For as long as she could remember, she had thought that autumn air went well with books, that the two both somehow belonged with blankets, comfortable armchairs, and big cups of coffee or tea.
Katarina Bivald
Fall to me is all about, reading. Growing up I read on the bus, read in the quad, read on the steps, read in the University tunnels and basically where ever I could find a seat. I especially loved reading outside on the old grounds of the U of M campus. The smells, the rustle of the leaves, the bustle and chatter of busy minds walking by. Ahhhhh I miss it.
All I need is a cozy sweater, a yummy latte, the smell of falling leaves, and these 10 books! These books range from humorous to heartbreaking and everywhere in between. Spoiler… I’m not a book reviewer and I hate spoilers! I try not to tell too much about the book but more about how I felt about them. I read a lot of books and I don’t share them all with you because some of them aren’t special enough to share, or at least in my humble opinion! Books are works of art and to each their own! With that being said, each of these books gave me the ALL “Fall Feels” and I hope you enjoy them as much as I did. I have linked to my affiliated Amazon account if you want to add any of these worthy books to your collections.
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sanguines Mandanna
Mika is a modern day Mary Poppins! This was a cute book about family, loyalty, love, taking risks, and of course, magic! I absolutely adored all three of the young girls in this book, Terracotta has my heart and my new favourite phrase is going to be, “Damn it, Primrose”! 😂 This weird little family charmed me and this would make a delightful late fall read!
This book is full of romance and magic gone awry. Vivie is spicy! First, the jeans at his head, then she leaves him there, and then walks out of a magic sex cave! I cracked up!! Gwyn is the perfect sidekick and Rhys is a most charming love interest. The story leads up to a magical Halloween spell, making this book the perfect October read!
I was surprised by this book. It was an easy reading book but it also hit on some pretty serious topics, in a not over your head type of way. It’s a little bit of magic that is never quite explained, lots of secrets, an intriguing mystery, as well as two endearing love stories. This was a quick read, but also a very enjoyable one.
First of all this book is so well written. He describes the land so well that I can picture five-year-old Eddie running through the woods. I can picture myself sitting at the table, the smells of fried bread, and the sound of the oil hitting the stove top. Second, I live in the Okanagan so reading about the fruits, the plants, the places, and all the BC history was amazing. In fact, the author’s wife submitted a piece of his work to a writer’s festival right here in Penticton! He won and it led to this book! Third, the heartbreaking glimpses into Eddie’s childhood explained and expressed so much. This is a coming-of-age story told by a voice that isn’t written about as often as it should be. Eddie’s story will stay with me for a very long time. Winner of the Indigenous Voices Award this is the perfect book to read in September to see what happens to a child affected by colonialism and why reconciliation matters.
This was an amazing book. It had science, history, language, drugs, murder, love and culture. I loved learning about new words and customs. I loved this book so much that I recommended it to my daughter, her friends, and every person I’ve talked to about books. This had so many different storylines and they were all engaging. This is a wonderful book for teenagers and adults alike.
The Book of Life by Deborah Harkness
This is the third book in the All Souls Trilogy, and it did not disappoint! An epic series sweeping over centuries, this book brought science, magic, history and art all together to explain the origins of the human species and the differences in all of us. Blending family, love and romance together for this amazing tale of courage and magic.
Another fantastic book from this amazing author! This one might be my favourite yet! I loved Carrie, and her dad, and Gwen, and Bowe, and even Nikki! I was cheering for Carrie throughout the entire book! This is the perfect fall read especially if you just watched the last few weeks of tennis’s premiere event, the U.S. Open! Go Coco!!
Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P Manansala
This was a cute book with a good twist. I really loved the diverse cast of characters and the descriptions of meals and different foods. I sat by my phone looking up the ingredients she writes about and will be trying some new dishes in the near future! Looking forward to reading the following books to this foodie mystery series.
Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld
I love when a book inspires you to make a playlist. While reading this, I couldn’t help but listen to the Indigo Girls. As someone that remembers exactly where they were first time, she heard the Sweater Song by Adam Sandler, I loved this book. I felt like I was reading a behind the scenes account of what happens on the set of Saturday Night Live when the cameras aren’t recording! I also love how this book shows how a relationship grew during the pandemic and was realistic in what we went through. The references to Black Lives Matter, gender issues and women’s rights is very current, and I enjoyed reading a book that didn’t shy away from these topics.
No Two Persons by Erica Bauermeister
This was an interesting book. Every chapter is a new person, a new story. I like how you get a small glimpse into so many different peoples lives, and how one book could affect each person so differently, yet so greatly. However, some of the characters were so endearing I didn’t feel like one chapter was enough, each of those characters deserved their own story. I guess it’s a good thing when an author writes characters so well that it leaves you wanting to know more about them!
Check out How Was Your Week, Honey? Episode #345: Fig-ure It Out HERE! This week, it’s the 1st week of school! Topics wine touring, dog sitters, fall cocktails, Duncan Keith, virginity, missing the bus, paying it forward, date day, school mornings, & The Gorge.
The days are still hot but the evenings are getting cool and the first fall dish I crave is… stew. I remember Sundays in September when I was a kid and the whole family would go bowling and then come home to a steamy pot of stew! But, in Winnipeg it could have been snowing in September 😂 so beef stew with root veggies was totally appropriate. Like I said, it’s still pretty hot here! This late summer vegetable casserole is perfect for a late summer comfort dish! Ninja even made bread and by made bread, I mean, he used the bread machine. SO easy and SO delicious! The perfect side to this delicious dinner.
Late Summer Beef Casserole
Adapted from Kitchen Sanctuary
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 lb stewing beef
2 tablespoons flour
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can dark ale
1½ cups beef stock
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped (I only had 2 red peppers)
2 cups broccoli, cut into florets
1 small zucchini, chopped into chunks
3 tablespoon parmesan cheese, grated
parsley, chopped
¼ red onion, thinly sliced
Preheat the oven to 325.
Heat the oil on a medium-high heat in a dutch oven. Place the beef in a bowl and add the flour, salt and pepper. Toss together to coat, then add the beef to the pan. Brown the meat all over (should take about 6-8 minutes).
Add the garlic, stir and cook for one minute, then add the ale and beef stock.
Bring to the boil, stir and place a lid on the pan. Place in the oven and cook for 3 hours (check every hour and top up with a splash of water if it’s starting to look a little dry).
After 3 hours add in the in chopped peppers, broccoli and zucchini. Place the lid on and place back in the oven for 5 minutes.
Take out of the oven and, sprinkle on the parmesan, parsley and red onion slices, then serve with crusty bread.
This week it was BACK TO SCHOOL!! The Kids were pretty wiped by the end of their first week! Darn lockers!! 😂 Ninja and I finally got our date day in to celebrate our 13th Anniversary that was in early August but we had cancelled because of the fire and then again after the rock slide. So we decided to support our friends to the south of us! The Similkameen Valley, Oliver and Penticton have had a hard time of it this summer. All the wineries have lost the majority of this year’s crops due last autumn’s cold snap, the smoke and fire created a tourism ban and then the rockslide separated us from everywhere north of us. As we are basically on the US border, everything is north of us! We started with lunch at a favourite, Row Fourteen. Then we tasted at Orofino Winery and Hugging Tree Winery. We then headed to Kismet Winery and vin Amite Cellars and then we finished with a tasting in the new Chronos Tasting Room here in Penticton. It was a fabulous day with my Favourite person 💕.
2 thoughts on “Autumn Reads and Late Summer Beef Casserole”
Casserole looks delicious! Will definitely try this.
Casserole looks delicious! I’ll definitely try this.