So far, this is my favorite yarn to work with. Because it's so feathery, it leaves room for error. However, it is easy to accidentally make an increase using the knit right loop...So, be careful. I made this mistake. I started out with 29 stitches and ended with 31 (hence "Sloppy Scarf"). Also, it tends to stick to the crevices of your hand if it's even the slightest bit moist. But despite it's flaws, I *heart* how this stuff works up.

I will post more photos of the completed project when I can get to it. Right now I'm working on knitting a coin purse for my sister.

If I didn't incorporate the yam dessert from the previous night into my breakfast, I would have ended up chugging down a ton of it anyway, so I decided to have that stuff with my oats :D

Disappointingly, the yams didn't really bulk up the oats too much--but it could have been due to the fact that I had 0.25 cup oats and 0.25 cup mixed grains&other stuff [wheat berries, spelt berries [?], oats, wild&white&brown rice, millet, pearl barley, red&green beans..possibly some other stuff as well] instead of the usual 0.5 cup oats..

But it tasted so good! I mashed some yams into the oatmeal, and left some chunks on top for all-around yamminess :D

Sunday
Fruity

Had some random leftover fruits lying around in the fridge, so I took it upon myself to finish them!

A huge plum [mashed], cherries, and blueberries. Topped with sliced almonds and walnuts. Nice and normal :D I also mixed in two tablespoons of the cooked grains in with 0.5 cup oats that time--much better!

Post...something snack

Can't remember if I ran or yoga-ed that day...or I might not have done anything...

Blueberries and a surprise raisin bun! [It's a surprise 'cause the raisins were hidden inside the bun! So I didn't even know til I bit into it!]

Am off to read about the whole tie breaker dealio with the women's gymnastics last night! [I'm still happy for China though!]

Edamame, steamed vegetable gyoza, tamagoyaki, fresh pineapple and black plum.
Bento "box": just a basic Glad Take 'N' Toss container.

Nutritional Info (total bento):
Calories 423, Fat 16, Carbs 46, Protein 25

This is tomorrow's (8/19) lunch bento. I didn't really have to make it since I'm not going to work and can whip something together at home, but I wanted to have something to post here. It looks so yummy, I want to eat it now...but I hear the oven timer going off...Kashi pizza time!

Back from pizza, more about the bento....the edamame and gyoza are frozen, the tamagoyaki I made and added sesame seeds and five-spice powder. I went to the oriental market today and got all kinds of goodies. I just wish they sold bentos. Ah well...hopefully the ones I ordered from Ichiban Kan will be here soon.

We brought a large cooler with us that contained, among other things, the corn salad and what was left of the Costa Rican slaw that I made in Week 11, along with chicory, lettuce, cucumbers, radishes, carrots, red cabbage, green bell pepper, potatoes, and two tiny yellow squash, all left over from the previous week (or even earlier). We ate some of the salads for lunch on the Lake Champlain ferry.

Our first night in Lake Placid, my mother-in-law made the chicory, mushroom, and roasted pepper pasta dish from Greens, Glorious Greens and it was colorful and delicious. (Yes, we brought the cook book with us. If you're looking for it, look under escarole, not chicory.) While she cooked that, I made a colorful if odd salad of lettuce, radishes, yellow squash, green pepper, the largest cucumber, and some knife-shredded red cabbage leaves. It was a lot of food, even for four adults.

We went to the Keene Farmers Market on Sunday.   The highlight was a local dog-and-owner square dance troupe.    The dog and its owner were a couple, and the dogs had to be very, very good at accepting "stay" commands from each of the owners in the square, while lots of other interesting activity was going on, both human and canine. 

We were at the market with my in-laws, who were with us for the entire weekend.  Between all of us, we bought a dozen ears of corn, two zuchini and two yellow squash large enough to make burger-size slices to grill without falling through the slats, one incredible tomato, one bunch of beautiful rainbow chard, two pints of raspberries, a quart of mixed plums and Saturn peaches, and a dozen free-range eggs.

Everything about a free-range egg is sturdier than in a conventional store-bought egg - the shell is harder, the yolk is brighter and stands taller in the pan, even the whites are better, although I can't describe how.  It was $3 for the dozen and worth every penny!

We hadn't intended to buy peaches, because we get those around home (Boston area) often enough. Plums were more interesting, and we couldn't decide between the two varieties being sold. When we asked for a mixed quart, the farmer looked around for an empty quart container to fill for us. Not finding one, he picked up one that already had peaches in it. Instead of completely emptying it out before putting in plums, he left some peaches explaining that they're very sought-after, costing half again as much closer to New York City. (He lives much closer to New York City than to Lake Placid, but comes up to the Adirondacks to fish, and pays for gas by selling at the farmers market.) They're strange looking fruit, because the flesh makes a doughnut around the pit, with dimples on the top and bottom where the pit is shorter than the fruit. They were, in fact, tasty, but we liked the plums better.

We grilled the squash and zucchini, and ate leftovers all week. Leftover corn we cut off the cob and diluted the overly spicy corn salad that I'd made the week before. Leftover wine and mushrooms inspired a yummy chard side dish: we cooked the mushrooms in some olive oil until they started to release juices, then added minced garlic, then red wine. It all cooked together for a bit while the rest of supper heated. When everything else was nearly ready, coarsely chopped chard went in, and was pushed around until it all wilted. The mushrooms were purple from simmering in wine so long, but the colors of the chard stems still showed through.

We visited the Cornell Maple Research Station where we learned about the many ways they've found to increase yield and reduce energy needed. We bought a half gallon of dark (grade B) maple syrup while we were there.

When we got home again, we harvested a relatively-whopping 19 blackberries. More had ripened and then gone past during the week, so we left those for the birds.

Plum wines are lovely! A well made plum wine for me is one of the most delightful fruit wines to have.

The process of making a good plum wine can differ slightly from other types of fruit wines but when good care is taken, a great product is made.

Plum wines are commercially made in many countries and very popular in Japan, Korea and China where it has been made and enjoyed for over a 1000 years. In Japan, the most popular drink made with plums is called "Ume Shu" and made with unripe plums steeped in alcohol. We'll get more into that in a future entry.

With Plums now being in season in a lot of the Northern Hemisphere, it may be worth giving this wine a try.

Certain varieties of plums give fairly respectable wines. Those of red flesh or black or blue skins are the best to make a good wine with.

Plums are very rich in pectin; hence should not be heated, as the juice and wine then become too viscous. They ferment rapidly when crushed and inoculated with wine yeast. The Narbonne or “71-B” works best as it bring out the plum aroma quite well.

Owing to the high acidity of plums and their pulpy nature, they are best made into wine by the methods described in what follows:

Crushing

By setting the rolls of a grape crusher or apple grater far enough apart, the flesh of the plums is well crushed without breaking the seeds. The seeds should not be broken as the kernels may impart a bitter almond taste.

The plums can also be pitted and sliced by fruit pitter. Of course, there exists machinery for the commercial fruit processor and fruit winery but for the amateur winemaker, you may have no choice but to crush and de-pit the plums manually or with a small-scale grape crusher.

Addition of Water

Next, water is added. A rough guide is to add water to about equal in weight to the plums used. This can be added once you have measured the amount of plums used after de-pitting.

Fermenting the Crushed Plums

To the crushed plums and water mix, up to 80ppm of SO2. This will make sure that the wine is free of anything that can grow into spoilage organisms and give you problem issues later.

After well mixed, a strong and active yeast culture us added at the rate of 25g/100L or dried wine yeast, rehydrated in water and some of the plum juice.
The crushed plums should be stirred or the juice pumped over twice a day. Usually, 2 to 3 days' fermentation is sufficient to disintegrate the plums and liberate the color. They should then be pressed. They should not be left too long in the vat or there may be a chance of vinegar bacterial developing in the wine.

Pressing

The fermented plums are pressed in a basket wine press or rack and cloth apple press.

Addition of Sugar

The wine at this stage is too low in alcohol and sugar to give a palatable, stable wine; hence sugar must be added.

For a dry table wine, add to each 1L of juice about 17 grams of sugar, or about 153 lb. per 100 gal. Either cane sugar or dextrose (corn sugar) may be used. Be certain the sugar dis¬solves.

Continue the fermentation to completion in a covered tank or cask. From this point on, handle and age as normally done with other wines such as grape wines or even hard cider. Final adjustments of acid and residual sweetness will need to be done before final filtration. The alcohol yield will be about 12%.

Sweet Plum Wine

If desired, the fermented dry wine may be sweetened with sugar and fortified to 18 to 20 per cent alcohol with high proof brandy.

Or, by means of the sugared fermentation process, a non-forti¬fied sweet wine of high alcohol content, 17 to 19 per cent, can be made. This method was described in my last entry on making higher alcohol orange wines (August 12, 2008).

These wines are aged, filtered, etc., as directed for similar orange wines. Plum juice does not make very good Sherry so I would not recommend trying it.

If you would like more info on making this wine or have questions, do not hesitate to contact me!

Next blog entry will talk about plum liqueur, Ume Shu to be more exact. Stay tunes for all the details and a great recipe..

Happy Fruit Winemaking!

DOESN'T THIS SETTING LOOK SO MUCH NICER?!

Oatmeal #88: Chocolate Chips

I feel like I'm living in a hotel!

Anyway, this morning I celebrated with a huge bowl of oatmeal and chocolate chips. Because no party is complete without chocolate! :D

Oh Man. Cocoa has nothing on melty chocolate chips! Now I can never go back--ah!

Other stuff include: huge green grapes, goji berries, walnuts, soy milk, and bran flakes. No flax! But not enough room in my suitcase! I don't miss it that much though :D

Anyway, went on a 50 minute run an hour after breakfast! I can't believe I ran that long! Remember when I thought 20 minutes was a lot?! I feel quite awesome that I stuck with running for 3 months :D

After running, the celebration continues--with more chocolate!

Nutella & PB on white [!] toast and grapes on the side. How the HELL have I not tried this combo sooner?! As good as it was though, nutella = too sweet, I think next time I'll cut back by a half! Could hardly taste the peanut butter at all :( [but then again, this wasn't the all-natural kind, so it's tasteless in the first place anyway!]

Now that I'm all caught up on today, time to get caught up on the past two days!

Friday's breakfast [Aug 8]
Leftovers!

Most random combo ever 'cause I was trying to use up stuff :-P

Corn, adzuki beans, plum coconut, walnuts, and flax.Well, I guess it's not that random. On the side--coffee laced with vanilla extract--could hardly taste/smell it though!

Saturday's post-run snack:

Pears and mocha-cino muffin top!

Yesterday's snack of fridge items that need to be used up:

Exploded microwave egg [60 seconds = still too much!] and the last of the raspberries!

Lunch: polenta [and last of my ground flax]!!! Cooked risotto style...corn-sotto? :-P

Creamy and awesome! Only complaint was that I didn't make more! But I had to finish cleaning so no time!

I packed a dinner to eat at the airport--didn't end up eating til 7: 00 'cause there was no room to put backpacks under the seats! :(

Carrots & jam over a bed of frozen veggies & peas. Plus a fruit salad of one plum, peach, and pear!

SO EXCITED for lunch and dinner and for all the awesome food I'll be eating in the next two weeks! Will take pictures when I can!

Editorial Reviews

Editorial Reviews

Editorial Reviews

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Stephanie Plum, Trenton's favorite bondswoman, is having a career crisis, which gives Janet Evanovich plenty of opportunities to showcase her series heroine in a variety of alternative vocations, from dry cleaner to factory worker. Most of them don't last a full working day, which is good for the reader, since it plunges Stephanie back into the always seedy, often dangerous, and always colorful world of fugitives who'd rather flee than face their day in court. She may be tired of having her life threatened, her cars torched or blown up, and her apartment broken into, but one thing she can say about her job is that it's never boring... and neither is she. Despite her intentions of going straight at a job with a little more security and a bit less excitement, an old client won't let her--he keeps leaving her threatening notes, stalking and scaring her, and making sure she needs the protection of the two men in her life--Joe Morelli, the sexy cop who's been bedding her since high school, and Ranger, the even sexier tough guy who can take down the meanest fugitive around but has a tender spot in his heart for the plucky Ms. Plum. All Evanovich fans' favorite characters people this sprightly caper novel, including Lula, the fast-food-chomping former hooker who's hot to take over Stephanie's job but really belongs in a WWE Takedown; Grandma Mazur, who'd rather go to a wake than a fancy-dress ball; Grandma Bella, the matriarch of the Morelli family whose evil eye frightens even the indomitable Stephanie; and Valerie, Stephanie's sister, who's about to embark on another trip to the altar. A great beach read, Eleven on Top is a guilty pleasure that will delight readers of the author's 10 earlier novels and should win her even more fans. --Jane Adams

Amazon.com Exclusive Content

Amazon.com's Significant Seven
Janet Evanovich kindly agreed to take the life quiz we like to give to all our authors: the Amazon.com Significant Seven.
Q: What book has had the most significant impact on your life?
A: Uncle Scrooge adventures by Carl Barks. They gave me a lifelong love of the adventure story both in film and literature. And I wouldn't mind pushing my quarters around with a bulldozer in real life, either.

Q: You are stranded on a desert island with only one book, one CD, and one DVD--what are they?
A: Book: The Neiman Marcus holiday catalog (I can pretend I'm shopping.)
CD: MTV’s Grind, Volume 1 (Happy music and I love the samba.)
DVD: Shrek 2 (Happy movie.)

Q: What is the worst lie you've ever told?
A: "No. Your butt doesn't look big in those pants." Said to myself.

Q: Describe the perfect writing environment.
A: No phone. Locked door. Room service. Silence. My cat (Gus) on my lap.

Q: If you could write your own epitaph, what would it say?
A: "Later, Dudes!"

Q: Who is the one person living or dead that you would like to have dinner with?
A: Jim Henson (creator of the Muppets)

Q: If you could have one superpower, what would it be?
A: The ability to eat Cheez Doodles and Krispy Kremes and never get fat.

 
The Stephanie Plum Series

One for the Money	Two for the Dough	Three to Get Deadly
Four to Score	High Five	Hot Six

See the entire Stephanie Plum series.

From Publishers Weekly
New Jersey bounty hunter Stephanie Plum (last seen in 2004's Ten Big Ones) stumbles out of the gate due to some forced humor, but she eventually hits her usual entertaining stride in a tale that includes exploding cars, volatile wedding preparations and heated romantic entanglements. Stephanie decides to quit her job and seek less dangerous work after receiving a couple of disquieting notes. But the notes turn to threats and attacks, and she learns that her ineptitude is not confined to bounty hunting but transfers well to a succession of low-paying, sometimes humiliating jobs. After taking on Stephanie's previous duties, sidekick Lula naturally calls on Stephanie to lend a hand so that her bounty hunting travails continue unabated. Foul-mouthed Lula proves to have some pretty brutal ideas about how to bring 'em back. Bestseller Evanovich may be performing the same tricks over and over at this point in the series (the bumbling sleuth act, sexual-tension jokes, etc.), but most readers will find this a pleasing romp.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From AudioFile
Another hilarious edge-of-the-seat, action-packed caper of Stephanie Plum, bounty hunter. This time Plum has had enough of the exploding cars and death threats associated with her job. But as she tries her hand at ridiculous menial jobs, she's still being stalked by a killer of cunning disguise and deceit. Lorelei King gives Plum a plaintive attitude of "why is this happening to me again?" King also offers up a varied, authentic cast of supporting characters, including Plum's two macho love interests, sexy bounty hunter Ranger and ever-faithful cop Morelli. Best of all, Plum's Grandma Mazur and feisty Grandma Bella, with accents and age intact, deliver laugh-out-loud moments. There's not a false step--or voice--in this eleventh Plum mystery. An irresistible bonus: King interviews Evanovich. M.T.B. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

From Booklist
*Starred Review* It's wonderful to watch both a beloved character and a cherished author grow, and both Stephanie Plum and Evanovich do not disappoint. Stephanie no longer wants to work for her cousin Vinnie, the bail bondsman in the Burg, a section of Trenton, New Jersey. Her first three tries at new gainful employment --the button factory, the local dry cleaner, and the infamous Cluck in a Bucket fast-food joint--engender firebombings, exploding cars, and even the death of a local everyone is way too happy to see go. Meanwhile, several local businessmen have disappeared, and a lowlife Stephanie has known since high school is leaving lurid and scary notes in her apartment. Although brimming with lines that will have readers howling with laughter, this installment also allows flashes of insight into the men in Stephanie's life, Morelli the cop and Ranger the bounty hunter, as well as into Stephanie herself and her (over)extended family. It's hard not to love a tale where Grandma Mazur, Stephanie's mother, and Stephanie have a food fight with the remains of her sister Valerie's (unused) wedding cake. The spectacular denouement indicts a long-running member of the cast of the Burg and allows Stephanie and her faithful readers to savor her ambivalence to the max. GraceAnne DeCandido
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Description

#1 New York Times

#1 Wall Street Journal

#1 Los Angeles Times

#1 Entertainment Weekly

#1 Publishers Weekly

 

Stephanie Plum is thinking her career as a fugitive apprehension agent has run its course. She’s been shot at, spat at, cussed at, fire-bombed, mooned, and attacked by dogs. Time for a change, Stephanie thinks. Time to find the kind of job her mother can tell her friends about without making the sign of the cross.

 

So Stephanie Plum quits. Resigns. No looking back. No changing her mind. She wants something safe and normal. As it turns out, jobs that are safe and normal for most people aren’t necessarily safe and normal for Stephanie Plum. Trouble follows her, and the kind of trouble she had at the bail bonds office can’t compare to the kind of trouble she finds herself facing now. Her past has come back to haunt her. She’s stalked by a maniac returned from the grave for the sole purpose of putting her into a burial plot of her own. He’s killed before, and he’ll kill again if given the chance. Caught between staying far away from the bounty hunter business and staying alive, Stephanie reexamines her life and the possibility that being a bounty hunter is the solution rather than the problem. After disturbingly brief careers at the button factory, Kan Klean Dry Cleaners, and Cluck-in-a-Bucket, Stephanie takes an office position in security, working for Ranger, the sexiest, baddest bounty hunter and businessman on two continents. It might not be the job she’ll keep for the rest of her life, but for now it gives her the technical access she needs to find her stalker. Tempers and temperatures rise as competition ratchets up between the two men in her life---her on-again, off-again boyfriend, tough Trenton cop Joe Morelli, and her bad-ass boss, Ranger. Can Stephanie Plum take the heat? Can you?

 

Between the adventure and the adversity there’s attitude, and Stephanie Plum’s got plenty in her newest misadventure, Eleven on Top.

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
"I think of myself more as an entertainer than as a writer," Evanovich says in a bonus interview at the end of this audiobook, and indeed, her latest offering (following To The Nines) will leave listeners with little doubt that she is a master of screwball comedy. At the start of this adventure, bumbling New Jersey bounty hunter Stephanie Plum and her sassy sidekick, Lula, witness a gang member known as the Red Devil rob a convenience store and attempt to bomb it with a Molotov cocktail, which hits Stephanie's car instead. Stephanie gets a good look at the Red Devil, making her a key witness and a target for a nasty gang called the Slayers. Her sometime boyfriend, vice cop Joe Morelli, insists she stay home and out of danger, but Stephanie would rather be bringing in two-bit criminals than lying low. Narrator King steps neatly into Stephanie's shoes, her agile voice conveying not only Stephanie's fear and frustration, but her plaintive, why-does-this-always-happen-to-me attitude. King also nails the manly, mysterious voice of gorgeous bounty hunter Ranger, Stephanie's sometime superhero. Although the high-pitched voice King gives Stephanie's adventure-loving grandmother may grate on some listeners nerves, her vocal stylings are generally as superb as Evanovich's zany characterizations.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.

From AudioFile
New Jersey bond enforcement agent Stephanie Plum's tenth outing gets an adequate, if uncompelling, performance by Lorelei King. She does well enough with the supporting players but is wrong for Steph herself--not young-sounding enough, not Jersey enough, and not emotional enough. Even in the midst of carnage, she sounds like an executive briefing the board. In the abridged format the story, in which Steph is targeted for killing by a Trenton gang because she can ID a robber/arsonist member, is thin and abrupt even for this series. All that said, King's portrayal of the regulars, the over-the-top humor, and Steph's continued flirtation with Ranger and affair with Morelli should keep fans listening. W.M. © AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

From Booklist
Although the strain of keeping her formula fresh and funny shows a bit in this latest adventure of New Jersey's most unusual bond enforcement agent, Stephanie Plum, there's still enough to entertain readers hooked on the wacky, wildly popular series. Plenty of familiar characters and running gags are here: Lula and Grandma Mazur are as comical as ever, and Stephanie still can't hang on to handcuffs and cars or decide between the two men in her life--sexy cop Joe Morelli and scary Ranger, who is hot, hot, hot. This time, though, the tale starts quickly (Stephanie pegs a convenience-store robber as a member of a vicious Trenton gang, then becomes a target on a hit list) but seems swamped by more than the usual absurdities. Fortunately, a dynamite finish--unexpected and very funny--saves the day for both Stef and her fans. Also on the plus side this time are some extraordinary new, hope-to-see-again additions to the roster[...] Not the high mark of an outstanding series, then, but still good fun for the legions of devotees. Stephanie Zvirin
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

USA Today
"If you prefer your protagonists with big hair and based in Jersey then Stephanie Plum is your crime solver of_choice." --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Description

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

About the Author

Editorial Reviews

From AudioFile
Evanovich once again delivers an entertaining mystery in the blunt, wisecracking voice of working-class New Jersey bounty hunter Stephanie Plum. Unfortunately, Lorelei King's interpretation makes Plum sound smooth, seductive, and upper crust. Fortunately, the writing--funny and compelling--will reward readers able to listen past the off-key narration. Cousin Vinnie, a bail-bondsman, sends Plum in search of a missing immigrant, but the tables are turned when sedative-laced darts, mysteriously delivered flowers, and creepy email messages make it clear that Plum has become the prey in a strange, deadly game. Lust, love, and family dysfunction break up the steadily intensifying tension with humor. TO THE NINES deserves a more suitable reader. E.S. © AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.

From Booklist
*Starred Review* Stephanie Plum is a Jersey Girl, a bounty hunter, and a resident of a part of Trenton where you can still go to Mom's for dinner and your cop boyfriend Morelli's grandmother has visions that include you in a coffin. Stephanie is on the trail of an Indian contract worker named Singh who disappeared when his visa was up. When she interviews a McDonald's employee who knew him, he's shot as she stands there. Then rose-and-carnation bouquets with very sinister notes start appearing in Stephanie's apartment and in her e-mail, and a few more bodies turn up with bullet holes. Meanwhile, Stephanie's sister, Valerie, is about to give birth; her sidekick, Lula, goes on the loudest diet ever written; and a trip to Vegas--yes, it's business--involves both Elvis and Tom Jones impersonators. Evanovich, and Stephanie, are at the top of their form here: laugh-out loud moments jostle with sticky, visceral terror; Stephanie's mentor, Ranger, and Morelli don't so much vie for her favors as bestow them in turn. Ever smarter, funnier, sexier, scarier. GraceAnne DeCandido
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

