The Sunday Salon celebrates Thanksgiving & Chanukah!

Welcome to The Sunday Salon! It's that time of the week where all of us readers get together virtually and share our bookish thoughts! So find a comfy chair, grab a cup of joe and let's talk books!

Surprisingly this week we will be celebrating both Thanksgiving and the start of Chanukah! So, I thought we'd talk about a few books for both occasions. First though, let's talk about not the miracle of lights, but the miracle of Chanukah falling on Thanksgiving…

The first day of Chanukah starts at sunset on Wednesday November 27 the night before Thanksgiving, on November 28, 2013. Here is how this "miracle" came about as explained by Deborah Mitchel Serval writing for the Press Democrat: It turns out that it has never happened before . . . and it will never happen again. Thanksgiving is set as the fourth Thursday in November, meaning the latest it can be is November 28. November 27  is also the earliest Chanuakah can be. The Jewish calendar repeats on a 19 year cycle, and Thanksgiving repeats on a 7 year cycle. You would therefore expect them to coincide roughly every 19×7 = 133 years... But They won't because the Jewish calendar is very slowly getting out of sync with the solar calendar, at a rate of 4 days per 1000 years which means that while presently Chanukah can be as early as November 28, over the years the calendar will drift forward, such that the earliest Chanukah can be is November 29.

Interesting huh?! Well, Thanksgiving is usually a wonderful, and potentially stressful family event, so I've got a last minute Thanksgiving cookbook, that's a bargain price on Kindle today, and something to lighten up Thanksgiving for the kids, and entertain the adults. Chanukah is a wonderful family celebration also, and I have something fun for the kids and a wonderful children's book that can be read every year to celebrate the meaning of Chanukah...

Thanksgiving: How To Cook It Well by Sam Sifton… From one of America’s finest food writers, the former restaurant critic for The New York Times, comes a definitive, timeless guide to Thanksgiving dinner—preparing it, surviving it, and pulling it off in style. From the planning of the meal to the washing of the last plate, Thanksgiving poses more—and more vexing—problems for the home cook than any other holiday. In this smartly written, beautifully illustrated, recipe-filled book, Sam Sifton, the Times’s resident Thanksgiving expert, delivers a message of great comfort and solace: There is no need for fear. You can cook a great meal on Thanksgiving. You can have a great time. With simple, fool-proof recipes for classic Thanksgiving staples, as well as new takes on old standbys, this book will show you that the fourth Thursday of November does not have to be a day of kitchen stress and family drama, of dry stuffing and sad, cratered pies.

Last minute Thanksgiving planning? Help may be on the way with this little gem from former restaurant critic Sam Sifton. This has gotten some great reviews. And today this is a BARGAIN KINDLE book! It's only $1.99! I gave it a chance and downloaded it. Sam Soften takes you from beginning to end in a very organized way and gives you wonderful basic recipes. From equipment to cleanup, from picking up a turkey to how to brine it to what to do with the leftovers, and he covers the classic Thanksgiving desserts too. As the title says, How To Cook it Well, is what the author is going to help you do. You want to cook a turkey, he will take you through! Want to give it a try, here is the link for Thanksgiving: How to Cook It Well Kindle Edition!

Gobble Gobble Mad Libs and Hanukah Mad Libs by  Roger Price and Leonard Stern… Both these Mad Libs  features 21 original stories. Gobble Gobble Mad Libs is all about the yummiest holiday--Thanksgiving! Featuring hilarious stories about preparing and eating dinner, Thanksgiving traditions, and Black Friday shopping, it's sure to keep kids laughing for hours. Hanukah Mad Libs is all about the Festival of Lights! Our book features a ton of hilarious stories about lighting the menorah, spinning the dreidel, and much, much more!

Do you remember Mad Libs?! As a kid I use to love these! If you love words this is hilarious. Before the story, there is a list of words you must fill in randomly, such as a verb, adjective, noun, someone's name, etc. and then you take the list and fill in the blanks of the story.

"A Mad Lib is a funny, often ridiculous story created when you fill in the blanks with the part of speech that is requested."

Very entertaining for children who may become bored with Thanksgiving at the relatives, or a fun activity for the night of Chanukah! Both fun distractions for the adults! You can sample some Mad Libs at Its A Mad Libs World. And you should be able to pick up these or any number of fun Mad Lib theme books at your local bookstore for under $4.00 each. You can get Hanukah Mad Libs from Amazon for $2.52 at Hanukkah Mad Libs .

The Story of Hanukkah by David A. Adler… No celebration of Hanukkah would be complete without recountng the events of more than two thousand years ago that the holiday commemorates. In a simple yet dramatic text and vibrant paintings, the story of the courageous Maccabees and the miracle that took place in the Temple in Jerusalem is retold. For readers who want to continue the festivities, a recipe for latkes and directions for playing dreidel are included.

When I was looking for a nice children's book about the story of Chanukah last year, I found this book. It has beautiful illustrations and the story is well written. A great way to introduce your children to Chanukah, or even an adult! Here's a link to the Hardcover edition of The Story of Hanukkah .

The Week in Review… It was a slow week here due to my trying to get things done prior to surgery, but Memoir Monday returned with a blurb about A House in The Sky by Amanda Lindhout. Another girl going on an adventure with unfortunate results. From just reading an excerpt, I thought the writing was very good. Here's a link to Memoir Monday to check out the blurb from Monday, Nov. 18th.

The coming week will be a busy one with Chanukah on Wednesday night, followed by Thanksgiving the next day, putting up a Christmas tree soon after and lighting the menorah every night for the duration of Chanukah. Teaching my new husband about Chanukah has been fun, and having a Christmas tree is fun too.

I wish you and your families a wonderful Thanksgiving and if you celebrate Chanukah, I wish you a wonderful Holiday too! Hope you found something interesting to read here this week! How do you celebrate these Holidays? And do you read any Holiday themed books for the occasions?

Happy reading… Suzanne