Lessons in Chemistry Written by Bonnie Garmus ~ A Book Review

Warning Warning Warning:

Lessons in Chemistry is a book that will make you smile, get hot under the collar, shed a tear or two and make you turn the pages and not put it down.

Bonnie Garmus has written this book and it's a winner in my opinion. Today is the day that you can get this book in hardcopy or  you can read it from Kindle Unlimited!

Lessons in Chemistry takes place in the late 1950's early 1960's.  For anyone who grew up during that time period, you know as many women today still know, there is a disconnect in society when it comes to intelligent, talented, women in sciences.  It is getting better these days,  but for Elizabeth Zott life was not easy at all.

Elizabeth was a scientist, a chemist to be exact.  Her intelligence and understanding of complicated chemical processes is far superior to many of her male counterparts.  She, herself,  is never taken seriously though!  

She does manage to get a job at a Research Facility and there meets Calvin Evans another scientist who has the same intense understanding of Chemistry as Elizabeth.  He takes her seriously and they work side by side making good progress on their existing projects.  

Falling in love wasn't quite in the books for either Calvin or Elizabeth, science was their first love.  But another type of chemistry starts to blossom.  

Calvin, because of his "elevated" position at Hasting Research, is able to pave the way for Elizabeth to continue working in the research labs.  She has him to thank for the position she currently has.

But, like all things, nothing is static and things are always changing.  When Elizabeth is no longer welcome in the labs(due to changes in her personal life), her natural good looks and a sense of desperation,  take her to afternoon TV and a cooking show.  

There are so many twists and turns coming that I would be giving away too much of the plot to tell you more here.  

Let me just say that I could not put this book down.  

Smart women, glass ceilings, misogenistic groups all play a part in Elizabeth Zott's life.  What she does about it, is what makes this book such a good read.  

Put this book on your "TO READ" list, you won't be disappointed!

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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National Crayon Day Review

March 31st is National Crayon Day – a day to celebrate the creation of crayons and the joy of coloring.

Children love to color and a box of crayons and a coloring book will give them hours of fun. Today, even adults enjoy this childhood activity; albeit with intricate designs created just for them as an artistic challenge of expression.

The Origin of Crayons

Image Source: Pixabay

Crayons date back to the 17th century, although those were not made of wax and were not as durable as today's wax crayons. Colored wax crayons for children were invented by  Binney & Smith in 1903. They are a company which produces paint, pigments and slate pencils for schools. They also produce a dustless chalk, originally invented at the request of teachers. The wax and chalk-based crayons are also popular with artists.

Crayon Trivia

• Did you know that the smell of crayons is the most recognizable scent of all?
• There are 120 Crayola Colors
• The most popular crayon color is BLUE
• Crayola has made over 237 billions crayons over the years.

Crayola Crayons

Image Source: Pixabay

The first box of Crayola crayons was sold as an eight-pack with colors; black, brown, blue, red, violet, orange, yellow, and green. We still have this first box of colorful creations today with the same original colors, just with a more modernized look. Boxes of crayons come in many sizes from 8-count to 120. There are also various varieties of crayons, including washable and erasable.

Check out Crayola.com for the names of all 120 colors available today. 

Summary

To celebrate this colorful day, get out some crayons and a coloring book and get to work. Coloring is a kid-favorite activity. And, if you are an adult, it will surely bring back fond memories and make you feel like a kid again. 

National Crayon Day
March 31

Image Source: Pixabay

Links to Coloring Article Reviews:

• Adult Coloring Books are all the Rage by Olivia Morris
• Color Outside the Lines – Reviewing Summer Color and Activity Books for Kids or Adults by Wednesday Elf
• Five Fabulous Fairy Coloring Book Reviews by Treasures by Brenda
• Reviewing an Adult Coloring Book by Bev Owens

*National Crayon Day Review written by Wednesday Elf

Crayola 24 Count Box of Crayons Non-Toxic Color Coloring School Supplies (2 Packs)

Crayons, 64 Crayons Per Box, Classic Colors, Built In Sharpener, Crayons For Kids, School Crayons, Assorted Colors - 1 Box

Crayola Ultimate Washable Chalk Collection (64ct), Bulk Sidewalk Chalk, Outdoor Chalk for Kids, Anti-Roll Sticks, Nontoxic, 4+

Crayola Broad Line Markers (12 Count), Washable Markers for Kids, Assorted, Great for Classrooms & School Supplies, Ages 3+

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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Tiny Showcase Review

Tuesday is tiny artist day on the Tiny Showcase! The tiny showcase is a fabulous showcase for the independent artist offering small scale and affordable art for all.  

