Wordless Wednesday 170
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Reading, Thinking, Photographing
Welcome to those of you who have been following The Legacy of Eden scavenger hunt tour. If this is the first you've heard of Nelle Davy's debut novel, then you might want to check out this Book Trib page, where you'll find the links to the other blogs on the tour. Some sites have reviews, others have guest posts or interviews, and several are hosting giveaways. Each one has a portion of the first chapter, so you can get sucked into a feel for the novel.
The Legacy of Eden is a family saga set on the fertile lands of Iowa on the Hathaway family farm, Aurelia. Thanks to Lavinia, who married a Hathaway soon after World War II, the 3,000 acres was home not just to wheat and corn but also to a modern house and beautiful gardens. It was the envy (and not necessarily in a nice way) of the county.
When Meredith Pincetti, Lavinia's youngest grandchild, is informed that her uncle died, leaving the farm in debt, she is the only one of her sisters and cousins to bother to call back the lawyers handling the estate. Despite 17 years in New York City as an art student and then a sculptor, Meredith hasn't been able to bury or forget her Midwest childhood. It looks as if it's up to her to decide the fate of Aurelia. But first she must face the painful truth of her family history.
Davy's descriptive writing and well-paced plot will soon pull you into the Hathaway family story. If you've ever lived in a small town, you'll relate all too well to life around Aurelia. With its Gothic undertones and hints of a mystery, The Legacy of Eden is a great weekend read. In fact, it's killing me that I'm only halfway done, I'll definitely finish this tonight.
I plan to do a full review of the novel soon: there are themes I'd like to comment on, but feel I should wait until I finish the book.
Here's today's tour excerpt. To understand the context, you'll have to visit the other blogs. :)
I stood up and walked out of the room. This is it, I thought to myself, I’ve snapped. I’m finally broken.
“You’re not fucking real,” I suddenly shouted.
“Dear God, girl, still so uncouth,” my grandmother said, stepping out from the kitchen, her tongue flicking the words out like a whip.
“I always told your mother she should have used the strap on you girls more often, but she was too soft a touch.”
I turned around to face her, my fists clenching and unclenching by my side. “You—if you hadn’t—”
She turned away from me, disdainful, bored. If this were all in my head, what did that say about me?
“Enough excuses, Meredith.”
I was shaking so hard, my voice tripped over itself.
“You were a monster, you know that? A complete monster.”
“Made not born,” she said and looked at me knowingly.
“Oh, no—” I shook my head “—I am nothing like you.”
“No, Merey—” and she smiled “—you exceeded all of our expectations.”
I took a step toward her—toward where I thought she was.
In honor of the Oscars last night, I thought I'd talk about an award-winning movie (New York and LA film critics) and book (Pulitzer Prize) combo I watched and listened to last month.
William Kennedy's Ironweed is a difficult book to write about because the power of this character study and examination of the destructiveness of alcohol, the harsh world of the homeless, and the inability to find self-forgiveness must be experienced to be appreciated.
The story takes place in just a week or so in 1938 Albany, when Francis Phelan returns to his hometown, twenty years after he abandoned his family. Although he was once a Major League ballplayer, by the time the Great Depression hit, Francis was already riding the rails, working just enough to buy his next bottle of hooch.
Kennedy's prose evokes a surreal atmosphere, mirrored by the fact that it's Halloween, and the streets are filled with ghouls. Are they children in costume or are they the ghosts of Francis's past? As the dead awaken, he's visited by both those he's failed to save and those whose lives he took, reminding him of the reasons he's been on the self-destructive path he opted to take.
Ironweed pulls us into Francis's life: the mission, the bars, the other deadbeats and bums, and finally the house he lived in with his wife and children. Despite his alcoholism and his destitution, he is no different from many us. He can help others more easily than he can help himself. He finds it hard to let himself fully love, lest he let someone down yet again. He exaggerates the significance of his faults and doesn't recognize his strengths. And he's haunted by his past.
Ironweed is about family, forgiveness, salvation, and the spark of hope that no matter how far we fall, no matter how hard life can be, there may still be someone who will care for and about us.
Meryl Streep and Jack Nicholson were both nominated for Academy Awards for their work in the film version of Ironweed, which follows the novel fairly closely. The acting in the movie is fantastic, but the book is the better way to experience the story. Here's the official trailer:
Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. You do not have to post on the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog's home page. For more information, see the welcome post.
