Marriage is one of those relationships that, if you've never had one, is likely impossible to understand. Having never been married myself, I'd tend to agree. From an outside viewpoint and from witnessing the many marriages within my own family and circle of friends, it seems to create both a seemingly unbreakable bond and a … Continue reading A Good Marriage (Full Dark, No Stars) by Stephen King
Tag: literary food
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
Fear Feasts Podcast Now Live!
My latest podcast, a collaboration called Fear Feasts with the wonderful Allie Pino, is an exploration of the connections between food and horror. We analyze the horror genre - specifically films and movies - through the lens of food, talking about themes of nourishment, obsession, terror, motherhood, eating, kitchens, jump scares, ghosts, final girls, haunted … Continue reading Fear Feasts Podcast Now Live!
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
The City of Mist by Carlos Ruíz Zafón
If you haven't read any of the books of Carlos Ruíz Zafón, you're surely missing out on one of the true literary pleasures of this universe. A modern-day Cervantes, Ruíz Zafón spun stories about labyrinths, mysterious figures in black, magical pens, death and destruction and war, the beauty of love, the pain of romance, the … Continue reading The City of Mist by Carlos Ruíz Zafón
The Club Dumas by Arturo Perez-Reverte
"The Anjou Wine" is the first chapter in this rollicking adventure tale reminiscent of Alexandre Dumas, the famous French author of The Three Musketeers saga, and plays a starring role in this week's recipe, too. The Club Dumas, in short, is the tale of Lucas Corso, an antique book dealer who is sent in search … Continue reading The Club Dumas by Arturo Perez-Reverte
My Aim is True (Medium Raw) by Anthony Bourdain
The essay My Aim is True has to be one of my all-time favorites by the late, great Anthony Bourdain, who I affectionately have always referred to as my future ex-husband. I loved him in life and I love him in death. This essay, part of his collection of essays in the book Medium Raw, … Continue reading My Aim is True (Medium Raw) by Anthony Bourdain
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
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
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