Books and Things You should Eat.

I mentioned yesterday that I was reading The Ship Avenged, I've finished it now. I enjoyed it but it wasn't all Anne McAffery writing and it wasn't, in my opinion, as good as if she had written it on her own. It was still a good story however. I am not certain I read the book it was following so I will have to check that out. I have read a lot of brain ships stories and always enjoyed them. I own a few of them myself and have re-read once or twice. But then I have a lot of Anne McAffery's works in my library - in particular her books about the planet Pern and the Dragonriders. Her son is writing most of these today, they are good, but they don't have that touch of the original author somehow. I am now reading a book called The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. A futuristic book where the States has become Panam and the whole area is divided into 12 sectors, each sector having to submit two children, a girl and a boy, to the Capitol (in the Rockies) to take part in the Hunger Games which is a fight to the death for all the children except the final winner of course. I haven't read too much yet but it seems to be a pretty good tale. It was recommended by someone writing into yet another food ezine I receive. I will, of course, report on my final opinion. We watched a movie last night which we ended up turning off as it was getting a bit stupid - surprising because Robert Duval was in it and we usually enjoy movies in which he is playing. It was called The Handmaid's Tale. It may well have been edited to death as well as I couldn't figure out what some of the characters were doing there. This morning there were two guys on Good Morning America called Anahad O'Connor and Dave Liberman , who were talking about the 10 things you need to eat, there is a book, and they had Avocado Soup which Robyn Roberts tried and pronounced delicious. I have never previously heard of Avocado Soup but you can bet I will be trying this recipe. Avocados are so very good for you although they do contain a lot of fat - it may be healthy fat, but all fat can add weight. If you are interested in what else they recommended which included nuts, lentils and cabbage (good for breast cancer apparently) the link is at http://abcnews.go.com/gma Avocado Soup "The 10 Things You Need to Eat" by Anahad O'Connor and Dave Liberman Ingredients 1 large leek 3 tablespoons olive oil 3 medium celery stalks, roughly chopped 1 large onion, roughly chopped 2 bay leaves 1 quart chicken or vegetable stock 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin 1 large ripe Hass avocado, pitted, peeled, and mashed Juice of 1 lime Salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 small bunch of scallions, finely chopped 1 small bunch of cilantro, finely chopped Cooking Directions Trim the root end of the leek, cut off the tough green leaves, cut the leek in half lengthwise, and rinse well to remove any grit. Roughly chop the leek. Heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the leek, celery, and onion and cook for about 5 minutes, or until the vegetables soften. Add the bay leaves, stock, coriander, cumin, avocado, and lime juice and simmer for about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Ladle into bowls and serve topped with the chopped scallions and cilantro to taste. Yield: 8 servings Have a great day