A Slightly Late Review: The Unofficial Bridgerton Cookbook

November 29, 2021November 29, 2021 ~ rhiannonmills1 ~ Leave a comment

*Disclaimer: If you buy something using one of my links, Amazon might give me a small commission. However, my reviews are honest!*

First, I should apologize because my review is several days late. It was Thanksgiving week and I am the Thanksgiving cook in my house, so I really should have written and scheduled the review early, rather than late, but here we go.

The very first thing a person notices when they read through this collection of recipes is that the book seriously rolls with the vibe and aesthetic of Netflix’s Bridgerton. It is well organized and well collected. The attention to detail in the photos as well as how well curated the recipes themselves are is a testimony to the author’s dedication to the books. I received a Kindle copy through the publisher in return for a review, but after reviewing a few disaster niche cookbooks recently, I wasn’t really hopeful for a win. I was pleasantly surprised.

The collection is very well organized and the fonts are easy to read, which is very important in a recipe book. I don’t know how other home cooks feel about it, but I dislike cookbooks with teensy tiny type or fonts that are cutesy (I’m looking at you, Comic Sans…). The photos accompanying the recipes are incredible, too. Everything is mouthwatering and eye catching. In each photo, it looks as though each table linen, each fork, each glass is selected specifically for the Queen and her ladies, as though the reader has been teleported through time and has arrived at afternoon tea, just in time.

*These sandwiches could be prepared for any number of events. Or not an event at all. Perfectly acceptable for lunch at home watching Netflix!*

I also love that even though this cookbook is geared toward Bridgerton and the characters and settings of the series, anyone on this Earth could buy it and enjoy the recipes. Good food is good food, period. You could have no idea what Bridgerton even is and still thoroughly enjoy the cookbook because the recipes are easy to follow and all of the dishes are foods anyone could prepare, eat, and enjoy. I feel like people who enjoy entertaining or have large family get togethers could get an added amount of use from this collection, though, and I mean that in the best of ways.

I’d like to add that even though the copy I was given is wonderful and I’m so thrilled to have the digital copy, I’ll be buying a hardback copy as well because I’m a cookbook collector and I really loved this one.

If you haven’t watched Bridgerton and are interested, the first season is available on Netflix. If you’d like to read the novels by Julia Quinn first, you can find them at Amazon.com, starting with Bridgerton: The Duke and I.

I haven’t read a lot of other reviews for this cookbook and I’d love to hear what other folks think about it, so if you have read through it, drop a comment or shoot me an email at Rhiannon@RhiannonWritesOn.com and I’d love to hear your opinion! I’m also open to suggestions for other cookbooks based on pop culture. They really do seem to be a hit or miss!

Until next time…Enjoy a picture of my cat, Salem.

FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVE WATCHED THE SHOW…
I have heard rumors that the Queen is getting her own series. Thoughts or information on the subject are much appreciated. I thought she was much more interesting than the other characters anyway! 😀

Creature Comforts (Of the Night)…

November 18, 2021 ~ rhiannonmills1 ~ Leave a comment

Since the cold weather is settling in over these mountains, I’ve begun to fall into a familiar pattern involving hot coffee, books, and television shows. Everyone in my house has had a cold at one point or other in the last few weeks because West Virginia’s weather is ridiculous this time of year and quite unpredictable. There is a lot happening right now in my personal home life, too. Nothing horrible or pressing, but just busy stuff. School stuff, work stuff, and learning to adjust to being the parent of an adult who doesn’t live with me anymore stuff. It’s very, very busy.

And, to deal with this busy life, I have decided that every single time something pops up that I don’t know how to deal with, I’m going to look for a supernatural themed story I haven’t read yet and read it. Starting now. I read a lot as it is, so it won’t be too big of an adjustment, but looking for a specific theme might be troublesome. But, as a reader and a person I just really need a good, short distraction from everyday things.

So, ya know, some anthology suggestions would be welcome. I do love vampires, werewolves, and witches.

