V.C. Andrews

Sandra Brown

Mary Higgins Clark

Robin Cook

                  Janet Dailey (just added)

Sue Grafton

John Grisham

Jonathan Kellerman

 Stephen King

Dean Koontz

Robert Ludlum

Sidney Sheldon

Danielle Steele

Luscious Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

I love quick and easy recipes this time of year.  Here’s one that tastes luscious and still gets you out of the kitchen in record time.  Leaves lots of time for gardening, shopping, or just sitting in the sun with a good book.

 
1 lemon cake mix
1 package instant lemon pudding
4 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup poppyseeds

1. Soak poppy seeds in 1 cup of boiling water.
2. Combine all other ingredients, mix well.
3. Add seeds and water.
4. Beat till smooth and fluffy about 5 minutes.
5. Pour into greased bundt pan and bake 50-60 minutes at 350 degrees.
6. Let cool 15 minutes in pan.
7. Glaze with 5 tablespoons of lemon juice, 1/2 cup of white sugar, and 1/4 cup of butter that has been brought to the boil.
8. While hot pour over the cake.
9. Cool and then remove cake from pan.

Serve with fresh berries and you have an excellent spring dessert.

This Month’s Spotlight

By Mat King

Mr. Midshipman Hornblower by C.S. Forester

I picked this book up because it’s a classic. It’s on most people’s “top-whatever” lists of books you need to read to be well read. This is the first book, in C.S. Forester’s 11-book Horatio Hornblower series.

Here’s the back-cover synopsis:

The year is 1793, the eve of the Napoleonic Wars, and Horatio Hornblower, a seventeen-year-old boy unschooled in seafaring and the ways of seamen, is ordered to board a French merchant ship and take command oaf crew and cargo for the glory of England. Though not an unqualified success, this first naval adventure teaches the young midshipman enough to launch him on a series of increasingly glorious exploits. This novel–in which young Horatio gets his sea legs, proves his mettle, and shows the makings of the legend he will become–is the first of the eleven swashbuckling Hornblower tales that are today regarded as classic adventure stories of the sea.

This is one of the two definitive naval story lines. The other series, the Aubry-Maturin series, is equally good. They both suffer from the same flaw, they are written with heavy naval jargon. It has been said that you could in fact, teach yourself to sail one of these 18th century ships, simply by reading and understanding these books. Which I can fully believe, given the level of detail in these books.  However, they don’t go into lengthy descriptions on many of the terms, so I would suggest having your wikipedia at hand.

The books are well written, and have plenty of action. We’re talking devastating broadsides, subtle covert ops, and amazing feats of heroism. This book can take a little bit of the romance out of the whole pirate genre. It describes realistically some of the things that most people don’t think about… like the smell of men who haven’t bathed in months, and the ruthlessness of navel discipline.

This book is a must read for every sailor, and anyone who has any interest in naval history.

There is a quote on the cover:

“I recommend Forester to every literate I know.” - Ernest Hemingway

I couldn’t state it better, and even if I did you can’t get much better in the ways of endorsements.

 For more book reviews check out Mat's website:  http://www.bookrocker.com/