party. A group of 87 pioneers who headed west to California only to be trapped for 4 1/2 months in the Sierra Nevada mountains. The story is'nt pretty with only 48 survivors making the final journey into California, but the admiration I felt for the strength of these early Americans was great. Call Elm Street to pre-order your copy.

Ellie Kreiger Food Newtwork Host

Thank Goodness Cablevision finally got Food Network back on! Although it may be counter productive that is all I watch when on the treadmill. Ellie Kreiger is back visiting Elm Street Books at the New Canaan Library this Wednesday at 7:30pm. She was here for her last book and is fun, informative and engaging. Healthy cooking that is easy.

Make reservations 203-594-500

Michael Gates Gill

Last week we had Michael Gates Gill at the NC Library. He wrote "How Starbucks Saved My Life" and now his latest " How To Save Your Own Life."

Here is a brief bit from "How To Save Your Own Life.

" You can learn to enjoy life as an adventure that is always fresh and new if you let yourself be taken where the river wants to go. Know you are special; you have your own original story to tell, for the course of the river is always changing, and everyone leads a very different life."

This book has so much to offer. Much inspiration for eveyone, not just those who are down on their luck. We have signed copies still available.

Robot vacuum cleaner

Ok, so every night ESB needs to clean the carpets...well no one really wants to run a vacuum.... so we will be entering the 21st century and putting a robot vacuum cleaner on our staff. It does'nt get grouchy, works through the night and hopefully does a pretty good job. We are still anxiously awaiting Courtney Rein's review of these appliances before we plunk ESB's hard cash on the line..but I feel this will be resolved before the end of the weekend. Love to hear your comments if you already have one.

TGIF

Rosie has a new espresso machine!
We love our neighbor Rosie and all their yummy food. They just got the "rolls royce" of espresso machines. I test drove it this afternoon with a macchiato and buon!

I'm off tomorrow and plan to take Jackson out early for his run.

Also just got a slow cooker and this terrific invention cooks my dinner while I'm hard at work at Elm Street Books. A great cookbook for slow cooking is

Make It Fast, Cook It Slow

She has a terrific blog too. www.crockpot365.blogspot.com

More January Books

Alice I Have Been by Melanie Benjamin

Another book of historical fiction is Alice I Have Been a story based on the real life of Alice Liddell, the inspiration for Lewis Carroll's Alice In Wonderland. Lewis Carroll, a pseudonym for the Oxford mathematician Charles Dodgson, a gifted amateur photographer was scrutinized for his provocative poses of young girls. It was his relationship with a young Alice that haunts her for years as she tries to escape it and reconcile its meaning.

January Books

I just sent out a Manager's Picklist for January.

Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chavalier

Based on the real life character, Mary Anning, a fossil hunter in England in the mid 1800s who unearthed major fossil finds before the word dinosaur had even been coined. The reader is transported to the cold wet beaches of Lyme Regis, England where two friends discover fossils together in a pre Darwin world where evolution is'nt a concept and nobody wants to believe that God did not, as one of Chevalier's characters puts it, "plan out what He would do with all of the animals He created". An absorbing read threading the science of the day with society's class consciousness as well as a tender tale of friendship.

Author Event next week

Wow we have two great events next week.
Wednesday January 27 at 7:30pm Ellie Kreiger, Food Network host will be at the New Canaan Library, 151 Main Street
Then Thursday 7:00pm at the New Canaan Library Jon Meacham, Pulitzer prize winner.
Join Us
Call to reserve a seat. 203-594-5000

Sorrryyyyyy! I have been away, but reading like a fiend. There are so many great books out there. Here are a few of my January favs.
Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chavalier, Alice I Have Been, Reliable Wife and so many more. Tomorrow I will get them all up with reviews....off to read.

Carjacked

Thursday January 7, 7:30 at the New Canaan Library, 151 Main Street

"Carjacked: The Culture of the Automobile and Its Effect On Our Lives"

Authors Catherine Lutz and Anne Lutz Fernandez

New Year

This week we have Katherine Weber, author of "True Confections" joining us at the New Canaan Library, Wed. Jan 6th at 12noon.