We Talk Shop

OK, so is a book a product? Sure, I say. Thus, We Talk Shop’s first book review. Let me say something upfront … this is how I would describe this book to a friend, I’m not writing a hoity-toity book review like a professional book reviewer. OK, disclaimer over.

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, by Lisa See is probably the most intersting book I’ve read in awhile and it’s a great book to read with other women. I’m part of a book club (call me geeky, I don’t care, I love my book club) and this was our choice for January. It was a quick read and tells the tale of how girls born into nineteenth-century China grew up. It covers how they are raised, how their feet are bound, how their husbands are chosen, everything. Makes you wonder if you lived in that era if you would bind your daughter’s feet or if you would rebel against society and not do it. There’s a ton in this book for discussion.

It’s an intiguiging tale of female companionship, friendship and love and gives the reader a glimpse into women of the past.

Get it! Amazon, Barnes and Noble or anywhere books are sold. It’s in paperback and it still quite popular right now. The cover price is $13.95.

My son is about to turn six and we needed some ideas for fun and easy kids birthday parties. I have a subscription to Family Fun Magazine and noticed that they have a book called Family Fun Parties.

The book is filled with great birthday, back-to-school parties, holiday and much more. There are step by step directions, check list, and activities that are age-appropriate, basically everything that you need to throw the perfect party.

They even make the very “fancy” cakes look easy to make. This is a must have for any mom.

Get it: At any bookstore for $13.00

Someone can just mention the name Nancy Drew and wonderful memories of curling up on the sofa or under my sheets late at night to read the latest adventure of my all time favorite girl sleuth immediately pops into my head.

I grew up reading Nancy Drew, I wanted to be just like her and solve mysteries, and I loved her bravery and strength. I mean who didn’t want to be just like her, she had a really cool shiny blue roadster, dressed really nice, had great friends and could outwit any thief!

I have always been intrigued about the story behind the story, I mean, I know that there was never a Carolyn Keene, that there were many ghost writers that helped to bring her to life. But I was always curious about the real story of Nancy Drew, was she a direct reflection of one of the ghost writers? So I came across this book by Melanie Rehak, Girl Sleuth Nancy Drew and the Women Who Created Her and I had to read it.

For anyone who is a fan of Nancy Drew, this is a must read, Melanie Rehak does a wonderful job of weaving the behind-the-scenes history of the Stratemeyer syndicate, the characters that they developed from Nancy Drew to the Hardy Boys and the real people that wrote for them.

This book brought Nancy to life for me, it was interesting to learn more about the Stratemeyer syndicate, the dime store novels that were popular during the 1930s and the two very remarkable women who breathed life into each of her adventures.

The book made me want to read all my Nancy Drew books again, which I can because yes, my mother saved them all, thanks mom, so here’s to some fun and easy reading!

I’m a huge fan of the Food Network, love trying new recipes and always shopping for cookbooks. I was in the bookstore the other day and came across Everyday Food. It advertised that it was your guide to fast, great meals - a plus for a working mom, and there is a connection with Martha Stewart.

My son loves pancakes, but my husband was not liking the traditional bisquick ones that I was making, so I was in the bookstore to find a pancake cookbook (yeah I know, but they have cookbooks for everything, so why not). So luck would have it that I was in the magazine isle and spot Everyday Food. They were featuring foolproof family favorites and pancakes were on the cover.

I am a very visual person and it helps for me to actually see the recipe before I make it. This magazine is full of incredible photos. There are photos with all of the recipes and there doesn’t seem to be more then 10 ingredients in each one (at least in the book that I purchased), another plus. The size of the magazine is great and like I said before the photos almost draw you in to each of the recipes.

We are a very busy family, with school and soccer practice, I have to plan out our meals for the week, so I really liked the All in One Bag feature. They feature five different recipes for the week along with a shopping list. The variety in the meals is great and seems to offer something for everyone.

If you are trying to lead a healthy lifestyle, there are not too many choices in the magazine that I picked up - Cooking Light is still your best option.

There is also a show on PBS (check your local station for times) that is a perfect fit with the magazine - you can check out their Web site http://www.pbs.org/everydayfood/.

Get it: At any bookstore, grocery store, for $2.95.

If you are looking for a really fun gift idea for the person that loves Star Wars - you have got to see the latest edition to the Mr. Potato head family, Artoo-Potatoo.

This is a must have for every Star Wars fan and it looks great next to Darth Tater and Spud Trooper. My son loves Mr. Potato head and could not wait to bring this one home and add it to our collection. It is somewhat smaller then the other two (afterall it is a droid), and as a bonus it comes with Princess Potato!

So if you are looking for a really fun gift idea for this Holiday Season - buy a Mr. Potato Head for your Star Wars fan.

Get it: The Hasbro site has this product for $7.99. Plus you can check out the other Star Wars Potato Head products.