Day 247: The Law of Innocence

Chatting Books Online Day 247. Today's recommended book is The Law of Innocence, hot off the presses from Michael Connelly. This book is a long awaited follow up to The Lincoln Lawyer.

Our favorite lawyer-in-a-car, Mr. Haller, is back along with his entire crew including half brother Harry Bosch in this tightly crafter legal thriller - only this time the one on trial is Mickey - and he is on trial for murder! This is one that I listened to on audiobook through our partner Libro and I did not want to get out of the car - but I did - and put on headphones to keep listening !

We carry this book in hardcover at the shop selling for $31.00 a copy. It is also available as an audiobook with your membership at libro.fm/conundrumbooks , if you would like information on buying audiobooks through us message me and I will be happy to help.

To purchase a copy come see us at the shop during business hours or you can call or message me to have a copy shipped to you -Now mask up and Be Well.

Day 246: The New Orleans Chef's Table

Chatting Books online Day 246. Today's recommended book is The New Orleans Chef's Table : Extraordinary Recipes from The Crescent Cityby Lorin Gaudin.

In this, the second edition of this fantastic book Lorin Gaudin celebrates the variety that is the New Orleans restaurant scene and it's foods. Each section features a restaurant and then gives a short description of the place and its proprietors followed by a recipe or two that you really must try. Not only does it include recipes of some of my favorite foods from some of my favorite places but looking through the pages of this book I have discovered a few restaurants that while I spend a lot of time in New Orleans and love to eat I either have never tried , or simply have not tried these dishes. Well after reading the recipes trust me that will be rectified! And that is the point of this book. New Orleans is a place where good food and great restaurants abound so chances are you will need a guide to lead the way. Let Lorin Gaudin and this book be that guide.

I had the pleasure of meeting Lorin Gaudin at this past weekend's St Francisville Wine & Food Festival where she was the Master of Ceremonies at the food demonstrations stage and she was kind enough to sign several copies of this book for our store. Wouldn't these signed books make fantastic Christmas gifts for the foodies on your list ?

This hard cover, full color cookbook 146 pages and sells for $27.95 a copy . Pick up your signed copy today !

To purchase a copy come see us at the shop during business hours or you can call or message me to have a copy shipped to you -Now mask up , stay positive and get cooking !

Day 245: The Week in Review : Nov 8-15, 2020

Chatting Books Online Day 245. The Week in Review Nov 8 - 15, 2020

Another week gone by, and a week's worth of book recommendations just for you!

This week I told you about a another 6 books including the following:

We started the week with a fun new fairy tale by J K Rowling in The Ickabog.

Then we talked about a favorite novel about New Orleans from days gone by in Doll Baby .

We discussed a book to help you identify types of New Orleans architecture in New Orleans Houses . .

Then we went back to the children's section to visit our friend Johnette Downing's new book in Bonfires on the Levee.

We all fell in love with the beautifully bound Chiltern Classics collection.

And finally we wrapped up the week with a new cookbook all about Outdoor cooking in Jay Ducote's Louisiana Outdoor Cookbook.

I hope you enjoyed reading about my recommendations, and maybe have come in to pick up a book to add to your TBR (To Be Read) pile. Next week brings another assortment of recommendations to get ready!

If you missed any of these reviews and want to read what I had to say about them you can see all of our Chatting Books Online picks by visiting our website at: http://www.conundrumbooks.com/chatting-books-online .

We still (and always will going forward) offer shipping if you cannot make it to the store. Or just stop by the shop Monday - Saturday between 10:00am and 4pm and between noon and 4pm on Sundays.

Day 244 : Jay Ducote's Louisiana Outdoor Cooking

Chatting Books online Day 244. Today's recommended book is Jay Ducote's Louisiana Outdoor Cooking. I learned more about Chef Ducote because he will be one of the featured chef's at this weekend's St. Francisville Food & Wine Festival being held by Country Roads Magazine at The Myrtles on Sunday.

This cookbook makes a fantastic gift for the Louisiana Outdoor Chef on your list. So today I recommend a copy of this book and if you order it from our website before Sunday I can even try to get it signed for you either to pick up at the event or for later pick up or shipment from our shop.

Here is the publisher's description of Chef Ducote and his book:
"From blackened peach and chicken salad to coconut chili-chocolate tarts and much in between, "Jay Ducote's Louisiana Outdoor Cooking" features 150 recipes easy enough to make in the backyard. It also tells the story of the winding road this Baton Rouge chef took to reach national culinary celebrity. Fans of the reality cooking show "Food Network Star" remember Ducote as the runner-up in season 11, a strong finish that led to appearances on "Chopped," "Cutthroat Kitchen," and many other programs, including a recent besting of Bobby Flay. Ducote's love of anything culinary started in college, when he cooked under the oak trees before LSU football games. Over the years, his popular tailgate parties showcased Cajun favorites, such as chicken and andouille gumbo, crawfish hushpuppies and fritters, grilled shrimp, and jambalaya, as well as a rich array of smoked and grilled meats. He went on to create specialty dishes including Barbecue Popcorn, Crawfish Etouffee Arancini, Loaded Barbecue Cheese Fries, Pimento Cheese Stuffed Jalapeänos, and his award-winning Blackberry Bourbon Bone-In Boston Butt. Now an in-demand caterer and media personality, Ducote follows the cooking philosophy that food should be as locally sourced as possible, and that it is important to layer flavors. He also celebrates the nuances of Louisiana's many craft beers and adult beverages. His cookbook provides readers with colorful tales from his career, tips for using regional ingredients, and succulent recipes for dishes and drinks to enjoy at t

This recently released hardcover cookbook sells for $34.95 a copy and has 216 pages.

