Nourishing Traditions: Book Review and Giveaway

This is the fourth book in a series of giveaways - click here to see what is next in the lineup!  

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I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.  They did not pay me for my review.  As some of you know far too well, the opinions expressed herein most definitely are and perhaps unfortunately always will be my own! 

Dear hearth keepers,

I just love holding giveaways!  I was happy to have so many unique entries for the last giveaway, although due to a freakish code glitch most do not appear on the blog.  Rest assured, all entries were received and counted via my inbox!  The error has since been fixed (although the entries still do not appear), and there is no reason we should have any problems with this one ... so I look forward to seeing many of my cooking friends here today!

Our last giveaway was for Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World by Moskowitz and Romero.  Congratulations to our winner, Becca M, who will soon be reaping the rewards of her entry with a package in the mail!  I will email her for her mailing address, and then forward this address to the publicist at Da Capo Press, the source of many of my happiest reads.  They will speedily send her book off!

Now, on to our next review, and a new giveaway with a chance for you to win!  

This is one of those books that changes lives.  It changes food paradigms, ways of thinking, preconceived concepts and assumptions, and challenges everything you were ever told about Food.

And if you are thinking to yourself, "But I don't have any assumptions about food," then maybe you will enjoy this book all the more - I know I did.  It blew my mind.

Many of you already know the book of which I speak, and knew you were going to enter the giveaway before you read a single word!  I love that.  This book deserves to be well-read, well-known, and well-broadcasted.

Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon is an almost-700 page tome that will be your guide when navigating the new and sometimes intimidating world of whole, healthful, nutritional, and downright nourishing food.  Confused over all this blabber about fermented foods, raw milk, cultures and probiotics and bone-stocks and seasonal produce?  Trust this book to have everything you need, in one place.  You can branch out from there if you wish - but this book will set you on the straight and narrow as far as food is concerned.

Maybe you're a pro - you slaughter your own hogs, grow your own kale, and make your own dish soap.  This book belongs to you, then.  It is written by your people!

Or are you just a kitchen hound on the hunt for an all-purpose cookbook with everything from mayonnaise to cheese to roasted chicken to pudding?  Seek ye no further - we have that all, and more.

The book is divided into twelve primary chapters, and I will list them here.  Let me know if this sets you a-drooling, you homesteading maniacs and urban gardeners!

An Introduction heralds us in to scientific world of food.  Ideally, instead of robotically following any diet or fad, you understand the basic rudiments of food for yourself and make your own informed decision - and this book will give you a great start there.  Understand fats, carbohydrates, proteins, enzymes, salt, discussions on food allergies, and even a fat chunk on kitchen equipment (what's a jet stream oven?) and tips (how do I remove insects from Brussels sprouts?).

Move on to Mastering the Basics and get a firm grasp on cultured dairy products like whole-milk buttermilk and your own kefir or yogurt.  What is whey?  How can I make cream cheese?  This chapter includes a section on Fermented Vegetables and Fruits, a concept that is startlingly ancient in practice and shamefully rare in our modern society.  If you're asking yourself, "Why would I want to ferment vegetables and fruits, for pete's sake?  I'm not running a still out here!" then consider yourself a perfect candidate for entry.  Or maybe you're one of those wild women who already ferments her sloppy joes ... join in for a few more recipes and great ideas!  Sauerkraut and Korean Sauerkraut (more commonly known to us as kimchi) top the list of popular fermented vegetables, but the recipes and reasons go on - ginger carrots, pickled cucumbers, turnips, beets, and more.  Ketchup, chutneys and spreads join the list of nutritious, enriching fermented fruits and vegetables!  Also covering Sprouted Grains, Nuts and Seeds, Stocks, Salad Dressings, and Sauces, Marinades and Condiments, this chapter contains all you need to bulk up your pantry and set a fine table with homemade everything.

