Carnevale by Michelle Lovric

If I could go back in time, I would choose to live my life in Venice as a courtesan or as a Papal chef. Both of those professions seem to very romantic, though the reality is more difficult and disgusting than many fictional stories might indicate. Venice itself is an incredibly romantic, beautiful, decadent and … Continue reading Carnevale by Michelle Lovric

Winterset Hollow by Jonathan Edward Durham

Go camping, they said. It'll be fun, they said. Uh, no, it wasn't. I had to sleep in the crappy orange tent under the leaky section on the side closest to where the trash bags were, and yes, yes, that WAS a bear that wandered into our camp site that night to forage in the … Continue reading Winterset Hollow by Jonathan Edward Durham

Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen

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

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

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

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

Episode 16 of “Cooking The Books” Podcast Now Available!

Episode 16 is a raunchy and hilarious discussion of Philip Roth's coming-of-age novel Portnoy's Complaint and one of modern literature's horniest and most neurotic young men, his mommy issues and his great love of "self-servicing," and this delectable apple-banana cake, so give it a listen at: https://anchor.fm/cookingthebooks/episodes/Portnoys-Complaint-and-the-Onanistic-Pleasures-of-Cream-Filled-Apple--Banana-Cake-evpb6a https://anchor.fm/cookingthebooks/episodes/Portnoys-Complaint-and-the-Onanistic-Pleasures-of-Cream-Filled-Apple--Banana-Cake-evpb6a

Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou, Romeo? Well, it's Valentine's Day so really, what other tale of star-crossed love, murder and suicide could I possibly blog about on this day of hearts and romance than Romeo and Juliet? Seriously though, during my recent move, I finally found my huge book of Shakespeare's plays which had been … Continue reading Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova

This is one of those epic books that feature a cast of thousands, exotic locations that span the globe, stories within stories within stories............and Count Dracula. I mean, how can it possibly get better than that? Being a former Goth girl, I still have a fondness for the darker side of things. Vampires, crucifixes, ghosts, … Continue reading The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova

The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix

If you're like me and you're as drawn to a book's title and cover as you are the contents of the book itself, then you'll love this one. Grady Hendrix has a knack for writing about horror against the most banal, ordinary, American backgrounds. I think of him as the literary version of the Duffer … Continue reading The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix