Rio Grande Fall by Rudolfo Anaya

If you've been following my blog since it started, you'll know of my deep and abiding love for the literary works of Rudolfo Anaya. A native of my home state of New Mexico, he was one of the first writers to gain national and worldwide attention for his books set here in the Land of … Continue reading Rio Grande Fall by Rudolfo Anaya

The Godfather by Mario Puzo

I'm a bore on the topic of books vs. films, as I've been told many times, and I'd have to agree. Don't get me started on whether the film version is better than the book, because I will wax poetic for a good hour or two about the merits of the book and how the … Continue reading The Godfather by Mario Puzo

Food in Films – Amélie

I decided to do a little something different for this blog post. Many people have suggested different recipes or dishes to me that they saw in a film version of a movie, and I loved the idea but wanted to stick with my original concept of creating food either directly mentioned in a book or … Continue reading Food in Films – Amélie

Lisette’s List by Susan Vreeland

I went into this book expecting a nice, escapist type of read as I recovered from minor outpatient surgery this past weekend. It was recommended by two friends of mine as a book filled with art and food and set in France, and both of them were sure I'd love it. I minored in Art … Continue reading Lisette’s List by Susan Vreeland

The Lost Book of the Grail by Charlie Lovett

I admit to having been a Grail fan since I read Le Morte d'Arthur many years ago. The romance of the Arthurian legend combined with the mysticism of the Cup of Christ is the ultimate story, isn't it? King Arthur courting Guinevere, Sir Lancelot falling in love with Guinevere and his relationship with Elaine, Arthur's … Continue reading The Lost Book of the Grail by Charlie Lovett

The Investigative Paranormal Society Cookbook by Charles French

French has a wonderful blog - here's the link - that I follow and enjoy so very much, in addition to his first book Maledicus: The Investigative Paranormal Society, which I blogged about last year. The book is the story of three older gentlemen who form a paranormal group and go ghost-hunting, only to find … Continue reading The Investigative Paranormal Society Cookbook by Charles French

Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Suskind

I don't know about you, but I have an incredibly developed sense of smell. Annoyingly so at times, because I can pick out the scent of body odor from 50 feet away. My sister always tells me I have the "nose from hell" and there are times when it feels like hell to be able … Continue reading Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Suskind

The Prisoner of Heaven by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

If I could have any set of books with me on a desert island, I'd choose the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon, the Johannes Cabal books by Jonathan L. Howard, and The Cemetery of Forgotten Books series by the one and only Carlos Ruiz Zafon. This mysterious, lyrical, dark and yet oddly uplifting series, set … Continue reading The Prisoner of Heaven by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Vampires in the Lemon Grove by Karen Russell

I ran across this weird and engaging book of short stories at a yard sale a few weekends back, and of course, the unusual title Vampires in the Lemon Grove caught my eye. Well, as a former Goth chick who loves all things dark, supernatural, creepy and eerie, anything with "vampire" in the title is likely … Continue reading Vampires in the Lemon Grove by Karen Russell

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

I realize I am late to the party with this book, but seriously, I only "discovered" A Discovery of Witches, and forgive my cheesy-ass pun, when the Sundance Channel started airing the previews for the TV series based on the book trilogy. The series looked so well-made that I had to read the book and … Continue reading A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness