Book Review and Giveaway: Leaves by Michael Baron

Welcome to our stop on the Leaves Book Blog Tour!

Synopsis: Welcome to Oldham, CT, a small town rich in Colonial heritage while being utterly contemporary. Situated along the Connecticut River Valley, Oldham bursts with color every fall, as the leaves on its trees evolve into an unmatched palette of scarlet, orange, purple, yellow, and bronze. For more than three decades, the Gold family has been a central part of Oldham in the fall, its Sugar Maple Inn a destination for “leaf-peepers” from all over the country, and its annual Halloween party a stirring way to punctuate the town’s most active month.

But this year, more than just the leaves are changing. With the death of their parents, the Gold siblings, Maria, Maxwell, Deborah, Corrina, and Tyler, have decided to sell the Sugar Maple Inn, and this year’s Halloween party will be the last. As October begins, the Golds contend with the finality that faces them, and the implications it has for a family that has always been so close. For some, it means embracing new challenges and new love. For others, it means taking on unimagined roles. And for others, it means considering the inconceivable. Complicating it all is a series of “hauntings” that touch each of the Gold siblings, a series of benign interventions that will remain a mystery until October draws to a close.

You can read an excerpt on the author's website!


Review: I wasn't sure if I was really going to like this book, but once I started reading it, I could not put it down! I can't wait to read the next book in this new series from the author about this family of siblings, and their assorted lives! While reading the book, I was reminded of the tv show Gilmore Girls. Also set in New England, it made you want to MOVE to their town, and this book does the same thing for Oldham. The family dynamics will ring true for many with siblings, and you will warm to them and feel like you belong with them, by the end of the book! The characters are ones you may find in any small town, they have real issues, yet there is something special about the family and Oldham, that you want to be part of! Just don't read the book on an empty stomach, because all the talk about food will make you hungry! We highly recommend this one and look forward to a follow up!

One of the recipes they talk about in the book is a Chorizo Linguine dish. Unfortunately that recipe is NOT included with the ones in the back of the book (BUMMER!), so I went through the directions described in the book, and pulled a similar recipe for amounts, and here is my Substitute Leaves Chorizo Linguine recipe!

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 4 ounces chorizo sausage
• 1 medium red pepper, chopped
• 1 medium yellow pepper, chopped
• 1 medium Vidalia onion, diced 
• 1/2 to 1 cup green peas
• 1/2 cup dry sherry
• 1 package (9 oz) fresh (or dry) linguine
• 2-3 tbsp butter
• fresh thyme for garnish

Instructions:
1. Saute garlic in olive oil in large skillet.
2. Add homemade chorizo to the pan and cook until lightly browned
3. Meanwhile bring pot of water to boil, then add linguine and bring back to a boil, cooking al dente. Drain and save.
4. Add diced red and yellow peppers, and minced vidalia onion to pan and stir. Then add fresh peas to pan, stir.
5. Add a healthy dose of Sherry to pan and stir, about one minute.
5. Add pasta to skillet and toss with butter and sausage mixture. Serve, topped with thyme leaves for garnish.


About the Author:
Michael says:

I grew up in the New York area and I’ve lived there my entire life. I worked in retail and taught high school English before I got my first book contract. I have gotten several additional book contracts since then, which is fortunate because I didn’t have the patience to work in retail and, while I quite enjoyed teaching, my approach was a bit too unconventional for most school systems. One school administrator told me that, “there are more important things than being a dynamic teacher.” Since I couldn’t name any of those things (at least in the context of school), I figured I didn’t have a long-term future in the profession. Hence, I became a writer, where I believe people appreciate a certain level of dynamism.

Though I started with nonfiction, I have always loved fiction and I have always wanted to write it. Since I can remember, I've had a particular affection for love stories. In fact, the very first book-length thing I ever wrote, when I was thirteen, was a love story. Mind you, it was the kind of love story that a thirteen-year-old boy would write, but it was a love story nonetheless. I have a deep passion for writing about relationships – family relationships, working relationships, friendships, and, of course, romantic relationships – and I can only truly explore this by writing fiction. These novels have given me a way to voice the millions of things running through my head.

My wife and kids are the center of my life. My wife is the inspiration for all of my love stories and my children enthrall me, challenge me, and keep me moving (and have served as the inspiration for several of the kids I've written about). One of the primary reasons I wrote my first novel, WHEN YOU WENT AWAY was that I wanted to write about being a father. Aside from my family, I have a few other burning passions. I’m a pop culture junkie with an especially strong interest in music, I love fine food (as well as any restaurant shaped like a hot dog), and I read far too many sports blogs for my own good.

Check out his website for more info!

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Check out the rest of the book blog tour too!
January 7: Review ~ Ruth @ My Devotional Thoughts

January 7: Review ~ Terri @ Writing And Other Ways Into The Heart….For Kids And Sometimes Adults Too 
January 15th: Interview ~ Jo @ Writers & Authors


Disclosure / Disclaimer: I received this book, free of charge, from Providence Book Promotions, 
for review purposes, on this blog. No other compensation, monetary or in kind, has been received or implied for this post. Nor was I told how to post about it.