I was excited to take the classes in my major but on the other hand, there were the gen eds. Other than chemistry english was going to be my hardest subject. It was the time in my life where I had to force myself to sit still in one place long enough to read. And so begins my journey into the wonderful world of literature, which is what this post is about in the first place.

Reading from the works of famous authors such as Robert Frost, Emily Dickenson, William Shakespeare and Henry Adams taught me how to actually interpret what these people were thinking when they sat down with the pen to write.  Unless we could actually talk to the authors we may never know exactly, but perhaps that is what they wanted in the first place.

Now that I am able to sit long enough reading comes easier. As a professional in the visual arts be it photography or graphic design, the way I find inspiration is to look at a lot of different works. Even though sitting still in front of the computer is a must the passion overrides the impatience and prevails. Reading has now become a new inspiration for my designs.

Visualizing how the author describes characters generate pictures in my mind of how the character looks, acts and dresses. I am the one who becomes creative and imagines the tone in the voice, the expressions they have or the landscape outside their front door. It becomes my own world. Now that the imagination is activated it becomes easier to think of new ideas for design.

In closing this post an old saying comes to mind “If I had known then what I know now” I would have started my reading endeavor a lot sooner. But then again I am not at the end of my time so now that I know better, I will read a lot more!

Please feel free to leave any comments or write your own review. If you have any questions about used books please contact Sue moon using the contact page form or call  816-690-5660.

As a western cook from the south, I didn’t think I would be able to create this dish. After all, what is Balti style cooking and where would I find the indian spices.  With a little research I have found that Balti translated means cooking bucket.  This style originates from the northern Pakistan region of Baltistan. The people were nomadic who carried  very little in the way of cooking utensils. The Balts developed a technique in that was quick, like a stir fry and cooked in a single pot. This style of cooking is greatly influenced by the cuisines of India, China, Iran and Afghanistan. If you are very interested in this style of cooking it might be a good idea to invest in a Balti pot or simply use an electric or stovetop wok. I used the latter.

Middle Eastern spices such as cardamon seeds or pods or masala are not going to be found in your average grocery stores. They can be ordered online or take a trip down to the river market in downtown Kansas City to the sidewalk merchants. For just a dollar a scoop it is well worth the trip. There also also Indian grocery stores around the metro area.

Although I have only tried a few of the recipes, so far my favorite is the Balti Chicken. Some of the spices in this recipe are cardamon seeds, cinnamon, cumin, masala, ginger root and onions. With every bite you will be able to taste each one of them!

Read It Again Books has many more used cookbooks at great prices along with cuisine from many other countries. Further, the owner Sue Moon has an abundance of experience with these styles of cuisine and lots of research to go along with it. For more information or if you have any questions you can contact her through the website or give her a call at 816-690-5660!

With that……….. I say Bon Appetit!

Regency romance follows the format of novels of the late 1700, early 1800′s, with Jane Austen being the prime example. Sometimes called “novel of manners”, the story follows the everyday live of the characters, who they interact with, how they react and interact and often, what they are wearing. In Regency time, the upper society had rigid rules of behavior and dress especially for the young, unmarried girls just entering society. People went places to see and be seen and clothing was important in this aspect. Women would wear indoor day dresses, then change to go out shopping or to ride in the park, then change for dinner and going out at night. And with modern internet searching, I can find examples of the clothing described in some of these books, which makes it all the more interesting to me.

I enjoy the description of everyday life, how the different levels of society interact with each other. I like learning history, as this is also the time of the Napoleonic wars, when English soldiers and sailors fought a war that did not effect the upper classes much. The lower classes supplied the bulk of the military and the upper class second sons were among the officers. The upper classes were inconvenienced that goods from France were under embargo but for a price, many goods were still for sale thanks to smugglers. For more military novels, Patrick O’Brian wrote about the naval history of the time, Bernard Cornwell writes the Sharpe series about the army history of this time, sometimes overlapping with the O’Brian stories, C. S. Forester wrote about Horatio Hornblower, another naval history, and Alexander Kent (pseudonym of Douglas Edward Reeman) also wrote naval stories. These authors place fictional characters at actual battles so the reader can get views from different characters at the same battle.

This is also the time of King George III, who lost America and had mental illness that lead to the Regency of his son, the Prince of Wales, George IV, hence the Regency title to this time period. The story of the royal family, the Prince’s mistresses and his fights with his wife Caroline, the life and death of their daughter Charlotte, the Prince’ extravagant spending during a time of war, and the King’s on again, off again mental health are often written about in these books.

Regency novels are also less racy than some modern historical romances, which some readers will appreciate. They are also usually shorter novels, which is good for me because I do not have lots of time to read.

So if you are interested in history and social behavior or just a good read, try Regency!