Welcome to Imprint Friday and today's featured imprint: Ecco books. Stop by each week to be introduced to a must-read title from one of my favorite imprints. I know you'll be adding many of these books to your wish list.
Back in 1974, when I was in college, a book about Americans at work was taking the reading world by storm. That book was Working by Studs Terkel, and it consisted of interviews of hundreds of people employed in every kind of job imaginable and from all over the country. I bought it, even on my undergrad budget, and I still have my original copy.
When I heard Craig Taylor had written Londoners, a similar book about modern London, I knew I had to have it. Not only because I loved Working but because I spent some time in London finishing up my doctoral research at the Natural History Museum. I lived well east of South Ken, and for the first and only time in my life, I became a big-city commuter who rode the tube at least twice a day, every day.
Enough about me, take a look at the publisher's summary.
Five years in the making, Londoners is a fresh and compulsively readable view of one of the world's most fascinating cities—a vibrant narrative portrait of the London of our own time, featuring unforgettable stories told by the real people who make the city hum.Londoners is not the kind of book you necessarily need to read from cover to cover, in order. Because it consists of short accounts told in the words of people who live or spend time in the city, you can dip in and out of the collection as fits your mood.
Acclaimed writer and editor Craig Taylor has spent years traversing every corner of the city, getting to know the most interesting Londoners, including the voice of the London Underground, a West End rickshaw driver, an East End nightclub doorperson, a mounted soldier of the Queen's Life Guard at Buckingham Palace, and a couple who fell in love at the Tower of London—and now live there. With candor and humor, this diverse cast—rich and poor, old and young, native and immigrant, men and women (and even a Sarah who used to be a George)—shares indelible tales that capture the city as never before.
Together, these voices paint a vivid, epic, and wholly original portrait of twenty-first-century London in all its breadth, from Notting Hill to Brixton, from Piccadilly Circus to Canary Wharf, from an airliner flying into London Heathrow Airport to Big Ben and Tower Bridge, and down to the deepest tunnels of the London Underground. Londoners is the autobiography of one of the world's greatest cities.
The Book: Anaya Borzakovskaya was born in Russia, but her family moved to the United States when she was five. Even at that young age she realized the only way she'd fit in with her private-school classmates was to lose her accent along with her baby fat.
Unfortunately, ten years later, no matter how all-American she feels, she can't escape the pain of being a teen: wanting to fit in, wishing she were prettier and thinner, experimenting with cigarettes, and hoping the cool boy will notice her. One day when wandering in the park and stewing over her troubles, Anya falls into a well. When she lights a match to assess the situation, she's startled to see a skeleton . . . and the dead girl's ghost.
Through expressive and moving black-and-white art (click on scan to enlarge), Anya's Ghost by Vera Brosgol tells the story of what happens to Anya after she meets the ghostly Emily Reilly. At first Anya thinks it's great to have a ghost friend, but the better she gets to know Emily, the more she questions the price of having such a companion.
The graphic novel is geared to young adults, but readers of almost any age will enjoy Anya's story. Despite the fact that there's a ghost, the book isn't that kind of spooky. There are a few scary moments, but no one except the very young will likely be bothered. Book clubs and parents can use Anya's Ghost as a starting point for discussing friendship, honesty, family, and being true to oneself.
Anya's Ghost has been a universal favorite with reviewers, and won awards from Kirkus, School Library Journal, and Horn Book. It's one of the best graphic novels I've read.
The Tea: I've been so crazy busy with work lately that my afternoon tea break has become one of the highlights of my day. This week I've been drinking Adagio's Irish Breakfast Tea, a tried-and-true brew that hits the spot. Here's how the company describes their blend: "It seamlessly blends the citrusy notes of a high-grown Ceylon with the malty underscore of a pungent Assam. Spicy and jammy aroma on the leaf, malty and deep flavor with a brisk and 'buzzy' mouthfeel. Rounded sweetness in the finish." Well I don't know about all of that, but I do know it's a great-tasting tea.
The Assessment: Anya is Russian, so I'm fairly sure she's a tea drinker. And because she's a modern teen, it's not at unreasonable to think she might choose an Irish Breakfast blend. Her mother, however, probably sticks with a Russian tea.
What About You? As always, I'm interested in what you're reading this week. And what beverage would find in your glass or mug when you sit down to read?
Buy Anya's Ghost at an Indie, Powell's, Book Depository, or a bookstore near you. These links lead to affiliate programs.
