Books: Underground, Everlasting Meal and Snow Child

The Underground: A Novel by Antanas Sileika

A co-worker passed this book along to me after hearing that I like historical fiction. From Goodreads,"A tragic love triangle set in a forgotten place during an invisible war. Inspired by true events, Underground tells the story of a troubled romance between Lukas and Elena, two members of the underground Lithuanian resistance movement in mid- 1940s." I feel like stories about WWII are typically set in Germany, France, England. I'd never read anything set in Lithuania and really enjoyed the different historical perspective. However, the characters were not as intriguing for me. I never felt truly connected with Lukas, or the women he loves. Overall I'd give it 3/5 stars. 

An Amazing Meal: Cooking with Economy and Grace by Tamar Adler

Oh, I love this book. So much. Adler writes about cooking with beautiful descriptions like someone who has grown up around and truly loves cooking. She gives (usually) simple instructions on how to make good food apart of your every day life. This is where I got the idea for freezing vegetable leftovers (i.e. parts of an onion I don't use or the ends of carrots) to make homemade broth. She features chapters on how to fix kitchen mistakes, how to cook eggs, and even the best way to throw dinner parties. I was so inspired by this book. I definitely recommend this if you like cooking or reading about it. 

Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey

This is our book club book for March. Summary from Amazon, "Alaska, 1920: a brutal place to homestead, and especially tough for recent arrivals Jack and Mabel. Childless, they are drifting apart--he breaking under the weight of the work of the farm; she crumbling from loneliness and despair. In a moment of levity during the season's first snowfall, they build a child out of snow. The next morning the snow child is gone--but they glimpse a young, blonde-haired girl running through the trees." This book had me from the beginning; from the mystery of where this girl comes from to the characters, Jack and Mabel. I read 100 pages the first night. Ivey does an excellent job describing life in Alaska and making the scenery come alive. I definitely recommend this.