What I’m Reading Wednesdays – Fangirl

I love me some YA novels, especially ones with quirky, strong, female leads. I picked up Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell last week and I’ve been loving it so far. After reading Attachments and Eleanor & Park I’ve become quite the Rainbow Rowell fan. I follow her on tumblr & twitter, and if she lived anywhere near Portland I would try with all my might to get her to have brunch with me.

What I’m trying to say is that she seems like a cool lady with a wonderful literary voice. Her stories are heartfelt, smart, and just plain fun to read. I also greatly appreciate the diversity of her characters! All shapes, sizes, colors, and backgrounds come through her stories. It’s refreshing!

Fangirl is proving to be a really great read so far. If you’ve ever been involved in any kind of fandom or fan community based on a book, movie, or comic then you will be able to relate with Cath, our leading lady. The story follows Cath’s first year of college as she struggles (reluctantly at first) to find her own identity apart from her twin sister Wren; to find exactly where the dining hall is; and of course to find the time to write Simon Snow fanfiction!

Simon Snow is similar to the Harry Potter series, and that’s what makes this even more special. I’ve been a part of the Harry Potter fan community for many years now, and even though I’m not as active as I used to be, it’s still something very special to me. (I even went to LeakyCon earlier this year!)

I’m really enjoying how much I can relate to Cath and all her awkwardness. I have a feeling that my book club will be reading this book in the future just because I want everyone to read it.

Spread the nerdy love!

xx

Candice

Make Something Mondays – Chocolate Stout & Peanut Butter Doughnuts

It’s really amazing how life can get crazy, and before you know it 2 months have gone by without a single post. With the end of summer school & the beginning of the school year at work time was spread thin and the blog unfortunately became a lower priority. But now that things are settling down and routine is in place I want to get back to it. So this week I’m bringing you a special treat I made for my book club ladies a few months ago!

I love beer and I love peanut butter, and I decided to combine them into all my dessert dreams.

I didn’t have to look far on the internet for this fantastic stout doughnut recipe from Bakers Royal.

I decided to use Ninkasi Vanilla Oatis Oatmeal Stout and it ended up being the perfect beer for these doughnuts. I love baking with beer because the desserts are always less sweet which is always a nice change.

Then I made a simple peanut butter glaze and topped the doughnuts with chopped peanut butter cups.

Everyone devoured these doughnuts at my book club (including our trusty spouses/partners who drive us to and from so we can get tipsy).

What delicious things have you been making lately?

Peanut Butter Glaze (yields approximately 2 cups)

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup creamy peanut butter (room temperature)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup milk (I used unsweetened almond milk)

Combine the powdered sugar and peanut butter into a stand mixer. Add in the vanilla extract and almond milk. Adjust thickness by adding more milk or powdered sugar.