So yes, this is totally a chick-lit book. I admit it. I also admit that I rather enjoyed it. So go ahead and judge me, all you literary snobs. Oh wait, I'm the literary snob! I forgot! Anyway, Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen is totally a rip-off of Alice Hoffman's wonderful book Practical Magic, … Continue reading Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen
Category: Books
Episode 7, Season 2 of “Cooking The Books” Podcast Now Available!
The latest episode of the Cooking The Books podcast just dropped! We're taking on the big, bad granddad of monsters, Count Dracula himself, my favorite guest Allie Pino returns to discuss Gothic literature and food, and we give Keanu Reeves some much-needed respect for his role as Jonathan Harker in the film adaptation of Dracula, … Continue reading Episode 7, Season 2 of “Cooking The Books” Podcast Now Available!
When In Florence by Richard Cortez Day
This is one of those books that I just love, in which several stories tie together a myriad of characters who interweave throughout each other's tales, with one minor character in one story becoming the major player in another...and the best part? It's set in another one of my favorite cities in the world - … Continue reading When In Florence by Richard Cortez Day
The Maidens by Alex Michaelides
I'm a sucker for any fiction set in the world of college academia, and I don't know why. It's maybe that romantic, old-world sense I get when reading about Ivy League universities or the dreaming spires of Oxford. I suppose it's also because they are so removed from the very modern universities and colleges that … Continue reading The Maidens by Alex Michaelides
Journal: The Short Life and Mysterious Death of Amy Zoe Mason by Kristine Atkinson and Joyce Atkinson
So this was an unusual little read for me. I normally don't much care for what you might call "interactive" reading, although I did love the Griffin and Sabine books. If you enjoyed that series of graphic novels, you'll like this book, which is very much in that vein. The story itself is told epistolary … Continue reading Journal: The Short Life and Mysterious Death of Amy Zoe Mason by Kristine Atkinson and Joyce Atkinson
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
I have a secret fondness for books set in Ivy League environments, probably because there is something so romantically removed and ivory-tower-academia about them. Two other books that I love and which are set in these same environments are A Discovery of Witches and Ninth House, both of which I've previously blogged. Donna Tartt, whose … Continue reading The Secret History by Donna Tartt
The Final Girl’s Support Group by Grady Hendrix
I first got this book back in late September, intending to blog it for Halloween. Hah! So much for that brilliant idea! I seem to be behind on many things lately.....can't tell if it's due to seasonal depression or just a general sense of blah-ness. Oh well, so I missed the season of ghosts, goblins, … Continue reading The Final Girl’s Support Group by Grady Hendrix
Episode 4, Season 2 of “Cooking The Books” Podcast Now Available!
The latest episode of my podcast "Cooking The Books" just dropped! We're talking (belatedly!) about Christmas in New Mexico, the importance of traditional holiday food, the author Rudolfo Anaya, and I interview the marvelous food marketer Eric Martinez of Los Foodies, so give it a listen, ya filthy animal! https://anchor.fm/cookingthebooks/episodes/The-Farolitos-of-Christmas-and-the-Seasonal-Happiness-of-Biscochitos-e1adp13 https://anchor.fm/cookingthebooks/episodes/The-Farolitos-of-Christmas-and-the-Seasonal-Happiness-of-Biscochitos-e1adp13
The Sixteen Pleasures by Robert Hellenga
Un uomo mediterraneo. Doesn't that have the loveliest ring to it? It translates from the Italian to "a Mediterranean man" but it means so much more than that bland phrase. Un uomo mediterraneo is elegant, dapper, romantic, tips his hat to ladies, dresses immaculately, does not rush through life but rather meanders joyfully, enjoys all … Continue reading The Sixteen Pleasures by Robert Hellenga
A Sweet and Spicy Memory: Biscochitos in New Mexico Culture
I am very pleased and proud to share this article I was asked to write on the cultural significance of biscochitos in New Mexican culture. It is the first (but hopefully not last!) article for which I got paid, and so I feel like a real, true writer now. 🙂 I hope you enjoy reading … Continue reading A Sweet and Spicy Memory: Biscochitos in New Mexico Culture