The About page eloquently and accurately captures the vibe of Tiny Showcase "We remain a quiet island" and can't we all appreciate a quiet island! What a wondrous resource the online gallery of the tiny showcase. I find it so refreshing and just darn fun to browse the current art as well as the archives from prior years.

 

Tuesday is Tiny Day!

Every Tuesday limited editions of tiny art by one artist is released. Prospective customers or browsers can sign up for the email notification as a gentle reminder. I love viewing the selections each week. Some may be my taste, some may challenge my taste or some may be a perfect gift. 

Each art piece can be customized on the order form according to your preference. The selections include unframed, framed with mat, framed in maple. Art pieces from prior years (if not sold out) are also available in the archive shop. It is always great to find a new artist then discover the artist may just be new to you and then find prior pieces you may be interested in purchasing or viewing via the archive shop.

 

Does Tiny Showcase Only Feature Art?

For years I have followed and purchased art from Tiny Showcase. The products have expanded in recent years from tiny art to also include: stationary, cards, puzzles, toys, textiles and wearable art. Diversity is wise and the theme of affordable independent art continues whether the purchase is art or art on a card!

Gift cards are also offered to help keep Tiny Showcase a tiny showcase for online curated independent art.

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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Homemade Italian Chicken Bow Tie Soup for a Large Family

This soup recipe is basically an assembling of flavors that I know my family likes.

I frequently purchase ready-made roast chicken from Costco and other grocery stores. Our family is large, so I usually buy three chickens.

When we're done with the chickens, I use the carcasses to make chicken soup broth. You can use any chicken broth. However, I've prepared enough food for two days by purchasing or making three roast chickens and then making soup.

A Bowl of Italian Chicken Bow Tie Soup

Italian Chicken Bow Tie Soup Ingredients for a Large Family

• Chicken Broth (from leftover cooked chickens, or you can use 7 boxes of store-bought chicken broth)
• Chicken pieces cut up from the above-cooked chickens, or use 3 separate chicken breasts, and oven bake them (don't let them brown), then cut up into small biteable pieces
• Hot Water
• 6 Bouillon Chicken Cubes
• An Entire Medium Sized Bag of Carrots
• Full stock of Celery
• 1 Large Onion
• 7 Garlic Cloves
• 1 Green Pepper
• 4 Tablespoons of Butter
• 500 grams of Pasta Bow Ties (about a box and a half, with a box holding 340grams)
• 5 Bay Leaves
• 3 Teaspoons of Oregano (or whatever amount you prefer)
• 3 Teaspoons of Basil (or whatever amount you prefer)
• 5 Teaspoons of Parsley (or whatever amount you prefer)

Step One - Get the Broth Ready

In a large pot, prepare the following: (I use about a 14-quart soup pot - seen below). I fill the pot to about 3/4 with homemade soup for our big family.

This big soup pot feeds our large family - I fill it 3/4 full with homemade soup

• Boil the leftover whole chickens, then screen the meat out through a strainer. Put the meat aside so you can pull off all usable bites to go back in the soup. I let the chicken meat cool, then put it in the soup near the end.
• If using the chicken carcasses to make the broth, I boil it for several hours.
• If you're using store-bought chicken broth, put 7 boxes of broth in the pot - you could even use more!
• Add 6 bouillon chicken cubes

Step Two - The Carrots

I add the carrots next because they take longer to cook. I use a whole bag of medium carrots. Scrape them, cut them into biteable pieces, and then add them to the soup broth.

Step Three - Lightly Fry These Ingredients

In a frying pan, melt 4 tablespoons of butter, then lightly fry:

• An entire stock of celery, chopped into biteable pieces
• A large green pepper, cut into biteable pieces
• A whole large onion, chopped into fine, ground pieces (I use a mini-chopper)
• 7 whole garlic cloves chopped fine (I put them into the mini-chopper as well)

I usually fry them on medium heat for about ten minutes, constantly stirring. Put the entire mixture into the soup broth. 

