L'appart: the Delights and Disasters of Making Paris my Home by David Lebovitz

L'Appart: The Delights and Disasters of Making My Paris Home by David Lebovitz

My rating: 4 of 5 stars




Jacket Blurb:  Bestselling author and world-renowned chef David Lebovitz continues to mine the rich subject of his evolving ex-Pat life in Paris, using his perplexing experiences in apartment renovation as a launching point for stories about French culture, food, and what it means to revamp one's life. Includes dozens of new recipes.

When David Lebovitz began the project of updating his apartment in his adopted home city, he never imagined he would encounter so much inexplicable red tape while contending with the famously inconsistent European work ethic and hours. Lebovitz maintains his distinctive sense of humor with the help of his partner Romain, peppering this renovation story with recipes from his Paris kitchen. In the midst of it all, he reveals the adventure that accompanies carving out a place for yourself in a foreign country--under baffling conditions--while never losing sight of the magic that inspired him to move to the City of Light many years ago, and to truly make his home there.
 
I have read a number of "My Life in Paris and or France" books and cookbook combinations over the years, but this is the first that has not painted the City of Lights with glassy eyed adoration. This is also the first story that gave me a close-up look at Parisian society and culture beyond raving about boulangeries, patisseries, charcuteries, name your "ies".

And I appreciated the book all the more for it.

Premise of the book is David moved to Paris from San Francisco, and after 10 years of renting an apartment, he's ready to buy. Wanting to prove to himself and Paris he's ready for this transition, he embarks on what becomes nearly three years of heartache, headache, and painful lessons in navigating the bureaucracy known as Paris. He admits his naivety, cultural expectations, and language barrier played a huge part in the trials and tribulations. Interspersed between the chapters are a fun assortment of recipes.

I found this a fascinating and painful read. When authors wax poetic about Paris, it's about the bakeries, the butchers, the cheese shops, the cafes, the wine, and more. I came to realize with David's story, there is a whole aspect of Paris that is never written about: how to actually live there as an expat. Where customer service is first in the US, the customer is there at the convenience of the service in France (I wasn't clear if this was the whole of France or mostly Paris). Where we have legal protections against fraudulent builders, David had...nothing. Where the nuances of the language is something you have to be grow up learning. This was facinating.

Where it was painful, was watching David write check after check, knowing that this is a baaaaddd idea. Wanting to reach through the pages and shout - "Listen to Romain!" I wanted to pull a blanket over my head as one thing after another went wrong, as costs kept accumulating, as deadlines were pushed back yet again.

I also suspect David has some of the worst luck imaginable when it comes to renovating... be it in San Francisco or Paris.

Do I still want to visit Paris? Maybe. It is a city rich with culture and history. Do I want to up and move there after reading this? No. Frickin'. Way. The grass (and thus the butter) is NOT always greener on the other side of the fence.

Thank you for sharing your story, David! It was delightful, mesmerizing, painful, and insightful.

Recommended if you enjoy those "my life in Paris or France" type books.



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Recipe Review from 11/19/2018

A shorter week, what with Thanksgiving on Thursday.  I didn't host this year, so my week was rather quiet as relates to new recipes.  The three below were all good and I recommend them all.   The pork roast was done in the slow cooker and for the dressing/stuffing, I used your basic bag of dried bread cubes and added my favorite fixin's (apples, celery, mushrooms and cranberries).   All hearty and warming food for a chilly week!

The Meal Plan
Sat (L) Leftover jambalya(S) Leftover soup
Sun (L) Co-op pizza (S) Fish Soup
Mon (Yoga) leftover soup
Tues - Shrimp fajitas
Wed - leftovers
Thurs - Thanksgiving!
Fri (L) Pasty (S) Roast pork and fixings

Lunches - Roasted Carrot and Coconut Soup


Spicy Tilapia and Fennel Stew (Ckng Lght, Sept 2013) gluten free
A friend texted me this recipe and I was able to Google the source recipe - an older Ckng Lght recipe that can be found on MyRecipes.

This was outstanding! So easy, versatile, and delicious! For once, I made exactly as directed, including finding Rao's arrabbiata sauce and using tilapia. I did serve this with a side of rustic sourdough bread.

My friend couldn't find the sauce listed below, so she used a basic marinara and added red pepper flakes. She also used some other kind of whitefish. We both agreed that this would make a fantastic Cioppino (I'll find out later this week how hers turned out). Recommended!