To purchase a copy come see us at the shop during business hours or you can call or message me to have a copy shipped to you -Now mask up , stay positive and get cooking !

Day 243: Chiltern Classics Collection

Chatting Books online Day 243. Today's recommended book is not "a" book in particular but rather a new collection of the classics that I have fallen in love with recently. Each of the books in this series deserve to be a daily recommendation on their own (some already have, others will be in the future) but today I want to recommend the series just based on the binding.

This is a truly exquisite collection of books. The titles are all classics but the physical book is simply to die for. They are hardcover and each cover is embossed with brilliant colors, metallics and is a fully tactile pleasure. And, the pages are all edged in either gold or silver leafing. I mean REALLY , these books are treasures ! You really need to see these in person to truly appreciate their beauty .

We currently have the following titles in stock. Each one sells for $25.00 a copy.

Chiltern Classics Titles Currently in Stock:

Pride & Predjudice by Jane Austen

Emma by Jane Austen

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

Dracula by Bram Stoker

The hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

To purchase a copy come see us at the shop during business hours or you can call or message me to have a copy shipped to you -Now mask up , stay positive and give the gift of Beautiful Books this Christmas !

Day 242 : New Orleans Houses

Chatting Books Online Day 242. Today's recommended book is New Orleans Houses: A House-Watcher's Guide by Lloyd Vogt.

Do you know the difference between a Creole Cottage and a Italianate Camelback? Between an Eastlake Shotgun Double and Greek Revival Shotgun Double? Walking the streets of New Orleans this is useful information. I discovered this book recently at my Mother's house and immediately ordered some for the shop. Mom's was published in 1985, the new ones we have just came out in a republication (sadly in paperback only) released in August of this year.

The book has fantastic labeled pencil sketches of each type of home to help in your identification.

The Publisher describes the book in the following manner:

One of the greatest outdoor museums in the world, New Orleans is acclaimed for its unique architecture. Glimpses of its evolving character from the colonial period to the present can be found in the open porches, balconies, arches, and stained-glass windows of its homes, from simple Creole cottages to suburban ranch houses. As you wander through the dynamic streets and alleyways of the city, this easy-to-follow, beautifully detailed guide will assist you in identifying and dating the houses you pass while placing them in their historical context.

Over one hundred hand-rendered illustrations of existing New Orleans homes as well as composite sketches of distinctive details highlight the characteristics commonly associated with certain types of homes. Maps point out areas of architectural development by periods, and a glossary clarifies the sometimes-confusing terminology used in discussing architecture.

The paperback copies we currently carry sell for $24.95 a copy.

To purchase a copy come see us at the shop during business hours or you can call or message me to have a copy shipped to you -Now mask up , stay positive and take a walk through architectural history.

Day 241 : Bonfires on the Levee

Chatting Books Online Day 241. Today's recommended book is a brand new Christmas book from local favorite Johnette Downing! Bonfires on the Levee celebrates the fun , magic and majesty of Louisiana's Christmas Eve tradition of bonfires to light Pape Noel's journey in a counting book for emerging readers.

With the beautiful felt cut illustrations we have come to love in some of Johnette Downing's other books ( Ten Gators in the Bed, Bugs on the Rug , etc.) this hardcover just released storybook sells for $15.99 a copy.

To purchase a copy come see us at the shop during business hours or you can call or message me to have a copy shipped to you -Now mask up , stay positive and get ready for the Holidays!

Day 240 : The Ickabog

Chatting Books Online Day 240. It is release day for today's recommended book, The Ickabog by J.K.Rowling.

This is a new story, with new characters , by J.K.Rowling , the author of the Harry Potter series. Well really, this is A much older story than her other stories she has have published before it. Apparently it is a story that Ms. Rowling started many years ago to tell to her children. Over the years she had started putting it in writing but never finished it so it sat in a box in her attic. Until Covid that is. Looking for a way to connect with people during the pandemic she decided to take the box out of the attic and start sharing a chapter at a time online with young fans who she then asked to illustrate the chapter for her. The book that releases today is the full complete story and the illustrations that were selected for each chapter. I find it fascinating to read the names and ages of the children who drew the drawings - and I love the story so far (only about half way through as I write this).

The story tells the tale of a far-away land , a handsome but somewhat clueless king and the legend of a beast that lives in the Marshland surrounding the kingdom. Sort of the Boogie man that children are warned about until certain greedy people try to use the legend to their advantage and things start to unravel....Thoroughly enjoying the book so far !

The book is recommended for people ages 8-12 (though I know at least one 52 year old who is glad she is reading it). This would be a great family read along book as it is in bite-sized (no pun intended) chapters that can be read one or two a night. The book is 304 pages and sells for $26.99 a copy.

To purchase a copy come see us at the shop during business hours or you can call or message me to have a copy shipped to you -Now mask up , stay positive and behave yourself or the Ickabog might get you!