Step Four - The Pasta Bow Ties

• Boil the pasta bow ties separately until nearly fully cooked
• Drain and rinse the pasta in cold water
• Put the pasta in the soup broth

I always cook the pasta separately, then rinse them to reduce the amount of starch in the soup.

Step Five - Add the Chicken

• Use the chicken from the carcass that you set aside or the chicken you made in the oven. If you're using oven-baked chicken, don't let it brown - you want the color of the soup to be light.
• Be sure to cut the chicken into small biteable pieces
• If you're using chicken from the carcass, double-check that there are no bones! I catch bones while pulling the meat away from the carcasses and when I cut it into small pieces. The bones reveal themselves when cutting. Take your time, and be extra careful.

Step Six - The Flavoring

I never measure this part; I simply add the amount I think makes the soup taste right for my family. The measurements below are merely for your own guidance.

• Add 3 teaspoons of Oregano (or whatever amount you want)
• Add 3 teaspoons of Basil (or whatever amount you want)
• Add 4 teaspoons of  Parsley (or whatever amount you want)
• Add 5 Bay Leaves for flavor (don't eat them)
• Salt to taste (optional - I don't salt, I allow each person to salt their own bowls)

Step Seven - Add The Boiling Water

At this point, I boil water using my tea kettle and pour the boiling hot water into the soup pot until it reaches about three-quarters full from the top of the pot.

Leave it on the stove on low heat, and let everyone eat soup all day long!

Homemade Italian Chicken Bow Tie Soup for a Large Family

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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One Step Too Far – Book Review

 Book 2 in the new Frankie Elkin mystery series by Lisa Gardner. 

Last June I reviewed Book 1 (Before She Disappeared) in the Frankie Elkin series. At last, Book 2 has arrived ~ One Step Too Far. 

Frankie Elkin is a recovering alcoholic who travels the country searching for missing people. She does this for no money or recognition. Her reason is known only to her, but she feels compelled to search for those whom the police have given up on due to too many other cases that CAN be solved, and when the public no longer remembers and the media has never bothered to care. 

Synopsis of One Step Too Far

Wyoming Wilderness -Image Source: Pixabay

A young man goes missing in the wilderness of Wyoming. He and his 3 best friends had gone on a camping trip in the mountains for his bachelor party prior to getting married. The trip was Timothy O'Day's choice of a pre-wedding time with his friends. Tim was a very experienced camper who knew the woods and surrounding wilderness well. 

A set of circumstances caused Tim to leave the campsite and somehow disappear completely. He left behind his guilt-ridden groomsmen, two heartbroken parents, and a pile of clues that don't make any sense. Numerous searches were conducted, yet no trace of him was ever found.

Five years later, Tim's father is organizing one last search in an attempt to find what surely has to be nothing but bones now. But it's time for closure. The rescue team is made up of eight people, including the 3 best friends from that fateful night, a trained woodsman friend of the father, an experienced guide and a woman with her search & rescue trained dog.

Frankie Elkin doesn't know the woods, but she knows how to find people. She joins the rescue team, despite their reluctance. As they hike into the mountains, it becomes apparent that something dangerous is at work in the woods. Someone seems to be trying to stop their search. Time is running out and Frankie and the search party soon discover that evil waits for those who go one step too far..... 

Summary 

Amazon gives mixed reviews of this book. Some readers love it, some hate it. I liked it. I liked the character in the first book in the series and was interested in seeing what happens with Frankie in Book 2. I am also a fan of author Lisa Gardner and her 23 other suspense novels. I enjoy her style of writing. I particularly like the fact that she ends the story, then does another chapter of an Epilogue, filling you in on all the things that happen after a situation is resolved. Many books leave you to wonder. Lisa answers the questions you may have been left with. 

So, if you are a Lisa Gardner fan and like suspense stories with a continuing character, I recommend One Step Too Far. I would suggest you begin with Book 1 – Before She Disappeared – as the author makes a few references to things that happened to Frankie on her first missing person's case in Boston. 

Related Links of Lisa Gardner Book Reviews:

• Before She Disappeared, a Frankie Elgin Book 1
• Catch Me. a Detective D.D. Warren Mystery
• Right Behind You, a book in the Pierce Quincy/Rainie Conner FBI Profiler series 

*Book Review of One Step Too Far written by Wednesday Elf

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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