Rosewood Reads #5

Our book club resumed in April and we covered three books. It was quite a session and since May is busy for several of our members we will resume in June. 

Here goes:

Born a Crime by Trevor Noah

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This novel gave us a peek at life in South Africa during apartheid. We saw the hardships Trevor Noah and his mother endured during and after apartheid. Laws were changing but many of the people’s attitudes towards non-white did not.

Trevor’s mother had strong religious faith and on Sundays their day was spent attending three churches. Many times they did not have a vehicle so they would have to take public transportation. In these situations they encountered unsavoury characters in which his mother would have to think quick on her feet to keep them safe. Her faith gave her the strength to deal with all the obstacles that arose, including coming close to her death.

Born a Crime was an eye-opening novel. We know Trevor Noah, the successful celebrity of today. It gave us renewed respect for him and what he had to endure through childhood to where he is today.

Why the title Born a Crime? Who is his father? What happened during his childhood? What happened to his mom? Read the novel to find the answers to these questions and many more you might have.


Triple Chocolate Cheesecake Murder by Joanne Fluke

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From the title we thought this would be an interesting read. We enjoy a good mystery and triple chocolate cheesecake! But to our surprise the book was written more like a play for lack of better description. There are constant conversations between the characters and recipes throughout the novel. We almost lost sight that there was a murder we were trying to solve. Yes, there was a murder…read the novel if you want to know who was murdered or enjoy baking and would like to add to your recipe collection. 

Just in case after reading the title you are feeling like baking a chocolate cheesecake, here is a link to a recipe I tried and it did not crack in the middle. Enjoy😋

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The BEST Chocolate Cheesecakebakewithzoha.com

The Maid by Nita Prose (Canadian Author)

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In this novel, we are welcomed to a fine boutique hotel with an interesting staff. The assumption has been made that it takes place in Toronto but never indicated in the novel. Molly the maid, at first appears quite plain and takes things literally. But not everything is as it appears, especially Molly. Everyone underestimates her, especially when she is accused of murdering a hotel guest. 

Would you like to meet the staff and find out what they are hiding? Who was the murdered guest? Did Molly, the maid do it? Read the novel and find out the answers to these and many more questions you probably have.

Several of us enjoyed this novel that it inspired us to read her next book, The Mystery Guest.  You learn more about Molly and several of the other staff members while solving another murder.


Our next read will be in June and it is The Serviceberry by Robin Kimmerer.

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Happy Reading!

Rosewood Reads #4

After a brief break we resumed in January. Our novel of choice was Proof, written by Beverley McLachlin (lawyer and judge). Our story takes us to Shaughnessy, British Columbia where we meet Jilly Truit, lawyer. She has a law firm, beautiful daughter and home. But everything is not idyllic.

Jilly had a rough start in life. Edith, her social worker since a child has been always there for her. Her life was finally coming together until her partner was shot and killed. A year later she was still trying to put the pieces together.

A case comes up that forces Jilly into action. A child has disappeared and the mother has been charged with her disappearance and murder.

Can Jilly unravel the mystery of the disappearance? Can she help the mother? Can she finally put her life together? Time for you to read the book and get the answers to these and many more questions.

Our next read for February will be Trevor Noah: Born a Crime.

Learning to Sow Seeds at the Elementary School

Last week a couple of our gardeners had the honour of sharing what they learned about seed sowing to a group of primary students at the local school.

We arrived early to fill containers with soil and distribute them to different tables. Working in pairs mostly, each group planted a different native, pollinator-friendly plant.

They have been learning about pollinator gardens for a while now, so they were very excited to sow some seeds today. Back in December, the students had collected enough single-use yogurt containers, pop bottles and clear clamshell packaging for today’s activity. We also brought extra seeds for them to attach to a worksheet we had prepared.

We introduced the importance of growing pollinator friendly gardens with a story, which P.L. read to the class.

A lovely work of art by our talented photographer, gardener and now resident artist, Priscilla Lee.

