Over the years, I have had a habit of buying and owning more books than I can keep up with reading. It always happens that I need to read other books for classes or I'm so faulted with being a mood reader that some books sit on my shelves for years without the hope of even being touched. Similarly, I'm a serial series starter and rarely a series finisher.
I've decided that, this year, I will cut through almost half of my owned TBR pile and limit my book accumulation until I have these completed. I will likely not read of all of these books, and maybe I'll go for other books that I own and haven't read, but these are the ones that I have been most eagerly wanting to read and haven't gotten around to yet.
Without further ado, this is what I will be reading in 2021;
Book two of the Nevernight Chronicle, I was enthralled, horrified, and incredibly intrigued by the first book. I have really high hopes for it, and as I read the first book a few years ago (hard to believe it was already a few years ago), I'm ready to explore this world of assassin boarding schools and vengeance.
Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson
On a similar note, I read Mistborn a few years back and, after recommending the series to my boyfriend, have been pressured to get through the rest of the books. I just finished book two and, though I don't remember as much of the first book as I wish I did, I think I preferred it to the first one. And from what my boyfriend has said while trying to avoid spoilers, I have a lot to look forward to in this installment.
Emma by Jane Austen
After seeing the trailers for the new movie and finding a new appreciation for classics in several literature courses, I knew I had to read this adorable story. I started this novel sometime in high school but the language just didn't connect with me. Now, anything with Regency era matchmaking has my full interest.
Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
I do own almost the complete collection of Jane Austen novels, and I have yet to touch any of them. This year, I will change that. I don't know as much about this story as I do Pride and Prejudice and Emma, but I've heard that this is another favorite of many readers.
Circe by Madeline Miller
Just about every account on Instagram has featured this book and its gorgeous cover. I'm not innocent of this. But besides its beautiful design, I love Greek mythology. My Greek mythology course was one of the most fun classes I've taken, and it's one of few classes from which I can still remember most of the information I learned in it.
The Half-Drowned King by Linnea Hartsuyker
This was a surprise find online when looking for fictional Viking books--as one usually does. I'm not sure what to expect from it, but it is loosely based on the story of Ragnavald of Maer, and I love a historic fiction, as you are all well aware.
Enchantee by Gita Trelease
Speaking of historic fiction. This novel that also made its rounds around Instagram will be joined by a sequel sometime this year, so it's probably about time I read it. French is among the many things I've talked about loving to learn in this post, so that was its immediate appeal. Les Miserables holds a special place in my heart, so I am excited for another story based in the French Revolution.
The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert
This has taken far too long for me to get to. It sounds exactly like what early high school me was looking for--a story about a very normal girl finding her way into a fantasy. Oh, escapist reading. If anything, I will this book for her and her irrational desire to be the main character of some other land.
The Lost Book of Salem by Katherine Hawk
Another historic fiction, and this one involves the Salem witch trials. Though I believe it takes place in at least fairly modern times, there are so many possibilities for writing stories of that time in U.S. history.
A Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab
I wasn't as consumed by the first book, A Darker Shade of Magic, as most were. But I will read the sequel nonetheless because it was interesting and it's always fun to explore different magic systems. I will get better at finishing series!
Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas
And speaking of getting better at finishing series. I adored the entire Throne of Glass series, and part of me thinks that the reason I haven't read this book yet is because I don't want it to end. Another part of me is truly intimidated by its size.
These are the books required by paranormal, Gothic romance course this semester that I will also be reading within the next few months:
Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier
Soulless by Gail Carriger
Bitten by Kelley Armstrong
The Temptation of Demetrio Vigil by Alisa Valdes
Lost in the Light by Mary Castillo
Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
Fledgling by Octavia E. Butler
White is for Witching by Helen Oyeyemi
I want a home that forever smells of cookies in the oven. With a bread box that's always full and a pantry made from scratch.
Baking is something I've always enjoyed, but it's never been something I've really thought about. A teaspoon of baking soda here, a splash of lemon there, a resting period for whatever reason. None of what takes place in a recipe ever really made sense to me, I always just followed the steps and wondered where I went wrong when the cheesecake came out lumpy or the bread was a little dense.
There are chemical reactions happening from the moment the first ingredient enter the bowl. There is a science happening the moment the oven is preheated.
Maybe this was common knowledge, but to me, it felt like a well-kept secret.
Like most, each quarantine led to a plethora of new creations, several hours spent in a warm kitchen, and a well-fed boyfriend who looked so sweet when he tried to assure me the creations were good. After a couple of successes, a handful of failures, and a lot of dishes that were very okay, I decided I wanted to learn baking.
I want to learn this secret science.
So, this is the start of my baking journey. For those of you also interested in bettering your baking skills or learning what happens throughout a recipe, I'm creating this series to share my findings and hopefully get a clue as to what I've been doing wrong.
To start this series, I thought I would talk about oven temperatures & baking times.
The simplest way to talk about baking temperatures is probably with cookies because I assume everyone who is reading this has baked a cookie. And because Kansas State University had a nice break down on their website of their research.
They say that setting the oven above 350 degrees Fahrenheit gives the cookie a nice tan color and that caramelization starts at 356 degrees F. This gives you your usual grandma's cookies with the nice browned top.
Their research claims that the temperature of the butter can also play a role in how the cookie comes out. Using cold chunks of butter in the batter means that the butter will melt in the oven and cause the cookie to spread less than when using melted butter. Using melted butter will cause the cookie to spread more. This is because the batter will already be wetter and will spread more.
So for cookies shaped more like small mounds, use colder butter, and for flatter disk-like cookies, use melted butter.
The temperature of this ingredients also changes the texture. Air pockets change the crumb of the cookie. While in the oven, they say that the water in the butter converts to gas and using melted butter creates more, smaller holes and a chewier cookie. Using cold butter creates larger holes and a fluffy cookie.
But back to the oven.
Fine Cooking says that if you wish to make a thin, crispy cookie, use a low temperature and a long bake time. For the opposite, a soft, thick cookie, use a hotter temperature and a shorter baking time. They also recommend baking on the center rack, presumably for achieving the best heat circulation.
My ideal cookie is thick and chewy, so I believe my experiments will best be spent trying cold butter and hot, short bake times. While this will be a trial for the future, I'll be sure to document it on my Instagram at @taylorisreading as I always do.
If you put anything you've learned in this post to use, be sure to tag me on Instagram and use #TaylorIsBaking so I can see and we can learn together!