Review
"Evanovich's many fans will be more than happy with their latest serving of Stephanie Plum who just happens to have more laughs, more sizzling sexual tension, and more nonstop zany adventure than anybody else around."-Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Evanovich and Stephanie are at the top of their form here: laugh-out loud moments jostle with sticky, visceral terror...ever smarter, sexier, scarier."-Booklist (starred review)

"It didn't matter diddly if you haven't read Nos. 1 through 8 of the Plum saga. Start right here, right now. This is the best of the bunch...it's pure Evanovich."-The State (Columbia, SC)

"Evanovich comes up a winner with the funny, fast-paced To the Nines, which has more plot than some of its predecessors...[its]subplots don't detract from the main premise-keeping Stephanie Plum alive, well and more than ready for her next outing. Us too."-Orlando Sentinel

"To the Nines may be the edgiest of the Stephanie Plum books...Evanovich is brilliantly evocative...she has a genius for almost palpably recreating low-rent scenery like [the] description of the Indian man's industrial-park workplace...these miniatures...and the sizzling sex scenes strike such a wonderfully Hitchcock-like implicitness [and] are what make the Stephanie Plum books such a treat for sore eyes."-Denver Post

"The fun is right on target in the 10th Stephanie Plum adventure, To the Nines...Evanovich returns year after year with one of the genre's most recognizable and irresistible heroines, and in this year's addition, shows she has what it takes to stay on top."-Houston Chronicle

"Continues Evanovich's standards for over-the-top situations...an enjoyable read, with many laugh-out-loud situations...the 'apprehension' that begins To the Nines is the kind of lowbrow comedy that Evanovich has made into an art...longtime fans won't be disappointed."
-Las Vegas Review Journal

"Few characters in modern mystery fiction are better loved than Janet Evanovich's...the Stephanie Plum novels are all about characters...and their strange and wonderful interactions. Longtime Evanovich readers cite humor and sense of family among the reasons for reading her books, and I concur wholeheartedly."-Bookpage

"The appeal of Janet Evanovich's popular creation is that she's not much better than the average Jersey girl would be at nabbing criminals...the charms of Evanovich's writing have less to do with intricate plotting than with the characters in Stephanie's working-class neighborhood and her glamour-free job apprehending bail jumpers."-Entertainment Weekly

Product Description

From the Inside Flap

From the Back Cover

About the Author

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
The menace is more personal for Trenton's favorite bounty hunter and the energy more manic in this latest outing than in last year's Seven Up. As a favor to her mother's next-door neighbor, Mabel Markowitz, Stephanie agrees to check up on the lady's granddaughter, Evelyn Soder, who has suddenly taken off with her little girl, Annie, leaving behind a child custody bond against Mabel's house. The son-in-law is a bad guy who lost his bar to Eddie Abruzzi, a very nasty character who owns evelyn's building. Soon someone in a bunny suit is trailing Stephanie, her car is blown up, her apartment infiltrated and a dead body appears on her couch. She calls in her associate, Ranger, the gorgeous and mysterious Cuban bond agent, while her sometime boyfriend, Morelli the cop, also gets on the case - a real doozy for which she's not getting paid. On the home front, ever-raunchy Grandma Mazur is eager to assist. Sister Valerie and kids have moved back in as well, so there's nowhere but the couch for Stephanie and one bathroom for all. Valerie is inexplicably attracted to Evelyn's goofy lawyer, who's been tagging along with Stephanie and the ever-outrageous file clerk and ex-hooker Lula, further complicating this twisted case. Life in the Burg takes on a sinister turn with serious results. Evanovich does it again, delivering an even more suspenseful and more outrageous turn with the unstoppable Stephanie, heroine of all those who have to live on peanut butter until the next check comes through. Waiting for nine will be tough.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Library Journal
Evanovich has certainly come a long way since One for the Money; her latest Stephanie Plum mystery merits a one-day national laydown on June 18. Here, Plum looks for a missing child while trying to keep her love life from getting out of hand.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From AudioFile
The Stephanie Plum novels feel as if the world of Patricia Cornwell has been invaded by Bridget Jones, and I mean that as the highest possible compliment. Here bail bondswoman (read bounty hunter) Stephanie Plum is trying in her usual inept way to track down the normal (read dislikable going on poisonous) bail jumpers with her irresistible sidekick, Lula, a large black former hooker. When Plum undertakes, as a favor, to try to find a missing child, she gets crosswise with an ugly character called Eddie Abruzzi. Lorelei King excels at a cross- section of working-class New Jersey eccentrics as broad as the trunk of a redwood. Thoroughly entertaining. B.G. © AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

From Booklist
(*Starred Review*) Stephanie Plum lives not far from herparents in a Trenton, New Jersey, neighborhood called the Burg. Thingshaven't changed much there since the '50s, despite cell phones andcomputers and the fact that Stephanie works as a bountyhunter. Stephanie still eats her mom's macaroni and cheese forcomfort, and Mom's is where her sister Valerie went when hermarriage blew up. It's a little darker for our heroine now. She's kindof broken up with Morelli, the gorgeous cop; she's still wary ofRanger, her guide in bounty hunting, who is composed of equal partsmagic and darkness; and an eerie, scary bad guy named Abruzzi isputting snakes in her apartment and spiders in her car, when hisminions aren't blowing it up. Steph is trying to find the missingdaughter and granddaughter of her mom's next-door neighbor, andAbruzzi doesn't like that. The things Evanovich does so well--familyangst, sweet eroticism, stealth shopping, that stunning mix of terrorand hilarity--are done better than ever here. This one not only allowsSteph some inchoate but graceful complexity but also gives splendidcameos to both her mom and Valerie (the moving automobile as weaponhas rarely been employed more outrageously--twice). And Grandma Mazurin the doughnut shop parking lot--well, you won't believeit. GraceAnne DeCandido
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

People Magazine
"a hilarious and frenetic detective romp...the girl mercenary is as fresh as ever." --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