Can I be honest with you people though? I’m terrified of falling into a darker pattern of winter depression. It hits me every year, although the last two or three years haven’t been as bad as the few before them. I don’t want to go through that this year, but it’s difficult for me. I tend to associate a lot of traumatic events from my life with winter and cold and snow. Seasonal depression is one of the only things I’ve ever gone through that I’m not comforted by knowing other people are going through the same thing. I don’t know about you folks, but I hate knowing other people (sometimes people I care about) are suffering too.

But, maybe that’s why there are so many television series releasing in fall and winter months when people begin a settling in period some akin to bears hibernating in the winter. We squirrel away some canned foods, gather some bottled water, make sure the home is sealed tight for heating purposes, and then what? We wait for the thermometer’s reading to plummet and the snowflakes to fall from the sky so we can burrow under a mound of quilts on the couch and watch a new season of The Witcher (December 17th, if you’re as excited as I am).

We look for creature comforts. Nothing says comfort and safety like Geralt slashing monsters and protecting Jaskier.

Tomorrow (November 19th) The Great’s second season premiers on Hulu and since I’m going to be home doing absolutely nothing other than laundry anyway, I’m going to give it a go. I loved the first season even though I found nary a vampire, witch, or wolf. Of course, I also love history and Catherine the Great is a very interesting woman to read about. Also, Elle Fanning and Nicholas Hoult are fantastic actors and deserve all the accolades for their roles.

November 19th on Hulu

I don’t know what else is coming. I’ve already decided the American version of Ghosts just isn’t for me and I’m not sure when more episodes of the UK version are coming (but I am waiting with heavy anticipation). I’ve rewatched True Blood more times than I can count.

I need something new.

8 Holiday Gift Ideas For the Writer In Your Life

November 11, 2021 ~ rhiannonmills1 ~ Leave a comment

***Disclsure– I share links from Amazon from time to time and may receive a small commission from items you buy using my links. That doesn’t change anything about how I’ve written the post or what I’ve chosen to include, though!***

Whatever you celebrate, the winter months are upon us and that means the shopping months are also upon us. I don’t know if you’ve personally had any trouble obtaining items on your loved ones lists due to the shipping crisis, but I haven’t yet, and I hope that I don’t. But, just in case… I’ve been doing a lot of writing and revising to my shopping lists because I want to be prepared for anything. I don’t do Black Friday unless it’s the Black Friday cyber deals because it gets too peopley (that’s a real word, I promise *crosses fingers behind back*).

It has dawned on me that if you have a writer in your family, that person is probably going to either be the most difficult to buy for or the easiest. There usually is no in between for us. Never fear, though, because I have some ideas for you.

I could write with these…all night long.

1… Nice pens. We all have a favorite. Find out what theirs is and buy them a pack. Mine are these Paper Mate ball point pens. I’ve never seen a brown one, though! Nice.

2...A mug or a set of mugs. Everybody has hot drink preferences, and hot drinks can usually only be consumed in a mug. Amazon has some really nice ones. Right now, this one is my personal favorite.

3… Try getting them a subscription box. There are so many out there to choose from. There are subscription boxes that allow you to solve a mystery, even.

4… You can never go wrong with pajamas or a bathrobe. Or both, like a matching set. Old Navy, Walmart, and Kohl’s are pretty decent choices for these types of items. Bonus points if you match the pajamas to the mug

. 5… Gift cards. We tend to use them wisely.

6… Nice journals, notebooks, and stationary. My personal favorite is stationary and I don’t know why because nobody ever writes letters and mails them anymore.

7… Audible and/Kindle subscriptions. I haven’t joined the zillions of people who listen to audiobooks and enjoy them yet, but one day I might. Until then, I stick to paperbacks and my beloved Kindle. Either way you choose to read, giving the gift of the written word is never a bad idea.

8… Give the gift of whiskey. Well, whiskey glasses. This is my favorite thing on this list because I don’t have a set. I’m a bourbon girl, myself.

Save 65% from now until November 17, 2021.