Thursday Tea was the brainchild of Anastasia at Birdbrain(ed) Book Blog.
Published by First Second 2011
ISBN-13: 9781596435520
Source: Borrowed (see review policy)
Rating: A
Copyright © cbl for Beth Fish Reads, all rights reserved (see review policy)
FTC: I buy all teas myself, I am not a tea reviewer.
What would it be like to be a prisoner in your own skin, your own house, and your own marriage? Gin Boyle, an albino, marries Mr. Toad to escape being sent to an asylum only to find that small-town life in the Australian outback can be just as confining.
When I finally fall asleep, my dreams are full of whales leaping out of a frothy khaki sea, their huge baleen grins aimed at me, their masculine elements raucous and ready, while I cower on a ledge that shudders in the wind of their passing. They leap and miss, leap and miss, and the platform bucks beneath my feet. Bizarre to dream of whales in the middle of a drought.—The Paperbark Shoe, by Goldie Goldbloom (Picador 2011)
I wake up to the sound of hammering, and it's the whales I think I hear, battering the weatherboard wall next to my bed, and I scream, and scream again when my soul jolts back into my body with a feeling akin to being rolled in a thorn bush, and this time I think—oh my God! It's the Italians. They are coming for me. (p. 29)
The individuals who make up the international school in Paris are worldly wise. Most of the teachers are ex-pats, who prefer to travel in Europe than to visit family during school breaks. The students are the children of diplomats and business executives and have moved so often they don't have much sense of home as being a geographic location.
The plot of the novel unfolds over a school year and is told in retrospect from three viewpoints in alternating chapters. Will Silver is the teacher high-schoolers love: irreverent yet motivating, and most of his students work hard to earn his praise. Gilad is a loner who idolizes Will but has not found a way to break into the teacher's inner circle. Marie is a self-aware teen who sets out to seduce Will as a means of one-upping her best friend.
Although the premise of a high schooler being attracted to her teacher is not unique, Alexander Maksik's take in You Deserve Nothing is not what you'd expect. The novel has earned high praise for being "engaging," "enthralling," and "thrilling." Unfortunately, I'm not sure I read the same novel.
Although Maksik's ability to put the reader in the heads of Will, Marie, and Gilad is indeed masterful, the characters themselves are decidedly unappealing. Perhaps I simply didn't understand the novel, but the overwhelming apathy, indifference, and shallowness of entire community—parents, teachers, and students—left me cold. Several events in the story should have had an emotional effect, but it's difficult to make such a connection when the characters themselves are unmoved.
I also had issues with the end of the story, which most reviewers described as thought-provoking. Because I don't want to spoil the book, all I'll say here is that the end made me angry, and not in a good way. If the novel is based in truth, as some have suggested, then I'm also left feeling uncomfortable. I prefer to think of You Deserve Nothing as fiction.
You Deserve Nothing was an Indie Next pick for September 2011. For more about Alexander Maksik and his work, visit his website, where you'll see that my reaction puts me in a party of one. Everyone from Kirkus and the New York Times to Bookslut and Farm Lane Books gives You Deserve Nothing high praise.
Buy You Deserve Nothing at an Indie, Powell's, Book Depository, or a bookstore near you. These links lead to affiliate programs.
My review of the audio edition of this novel is available at AudioFile magazine.
Published by Europa Editions 2011
ISBN-13: 9781609450489
Source: Audio: Review (see review policy)
Rating: C-
Copyright © cbl for Beth Fish Reads, all rights reserved (see review policy)
Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. You do not have to post on the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog's home page. For more information, see the welcome post.
Welcome to Imprint Friday and today's featured imprint: Algonquin Books. Stop by each week to be introduced to a must-read title from one of my favorite imprints. I know you'll be adding many of these books to your wish list.
Thanks to its mix of Ireland, family secrets, twisted timelines, and mysterious journal, I knew I couldn't resist Kevin Fox's Until the Next Time, a multilayered tale of self-discovery and enduring love.
Take a look at the summary:
For Sean Corrigan the past is simply what happened yesterday, until his twenty-first birthday, when he is given a journal left him by his father’s brother Michael—a man he had not known existed. The journal, kept after his uncle fled from New York City to Ireland to escape prosecution for a murder he did not commit, draws Sean into a hunt for the truth about Michael’s fate.What if everything you thought you knew about your family was only a half truth? That's what happened to Sean Corrigan. And to make matters worse, no one will tell him about the other half, the secret half. After his father gives him the beat-up journal and a plane ticket, Sean is on his own, an ocean away from home. In Ireland, he must figure out whom to trust and how to interpret the bits and pieces of information left to him by his dead uncle.