Review
"Keeps up Evanovich's standards for over-the-top situations" -Chicago Tribune

"[A] must read...readers will want to finish this delightful work in one sitting."--Midwest Book Review

"Offers the best action yet."-Newark Star-Ledger

"The girl mercenary is as fresh as ever." -People

"Hard Eight is most emphatically not Raymond Chandler but, like his work, a piece of finely crafted prose." -San Francisco Chronicle

"Plum is one of fiction's most irresistible heroines."-Seattle Post Intelligencer

"Evanovich has certainly come a long way since One for the Money; her latest Stephanie Plum mystery merits a one-day national laydown on June 18."--Library Journal

"Well plotted and cleverly resolved...her wickedly funny characterizations and the intriguing love triangle are what keep her readers coming back for more."-Bookpage

"As close to summer escapism as you can get. Evanovich hits a high note with her newest...a great addition to a well-stocked beach bag."-Houston Chronicle

"A perfect summer vacation book...promises fun, laughter, and unforgettable characters...Evanovich delivers."-Tennessean (Nashville, TN)

"Thrills mixed with lust, seasoned with humor: a delightful escape."-News & Record (Greensboro, NC)

"Evanovich produces more than "beach reading". She writes rollicking, raunchy, hysterical fiction that is so real, you will laugh out loud and want to visit the Burg."-Rockwall County News

"Just when you think the adventures of Plum and company can't get any funnier or more convoluted, Janet Evanovich proves you wrong-nobody does it better!" -Romantic Times

Product Description

From the Inside Flap

From the Back Cover

About the Author

Editorial Reviews

I did look good in the gown. I looked like Scarlett O' Hara getting ready for a big wedding at Tara. I moved around a little to simulate dancing."Jump up and down so we can see how it'll look when you do the bunny hop," Grandma said.

"It's pretty but I don't want a gown," I said.

"I can order one in her size at no obligation," Tina said.

"No obligation," Grandma said. "You can't beat that."

"As long as there's no obligation," my mother said.

I needed chocolate. A lot of chocolate. "Oh gee," I said, "look at the time. I need to go."

To complicate matters further, Stephanie's made a reluctant deal with the devil: if she can't bring in DeChooch by herself, her sexy but dangerous cohort Ranger is willing to help--for a price that a girl who's not-exactly-engaged is uncertain whether she should pay. But when Dougie and Mooner disappear, Grandma is kidnapped, and a crazy widow starts taking pot shots, no one who hides her .38 in a cookie jar is going to turn down a little friendly assistance.

In Seven Up, Janet Evanovich serves up her usual bubbly fare: a totaled car, raucous viewings at Stiva's Funeral Parlor, buffoonish bad guys, and down-and-dirty mud wrestling, all stirred up with some snappy Jersey repartee and a few tart, new twists that will keep her fans impatient. Heaven can't wait for number eight. --Barrie Trinkle --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Publishers Weekly
It's always a treat to go out on a case with Stephanie Plum, the sassy, adventurous, but not always successful Trenton, N.J., bounty hunter. In her seventh outing (after 2000's Hot Six), Stephanie's employer, her bailbondsman cousin, Vinnie, gives her an easy job: pick up vicious senior citizen Eddie DeChooch, who is constantly sighted racing around Trenton in a borrowed white Cadillac, but whom no one can grab. The usual characters inhabit the novel: Steph's former high school buddies, the zonked-out Dougie and Mooner; and Evanovich's best creation, feisty Grandma Mazur. Stephanie's much-resented sister Valerie returns from California with her two daughters, her "perfect" marriage ended, and moves in with her parents, to their dismay. At times the plot meanders: Stephanie and pal Lula spend too much time running from house to house in the inbred Burg neighborhood, while two semi-retired crooks looking for DeChooch keep breaking into her apartment for little reason. All in all this is another zesty Evanovich read, but one that doesn't quite hit the high marks of her last two.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal
Fans of Trenton, NJ, bounty hunter Stephanie Plum will find much to enjoy in this, her seventh outing. As usual, she is on the trail of some weird people who've not appeared in court, including a senior citizen involved with contraband cigarettes and a previously meek man who trashes his ex's wedding in some imaginative ways. Involved in all this is Joe Morelli, Trenton cop and Stephanie's lover, who's stressing her out by proposing; her grandmother; Lola, the former hooker who now works with Stephanie; and her sister, who's flown in from L.A. after her husband leaves her. Evanovich makes all this not only credible but funny and exciting to boot. Narrator Tanya Eby is able to make Stephanie and those who inhabit her world real, vital, quirky, and just as lively as Evanovich writes them. The vocalizations are appropriately urban, and her rendering of Grandma Mazur-catching the wavery quality of some elderly voices-is especially impressive. Recommended.
Melody A. Moxley, Rowan P.L., Salisbury, NC
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"A clever cast of good-hearted hoods and nutty family members rival The Sopranos."--People

"If you like your summer reads hot and sassy, try Seven Up."--Boston Herald

"Evanovich is the crown princess of detective fiction . . . Seven Up is brassy, comical, and light-hearted."--Bookpage

"[Seven Up] is funny, sexy, and scary."--Booklist

"Edgy romantic triangle, the loopy family relationships, or the bounty-hunting jobs that skate between absurdity and genuine tension."--Denver Post

"Expect a laugh per page . . . Bottom line: Plum Pick."--People

People Magazine
"Expect a laugh per page...a clever cast of good-hearted hoods and nutty family members to rival The Sopranos...Bottomline: Plum Pick." --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

New York Times Book Review
"Janet Evanovich's madcap comic mystery is pure, classic farce--Jersey Girl style." --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review
"A madcap comic mystery--Jersey-girl style."--the New York Times

"A clever cast of good-hearted hoods and nutty family members rival The Sopranos."--People

"If you like your summer reads hot and sassy, try Seven Up."--Boston Herald

"Evanovich is the crown princess of detective fiction . . . Seven Up is brassy, comical, and light-hearted."--Bookpage

