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
Tag: literary food
Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister by Gregory Maguire
I will probably get a barrage of hate mail when I say this, but I kinda thought Wicked by Gregory Maguire sucked. I can't really say why, other than I've never really thought of The Wizard of Oz as a fairy tale. It was, I don't know, too American somehow? For me, the trappings of … Continue reading Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister by Gregory Maguire
Johannes Cabal The Necromancer by Jonathan L. Howard
It's rare for me to find a book that I love on as many levels as I do Johannes Cabal The Necromancer. It's got a hero who sold his soul to Satan in order to gain knowledge of the occult and how to bring people back from the dead. It's got an evil, yet hilarious, … Continue reading Johannes Cabal The Necromancer by Jonathan L. Howard
Episode 11 of “Cooking The Books” Podcast Now Available!
The latest episode of my podcast "Cooking the Books" just dropped! We're taking on one of horror literature's greatest and most classic novels of all time, discussing the nature of hauntings and the concept of home, and sharing this delectable and unusual recipe for chicken with plums, so give it a listen at: http://www.anchor.fm/cookingthebooks/episodes/The-Haunting-of-Hill-House-and-the-Spooky-Joys-of-Chicken-with-Plums-and-Radishes-em1dbo https://anchor.fm/cookingthebooks/episodes/The-Haunting-of-Hill-House-and-the-Spooky-Joy-of-Chicken-with-Plums-and-Radishes-em1dbo
My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell
No, I didn't read this book out of any type of name ego toward the title......ok, maybe I did a little. But that quickly went by the wayside as I traveled deeper into this very hard read. This book takes on the concept of what it truly means to be a victim in our society. … Continue reading My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell
Strange Highways: The Black Pumpkin by Dean Koontz
October is such a great month, isn't it? The brutal heat of summer is over and the crispness of autumn is upon us, we're getting ready for the holiday season, and it all kicks off with the creepy fun of Halloween. Being a former Goth chick, I still have a fondness in my heart for … Continue reading Strange Highways: The Black Pumpkin by Dean Koontz
Cinnamon and Gunpowder by Eli Brown
If you've followed my blog long enough, you'll be familiar with my great disdain for "chick lit," not because I think literature by women for women is bad but because so much of it is terribly written, horribly edited, dumbed down, and the topic of true love is often written about in such a sappy-ass … Continue reading Cinnamon and Gunpowder by Eli Brown
Alburquerque by Rudolfo Anaya
Those of you who know me know of my deep and abiding love for the books of Rudolfo Anaya. For those of you who may not have heard of him, he is a well-known New Mexico writer who wrote what many consider the seminal work of Chicano literature - Bless Me, Ultima. His work tends … Continue reading Alburquerque by Rudolfo Anaya
The Debt to Pleasure by John Lanchester
One of the most verbose and least credible narrators I've come across in recent literature, the hero of The Debt to Pleasure, one Tarquin Winot, is a total and complete food snob. He opens the book with the line "This is not a conventional cookbook,” and no, it most certainly is not. Just as Tarquin … Continue reading The Debt to Pleasure by John Lanchester
The Labyrinth of the Spirits by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
I can't say enough about Carlos Ruiz Zafón's writing. It's absolutely beautiful, lyrical, lush without being overly purple, and whether describing the sensory overload of a roomful of books, the scent of tobacco, the deeply scarlet hue of a woman's lipstick, or the existential dread and horror of torture and death, the man writes like … Continue reading The Labyrinth of the Spirits by Carlos Ruiz Zafón