Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

I love Jane Austen. Pride and Prejudice is one of the books I've read over and over -- along with several of the other Jane Austen books.


Plot Summary: As with the original P&P, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies tells the story of the Bennets -- a family of five daughters, their parents, and extended relatives -- in 18th Century England. Mrs. Bennet is worried about finding husbands for her daughters (and someone who will provide for her in her old age, since the family estate will go to one of Mr. Bennet's cousins after his death). Mr. Bennet worries more about the minds and training of his daughters, although he's pretty much given up on all of them but the oldest two, Jane and Elizabeth.

As the story begins, Jane is in the process of falling in love with a newcommer to the area, Mr. Bingley, and Elizabeth is in the process of becoming enthralled in a contest of wills with Mr. Bingley's friend, Mr. Darcy.

Unlike the original story, this England is not at war with the French, but with the undead. The Bennet girls have been trained as martial artists and assigned to guard their section of the English countryside until their death or marriage.

My Reaction: My favorite lines from the original book are still there, but sometimes with a strange twist. If someone took one of the P&P movie adaptations, and mixed it with Shaun of the Dead and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon -- that's kind of what this book was like.

Fortunately, the storyline and 70% or so of the text is from the original Jane Austen book, it's just been adapted to include these other ideas. For example, the scene where Lady Catherine scolds Elizabeth about her poor upbringing in the original still exists, but now Elizabeth must listen to a lecture about how everyone knows ninjas are better than Shaolin monks.

I have to say -- I also had some new feelings about the original story, either because its been several years since I read it, or because I was looking at it through this new perspective. I had always sided with Elizabeth and her father and thought Mrs. Bennet's concerns about her daughters marrying well was flightly and silly.

In P&P&Z, the girls are less worried about what will happen after their father's death (and loss of their home) because they can return to the martial arts world. It was a reminder to me that in the original story, the consequences of the girls not marrying before their father's death would be much more dire -- especially for Mrs. Bennet's future. I still think Mrs. Bennet is flighty, but now realized that Mr. Bennet was rather heartless in failing to plan for the future of his family.

Bottom Line: Loved it and can't wait for the movie version.

Other Reviews of this Book:

• Sassymonkey
  

The Mystery of Grace by Charles de Lint

Let me just say, to start out with, that I love Charles de Lint. If I can get my act together and get some writing done, he's one of the three writers I'd want to be like. I'll try to be somewhat objective with this review, but you should know that going in, so that if I start drawing big puffy purple hearts somewhere in this post, you're prepared.


Plot Summary: The story starts with a one-night stand on Halloween night --which fits none of what I'd heard this book was about. The mystery comes into play when Altagracia "Grace" Quintero literally disappears from John Burns' apartment in the middle of the night.

Grace tells us the story of her life. She grew up in the same neighborhood where she met John. She lived with her mother and brother, but spent all her time rebuilding classic cars with her grandfather, who she calls only "Abuelo." She followed in his footsteps by keeping the Quintero last name, learning how to find the perfect line in a car, and memorializing her life in tattoos.

Grace is still recovering from her Abuelos' death, when she surprises a junkie with a gun at her local convenience store.

She wakes up in her own apartment, with a woman she's never met in her doorway. According to this woman, because Grace died within a few blocks of the Alverson Arms apartment building, she is now "living" in a parallel world with the Arms at its center. They are all able to visit the living world for one day during two days a year -- All Hallows Eve/Halloween and May Eve / Beltane. Most of the residents of the Alverson Arms world don't go back on these days because no one who knew them when they were living recognize them. That sense of disconnection outweighs the benefits of being able to eat and drink and feel the extremes of human emotions again. Grace meets John on her first Halloween back -- only two weeks after she died.

This is a story of Grace and John, of life and death, the things we hold onto and how we let go.


My Reaction: This was a very different Charles de Lint book. Many of his recent books are set in the fictional Canadian city of Newford. They often involve artists and Celtic musicians and a mix of European and Native American folklore figures. This ties kinto his own life where he and his wife live in Ontario, Canada and are musicians and artists.

The Mystery of Grace is set in the American Southwest. In the acknowledgments Charles describes some of his process in immersing himself in the hot rod community -- Grace and her Abuelo's community. He talks about the blogs and magazines he read and the people he talked with to get a flavor and details of the world he would be describing. As with many of his books, he talks about the music he was listening to while he was writing -- in this case new and classic rockabilly and surf guitar music.