Great Beginnings, a very great chapter, brings to us Hors d'Oeuvres and Dips, Vegetable Salads, Soups, Raw Meat Appetizers, and Gourmet Appetizers.  Once again, you will not only please your family's palate with Summer Salad, Garlic Soup, or Duck Terrine, but you will know with each and every recipe specifically why you are choosing these ingredients - not only to satisfy our hunger, but to satisfy a nutritional need and to enrich and strengthen our bodies.  No ingredient is chosen lightly here, and you will be thoroughly educated in every section as to the whys and wherefores of each concept.

The Main Course covers all the meats: Fish, Poultry, Organ Meats, Game, Beef and Lamb, and Ground Meat.  Simple recipes like Chicken Stew sit alongside more elegant meals like Turkey with Chestnut Stuffing.  Quail Masala and Korean Beef join the list of recipes you may not have tried before, and sausages, patties, and various stuffed vegetables introduce us to ground meats.

A Catalog of Vegetables guides us through 36 popularly used vegetables, including kale, corn, tomatoes, eggplant, green beans, parsnips, and sweet potatoes.  Organized in alphabetical order, each vegetable receives a short description, along with basic preparation directions and a recipe or two for each one.

Now we arrive at Luncheon and Supper Foods, which covers Meat Salads, South of the Border, Eggs, and Sandwich Suggestions.  Chicken Enchiladas, Vegetable Chile, and Mexican Eggs introduce us to the flaming cuisine of our South neighbors.  Mix up fritatas, omelets, tarts, and quiche with the Egg section, and use up those random things in your fridge with the collection of Sandwich Suggestions.

Grains and Legumes introduces us to Whole Grains, Breads and Flour Products, Baking with Alternative Grains, and Legumes.  The Whole Grains section includes instructions for Breakfast Porridge, Muesli, Algerian Wedding Rice, Ecuadorian Quinoa Casserole, and more hearty, filling dishes.  Find nourishing recipes for pancakes, Yorkshire pudding, and other familiar basics in the Breads section, as well as instructions for your own Sourdough Starter or Zarathustra Bread.

Winding down to the end of our chapters, we find Snacks and Finger Foods, which will supply you with enough snacks to merit tossing out anything that came in a plastic package an a nutrition facts label.

Desserts include a Guide to Natural Sweeteners, Sweets for Kids of All Ages, Pies and Cakes, and Gourmet Desserts.   Your family may suspect you've strayed from the healthy when you serve them Gingerbread, Coconut Bars, Lemon Sherbet or Lemon Meringue Pie, but you can just smile and tell them to eat up!

Beverages include such favorites as Ginger Beer, newbies like Sweet Potato Soda, and instructions for kombucha.  Feeding Babies (with Tips for Successful Breastfeeding), and Tonics and Superfoods conclude our collection of chapters, including in them instructions for the lauded Rejuvelac, Morning Tonic, and such satisfyingly ghastly-named remedies as Iodine Gargle and Swamp Juice.

All in all, a thorough treatment of the subject of food, with everything you need to know to begin a diet of living, sacred foods.

If you are still curious, read another book review on Pantry Paratus, or listen to an interview with author Sally Fallon Morell.

There is hardly time or space here to give this book the treatment it deserves, but suffice it to say it has risen to one of the most popular books in the traditional foods-world, and will continue to grow in popularity as word spreads.  This new way of eating - leaving packaged, processed, modern food behind and returning to the local, rich, filling, nourishing traditions of our forefathers - is gaining momentum and speed.  Be on the forefront of the movement, and enjoy a free book to help get you there!

Enter the giveaway!  

1. Leave a comment below.  Have you heard of this book?  Are you a nourishing-foods pro adding to your collection of guides, or seeking to win this for a Christmas gift?  What intrigues you about this way of eating?  Use a current e-mail address or Facebook page when you leave your comment, and I will contact you via that route when you win - so be sure it's one you check!  Winner will be chosen Wednesday, December 12.

