I like cookbooks, and I particularly like those by Isa Chandra Moskowitz. So naturally, I picked up her latest, The Superfun Times Vegan Holiday Cookbook. I am not vegan, but I lean in that direction, and I like cookbooks that A) don’t preach, and B) don’t use a lot of obscure ingredients or equipment. So far, I have read through the whole book, and worked my way through the Thanksgiving and Christmas recipes. The recipes themselves are up to Isa Chandra’s usual standard of yummy, […]
Strangeness with Magic, Dragons, and a Quarkbeast
I read Jasper Fford’s Tuesday Next series, and I liked it for a while. I got bored after about book 4. So when I saw a YA fantasy novel by the same author, I wanted to try it out. The Last Dragonslayer was mostly what I expected, and also a little not. What defines Fford’s writing for me is a sense of slightly off-kilter in an otherwise normal story, and that is totally here. The normal is as follows: 15 year old indentured servant Jennifer […]
A Fun Holmes Version
I like the story and the characters in A Study in Charlotte. What does irritate me a little bit is how in this version of the Conan Doyle universe, the Watson and Holmes families are expected to keep their famous characteristics and relationships through each generation. Jamie Watson can’t wait to meet his Holmes counterpart Charlotte, because he hopes they will develop a close relationship like their ancestors Sherlock and John. When you try to break away from that established characterization, things will go horribly […]
Charlies’ Angels with Sherlock Holmes at Phantom of the Opera
The premise of Angels of Music is cool: the Phantom of the Opera runs a secret detective service and employs ladies of the opera house as “Angels”. The set up reminiscent of Charlie’s Angels is pretty deliberate. There are several actual characters from the original novella by Gaston Leroux but in different forms. Christine Daee is one of the original Angels, and there is also a Raoul, but no Philippe, and a Count de Chagny. Where things get a little weird is that mix of […]
Low on the Lumberjane Scale
I have really liked the Lumberjanes series so far, but I gotta say number 5 was a little bit of a let-down. The basic storyline follows 5 friends and their camp counsellor through a summer of camp sponsored by a vaguely scout-like organization, the eponymous Lumberjanes. Except of course that this is not your typical scouting group, and not your typical summer camp. Strange events and encounters of the supernatural variety will happen, and the camp and its director are most certainly involved somehow. Each […]
Dr Who Meets The Rook with Game of Thrones-level Dysfunction
I picked up Just One Damned Thing After Another because I had been considering it and because I had a coupon for a local bookstore, and I don’t say no to those often. I usually don’t like first person narrative and I still don’t, but there was enough story and character here to over-ride that instinct. This story can’t quite decide if it wants to be action-adventure, character driven, sci-fi, or romance-drama. While it’s not a total success, overall the blend works pretty well. The problem […]
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