Outing to the Scarborough Philharmonic Orchestra

It was a lovely evening. The Scarborough Philharmonic Ochestra and the Bach Children’s Choir gave an outstanding performance of classical music, and beautiful renditions of classic Christmas carols. Scarborough has so much talent to offer, and it was a pleasure to support these talented artists today.

The orchestra was wonderful and the children’s choir sang like angels. Thankfully the conductor gave us a brief background about each piece they performed which made us appreciate it even more. Would do it again!

Rosewood Reads #3

We gathered in November to talk about “How to Age Dis-Gracefully” written by Clare Pooley. The novel was  a positive read to aging. Appreciating the characters’ resiliency to difficult circumstances and how the group came together to save the community centre. They did not let their age refrain them from a sense of adventure or facing situations head on, be it politicians or the police. We realize, no matter our age you are able to learn new things and still have a few tricks up your sleeve.

What difficult circumstances? What tricks up their sleeve? Time for you to read the book for yourself or listen to the audio version.

Our next read in January will be Proof written by Beverley McLachlin.

October Recipes to Celebrate the Fall Season

Don’t know what to prepare for dinner today? Let our Rosewood community help you out with recipes they enjoy preparing at home. Click on image to access instructions. All images belong to the original linked website creator and not Rosewood. Enjoy!

Butternut Squash Curry with Chickpeas
submitted by Ashifa
Spicy Salmon Sushi Bake
submitted by Zhen
Tandoori Chicken
submitted by Ashifa
Vegetable Pilau – great dish to go with chicken
submitted by Ashifa
Butternut Squash Soup
You may also add a granny smith apple for a sour and sweet flavour.
submitted by Zhen
Raspberry Marzipan Torte
submitted by Judy
full recipe below:

Judy’s Raspberry Marzipan Torte

1-1/3 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup raspberry jam

Blend dry ingredients in large bowl & cut in butter with egg(or pulse in food processor). Mix well and press into a 9 inch greased springform pan. raise the crust on the side of the pan.  Spread 1/4 cup jam over dough and refrigerate with plastic wrap until filling is prepared.

FILLING:
1/2 cup softened unsalted butter
2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp almond extract
1 cup blanched ground almonds

Cream butter and sugar. Add almonds and continue to beat. Add eggs one at a time and beat well together. Mix in almond extract. Pour mixture over dough and jam.  Bake at 350 for 50 min.  Check after 30 minutes of baking, if top is too brown reduce temperature to 325 degrees for the last 20 minutes. Cool in pan until lukewarm; remove sides and let cool completely.  Spread remaining jam over top. You may top with toasted sliced almonds .

Late Fall in a Pollinator Garden, Rosewood-edition

There’s nothing so rewarding about a pollinator garden as when we get to catch a glimpse of local bees and butterflies actually feeding from the flowers we’ve planted, watered and nurtured for the entire season.

As the growing season ends, our volunteer gardeners have been doing some mulching and weeding, but also collecting seeds for next spring. Here we are collecting seeds from some Joe Pye Weed, Stiff and Zig Zag Goldenrod, and some Bottle Brush Grass.

The Black-Eyed Susans are still flowering, lending a little bright yellow glow to this late autumn, Hunter’s Moon season.

Rosewood Reads #2

On October 17th Rosewood Reads got together to talk about Crosshairs written by James Patterson and James O. Born. Michael Bennett is a police detective with NYPD who has a very large family and a dad that is a “father”. This particular case forces him to collaborate with the FBI, which brings along more intrigue. The author deftly demonstrates the dark side of humanity and is able to bring in humour at appropriate times to alleviate the seriousness of the situation. A great mystery for your reading pleasure.

What do I mean about a very large family? Why father in quotes? Read for yourself or listen to the audio to discover the answer to these questions and much more.

Since our two first novels have been dark, we have decided to lighten the mood and read “How to Age Disgracefully” by Clare Pooley. A very humourous novel.