2. Share this giveaway with a friend!  I'd like to get the word on this book out!  Use Pinterest, Twitter, e-mail, Facebook or any other medium to share this review with somebody, and feel free to add a bonus comment for yourself letting us know you did so.  This isn't required but I would be so honored if you would!

We're still giving away more books!  Terry Hope Romero's Vegan Eats World, Chef AJ's Unprocessed, Ron Schmidt's Untold Story of Milk, and a bonus, edible round from Tropical Traditions - so follow us on Facebook to be alerted to all our giveaways!!! 

Yours in nourishment,

Mrs H

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Author Interview and Book Giveaway

This giveaway is now closed.  Thank you to all who participated! 

Of course, you may continue to enjoy Lindsay's interview below ...

Dear cooks, readers, and those who enjoy eating food,

Whether you made a New Year's resolution to eat better, or you just enjoy eating nutritious meals, or meat is too expensive, or you want to eat vegan once a week, or you have Lindsay's first book and now you want her second book ... this is the place for you!

Lindsay S. Nixon is a vegan chef and author who was so gracious as to give an interview for all of you to enjoy (and I fielded some questions from the mysterious Mrs S, over at Plentiful Thoughts!) and Ms Nixon's publisher was so gracious as to provide me two copies of the cookbook - one for me to enjoy, and one to give away to a fabulous lucky reader! 

And as an added bonus for every reader, Lindsay has provided a recipe from her new book for me to publish here for your sampling delight.  You don't have to be vegan or vegetarian to enjoy her recipes - you just have to love good food!

Skillet Refried Beans

Introducing Lindsay: A Short Bio

Lindsay S. Nixon is a rising star in the culinary world, praised for her ability to use everyday ingredients to create healthy, low-fat recipes that taste just as delicious as they are nutritious.  Lindsay's recipes have been featured in Vegetarian Times, Women's Health Magazine and on The Huffington Post.  Lindsay is also a consulting chef at La Samanna, a luxury resort and four-star restaurant in the French West Indies.  You can learn more about Lindsay and sample some of her recipes at happyherbivore.com. 

The Book: Everyday Happy Herbivore

After vegan chef Lindsay S. Nixon wrapped up her popular cookbook The Happy Herbivore Cookbook last year, she went back to her kitchen in her new home of St. Maarten. Island living encouraged Nixon to come up with simpler fare, which led to a follow-up cookbook focusing on recipes that bring tasty back to quick-and-easy.

Now, in Nixon's much-anticipated follow-up cookbook, Everyday Happy Herbivore, readers will see, once again, that just because plant-based eating is optimal for health, it doesn't have to be expensive or time-consuming.  

Everyday Happy Herbivore includes more than 175 doable recipes - recipes that are so quick and easy, you could cook three healthy meals from scratch every day like Nixon does. 

Each of Nixon's recipes are made with wholesome, easy-to-find, fresh ingredients and include no added fats.  With additional notes indicating recipes that are ideal for preparing ahead of time and those you can whip up with just a few dollars, Everyday Happy Herbivore will be the must-have cookbook for anyone desiring a healthier, happier menu! 

Lindsay's Profiles
   

The Interview: Ask Lindsay!

Mrs H: Thank you for answering some questions today!  First off, you're quite a legend in your field - how long have you been cooking and eating vegetarian? 
Ms Nixon: I eat a plant-based diet; this is different than vegetarian, which tends to still include some animal products like dairy or eggs.  I've been vegetarian on and off for most of my life, and strictly plant-based (vegan) for over 5 years.

Apple Fritters

Mrs H: Many of my readers enjoy meat and other animal products; in what ways does your book still appeal to omnivores? 
Ms Nixon: Most of my fans and supporters are actually omnivores.  There's a good bit of vegetarians and vegans too, but most of my fans are not ... my fans are omni's that are looking to eat healthy, eat less meat, follow meatless Monday, etc.  [They want to] get in more grains and beans and vegetables.  I even have omni's within my pool of recipe testers.  If they don't approve of a recipe, it doesn't make it into my books.  My cookbooks are really for everyone.