Serves 4-5

1 large fennel bulb, with stalks

photo from MyRecipes.com

3 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups bottled arrabbiata sauce (such as Rao's)
1/2 cup water
1 (8oz) bottle clam juice (don't skip!)
1 lb tilapia fillets, cut into 1 inch pieces

1) Trim tough out leaves from fennel; mince feathery fronds to measure 2 tbsp. Remove and discard the stalks. Cut fennel bulb in half length-wise; discard core. Thinly slice fennel bulb.

2) Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray (I used grapeseed oil). Add sliced fennel; cook 1 minute, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to medium; cover and cook 4 minutes or until fennel is crisp-tender.

3) Add garlic to pan, cook 1 minute, stirring frequently. Add arrabbiata sauce, 1/2 cup water and clam juice to pan; simmer 5 minutes.

4) Add tilapia to pan, cover and simmer 4 minutes or until done. Divide stew among 4 bowls and sprinkle evenly with reserved fennel fronds.


 Sheet Pan Shrimp Fajitas (Ckng Lght, Nov 2018) gluten free
Easy peasy and perfect for a weeknight meal.  Even if you forget to thaw the shrimp ahead of time.  I actually made as written too.  Loved the flavors, loved the ease of prep and loved the ease of clean-up.  I served with a side of cornbread.  Recommended. 

Serves 4-5ish.  I had enough for 2.5 meals. 

1 1/4 pounds peeled and deveined raw large shrimp

photo from cookinglight.com

1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 orange bell pepper, sliced
1 cup sliced poblano chile
1 cup sliced red onion
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
3/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon finely chopped seeded jalapeo
1/4 teaspoon lime zest plus 1 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
1 small garlic clove, grated
8 (6-inch) corn or flour tortillas
1/4 cup packed fresh cilantro leaves
2 limes, cut into wedges

Place oven racks in center and upper third positions of oven. Preheat oven to 400°F. Toss together shrimp, bell peppers, poblano, onion, oil, chili powder, cumin, 5/8 teaspoon salt, and coriander on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Place on middle rack of oven; roast until shrimp are cooked through, 9 to 10 minutes. Transfer shrimp to a plate, reserving remaining vegetable mixture on baking sheet. Cover shrimp with foil to keep warm.

Turn broiler to high. Broil vegetables on upper oven rack until slightly charred, 3 to 4 minutes, and set aside. Stir together sour cream, chopped cilantro, jalapeño, lime zest and juice, garlic, and remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt in a bowl.

Spoon shrimp and vegetables evenly onto warm tortillas; top with sour cream mixture. Sprinkle with cilantro leaves; serve with lime wedges.


Roasted Carrot and Coconut Soup (Ckng Lght, Nov 2018) vegetarian, vegan, gluten free
Don't be put off by the ingredient list.  There is very little to do in the way of prep, mostly just chop carrots and onions.  The rest is open cans or spices and plop.  Cook a bit.  Blend (I use an immersion blender - less fuss and mess).   Serve.  Or, in my case, divy up into lunch bowls and set aside for lunches for the week.   Note - I did skip the lentils. I was tired of being in the kitchen. 

The Husband didn't care for this at all, which is pretty darn rare and unusual.  He couldn't put his finger on exactly why, so I can't report back to you.  I, however, liked it. 

Could you do this with butternut squash?  I don't see why not, but using carrots was a nice change of flavors. 

1 1/4 pounds carrots, roughly chopped (about 3 1/2 cups)

photo from cookinglight.com

1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
1/2 teaspoon plus 1/8 tsp. kosher salt, divided
2 cups chopped yellow onion
2 tablespoons red curry paste
2 teaspoons grated peeled fresh ginger
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 (15-oz.) can unsalted cannellini beans, drained
3 cups unsalted vegetable stock
1 (15-oz.) can light coconut milk
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 ripe avocados, thinly sliced
1 cup cooked lentils

Preheat oven to 450°F. Toss together carrots, 1 1/2 teaspoons oil, and 1/2 teaspoon salt on a large foil-lined baking sheet. Roast at 450°F until carrots are fork-tender, about 20 minutes, stirring once.

Meanwhile, heat remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in a Dutch oven over medium. Add onion; cook, stirring often, until lightly browned, 10 to 15 minutes.