Sean too leaves New York for Ireland, where he is caught up in the lives of people who not only know all about Michael Corrigan but have a score to settle. As his connection to his uncle grows stronger, he realizes that within the tattered journal he carries lies the story of his own life—his past as well as his future—and the key to finding the one woman he is fated to love forever.
Whip-smart and full of suspense, Until the Next Time is a remarkable story about time and memory and the way ancient myths shape our modern lives—from what we believe to whom we love.
I stood there for a minute, waiting for her to say something else. I wanted to leave and I wanted to stay, but she just hid behind her book, invisible. Finally, to save myself from looking more like an idiot, I stepped out into the soft cold rain, wondering if I could find my way back here if I did get lost again.And here is Sean, only hours after getting off the plane:
As the cold started to seep back in, it reminded me that I already was lost, in the middle of a foreign country, pretending to be my brother, running from a murder charge. If she was right, and the only way to find my way was to get back where I started from, I was going to be lost for a long time. Maybe even long enough for my soul to catch up. (p. 68)
I stood in the middle of the kitchen for a minute, and from there I could see the cranberry-colored stain at the bottom of the front stairs—it really did look like dried blood. I'm not much for ghosts or spirits, but I was overtired, and between the noises the house was making, the stories in my uncle's journal, and the darkened wood at the base of the stairs, I was little freaked out. . . .Just in time for St. Patrick's Day, immerse yourself in a family tale in which the border between myth and reality, past and present dissolves in the Irish mists.
In the midst of my exhuastion and confusion, I remembered something Uncle Mike had written in his journal. Something Kate had said to him. Flyin's done too fast nowadays. You go so fast you leave part of your soul behind and now you have to wait for it to catch up. I understood what she meant. The world had shifted around me, and everything was a bit off. I was a stranger in my own head. (p. 100)
The Book: You may have heard of Kaui Hart Hemmings's The Descendants because it's now a major motion picture staring none other than George Clooney. But before the movie, came the book.
Matthew King, lawyer, husband, and father is a good guy, who tries to do the right thing. Although he's a descendant of Hawaiian royalty and controls or has access to quite a bit of money, he tries to live off of what he earns, despite his wife's complaints.
The women in his family, however, seem to have gone wild. His wife, Joanie, takes risks and craves adventure; his older daughter, Alex, has experimented with drugs and alcohol; and his younger daughter, Scottie, wants to grow up all at once. When a boating accident puts Joanie in a deep coma, Matt must confront all his roles and face some hard truths.
The Descendants is a novel that sneaks up on you. Although you're sure you know how the major plot lines will play out, that doesn't matter. The character studies, Hemmings's depiction of family and family dynamics, and Hawaii itself all draw you in and wrap around your brain. Matt King goes from relatively carefree to single parent of difficult daughters in a matter of minutes. In addition, he learns that his wife had a secret, leaving him to pick up the pieces. Life has imploded for the girls as well, and each has had a conflicted relationship with her mother and is left wondering how to make things right.
I saw the movie and then listened to the unabridged audiobook (AudioGo 9 hr, 12 min) read by Jonathan Davis. The movie followed the book very closely and differed only in inconsequential details. What I found particularly interesting is that George Clooney and Jonathan Davis had eerily similar takes on the character of Matt King. Although the two men do not really sound alike, it was amazing how nicely their voices meshed. I attribute this to how clearly and skillfully Hemmings developed her main character; there really is only one way to play Matt.
Even if you've seen the movie, I recommend reading the book. I also recommend The Descendants for book clubs. Topics for discussion include families, inheritances, infidelity, friendships, parenting, death and dying, and responsibility.
The Tea: Despite the lack of snow and relatively mild winter temperatures for my area of the world, I've been welcoming my afternoon tea breaks. This week, I turned to a tea I haven't had in a while: Harney & Sons' Cranberry Autumn. Here's how the company describes it: "Ideally sweet and tart, this black tea blended with cranberry and orange flavors reflects the crisp days and colorful leaves of Autumn. A full-bodied brew, exceptionally smooth and flavorful that pairs well with festive holiday meals." The tea has just a hint of the fruits and makes a warming, comforting drink.
