A Few of My Favorite Things | 2014 Edition

Before the year is up, I wanted to take a moment to discuss some of the lovely things I discovered in 2014.

While I will be uploading a video soon with my top 10 favorite books of the year, I thought I would make a broader post covering some books, beauty and skincare products, and other random things.

4 of my favorite books this year were Burn For Me by Ilona Andrews, Up from the Grave by Jeaniene Frost, Moon Called by Patricia Briggs, and Plenty More by Yotam Ottolenghi.

I also attended the Romantic Times Convention (RT14) in New Orleans this year which really pushed me forward with inspiration and ideas for this blog and helped me make wonderful friendships. You can see my blog post for RT14, here.

This year I also discovered The Body Shop, LUSH, Kat Von D tattoo eye liner, and MAC's Rocky Horror Picture Show lipstick line.

I like almost anything from LUSH. If you're unfamiliar, LUSH focuses on fresh, handmade vegan cosmetics. I particularly enjoy their face masks, bubble bars and bath melts... and their shower gels. :)

The Body Shop carries a lot of skin care and beauty products but I just really love their body butters (which I use on a daily basis). It's incredibly thick and keeps my skin hydrated all day long - which is extremely necessary in these wintry months in NYC.

I am also a huge fan of Rocky Horror Picture Show and when I saw that MAC was coming out with a whole set of the movie-inspired products (with special RHPS packaging), I ran to buy the lipstick FrankNFurter. *throws Melba toast at the computer screen*

All in all, it's been a pretty awesome year. I had set some goals for myself and I followed through on most (if not all) of them. 

I hope you all were able to accomplish any goals you had set for yourself for 2014 ; I can't wait to see what 2015 has in store for us.

See you soon!

&& here is where you can find me on the interwebz:

Twitter: twitter.com/jannellereads

Instagram: instagram.com/jannellereads

Facebook: facebook.com/jannellereads

Goodreads: goodreads.com/jannellereads

Tumblr: jannellereads.tumblr.com/

Vampire Book Club: Vampirebookclub.net

Book Depository Affiliate: bookdepository.com

YouTube: JannelleReads channel

Until next time-

❤❤❤

-Jannelle

Cookbook Review | The Cuban Table by Ana Sofia Pelaez

Hello and happy Friday!

I can't believe how fast time seems to be moving & how incredibly fast December and 2014 is coming to an end.

I'm getting ready for some 12 days of blogging & I realized that I needed to update the blog with some reviews I had written up and hadn't posted - shame on me, I know.

Today I am going to be posting my review of The Cuban Table by Ana Sofia Pelaez.

Now for those of you who know me (and my family) would know that I'm Cuban. If you didn't know.. well, now you know. :)

When it comes to Cuban food, I'm overly harsh and judgmental. It just is what it is. I grew up eating the stuff - duh - and almost nothing can beat out my grandmother's authentic recipes and my mother's delicious renditions. Since I cannot cook absolutely everything out of this cookbook, I was honestly focusing (for the most part) on authenticity based on ingredients the author chose for certain recipes and her method of cooking - be it braised, stewed, fried, etc.

Here is the description provided by the publisher:

The Cuban Table is a comprehensive, contemporary overview of Cuban food, recipes and culture as recounted by serious home cooks and professional chefs, restaurateurs and food writers. Cuban-American food writer Ana Sofia Pelaez and award-winning photographer Ellen Silverman traveled through Cuba, Miami and New York to document and learn about traditional Cuban cooking from a wide range of authentic sources. 

Cuban home cooks are fiercely protective of their secrets. Content with a private kind of renown, they demonstrate an elusive turn of hand that transforms simple recipes into bright and memorable meals that draw family and friends to their tables time and again. More than just a list of ingredients or series of steps, Cuban cooks' tricks and touches hide in plain sight, staying within families or being passed down in well-worn copies of old cookbooks largely unread outside of the Cuban community.

Here you'll find documented recipes for everything from iconic Cuban sandwiches to rich stews with Spanish accents and African ingredients, accompanied by details about historical context and insight into cultural nuances. More than a cookbook, The Cuban Table is a celebration of Cuban cooking, culture and cuisine. With stunning photographs throughout and over 110 deliciously authentic recipes this cookbook invites you into one of the Caribbean’s most interesting and vibrant cuisines.  