Add curry paste, grated ginger, and crushed red pepper to Dutch oven, and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, 1 minute. Add cooked carrots, cannellini beans, vegetable stock, coconut milk, and remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil over high. Reduce heat to medium, and simmer 5 minutes.

Pour mixture into a blender. Remove center of blender lid to allow steam to escape; secure lid on blender. Place a clean kitchen towel over opening in blender lid. Process until smooth, about 1 minute. Stir in lime juice and black pepper. Divide soup among 6 bowls; top evenly with cilantro, avocado, and lentils.

One Good Dragon Deserves Another by Rachel Aaron (Heartstrikers #2)

One Good Dragon Deserves Another by Rachel Aaron

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Jacket Blurb:  After barely escaping the machinations of his terrifying mother, two all knowing seers, and countless bloodthirsty siblings, the last thing Julius wants to see is another dragon. Unfortunately for him, the only thing more dangerous than being a useless Heartstriker is being a useful one, and now that he’s got an in with the Three Sisters, Julius has become a key pawn in Bethesda the Heartstriker’s gamble to put her clan on top.

Refusal to play along with his mother’s plans means death, but there’s more going on than even Bethesda knows, and with Estella back in the game with a vengeance, Heartstriker futures disappearing, and Algonquin’s dragon hunter closing in, the stakes are higher than even a seer can calculate. But when his most powerful family members start dropping like flies, it falls to Julius to defend the clan that never respected him and prove that, sometimes, the world’s worst dragon is the best one to have on your side.

Read as an audio book.

I greatly enjoyed this narrator. Excellent presentation in my humble opinion.

Inconsistencies galore! VanJager (sp? mind, read as an audio book) - the reference was specifically for the dragon flying around killing magic suckers (or whatever they were). Justin. NOT Julius. Marci knew this, she acknowledged this. Yet later, she's telling Julius that she betrayed him and that VanJager is after Julius. No. He is after Justin. Major inconsistency's in this particular plot thread that had me grumbling under my breath.

Use of "either" and "neither" (pronounced by the narrator as "I"-ther or n"I"-ther). I swear it was in just about every other sentence, or it sure seemed that way. I think the narrators emphasis on the word inadvertently highlighted just how much it was used.

Oh my goodness, the repetitive sentences in this installment were just frustrating. Readers are not stupid, even young adults, and we don't need to read the same statement said four different ways on one page! Extraneous extrapolation emphasized the egregious elements of repetitiveness.

Julius is a putz. Marci is the much stronger and more dynamic character in this installment. Julius seems to run around bemoaning what a predicament they are in while Marci rolls up her sleeves and gets them out of it. While Julius stands around going "What? I don't understand?", Marci as absorbed the information and is asking probing questions about the ramifications of what they've just been told.

So, I had my issues with aspects of the book, and my frustrations aside, I did enjoy this book quite a bit. Especially the ending.

Things I found delightful: Ghost is SO COOL! Marci's character really grew in the second book. The reader gets to know more about Amelia, Chelsey, and Bob. And the ending rocked. It really rocked (except for Julius's whining and the talking. Always with the talking.).


Recommended if you've read book one



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 (my review here:  Nice Dragons Finish Last)

Recipe Review from 11/5/2018

My new stove arrived!  My new stove arrived!   It's soooo nice!!  I baked a batch of chocolate chip cookies using the convection feature and they turned out awesome.  I baked a tray of bacon on the convection feature and...while tasty (it's bacon), using the regular oven setting might be better.  Over the weekend I'll be roasting some chickens for stock and making pecan tassies for a meeting and Thanksgiving.


The Meal Plan from the week of 11/5:
Sat (L)  out     (S)  Smokey Mushroom/Barley Salad
Sun (L) leftover salad     (S)   Jambalaya
Mon (yoga)   leftover jambalaya
Tues  (STOVE!)   leftovers
Wed - Sausage and butnut pasta
Thurs (yoga)  leftovers
Fri -  Dinner at Folks


Smoky Mushroom and Barley Salad (Ckng Lght) vegetarian
There was really nothing "smokey" about this recipe; you're not roasting the pobalno ahead of time, there's no smoke flavor added, not even any smokey paprika.

One notable substitution:  I subbed farro for the barley because I had more farro on hand than I did barely. 