"[Seven Up] is funny, sexy, and scary."--Booklist

"Edgy romantic triangle, the loopy family relationships, or the bounty-hunting jobs that skate between absurdity and genuine tension."--Denver Post

"Expect a laugh per page . . . Bottom line: Plum Pick."--People

Product Description

#1 New York Times
#1 Wall Street Journal
#1 Entertainment Weekly
#1 Publishers Weekly
#1 Booksense
#1 Los Angeles Times

BLOWN UP
All New Jersey bounty hunter Stephanie Plum has to do is bring in semi-retired bail jumper Eddie DeChooch. For an old man he's still got a knack for slipping out of sight--and raising hell. How else can Stephanie explain the bullet-riddled corpse in Eddie's garden? Who else would have a clue as to why two of Stephanie's friends suddenly vanished? For answers Stephanie has the devil to pay: her mentor, Ranger. The deal? He'll give Stephanie all the help she needs--if she gives him everything he wants . . .

MESSED UP
As if things weren't complicated enough, Stephanie's just discovered her Grandma Mazur's own unmentionable alliance with Eddie. Add a series of unnerving break-ins, not to mention the bombshell revelation leveled by Stephanie's estranged sister, and Stephanie's ready for some good news. Unfortunately, a marriage proposal from Joe Morelli, the love of her life, isn't quite cutting it. And now--murder, a randy paramour, a wily mobster, death threats, extortion, and a triplie kidnapping aside--Stephanie's really got the urge to run for her life . . .
SEVEN UP

Inside Flap Copy
The smash-hit #1 bestselling author takes you on the ride of your life in the 7th Stephanie Plum adventure.

Stephanie Plum has problems. Grandma Mazur's gambling partner, Eddie Dachooch, was found toes-up on his kitchen floor, dead from a shotgun blast. But when Grandma goes to the viewing, shoe doesn't recognize the man in the casket. She drags Stephanie along to find the missing dead body. But Stephanie's mind is on other matters because she has two proposals to consider: vice cop Joe Morelli is proposing marriage, and fellow bounty hunter Ranger is proposing a single perfect night...The seventh Stephanie Plum novel drops Stephanie into a smorgasbord of murder, kidnapping, and extortion as well as a sensuouse buffet of fast cars, fast men, and fast food. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

About the Author

Editorial Reviews

Truth is, I didn't for a minute think she'd jump. For one thing, she was wearing a four-hundred-dollar jacket from Wilson Leather. You just don't jump off a bridge in a four-hundred-dollar jacket. It isn't done. The jacket would get ruined. Carol was from the Chambersburg section of Trenton, just like me, and in the Burg you gave the jacket to your sister, then you jumped off the bridge.

When Stephanie finally talks Carol down and makes it in to work at Vincent Plum Bail Bonds, it's only to find that her libido-boosting pal Ranger, the professional bounty hunter and sometime hit man, has disappeared. A building owned by black-market arms dealer Alexander Ramos has burned down, with Ramos's son Homer lying inside, dead from a gunshot wound. Ranger, who was caught on film there by video cameras, is wanted for questioning. Stephanie's boss Vinnie wants her to find him, but Stephanie, who knows she won't find Ranger if he doesn't want to be found, refuses. Soon everyone, from her cop boyfriend Joe Morelli to the two Laurel and Hardy wannabes who suddenly start following her around Trenton in a badass black Lincoln, thinks she's hot on Ranger's trail.And Stephanie's got other things to worry about. For one thing, Grandma Mazur's moved in with her, and so has Bob, a golden retriever who's only partly house trained. Then Ranger starts popping up at odd times of the night, with instructions for Stephanie to keep an eye on another Ramos son, Hannibal. Add to that one homicidal maniac, a couple more dead bodies, Stephanie's usual bad car karma, and the zit from hell, and you've got yourself one fine Stephanie Plum adventure. Will Stephanie triumph? You can bet a jelly doughnut on it. And there's another great cliffhanger waiting at the end. --Barrie Trinkle --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Publishers Weekly
Sexy, smart-talking New Jersey bounty hunter Stephanie Plum returns for her sixth wildly amusing mystery (after 1999's High Five). Determination and contacts (she's grown up with half the cops and crooks in Trenton) compensate for Steph's poor aim with a gun, bad luck with cars and soft-hearted approach to her job (one bail jumper evades her four times). The police are after her mentor, the mysterious Ranger, wanted for killing drug and gun dealer Homer Ramos. Claiming he's innocent, Ranger persuades Steph to help him keep an eye on the Ramos clan. Steph teams up with her lover, vice cop Joe Morelli, then strikes out on her own when she realizes neither Joe nor Ranger will share information with her. When Mafia thugs get involved, she barely avoids kidnapping and torture. Meanwhile, there's her love life to deal with. Can she be physically attracted to Ranger and be in love with Joe? Evanovich spins all these threads, plus more, into a lunatic tapestry of nonstop action peopled by wacky characters straight out of a 1930s screwball comedy: Steph's Grandma Mazur, 80 years old, with the world view of a teenage punk; Mooner and Dougie, two lovable but zonked-out stolen goods dealers who have a closeout sale before going to jail; Habib and Mitchell, mobsters who follow Steph when Mitchell's wife doesn't need the car for kids' soccer games; and Steph's co-worker and pal, Lula, a gun-toting ex-prostitute always ready for an adventure. Evanovich just keeps getting better. (June)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Library Journal
Fans of Stephanie Plum Jersey girl and bounty hunter will be happy to find out just whom Stephanie spent the night with, as it was left to one's imagination at the end of the preceding book, High Five. In this adventure, Stephanie learns that her friend and mentor, Carlos "Ranger" Manoso, is being sought for murder. Can Ranger be guilty? Stephanie helps to chase down a murderer and contend with two inept thugs, not to mention her growing attraction to one of the men in her life. Our heroine meets with the usual car-related misfortunes how many cars has this lady had destroyed? and the usual cast of colorful characters. The action is fast, and the dialog is sharp and flavored with Evanovich's broad humor. There's plenty of sexual banter and suspense to carry the listener along. C.J. Critt does a good job of giving each character a distinct personality; her voice paints pictures. Those who want an action-packed mystery laced with some steamy romance will love this audio. It's pure fun to enter Stephanie's universe, and who can't use an escape now and then? Go ahead, six is your lucky number. Nancy Paul, Brandon P.L., WI
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