 Pelaez did a fantastic job of capturing the essence of the Miami Cuban culture through the various recipes she shared along with the brief history of certain dishes. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and while I have my own family recipes that I go to, it was interesting to see some slight deviations (while still keeping the authenticity in tact) as well as recipes for certain items that we don't have in our family - like Mermelada de Guayaba... sooo good. #TeamGuava
So if you're interested in Cuban food and how it's made (but most importantly-how it tastes) then you need to pick up The Cuban Table.

Basic info. about this book:

Name: The Cuban Table: A Celebration of Food, Flavors, and History

Author: Ana Sofia Pelaez

Review Source: Provided by Publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Publishing Company: St. Martin's Press

Publication Date: October 28, 2014

Genre: Cookbook, Cooking, Food & Wine

Rating (out of 5): 4.0

Recommend? Yes!

Where it can be purchased: The Book Depository 

Author online: goodreads 

This makes me realize that I should probably post more of my family recipes... I'll be sure to get on that for 2015 :)

I did, however, post a Family Flan Recipe which you can see, here.

See you soon!

&& here is where you can find me on the interwebz:

Twitter: twitter.com/jannellereads

Instagram: instagram.com/jannellereads

Facebook: facebook.com/jannellereads

Goodreads: goodreads.com/jannellereads

Tumblr: jannellereads.tumblr.com/

Vampire Book Club: Vampirebookclub.net

Book Depository Affiliate: bookdepository.com

YouTube: JannelleReads channel

Until next time-

❤❤❤

-Jannelle

December 2014 TBR

Hello & TGIF!

This post was originally going to be a video upload on YouTube. Due to technical difficulties, however, this video is now a blog post. :)

My goal in December is simply to finish reading any books that I may have started earlier on in 2014... and to read the books I plan to review for the VBC.

Here is my list (the names and authors will be linked!) :

Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness

Tithe by Holly Black

Hexed by Michelle Krys

Love Bites by Angela Knight

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

Slow Satisfaction by Cecilia Tan

Beyond the Moon by Michele Hauf

7 Books! I hope I have the time and energy to get through them now that my school trimester has kicked off & I've started working #thestruggle

Anywho, I'm wishing you all a safe and wonderful weekend & I'll be seeing you soon.

What books are you planning on reading in December?

&& here is where you can find me on the interwebz:

Twitter: twitter.com/jannellereads

Instagram: instagram.com/jannellereads

Facebook: facebook.com/jannellereads

Goodreads: goodreads.com/jannellereads

Tumblr: jannellereads.tumblr.com/

Vampire Book Club: Vampirebookclub.net

Book Depository Affiliate: bookdepository.com

YouTube: JannelleReads channel

Until next time-

❤❤❤

-Jannelle

November 2014 Wrap Up + 1 More

Hello all and welcome back to Jannelle Reads.

After quite a busy couple of weeks, the last of my family has left back to their home in FL and while feeling a bit sad for missing them already, I decided to pick myself up and take a look through at all of the books I was able to read in November - 7! I started some others but these were the ones I finished... so here is a brief overview of those books:

Name: A Discovery of Witches (All Souls Trilogy #1)

Author: Deborah Harkness

Publishing Company: Penguin

Publication Date: February 8, 2011

Genre: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Paranormal, Romance, Mystery

To keep it simple, I fell in love with A Discovery of Witches. For an in-depth review, you can see a previous blog post dedicated to his novel, here.

Rating (out of 5): 4.5

Recommend? Yes

Where it can be purchased: Book Depository 

Author Online: goodreads 

Name: Spice (Sugar and Spice #1)

Author: Seressia Glass

Publishing Company: Berkley Trade

Publication Date: November 4, 2014

Genre: Contemporary, Erotic, Romance

Thoroughly enjoyed Spice and am excited to read the next installment in the Sugar and Spice series. For an in-depth review, you can check out a previous blog post of mine, here.

Rating (out of 5): 4.0

Recommend? Yes

Where it can be purchased: Book Depository 

Author Online: goodreads 

Name: The Care and Feeding of Stray Vampires (Half Moon Hollow #1)

Author: Molly Harper

Publishing Company: Pocket Books

Publication Date: July 31, 2012

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Have I mentioned how much I look Molly Harper? Because I do. Her prose is witty and outright hilarious. She also writes smart and (more often than not) sarcastic protagonists who are surprisingly relatable.
In The Care and Feeding of Stray Vampires, we meet Iris who has her own "Daytime for Vampires" kind of business. She [literally] stumbles over Cal and soon ensues a sexy romance, an interesting mystery and some chaos. I enjoyed all of it.
Pick this up if you haven't already!