That being said, this was good (mind - farro, not barley).  A tich bland, but good.  I did make it with the flavored sour cream, and I made it with a poached egg on top.  Both are quite tasty, but I think I liked the creamy egg a bit more.

Serves 4-6 (I got six servings out of this)

1 1/4 cups pearl barley

photo from cookinglight.com

2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cups chopped fresh cremini mushrooms
3 cups sliced fresh shiitake mushroom caps
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon kosher salt
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 shallot, thinly sliced
1 small poblano chile, seeded and thinly sliced
1/2 cup unsalted vegetable stock
1/3 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/4 cup thinly sliced scallions
1/4 teaspoon paprika (optional)

Prepare barley according to package directions; drain.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high. Add mushrooms; cook, stirring often, until browned, 7 to 8 minutes. Add cumin; cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Add salt, garlic, shallot, and poblano, and cook, stirring often, until poblano is softened slightly, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in barley and stock. Bring to a simmer; cook until absorbed, 2 to 3 minutes.

Stir together sour cream and lime juice. Spoon mushroom mixture into 4 bowls, and top servings with sour cream mixture and scallions. Sprinkle with paprika, if desired.


Slow Cooked Jambalaya Soup (Ckng Lght, Nov 2018); gluten free
Mixed thoughts on this and those thoughts are due to one substitution:  I used Uncle Ben's instant rice instead of regular brown rice and it gave the soup a bit of an odd texture.  I used the instant rice because I have yet to have regular brown rice work in the slow cooker.  It just doesn't soften.

That being noted, we did enjoy this.  It was nicely spicy and definitely a soup more so than a traditional jambalya.   If I were to make this again, I would serve it OVER rice, rather than cook the rice in it. 

About 6 servings

6 ounces smoked andouille sausage, chopped

photo from cookinglight.com

4 cups unsalted chicken stock
2 (10-oz.) cans unsalted diced tomatoes and green chiles
1 cup chopped yellow onion
1 cup chopped yellow bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped celery
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon salt-free Creole seasoning
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2/3 cup uncooked brown rice
12 ounces raw medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high. Add sausage; cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker. Add stock, tomatoes and chiles, onion, bell pepper, celery, tomato paste, Creole seasoning, garlic, and salt. Cover and cook on low 4 hours.
Stir in rice. Cover and cook on low until rice is tender, about 2 hours.

Stir in shrimp. Cover and cook on low 8 minutes. Divide soup evenly among 6 bowls. Sprinkle with parsley.


Sausage and Mushroom Pasta with Butternut Squash (Ckng Lght, Nov 2018)
Point - I do not have access to "fresh lasagna sheets".   So I attempted to make my own noodles and had mixed results.  My timing was off with prepping noodles and the remainder of the dish (dish was ready, noodles were not) because I was concerned the noodles would be ready before the rest of the dish was.  So my noodles were much thicker than they probably should have been, but, they actually tasted pretty good.

If you have access to some kind of fresh noodle, go for it.  If not, use some kind of dry, slightly flat noodle and cook according to the directions on the package.

Overall, this was pretty tasty.  I have enough leftover sausage and squash (frozen) that I could make this again. 

Serves 3-4

6 ounces reduced-fat ground pork sausage (such as Jimmy Dean)
1 (8-oz.) pkg. sliced fresh cremini mushrooms

photo from cookinglight.com

1 cup chopped yellow onion
1 cup 1/4-inch-cubed butternut squash
3 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped garlic
1/3 cup dry white wine
8 ounces refrigerated fresh lasagna sheets, cut into 3/4-inch-wide strips
1 cup unsalted chicken stock
3 tablespoons heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, divided
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
3 tablespoons unsalted roasted pumpkin seed kernels (pepitas), chopped
2 tablespoons pecorino Romano cheese, grated
1 teaspoon lemon zest


Cook sausage, mushrooms, onion, squash, sage, and garlic in a large skillet over medium-high, stirring often, until sausage is cooked through and crumbled, 8 to 9 minutes. Add wine; cook until almost absorbed, 1 to 2 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large pot of boiling water 4 minutes, or to desired degree of doneness. Drain.

Stir stock into sauce; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium; cook 1 minute. Stir in pasta, cream, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook until heated through, 1 to 2 minutes.

Stir together parsley, pepitas, cheese, zest, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a small bowl. Divide pasta among 4 bowls; top with parsley mixture.

