#16 Teaser Tuesday- A Wedding in December by Anita Shreve

"Bridget took a seat in the front of the ambulance. No sirens wailed as they drove to the hospital, a silence that alternately alarmed and soothed her."

Page: 59

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! Share the title & author, too, so that others can add the book to their TBR Lists!

Emotional Geology by Linda Gillard

Synopsis:

Rose Leonard is on the run from her life.

Taking refuge in a remote island community, she cocoons herself in work, silence and solitude in a house by the sea. But she is haunted by her past, by memories and desires she'd hoped were long dead. Rose must decide whether she has in fact chosen a new life or just a different kind of death. Life and love are offered by new friends, her lonely daughter, and most of all Calum, a fragile younger man who has his own demons to exorcise.

But does Rose, with her tenuous hold on life and sanity, have the courage to say yes to life and put her past behind her?

My take:

Emotional Geology by Linda Gillard is a sensitive and emotional read. It is about a forty seven years old lady, Rose and her tumultuous emotional journey and how she tries to recover from her past failed relationship with Gavin, an avid mountaineer and move on in life. Rose is a complex character and the author has very intricately described her, right from her love for her boyfriend-Gavin, the textile work she loves to do that works like a therapy to her, to her bipolar disorder sufferings, about her strained relationship with her daughter and lastly his attraction to Calum.

The novel is not a very easy read. As Rose struggles with her life, the reader's heart aches to reach out to her, to help her heal. It is depressing and haunting at times as it explores issues such as mental illness, grief, regret,  betrayal and heart break but it is redeeming at the end. The description of the landscape of Uist, Skye, and the tiny remote islands of western Scotland is given so vividly, that one will long to be in the place and soak oneself in its beauty.

In a nutshell, Emotional Geology is a thought provoking, intense novel about love, nature, art and how they can heal the most painful scars of heart break and usher one with the confidence and faith to move on with life. I am surely going to read more of her work! To know more about the author and her work visit http://www.lindagillard.co.uk/

P.S: Thanks Lindy for recommending me Linda Gillard's work!

Thanks for stopping by! Cheers!

Creamy Mango & Saffron Yoghurt ~ Aamarakhand~ Mango Shrikhand

Shrikhand is a yoghurt based Indian dessert. It is creamy and flavourful and popular throughout India. Served chilled, it is definately a means to beat the heat. While traditionally, it requires some patience to make it as it is made from creamy strained yoghurt. Using Greek style yoghurt considerably reduces the time. Mango being in season, I decided to go for the mango flavoured one, Amarakhand ( Aam being Mango in Hindi). I have infused saffron in it for a enlivened flavour.

Saffron is the world most expensive spice by weight. It imparts a distinct taste and colour to dishes. To derive the full flavour and colour of this spice, take a generous pinch of it in a small pestle and mortat and add a few drops of milk or water and rub it and use the resultant. See the picture below for an illustration.

Be careful while handling it as it can give stains to cloths.

Coming back to today's recipe, that is, Creamy Mango & Saffron Yoghurt ~ Aamarakhand~ Mango Shrikhand, you will need:

Ingredients:

250ml Greek style yoghurt.
1 large mango.
1 tbsp sugar (adjust according to the sweetness of the mango)
A generous pinch of saffron rubbed with a few drops of milk.
Sliced pistachios to garnish.

Serves 4

Process:

1. Peel the mango and scrape all the flesh of it. Puree it in a blender. Seive to separate any fibre from the puree.

2. In a large bowl, add the greek yoghurt and add the mango puree. Mix till well blended. Add sugar as required. I needed only a tbsp. Add in the rubbed saffron. Mix well.

3. Scoop them in 4 serving bowl and garnish with sliced pistachios. Keep it in the fridge to chill.

4. Serve chilled.

Notes:

1. Rubbing the saffron with a few drops of milk really brings out the colour and flavour.

2. If you want it creamier, add 60 ml of whipped double cream while mixing the yoghurt and puree.

3. Instead of Greek yoghurt, you can use hung yoghurt. Hang twice the amount, i.e. 2 cups of yoghurt in a muslin cloth over a bowl for 4-5 hours in fridge to get 1 cup of thick yoghurt.

4. If you do not like fruit flavoured yoghurt, try adding only cardamom, saffron, nutmeg and a combination of these. You can even try other fruits like peach, berries, apple etc.

Linking it to Sameena's Mango Recipes Event and Kalyani's Indian Mithai Mela.

Thanks for stopping by!! Cheers!

A List And Some Contrary Proverbs!

Do you ever dig down your old emails?