The New York Times Book Review, Marilyn Stasio
Luckily for Stephanie, the inventive mind that got her into this giddy mess is clever enough to dig her out of it. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From AudioFile
Combine sexy with a sharp wit and good looks, and you get bounty hunter Stephanie Plum. When Plum is asked to bring in her friend Ranger because he skipped out on bail, she feels torn between doing her job and protecting her former mentor. Debi Mazar's clear narration characterizes Plum with a husky voice and quirky mannerisms. Plum's subtle New York accent is nicely layered into her character. The supporting cast includes cop Joe Morelli, Plum's grandmother, a surprise houseguest, and snitches Dealer, Doogie, Hannibal, Ramos, and Mooner, who are characterized by spirited street language. Rhythmic jazz signals story breaks and CD endings in this entertaining mystery. G.D.W. © AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

From Booklist
If you were angry with Evanovich at the end of High Five, when she coyly didn't tell us which of Stephanie Plum's two studmuffins the Jersey Girl-bounty hunter called for a tryst, you'll soon forgive her. We find out Stephanie's amour of choice right away, but there's new action: Latino bounty hunter Ranger has gone missing, a suspect in a murder himself. Meanwhile, Stephanie's relationship with Joe Morelli, Trenton cop extraordinaire, is definitely compromised when her Grandma Mazur moves in with her. (To say nothing of the dog, whose name is Bob.) There's gangsters and gunrunners and all that, but what keeps Evanovich readers screaming for more are her sizzling erotic moments (a jacket dropping to the floor can raise the temperature several degrees) and her gift of making the grittiest and most terrifying of situations hilarious. Stephanie talks a friend down from a bridge, invades a Star Trek marathon, loses the requisite number of cars by misadventure, and--a personal favorite--captures a wife-killer out on bail while he's naked and soapy in the shower. And at the end, when Morelli's mother and grandmother halt 300 pages of foreplay interruptus by appearing at his door and asking where the ring is, even Stephanie finds herself looking at her hand in disbelief. Wow! Can't wait for the next one. GraceAnne A. DeCandido
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

Review
"Steph and company make for another helping of energetic entertainment--a savory Plum pudding for her growing army of fans." (Kirkus Reviews)

"A lunatic tapestry of nonstop action peopled by wacky characters straight out of a 1930s screwball comedy...Evanovich just keeps getting better." (Publisher's Weekly)

Product Description

About the Author

Editorial Reviews

In this fifth entry in Janet Evanovich's increasingly popular series, Stephanie's problems are many and varied. She's not making enough money picking up FTAs (Failures to Appear) for her cousin Vinnie, of Vincent Plum Bail Bonds; her red-hot love affair with Detective Joe Morelli has cooled off; and her giant extended family is no help at all. For instance, Uncle Fred the cheapskate has disappeared, leaving behind some suspicious photographs of body parts in garbage bags and links to some really dangerous people.

When Stephanie turns to her friend and mentor, Ranger, for financial advice, he gets her involved in a gang of toughs doing instant evictions for landlords. (She complains to Ranger about the job and its dangers, prompting one of the hired thug to say, "Man, you don't like to get shot. You don't like to get arrested. You don't know how to have fun at all.")

Most of Stephanie's charm, of course, comes from her attitude--a combination of the brazen bravado that turns a failed lingerie model into a bounty hunter in the first place and the normal fears of a person in over her head.

Other Plums in paperback, by the numbers: One for the Money, Two for the Dough, Three to Get Deadly, and Four to Score. --Dick Adler --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Publishers Weekly
Fans of Evanovich's tales of the adventures of Stephanie Plum (Four to Score, etc.), Jersey girl and bounty hunter extraordinaire, have been eagerly anticipating this next installment in the popular series. The good news is that the novel is just as wacky and over the top as its predecessors, and that the disaster-prone Stephanie has brought along her usual wild-and-crazy crew of sidekicks and loony relatives to help her chase down felons. Evanovich even manages to make the dowdy working-class city of Trenton, N.J., seem like a hip, edgy place for her funky characters to live. But Trenton also has its share of nefarious criminals for Stephanie to pursueAfolk like Randy Briggs, the dwarf, who not only repeatedly eludes her grasp but keeps taunting her as a loser. Stephanie careens through her days, looking for her missing Uncle Fred and taking on FTA (failure to appear) cases for her cousin Vinnie, a bail bondsman. Further complications ensue when she tries to earn extra money by moonlighting on quasi-legal "security" jobs for Ranger, her dangerously sexy mentor at the bounty-hunting game. Ranger is looking awfully good to Stephanie these days, and she is finding it hard to choose between him and old flame Joe Morelli. Evanovich tells her fast-paced and furiously funny story expertly. The action never stops, the dialogue is snappy and the characters are more than memorable. Readers can't miss with this one. (July)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Library Journal
This latest novel in the Stephanie Plum series concludes with an author interview: a Q&A between Evanovich and the many characters of the books, as voiced by this book's narrator, C.J. Critt. An abridged edition was issued last July by Audio Renaissance.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From AudioFile
Debi Mazar's streetwise and brash style bring to mind Stephanie Plum's big hair, short skirts, and smart mouth without even hearing her described. All of these attributes come in handy in Stephanie's job as a bounty hunter in Trenton, NJ, working for her (totally) unprincipled cousin Vinnie. Mazar narrates a little fast sometimes and doesn't always enunciate every word, but that's undoubtedly the way Stephanie talks too, and emphasizes the importance of setting to the story.