Recipe Review from 11/5/2018

BIG Trees...

A very quiet week as we recovered from vacation, jet-lag and Sunday's 15 hours of travel.  I froze a couple meals prior to leaving, to get us by until I could get to the grocery store on Tuesday, and even then the meal plan was kept pretty simple. 

We heard from the appliance store!  Our new stove should be delivered tomorrow!  Whoo hoo! 

Mon (yoga) - lentil soup and sourdough bread
Tues - Fried Chicken from SuperOne
Wed - Slow cooked chicken tortilla soup
Thurs (yoga) - leftover soup
Fri - cheese, bread and fruit platter

Slow cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup (Facebook) gluten free
The husband found this on Facebook and I don't have a way to link to the video.  A tasty southwest inspired creation that is seriously simple to toss together.   Easily doubled  to feed a larger crowd.  We did assemble the night before, stored it in the fridge, then cooked during the workday.   There is an option for making your own corn tortilla strips - but you could just buy some fritos or corn chips and it would work just fine.

Serves 4-6 (we got 5 servings)

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 15oz can black beans, rinsed
1 cup frozen corn
2 bell peppers, chopped (I used 1 red and 1 yellow)
1 white onion, chopped (1 used about 1 cup)
1 15 oz can fire roasted tomatoes
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp kosher salt (this seemed to be a bit much...)
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 cup shredded Monterrey jack cheese

1 tbsp EVOO
3 small corn tortillas, cut into strips

sliced avocado
sour cream
lime wedges

Combine Chicken through chicken broth in slow cooker. 
Cook on low 6-8 hours (adjust cooking times to your slow cooker). 
Shred chicken (you can do this right in the pot).
Add cheese to pot and let melt.  (I put cheese over individual bowls)
Serve with chips, avocado, sour cream and lime wedges.

Paso Robles, CA (part two)

Part two of our trip took us to Paso Robles, CA.

This part of our trip started about seven years ago, when the Husband was out in San Jose for some training.  On his off day, he ventured south and stopped at Niner Wine and bought me a wine club membership that we've continued to enjoy.

Over the years, as we receive our shipments, we get these flyers advertising all sorts of fun events - pick-up parties, new release parties, wine maker dinners, etc.  This spring when we were trying to figure out where to go on vacation this year, a shipment came with the upcoming event flyer.

Things fell into place and we were able to plan a trip around a Fog Catcher Wine Makers dinner.

Wheee!!!

So after leaving Tehachapi on Friday morning, we headed west once again, aiming for San Margarita, Paso Robles, and San Luis Obispo.

We visited a couple of Missions:

Mission San Luis Obispo

Franciscan Mission San Miguel

We visited a couple of Wineries:  Opolo Winery, Tooth and Nail, and Niner Estates.

Tooth and Nail

Niner Estate, known for the heart on the hill

And we went to the Winemaker's dinner. Which I realized above is the only picture I have from the Niner Estate's Winemaker dinner.  Bummer.

Sunday was our travel day - leaving the hotel at 530am and finally arriving in Duluth at 1045pm.  It was 75* and sunny when we left California...32* and sleet/snow/rain when we arrived.   The joys of traveling.

Absolutely awesome trip. 

Tehachapi and Stallion Springs, CA 2018 (part one)

No recipe review this week.  We've been off on another adventure! We took another (for me) jaunt to California, this time to the southern Central Valley area, Tehachapi and Paso Robles area.  Yeah...we covered some ground.

Friday:  after a early flight where we left Duluth at 6am, we were on the ground in San Luis Obispo by 1p.  Luggage and rental car keys in hand, we headed out for a three hour drive across the Central Valley.   For this midwest gal...this was a bit of an eye opener.  I've seen agriculture, but this was agriculture on a whole different scale.  We arrived in Tehachapi/Stallion Springs by 5p and gratefully checked in to our resort and crashed.

Saturday: rest day!  We hung out at the resort.  Now, Stallion Springs resort is on the small side - maybe fifty units total, but I have to say this was perhaps one of the nicer places we've stayed.   Maybe I'm a bit biased because when the sun came up we got to watch these to gentlemen:

Sunday:  lunch was at Mossner's farm to table cafe, then a visit to Adorable Alpaca farm, and a second lunch at Souza's vineyard.  All in Stallion Springs/Cummings Valley.  The platter at Souza's vineyard was amazing!  Foccocia, generous hunks of two types of cheese, salami, olives, grapes, apples, sponge cake, and chocolate covered almonds.  Soooo good!  A late evening walk and we stumbled across an elk herd of about 30 cows and yearlings and one bull elk.  Which would explain why the two boys above were hanging out on their own.