Mrs H: Instead of focusing on meat replacements, your recipes feature the bounty and freshness of the herbivore diet.  How do you come up with so many creative and innovative meals?  
Ms Nixon: It's a good mix of trying to replicate recipes that I used to eat that were either not vegan or not healthy; I'll create something on the fly or I'll be inspired by an ingredient.  For example I saw a beautiful bunch of chard I couldn't pass up, so I took it home and created a recipe for it. 

Mrs H: What are some of your favorite recipes for everyday use, and some of your favorite special-occasion delicacies? 
Ms Nixon:  All of my recipes are designed for everyday use - I don't have the time, or energy, (or desire!) to fuss over a hot stove all day, so most every recipe comes together easily, in 30 minutes or less.  We pretty much cook through my first book, then cook through the second, and then start over because every recipe is that easy and weeknight friendly.  When it comes to Holidays and special occasions, I pick family or guest favorites, or something that's seasonal and theme appropriate.  For example, I made the Thanksgiving Gravy on Thanksgiving. 

Mrs H: You have a lot of inspiration - how do you decide which recipes to include in each book? 
Ms Nixon: I have a huge team of testers and I decide what goes in, and what doesn't, based on their feedback.

Mrs H: Every cook has had a few flops, and we're dying to know - have you had any spectacular failures? 
Ms Nixon: Absolutely.  Recently I turned the blender on - full speed - with the top off.  My ceiling will never be the same.

Sage Gravy

Mrs H: Some of my readers are considering moving towards a vegetarian or vegan diet - but we're all curious: was it difficult to adjust to eating an herbivore diet?  Did you do it gradually, or all at once?  And did you face skepticism or opposition from friends and family?
Ms Nixon: It was really easy for me.  I have so many compelling motivations for eating this way that there isn't any other option for me.  I'm motivated by my health, the plight of farm animals, the environmental benefits and humanitarian concerns.  I don't see animal products as food any more, I see them as poison.  Once I knew what eating animal products, particularly dairy and meat, did to my body, and what it did to the earth, and how the animals were treated ... it was effortless to get rid of them.  I think the most compelling thing I read was the statistic about how you could feed 12 or more starving children with the grain it takes to make one burger. 

As for family and friends, most of them have always been supportive, [and] those who were skeptical initially have, for the most part, come around.  Almost all of my close friends and family members are vegan or vegetarian now.  Wow, what a difference five years makes!

That said, I did lose a few "friends" but I feel in my heart they must not have been true friends anyway if what I put on my plate could unravel our friendship so easily.  I've also learned that when someone is mean to me because of my diet, it's because my mere existence makes them reflect back on themselves, and they don't like what they see - so they attack me to make themselves feel better.  If someone was really secure with their choices, mine wouldn't phase them at all, let alone make them angry or hostile or pick on me or stop being my friend.  Isn't there more to friendship than what we eat?

Mrs H: Share with us a little on what your blog is about! 
Ms Nixon: Happyherbivore.com is a website committed to showing eating healthy, plant-based meals are easy, affordable, delicious and realistic for everyday life. 

The Recipe: Quick Burgers

Makes 4
Dear patriotic followers - does something sound vaguely familiar here?  Enjoy! 
Ms Nixon: I developed these burgers in a hotel room: they're quick, easy and require very few ingredients.  (In fact, except for the beans and a seasoning packet, I sourced all the ingredients from the complimentary "breakfast bar.")  I make these burgers any time I need a super fast meal or I'm really low on ingredients.