In case any of you were wondering, I left book recommendations off of this list on purpose because all writers are different and their reading preferences are different too. But, Stephen King’s On Writing appeals to a wide audience, so you’re pretty safe with that one, if you’re looking. I know I’ve mentioned in previous posts that this particular book about writing is my favorite, but honestly I’ll probably mention it in future posts, too. Ha! Happy Shopping!

Nano Yo Beeswax

November 2, 2021 ~ rhiannonmills1 ~ 3 Comments

**Disclosure** I may receive a small commission if you buy something from Amazon using one of my links. This doesn’t sway my opinions, though. Carry on!**

“Ideas are cheap. It’s the execution that is all important.” — George R.R. Martin

Because I’m feeling particularly childish and free spirited today, I thought I’d write a post about Nanowrimo. I’m not participating this year, but am using the time my friends and fellow scribes are using to write a novel to instead work on achieving a few smaller goals, like work to improve this blog.

But, in that spirit, I’d like to at least serve as a cheerleader for everyone else. After all, the best thing about Nanowrimo, in my humble opinion, is that next month, there will be thousands upon thousands of new books either being self published or shopped to publishers. And, that’s good for readers everywhere because there will soon be more reading options. Not that my to be read pile needs any more encouragement to collapse under the weight of my great reading ambitions, but you get the gist.

When I first heard that National Novel Writing Month was even a thing, I was just a young thing myself. No wrinkles in my skin, no gray hairs. My kids were little then, too. I was just beginning to figure out what kind of person I wanted to be in the world. I always wanted to finish a novel in a November, but to tell the truth, I never did. I always started something. I always began with stars in my eyes and a powerful thirst for a story. The only novel I ever wrote in a month was The Bones Of Willow Lake (currently out of print) and it only took three weeks, but I wrote it in June (2012) instead of November.

Will I ever complete an entire novel in a month or less again? Who knows. Right now, I’m working on other things and gaining my happiness from other writers and their works. When a story whispers in my ear and pulls me by the fingertips again, I’ll write it. I’ll know. And, you’ll all know too because I’m a different person when I’m actively writing a novel. Inspiration just isn’t here right now. Who knows when that little devil will show up again. I’m satisfied to be writing short posts, reading great fiction, and testing out really cool cookbooks. Life is full of flavors, after all.

If any of you get into a slump through Nanowrimo, you should know that other writers are your best resource for information. Most folks I know would be more than happy to send you off in the right direction if you get stuck or give you information regarding resources online or in your area to research your subject matter. Or maybe the story itself is the problem and you’re having some stylistic, grammatical, or structural issues.

But, if you don’t want to reach out to a friend, there are other ways to figure things out on your own.

A Kindle Unlimited subscription could be of use if you need to research and don’t have time to wait around on books to arrive on your doorstep. I have this service and it comes in handy for all sorts of situations.

If you’re having trouble formatting your manuscript to submit, I would advise you to first use the William Shunn formatting example here. This example is widely accepted from most publishers, but you should ALWAYS read submission guidelines very thoroughly. Editors are fickle beasts sometimes and I know this because I’ve done my fair share and it’s not fun. I was well known for tossing manuscripts for using Comic Sans, because, yes, people like to do that to me for some reason.

Note- Do not send anyone a manuscript in comic sans, please. It is an annoyance and I view the act as a personal attack on my character and well being. Just kidding. Or am I?

If you’re stuck and you need to figure out where to take your story next because you didn’t plot something out exactly to a tee, no fear. You can always check Reddit, look for inspiration from Pinterest, and shoot ideas back and forth with a friend. Sometimes just talking it out is a help.

If you’re interested in books, Stephen King’s On Writing is highly recommended. It’s not just a how to, it’s quite the cozy read. But, if you’re not into King’s writing style and you’re looking for more of a guide, you can always check out The Elements of Style. I used to keep a copy close, but I lent it out and never got it back years ago. I didn’t repurchase it because I just didn’t like it and the important info in there can be found online with a quick search.

Until next time, folks. Happy writing and happy reading.
And, I hope you all had a Blessed Samhain and/or a Happy Halloween.