Sweet Tooth Haven

40 Years Ago

The Best BeachBooks

Thousands of NPR listeners voted and chose the 100 Best Beach Reads. I'm sure this means different things to different people.  Some readers might prefer an easy, breezy read while kicking back on the beach, other enjoy a good thriller, fantasy, or something that requires even more concentration.  Whatever your choice, check out the final list.  I printed a copy, highlighted the books I've read, and added others to my reading wishlist.

There are many terrific books on the NPR list.  Some of my favorites from the list:

• Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
• Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
• The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
• The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R Tolkein
• The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
• Interview With the Vampire by Anne Rice
• Dune by Frank Herbert
• Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
• The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

Favorites of mine that didn't make it:

• Maisie Dobbs series by Jacqueline Winspear
• Mistress of the Art of Death series by Ariana Franklin
• The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
• Fledgling by Octavia E. Butler
• The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

Our President in Pictures

The Boston Globe's Big Picture has a photographic look at President Obama's first 167 days.  There's 38 photographs, so have a look. 

Spare Change?

We have a coin jar where we dump our change at the end of the day to make pockets and purses lighter.  It was getting a bit full and since our credit union has a coin machine that counts the change for you for no fee, providing you're a member, I decided to cash in our coins.

Coins are heavy.  I somehow managed to lift that jar just enough to pour the coins into 3 quart-size zip top bags.  It was about half the coins, but that's all I wanted to carry at once.

      

In all, I cashed in about $200 in coins.  Not bad!  That spare change really adds up.

Feijoa - Pineapple Guava

Whenever I find feijoas (AKA pineapple guavas) in the markets around here they are priced $2 or $3 each.  Crazy.  They are delicious eaten raw, and baked into bread, but the price is just too high.  These fruit are supposed to be easy to grow in the southern California climate, so I finally decided to plant my own.  I placed a special order at a local nursery, but when it finally arrived months later, I found they had several at Lowe's for a lower price.

I picked a 19-inch plastic pot and drilled a few holes in the bottom to allow good drainage.  Then planted it with a mix of potting soil and soil for citrus trees that is supposed to be quick-draining.  I planted 3 nasturtium seedlings in the pot to keep it company.

I hope it blooms next spring so I can have some fruit in the fall!  If so, I might share my recipe for feijoa bread.

If you want to plant your own feijoa, look for a named variety that will bear fruit.  The common one around here is Coolidge.