Quick Burgers

15-oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 tbsp ketchup
1 tbsp yellow mustard
1 tsp onion powder (granulated)
1 tsp garlic powder (granulated)
1/3 cup instant oats

Preheat oven to 400F.  Grease a cookie sheet or line with parchment paper and set aside.  In a mixing bowl, mash black beans with a fork until mostly pureed but still some half-beans and bean parts are left.  Stir in condiments and spices until well combined; then mix in oats.  Divide into 4 equal portions and shape into thin patties with your hands.  Bake for 7 minutes, carefully flip over and bake for another 7 minutes, or until crusty on the outside.  Slap into a bun with more condiments and eat!

Chef's note: If you only have rolled oats, chop them up in a food processor or blender so they are smaller and more like instant oats.  Rolled oats left whole tend to make the burgers fall apart.  (Read Mrs H's previous post on making quick-oats from rolled oats.) 


Per Burger: 109 Calories, 0.5g Fat, 17.6g Carbohydrates, 3g Fiber, 2.2g Sugars, 5g Protein

Spicy Orange Greens

Sweet Potato Dal

Check out Lindsay's new book, Everyday Happy Herbivore, for more recipes like Skillet Refried Beans, Sweet Potato Dal, Spicy Orange Greens, Sage Gravy, Apple Fritter Cups, P. Chocolate Smoothie, and Chocolate Mug Cake!  Go to her website to preview a few sample recipes!

The Giveaway

Enter the giveaway now to win the cookbook, Everyday Happy Herbivore!  1. Enter once: Post a note below and tell us - are you vegan, vegetarian, omnivore, or something in between?  2. Enter twice!  Share this interview with a friend on Facebook, and post again to let us know you did so!   

The winner will be contacted by e-mail.  Contest ends January 22nd, 2012 at midnight Eastern Standard Time! 

Enjoy your burgers tonight - I know I will!!

Mrs H
twitter.com/_mrs_h

Interview: A Student of Literature

Thanks for reading this post, I'm so excited to visit with you!  

After you've gleaned all the good information you need, visit our new blog platform at www.farmandhearth.com to read even more fascinating tidbits from the kitchen and the fields. 

Dear fellow readers and conversationalists,

I love interviewing people; it's such a fun way to learn about somebody!  You don't have be Barbara Walters or meet a former president to find the opportunity to interview somebody - everybody has a fascinating inner life, some sort of story or idiosyncrasy to be explored, some knowledge about their field - be it changing diapers, the mechanics of housework, or past trips to Mars.

The following interview took place at my cousin's home in Seattle, Washington.

Name: Amanda
Previous Appearances: Billed as Mandatory, appears from time to time as kitchen assistant and helper extraordinaire
Age: 15
School: The living room
Website: http://sites.google.com/site/beingabibliophile/
Earliest Memory: Passing out from fear that everyone was going to leave me behind, somewhere, when we were camping, I don't remember where [Montana]
Why we are interviewing her: Mandatory is a self-confessed bibliophile (a person who loves or collects books).  In 2010 she read 300 books; impressed by her accomplishment, we are here to discuss her love of reading, her thoughts on literature, and hear about her plan for 2011.

What is the first book you remember reading?
Shames me to say that it was the Cat in the Hat.  Shames me because I hate Dr. Seuss!  He makes up words for rhymes and that's so cheating, it's just cheating. Goes against my grain.

How many books did you read in 2010?
300

Where do you find all these books to read - titles, authors, recommendations?
I look at the authors that people compared the books [I've read] to, and [at the] library; I troll bookstores and pick up anything that looks interesting - and I take recommendations. I also look up lists online; Google "100 best books ever written" or "50 books you've probably never read," something like that.

Do you buy your books, or borrow them from the library?
I prefer to buy, but I borrow if I see something that catches my eye.

How big is your personal library?
I could look up the exact number - somewhere around the 400s.  I like to buy books because I like to re-read them whenever I want to, and I like to lend them to people that I want to have read them, and because I totally love books and they are very shiny, I just like having a tangible something I can look up.