Not the best picture, didn't want to get too close...

Monday: Sequoia National Park and King's Canyon.  This was a bit of a drive for us from Tehachapi, but so worth it!  We got to see the largest tree in the forest!  In diameter at least...there are redwoods that are higher.  So amazing!   What we didn't anticipate was the road construction in the park - there was a section that they were alternating traffic on every two hours.  We hit it just right on the way in, but not knowing how long we'd want to hike or go see, we opted to head out through King's Canyon route rather than sit in traffic.   Also worth the extra time.

General Sherman Tree

Tuesday:  tired. Sooo tired from nearly seven hours of driving and hiking at 7000 feet (it was totally worth it!) on Monday.  We went to see the Tehachapi Loop, one of the seven railroading engineering feats...if you know what the other six are, please let me know!  Then we went and hiked around Tehachapi Mountain Park (also at 6000 feet).  A mellow day bumping around the Tehachapi area. 

The engines are passing by in the front, while the back of the train is still in the tunnel below

Way up high!

Wednesday:  on the road again!  We drove up the Kern River Valley to Lake Isabella  - or what is currently left of the lake.  I don't recall they year, but the Isabella dam was ranked one of the top 10 endangered dams in the states and they drained the lake until repairs could be made.  Still the drive up the river valley was incredible.  Then we looped over the Walker Pass (Pacific Crest Trail passes through here), and down into the Mohave dessert, where we swung back through the windmills that line the hills outside of Tehachapi. 

Twisty turny two lane road is not for the faint of heart...

Thursday:  after an early morning walk where we saw the big elk herd again, we visited downtown Tehachapi, the railroad museum, and the historical district.  Lovely and mellow afternoon.


Friday, Friday we were on the road again back to Paso Robles, where part two of our trip happened and the whole reason we came to California.  

Holy Ghost by John Sandford (Virgil Flowers #11)

Holy Ghost by John Sandford

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


 Jacket Blurb: Pinion, Minnesota: a metropolis of all of seven hundred souls for which the word "moribund" might have been invented. Nothing ever happened there and nothing ever would—until the mayor of sorts (campaign slogan: "I'll Do What I Can") and a buddy come up with a scheme to put Pinion on the map. They'd heard of a place where a floating image of the Virgin Mary had turned the whole town into a shrine, attracting thousands of pilgrims. And all those pilgrims needed food, shelter, all kinds of crazy things, right? They'd all get rich! What could go wrong?

When the dead body shows up, they find out, and that's only the beginning of their troubles—and Virgil Flowers'—as they are all about to discover all too soon.

Round up to 3.5 stars.

Read as an audio book.

I enjoyed this latest installment... of course I did, it's Virgil.

That being said, this wasn't, perhaps, my favorite. Only in that I found the overall story a tich slow. We start out in a small Unremarkable Southern Minnesota Town that is slowly going the way of the stage coach. A couple of enterprising denizens concoct an idea to put the town on the map and bring in some much needed revenue. And it works, until someone starts killing people on the street ala sniper style.

Virgil is called in. Virgil then calls in Jenkins and Shrake (sp? I've listened to the whole series on audio). And our very fine group of boys run around trying to figure who's doing this for nearly 2/3 of the book.

Which is where it became a bit slow. Someone is murdered. Run around. Talk to some folks. Fret. Someone else is murdered. Run around. Talk to some folks. Fret. Repeat. Repeat two more times in fact.

What was different about this latest installment was the reader really doesn't get to see what the antagonist is doing or why they are doing it. There is a bit at the beginning, and then it's kinda forgotten until you hit that 2/3 mark. If you're reading via paper copy or e-reader, you can bip back and refresh your memory. Not so easy on audio. Now personally, I prefer not knowing what the antagonist is doing - but that's a Sandford trademark in my humble opinion. So, I enjoyed this installment more because of it.

The ending did make up for the slow middle. Just saying. This installment still has all the classic Virgil humor and wit that we've come to appreciate.

Recommended if you've read the first ten in the series.



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