There was a time when I used to get a lot of forwarded emails from my friends, some about interesting pictures, some with stories, some with less known facts etc. Today is a all different story. The other day, I was trying to get hold of an email and was trying a random search in my inbox when I chanced upon a few of those forwarded emails and as I read them it seemed like I was reading them for the first time! So, I am sharing one of those interesting email which had some contrary proverbs. Thanks to the original compiler.

Proverbs as we all know are about age old wisdom. But what do you do when you have 2 contrary proverbs. Before hopping on to see what they are, I want to talk about a list I am trying to make.

 A Book List by Indian Authors!

Actually, I will be going to India by the end of August (I can't tell you how elated I am) and I have already started to make to list of things- to-bring-from-India. And books forms a part of it. I am planning to bring 5-8 books by Indian authors this time. I can get books by Non-Indian authors easily here (so, no bother about them). I had bookmarked a lot of books from the blogs I follow and from crossword award list (seems like all the books have made it to this list) and to tell you the truth, I am all confused now. So, please suggest me some titles by Indian authors you have read and loved. Please!

Now, you can read on! Let me know what you think of these proverbs:-)!

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All good things come to those who wait |BUT| Time and tide wait for no man.

Doubt is the beginning of wisdom. |BUT| Faith will move mountains. 

Silence is golden. |BUT| The squeaky wheel gets the grease.
Too many cooks spoil the broth. |BUT| Many hands make light work.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder |BUT| Out of sight, out of mind.

What's good for the goose is good for the gander |BUT| One man's meat is another man's poison.

You're never too old to learn. |BUT| You can't teach an old dog new tricks.

Practice makes perfect. |BUT| All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.

Great starts make great finishes. |BUT| It ain't over 'till it's over.

Don't cross your bridges before  you come to them |BUT| Forewarned is forearmed.

Birds of a feather flock together.|BUT| Opposites attract. 

Do it well, or not at all. |BUT| Half a loaf is better than none.

Look before you leap . |BUT| Strike while the iron is hot.

Slow and steady wins the race . |BUT| Time waits for no man.

The best things in life are free lunch .|BUT| There's no such thing as a free.

Wise men think alike |BUT| Fools seldom differ.

The pen is mightier than the sword |BUT| Actions speak louder than words.

Hold fast to the words of your ancestors |BUT| Wise men make proverbs and fools repeat them. ( Am I ??)

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Thanks for stopping by! Cheers!

The Hindi Bindi Club by Monica Pradhan

The Hindi Bindi Club comprises of Indian women, who migrated from India in early post Independence days to settle down in the United States of America. They are the women who despite being so far away from their motherland have tried to maintain their identity in the foreign country (now their home) by their language(Hindi) and attire(Bindi). They have tried their best to imbibe the traditional values, customs in their children who are born in the US and are brought up as 2nd generation Indian-American. But, have they succeded?

The Hindi Bindi Club tells the story of two generation of Indians, parents and their children, more specifically mothers and their daughters living in America ~ their differences as the children grow taking in bits from both the cultures, growing up as beings of dual identity! The novel addresses how difficult it is for the children to live up to the expectations of their parents and still remained grounded and and be true to themselves. Another big part of this novel is food. Food is a major part of any culture. To learn about a culture, you have to learn about the food. So, Monica Pradhan takes us to a tour of Indian Cuisine with her mom's mouthwatering recipes.

The novel starts with Kiran once married to her Italian boy friend much against her parent's wishes and now divorced. She is afraid of the time ticking by and seeks refuge in the old traditional custom of arranged marriage, a custom she once vehemently dismissed as backward and orthodox. In the process she tries to mend her strained relationship with her parents. There is Preity whose first love was dismissed by her mother on religious grounds. Despite being happily married now, her memory often slips into those old times and she tries to fight back her anger and despair. And last of all is Rani, an artist, who has her own demons to exorcise. As all of these and their mothers struggles to hold on their dreams and aspirations, the readers are taken through their life, values and subtle layers of Indian cultures.

I liked the book, but I also had some issues with it. I loved the recipes given in the book and will surely try them eventually. The plot and premise is fine with its own twists and turns that makes the novel a good read in the long run. However, there were some portions I felt were a big too detailed and pointless as if the author included them just for the sake it. There were details of the kitty parties, new year party which did not really add up to the big picture. In the end the detailed description of an Indian marriage custom was really boring and unwanted for. The best thing I liked about the novel was how subtley the author described the healing of relationship between Kiran and her mother in particular, how they were there for each other in the times of their need.Overall the author has tried to give an account of the first and second generation Indian in the USA with all their struggles and difficulties in combining traditional Indian culture with modern American values. I also felt that this novel caters to only a limited audience. However, it would be a good read for all those people who are keen on knowing about Indian culture and cuisine.