You realize that you sound like Gollum.
Yeah. It borders on obsession, yes.


Do you like like e-readers, like the Nook or Kindle?

They're useful. I much, much prefer having actual books though. I can see the definite benefits in having [e-readers] but I'm old school. I wouldn't be against using one.  

What would make you want to re-read a book - what kind of story, what setting?
If the story was really good, obviously; if it's well written. Or if it's just a book that I read a long time ago and I remembered it was interesting.

What do you mean when you say a story is 'really good'? What would make a good story?
Lots of action - I mean, stories that are just describing the beautiful sunset are kind of boring. It has to have a good plot; something to keep you interested even on the boring part; characters that are real people instead of [the author just] telling you what they look like.

What do you think about pulp fiction, like Nancy Drew? Do you read or own any?
I don't think I have any ... Well, I've probably read quite a bit; usually it's ... well, I don't like to read a book if it's not well written, so usually I tend to avoid them, I don't know if I have any.

I guess the obvious question right now is, are you a speed reader?
... I read fast. "Speed reader" usually implies lots of skimming; and I do skim on occasion. But I just read quickly.

How long does it take you to read a book, say, the length of War and Peace?
I can tell you how long it took me to read War and Peace (laughs). Eleven days.

Was that reading all day, every day?
I usually read about 100 pages every night, maybe more. [War and Peace] is only like 1,400 pages.

How long would you be reading at night?
Maybe 2 hours, 'cause it was very thick reading.

How long would it take you to read a really engaging book, such as the books by Terry Pratchett?
Those books are usually about 300 pages long; [It would take] like 2 - 3 hours. If I was really into it.

How does reading so fast affect your re-reading - do you feel like you remember [what you read]?
I have pretty good comprehension, but sometimes I go back and read a book and I don't even remember a scene.  I think I remember most of what I read; I mean, to a human extent.

Do you consider yourself conversational on most books you read? Say, could you discuss a plot from last year.
Maybe; well, it depends on how much I liked the book.

Let's say; Poison Study? Could you discuss that?
Well I read it three times last year, so I could discuss that. I could probably discuss a book I read last year unless it was dead boring.

When you look at all the books over the past year, do you see a theme in what you were reading?
Lots of fantasy for sure; but I also really enjoy classics. Lots of British literature.

What attracts you to fantasy? Why do you like it?
I'm not sure; maybe its 'cause I really like the medieval setting and there are not many books about actual medieval life. I like dragons, so that plays a part of it; and I started out with Lord of the Rings so I guess I just went on with the theme. And I like swords.

And what do you like about British literature? 
I like the humor; the old, really dry humor. They usually use long words, which I like. And, I like reading books that lots of people have read because then it's, I think it's called taking part in the Great Conversation - you know, when you read the really good books that are popular.

Is there a book that you read all the way through, and felt it was a winner, and then the last chapter ruined it for you?  And What is the worst book you ever read - a book you would rather throw away than keep on your shelf?

I don't think I've really read any book like that, usually if a book is bad I can tell from the start.  Well ... Twilight was pretty bad. Twilight was really bad. I'm glad I didn't buy that one. We aren't really gonna go into that. Don't know any other books - that I've read recently, anyway - that are that bad. Oh, there was one, I don't remember what it was called; The Naming of the Dragon or something, and it turned out to be a romance novel.

What makes a book? Tolkien-esqe action, or Jane Austen social analysis? 
Well, the most important thing is that it's well written. Because if you have a great plot and you can't write worth a hill of beans then no one's going to read your book. If you have a kinda lousy plot and you write fantastic then its still going to sell.

Are you that person that, when they visit a house, sits and reads in the corner the whole time?
*thinks* I can be one of those people. I usually try not to be. But I usually want to be. If it's a party where everyone is doing something like playing a game that I don't want to do, I'll read a book.

Ever have a book so good you drag it everywhere?
Yes, I have done that. Usually people know to just leave me alone if I don't reply after the first few times.