The Assessment: Matt King and his daughters are not brewing up a cup of tea in the afternoon, I promise you that. Fancy coffee, shaved ice, beer, or wine is more of the King family style. If any of them were to go for tea, it'd likely be something more traditionally Chinese or Japanese. So Cranberry Autumn and The Descendants is a total miss. That's okay, I like my cuppa anyway.
What About You? Here's where I ask you what you're drinking this week (tea, coffee, wine?). And don't forget to tell me what you're reading.
Buy The Descendants at an Indie, Powell's, Book Depository, or a bookstore near you. These links lead to affiliate programs.
Thursday Tea was the brainchild of Anastasia at Birdbrain(ed) Book Blog.
Published by Random House Trade Paperbacks 2011
ISBN-13: 9780812982954
Source: Audio: Review (see review policy)
Rating: B+
Copyright © cbl for Beth Fish Reads, all rights reserved (see review policy)
FTC: I buy all teas myself, I am not a tea reviewer.
I know you've seen the movie To Kill a Mockingbird and I bet you love it just as much as I do. I had the great good luck to see the movie again on BluRay, out last month from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment.
Let me just say that I loved this edition. The quality of the picture and sound were stupendous. And everything, from the rabid dog scene to the courtroom scene, was just as moving, exciting, and heartfelt as I remembered it.
But what's really incredible about the special 50th Anniversary To Kill a Mockingbird edition is the bonus materials. There are over 3 hours of them, and every one is fascinating. This is truly a copy to own and one that you'll view many times.
There is so much on this disc that I'm simply going to copy the promo information, then I'll talk about some of my favorites.
I'm so excited to be part of the fabulous blog tour for Kelly Milner Halls's edited collection Girl Meets Boy. What I have on tap today is a fun collective guest post and an amazingly awesome giveaway.
First take a look at the publisher's summary:
What do guys and girls really think? Twelve of the most dynamic and engaging YA authors writing today team up for this one-of-a-kind collection of “he said/she said” stories—he tells it from the guy’s point of view, she tells it from the girl’s. These are stories of love and heartbreak. There’s the good-looking jock who falls for a dangerous girl, and the flipside, the toxic girl who never learned to be loved; the basketball star and the artistic (and shorter) boy she never knew she wanted; the gay boy looking for love online and the girl who could help make it happen. Each story in this unforgettable collection teaches us that relationships are complicated—because there are two sides to every story.Doesn't that sound great? Here's a bit more from the publisher about the paired stories found in this collection:
Chris Crutcher and Kelly Milner Halls explore how a dangerous girl named Wanda could turn a handsome guy named John’s world upside down. Joseph Bruchac and Cynthia Leitich Smith introduced basketball warrior Nancy Whitepath and the shy boy, Bobby Wildcat who secretly loves her. Ellen Wittlinger and James Howe captured a boy named Cal’s yearning for love and his puzzling meeting with a girl named Alex. Terry Davis and Rebecca Fjelland Davis proved love can be tough for a Muslim boy and a Christian farm girl. Sara Ryan and Randy Powell proved things aren’t always what they seem with Gavin and Steph.As part of this tour, the authors featured in Girl Meets Boy were asked to provide some additional insight about their characters. To give them a starting point, the publisher asked the authors following question.
Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. You do not have to post on the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog's home page. For more information, see the welcome post.
Among those fortunate enough to have born and raised in the Midwest . . . the heartland holds us, comforts us, makes us stand up straight. Even if we leave, it still claims a place in our hearts. (p. xi)If your childhood didn't include country fairs, roadside farm stands, and never-ending vistas of corn and wheat fields, you might not understand the charms of the prairie states. You might also be unaware that America's heartland is home to organic farms, artisan bakeries, artisan cheesemakers, hormone-free dairies, microbreweries, and preservers of heritage species.
In this book, leftovers are a good thing. When you purposefully cook for leftovers, you'll have ready-made ingredients for other dishes like Minnesota Wild Rice Soup, Haymaker's Hash, or Hunter's Pie. Cook once, eat several times!Here are just a few of the many recipes I've marked to try:
This book is about ingredient-centered food and is a testament to the fact that if you grow, raise, or buy quality foods, you don't have to do a lot to them to make them taste great. (p. xix)
Welcome to Imprint Friday and today's featured imprint: Harper Perennial. Stop by each week to be introduced to a must-read title from one of my favorite imprints. I know you'll be adding many of these books to your wish list.
