My Nova Scotia Book Tour: Stop One- Readers Haven

Hello readers! It’s been awhile.

I'm excited to talk about my new summer project that is currently in progress. I’m calling it My Nova Scotia Book tour- my goal is to hit up as many independent book stores as possible this summer (and probably into fall)

There is only one rule: Purchase at least one book at each location.

My first stop was one close to home- Readers Haven in Windsor NS. It’s a large (and I mean large) collection of used book with prices ranging from $1, $8 (most common) and the odd $10+. The owner takes a ton of pride in her work organizing things into categories plus alphabetizing the fiction section by author.

She also takes pride in her stock available, each book has a date written softly in pencil so that she knows how long a book has been on the shelf but won’t be difficult to erase out once the book goes to it’s new home. All other stickers are removed as well so you have a clean cover to admire.

These books have been clearly loved and read time and time again, many of the book spines being broken in multiple places- this spoke to me as I’m a sucker for re-using and makes me feel better about still enjoying the classic paper book as opposed to moving to an e-reader like many of my friends.

The owner and I had a great chat about her books, owning a business in the pandemic and my reading preferences (which is almost anything). She was also about to provide me a flyer with a TON of locally owned used book stores in the Maritimes.

I came home with a diverse stack of fiction, non-fiction and even a vintage number (1909).

FICTION: The Huntress by Kate Quinn, Canada by Richard Ford, The World without Us by Alan Weisman.

NON-FICTION: The Saga of the Bluenose, Trudeau’s (Sr.) Shadow.

VINTAGE: The Lamplighter by Cummins (this one smells so good)

I really look forward to visiting this place again- so many choices and so close to home!

Recipe: Bits and Bites

My beau had a tendency to pick up a box of cheerios when they are on sale in this bachelor years. Being on auto-pilot he didn’t notice that the collection had become quite large (like over a dozen boxes) in the kitchen. When he moved in with me we had to make a plan aha there was just So. Many. Boxes.

Any that weren’t expired were donated to the food bank of course but that still left a few with us so I decided it was time to up my bits and bites game.

One thing I’ve learned through testing out a few recipes and ideas is the actual bits you choose (like pretzels, crackers and of course… Cheerios) can be really flexible but that brine is what makes it.

Below is the Bits and Bites Recipe I’ve come to enjoy and sticking with. Have fun with your mixture and the salty brine will make it pop.

8 Cups of Crispix or Shreddies

8 Cups of Cheerios

4 Cups of pretzels

2 cups (or 1 box) of something cheesy like goldfish or cheese nips

THE BRINE:

2 Cups (or 1LB) of Butter, melted

1/3 Cup Worcestershire Sauce

A squirt of Siracha Sauce (big squirt if you’re feeling spicy, little squirt of your beau can’t do any spicy)

1 Tbsp Garlic Powder

1 Tbsp Onion Powder

1 Tbsp Salt

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Mix the dry ingredients together in a large pan (I use a turkey roaster).

3. Combine all the brine ingredients together.

4. Gently pour the brine over your mixture, mixing to ensure all pieces are coated.

5. Bake for 2 hours, checking on it and mixing it every 30 minutes.

6. Let the mixture cool and then store. I recommend some repurposed glass jars personally but a larger tupperware works too.