Do people ever harass you about your reading - say you should be more social?
Not really. They harass me about it in other ways .... such as .... bringing up my reading speed as often as they can. Or, you know when you do something, like you [Mrs H] like to cook, and everyone makes a joke about it.

What is the most depressing subject ever to read about?
Mental disorders.

They say great writers were first great readers. Do you write?
Hm, I don't write very much. I used to write, Hm! Reading all those great works sort of depressed me.

What author influences your writings the most, and in what way?  
Probably Tolkien.  Definitely the language; and, well [I] would probably [write] fantasy, 'cause that's what I know.

With all your reading experience, you've developed a great filter for picking out fine literature.  Would you consider creating a career out of reading - working at a publishing house as an editor?
I would love to be an editor. That would be awesome.

Do you read multiple books at one time?
Yes.  I read as many as 10 books at a time.

What books are you currently reading?
I'm actually only reading one book right now, a Star Wars novel.

Are you going to try to one-up yourself this year and read over 300 books?
Yes!

Do you set a goal? Or do you just read?  
Last year I didn't set a goal until about November, and then I saw I could read 300 [books] in a year.  But this year I'm gonna see if I can hit 365 just for the heck of it. Lots of really skinny books in my future.

You can also try to beat page counts, not just titles.
Yes.  [Last year Mandatory read 84,652 pages].

You can follow Mandatory's obsession with books at her site, Being a Bibliophile.  Explore her library, her consumed literature for this year, and her recommended books.

Thanks for enjoying our conversation together!  I'll meet you back here at the kitchen table for more chats very, very soon.

Mrs H
twitter.com/_mrs_h

Extra: Mandatory's Top Rated Books

1. Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
2. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas - John Boyne
3. The Han Solo Trilogy - AC Crispin
4. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy - JRR Tolkien
5. The Silmarillion - JRR Tolkien
6. Poison Study - Maria V Snyder
7. The Inheritance Cycle - Christopher Paolini
8. Guards! Guards! - Terry Pratchet
9. Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
10. The Naming - Alison Croggon
11. Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card
12. The Harry Potter Series - JK Rowling
13. The Mistborn Trilogy - Brandon Sanderson (READ IT READ IT)
14. The Hyperion Cantos - Dan Simmns
15. A Series of Unfortunate Events - Lemony Snicket

Bonus Interview: Asking Mandatory fun questions about some of her favorite books.  

What is your favorite book of this past year? 

Can it be a series?

Yes. 

The Mistborn Trilogy.

Off the top of your head, without even thinking, what is your favorite book of all time; or favorite series?

Lord of the Rings.  Closely followed by Harry Potter, that was good. Discworld was good.

If you had to decide any of the Lord of the Rings books to be unwritten, which would it be?

Counting the histories?

Not if that makes it too easy.

I would say Fellowship of the Ring.

And why?

Because it sets up too much, it doesn't really have any of the plot twists or anything; I think if you read the last two [books in the trilogy] you could sort of figure [it] out ..

You have to decide: one of them never picked up the pen - CS Lewis or Tolkien?

Well, C.S. Lewis

Have you considered writing a sequel to the LOTR trilogy?

No, I've written fan fiction, but ... never a sequel, I mean what would there be.

In the Redwall series - what would happen to you if it came out that Martin the Warrior was a bad guy? How would you re-read the books?

Ha ha.  It would be a lot more sinister, him appearing in dreams and all. It would be much creepier. Especially him guiding all the dibbuns. Very disturbing.

Who is the Tolkien "Fabio"?

If we were going by charming, I don't know if there is anyone really charming .... (shakes head). 

What is a character you would like to be out of a book?

Does it have to be a girl?

No.

Okay; I am going to have to go with the most obvious answer of all time and say Aragorn, because he has the sweetest sword.

How do you feel about 3-D novels?

What!?

Just kidding!