Late last summer I began to read reviews and hear buzz about Rahul Mehta's short story collection Quarantine. The characters in these stories are interesting because they are Indian-American gay men who find themselves on the fringes of society . . . and not solely because of their sexual orientation.
Here is the publisher's summary:
With buoyant humor and incisive, cunning prose, Rahul Mehta sets off into uncharted literary territory. The characters in Quarantine—openly gay Indian-American men—are Westernized in some ways, with cosmopolitan views on friendship and sex, while struggling to maintain relationships with their families and cultural traditions. Grappling with the issues that concern all gay men—social acceptance, the right to pursue happiness, and the heavy toll of listening to their hearts and bodies—they confront an elder generation's attachment to old-country ways. Estranged from their cultural in-group and still set apart from larger society, the young men in these lyrical, provocative, emotionally wrenching, yet frequently funny stories find themselves quarantined.In the nine stories in this collection, Mehta explores the lives of second-generation immigrants who are dealing with many issues that make them feel apart. Although homosexuality is the obvious force that pushes these men to the margins, their relationships with their parents and grandparents, their life in limbo between two cultural worlds, and their struggles with relationships have nothing to do with their sexuality. Thus these stories of realistically flawed characters touch on universal themes, giving almost every reader a connection point.
Listening to my relatives' hushed conversations, I wondered whether there was, in their language, a word for homosexuality. I doubted it. I doubted, even, that the English word was used. For them, the concept was unspeakable. (p. 83)and between generations:
Bipin had never told his son this story. There was so much he'd never said. He'd never told him how many days he'd cried in Oklahoma; or how scared he was, when he brought Meenakshi to American, that he would disappoint her or fail her somehow; or how much he'd struggled. What Bipin did tell his son about his early life in America is what he thought he needed to know: that he had come with nothing and that it hadn't been easy, but he had worked hard and now here they all were. When Sanj asked his father why he came to America, Bipin answered, "For a better life," which was, in Bipin's estimation, what they now had. As for the details of what he'd been through, why would his son want to know? Bipin barely wanted to know himself. (p. 201)Other passages are more beautiful, emotional, and sexual but the two extracts I've shared show Mehta's style without spoiling any of the stories.
The Book: Dead and Gone is the ninth book in Charlaine Harris's Southern Vampire series, starring Sookie Stackhouse.
Louisiana is still recovering from the effects of Hurricane Katrina, which had a devastating effect not only on humans but on the supernatural beings as well. The vampire kingdoms have undergone new leadership and new borders, which means quite a few changes for Sookie's undead friends. But more significant for Sookie are a few other events.
First, the weres and shape-shifters decide to announce their presence to the world at large. As you can imagine, the reactions to this revelation are strong and varied. Some citizens of Bon Temps seem to have gone off the deep end, and a vigilante group is out to kill all known supernaturals. Sookie, of course, is caught up in the investigation of who's been doing the murders. Second, the fairy world is involved in a civil war, and the enemies of Sookie's grandfather are out to kill or kidnap her as way to make him surrender. So on top of everything else she's dealing with, Sookie has to stay alert to stay alive. And then there's the matter of Eric (sorry, I can't say more than that without spoiling the story--Ha!).
Dead and Gone is another fun entry in Harris's Sookie Stackhouse books. Despite the murders, blood, and vampires, the novels are light reading and a great way to escape into another world. As always, I listened to the unabridged audiobook (Recorded Books, 9 hr, 1 min) read by Johanna Parker, who is perfect as Sookie.
The Tea: I don't normally drink herbal teas, but there's one exception: I love Celestial Seasonings Bengal Spice tea. It is so warming and has such a wonderful aroma that it's one of my go-to teas when I'm feeling sick or have a chill. This week's snowfall had me brewing a pot. Here's the company's description: "Brimming with cinnamon, ginger, cardamom and cloves, a cup of our aromatic Bengal Spice tea is like a trip to an exotic spice market in a faraway land. This adventurous blend is our caffeine-free interpretation of Chai." As always, I drink it black with no sweetener.
The Assessment: We've been through this before. It's highly unlikely Sookie would be drinking any kind of fancy tea. In fact, in Dead and Gone, I think she drank lemonade more than anything else, and I really don't see her drinking chai--herbal or traditional. Oh well, she doesn't know what she's missing.
What About You? Here's where I ask you what you're drinking this week (tea, coffee, wine?). And don't forget to tell me what you're reading.
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