Rating (out of 5): 4.5

Recommend? Yes

Where it can be purchased: Book Depository 

Author Online: goodreads 

Name: A Witch's Handbook of Kisses and Curses (Half Moon Hollow #2)

Author: Molly Harper

Publishing Company: Pocket Books

Publication Date: May 28, 2013

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Continuing the Half Moon Hollow series is A Witch's Handbook of Kisses and Curses. In book 2, we meet Nola who is a witch and visiting from Ireland. While in Half Moon Hollow, she begins to investigate for some family artifacts hidden by her (now dead) grandfather.
Nola is also dealing with her sexy and mysterious neighbor, Jed, who has a few secrets of his own.
While I enjoyed this next installment in the series, I think I enjoyed Iris' story better. Still a good read, though!

Rating (out of 5): 4.0

Recommend? Yes

Where it can be purchased: Book Depository 

Author Online: goodreads 

Name: Undead Sublet (Half Moon Hollow #2.5)

Author: Molly Harper

Publishing Company: Pocket Books

Publication Date: February 13, 2013

Genre: Paranormal Romance

This was a Half Moon Hollow novella. Here is the blurb:

In "Undead Sublet" by Molly Harper, executive chef Tess Maitland is banned from her five-star kitchen in Chicago to recover from "exhaustion". Choosing a random rental house in Half-Moon Hollow to spend time in, she's unaware that the house comes with a strange man.

Even though Sam Masden's ex-wife has rented the house out from under him, the divorce settlement allows him access to it for another ninety days. With Tess unable to go anywhere else, and Sam unwilling, a war of epic proportions is declared - and romantic sparks and heavy pots fly.

Short and to the point, I enjoyed Tess and Sam's brief story. I also liked that it was a novella - the story didn't feel rushed in the slightest and was paced perfectly for a novella.
If you have read any books in the Half Moon Hollow series, make sure you don't skip over this one!

Rating (out of 5): 4.0

Recommend? Yes

Where it can be purchased: Amazon 

Author Online: goodreads 

Name: I'm Dreaming Of An Undead Christmas (Half Moon Hollow #2.7)

Author: Molly Harper

Publishing Company: Pocket Books

Publication Date: November 17, 2014

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Like every other book/novella in the Half Moon Hollow series, I enjoyed this one. For an in-depth review, you can check out my review at the VBC, here.

Rating (out of 5): 4.0

Recommend? Yes

Where it can be purchased: Amazon 

Author Online: goodreads 

Name: Dark Lover (Black Dagger Brotherhood #1)

Author: J.R. Ward

Publishing Company: Penguin

Publication Date: September 6, 2005

Genre: Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy

OK. I know what most of you are going to say about this one so I am going to go ahead and say it first: WHERE HAVE I BEEN WITH THIS ONE?!
I know. I'm in love, guys.
And this seriously messes up everything. Now I have to play catch-up which is both a joy and a curse because I have way too many books to read already for the end of 2014 and 2015.
In-depth review to come! In the meantime, here's the blurb:

In the shadows of the night in Caldwell, New York, there's a deadly turf war going on between vampires and their slayers. There exists a secret band of brothers like no other-six vampire warriors, defenders of their race. Yet none of them relishes killing more than Wrath, the leader of The Black Dagger Brotherhood.

The only purebred vampire left on earth, Wrath has a score to settle with the slayers who murdered his parents centuries ago. But, when one of his most trusted fighters is killed-leaving his half-breed daughter unaware of his existence or her fate-Wrath must usher her into the world of the undead-a world of sensuality beyond her wildest dreams.

Rating (out of 5): 4.5

Recommend? Yes

Where it can be purchased: Book Depository 

Author Online: goodreads 

What did you read this November?

+ 1 more thing..

Rachel from Parajunkee is hosting a "12 Days of Blogmas" on her blog &

I'm doing it!

&& here is where you can find me on the interwebz:

Twitter: twitter.com/jannellereads

Instagram: instagram.com/jannellereads

Facebook: facebook.com/jannellereads

Goodreads: goodreads.com/jannellereads

Tumblr: jannellereads.tumblr.com/

Vampire Book Club: Vampirebookclub.net

Book Depository Affiliate: bookdepository.com

YouTube: JannelleReads channel

Until next time-

❤❤❤

-Jannelle