This book was consistent with Charles's other books, in that the main characters are working through their own issues -- of course, the issues don't usually involve being dead.

I was expecting this to be mostly a love story (like 70 - 80%) and only partly about death and moving on after facing the death of those we love and our own mortality. I'd say it was 70 - 80% about facing death (and, in contrast, our ideas of life and community) and only 20 - 30% the love story between Grace and John. The mystery revolved around the Alverson Arms world, and not so much about the interplay of traditional folklore characters with the modern world.


Bottom Line: The setting and characters of this story are different from Charles de Lint's other books. This is an excellent and challenging book that deals with some serious issues through the lens of science fiction.

Other Reviews of this Book:

• SciFiGuy
  

Wordless Wednesday - Goodbye Ranger Rick

It's been awhile since I posted about our local backyard wildlife. The count is now 3 possums, a few neighbors' cats (who were released) and 2 raccoons -- including this guy (who got a one-way ride out to the countryside):

For more Wordless Wednesday, click here. My other Wordless Wednesday is here.

Supreme Court Nomine Sonia Sotomayor

I'm just hearing today about U.S. President Barack Obama's nominee for the Supreme Court.

I haven't done enough research to know how I feel about her one way or the other, but I am very interested in the President's continued use of the internet to spread his message directly to voters. To encourage that type of grass-roots campaigning, here's his clip introducing the new nominee:

Teaser Tuesday - Red-Headed Stepchild

Teaser Tuesdays are hosted by Should Be Reading. MizB asks us to:

(1) Grab our current reads.

(2) Let the book fall open to a random page.

(3) Share two (or three) teaser sentences from that page somewhere between lines 7 and 12 (avoiding spoilers).

We're also supposed to share the book title and author so others can find the book themselves.

Here's my teaser for today, from Red-Headed Stepchild by Jaye Wells :

"Regardless, in a few moments I'd finally see the infamous Clovis Trakiya in the flesh. I took a deep breath to calm what felt like bats taking flight in my midsection. The car slowed and then finally stopped. Show time."

The main character in this story, Sabina Kane, is half vampire and half mage. She serves the vampires as an assassin, but has never fit in. That makes her the perfect undercover agent to investigate the new "cult" led by Clovis that supposedly advocates peace among the vampires, mages and other groups.

Decoration Day

(Gettysburg, Pennsylvania)

Memorial Day (which I did not know was also called "Decoration Day" in reference to decorating graves of fallen soldiers) is observed in the US on the last Monday in May.

It was started after the American Civil War and, after World War I, was expanded to honor American casualties of any war. (It is similar to days remembered in other countries, such as Remembrance Day in November.)

I won't be able to visit cemeteries today -- and I'm much too far from any cemetery where soldiers I knew would be buried. This is my small way of thanking my grandfathers and all of the other brave soldiers who have died defending my country.

Catering to Nobody by Diane Mott Davidson

I listened to Catering to Nobody by Diane Mott Davidson two weeks ago on my trip up to visit my parents.


Plot Summary: Gertrude Bear Korman (aka Goldy Bear) runs a catering business from her home to support herself and son after a divorce from a prominent local doctors.

As residents of a relatively small town in Colorado, Goldy often runs into her ex-husband, as well as his parents, his other ex-wife and his new girlfriend. For the benefit of her son, Arch, Goldy tries to minimize arguments with her ex, despite his hot temper and abusive nature.

During the wake for one of Arch's favorite teachers, her ex starts an argument accusing Goldy of trying to poison him when she substitutes one of her dishes to keep him from having an allergic reaction. Considering his temper and suspicions, its no wonder that he calls the police on Goldy when her ex-father-in-law collapses later in the same wake from poison in his coffee.

Since Goldy's catering business is shut down after the event, it's no wonder she starts investigating who would have a reason to poison her ex-father-in-law,which leads to more and more questions about the teacher who died and her former in-laws.


My Reaction: First, these culinary mysteries are not ideal for listening to on CD in the car. One of the extra benefits of these books are copies of Goldy's recipes, which I was unable to take advantage of on the road. They mystery was good without the recipes, but I was drooling over some of those desserts.

This is a fun, light mystery, with a good motive for the heroine to get involved in the sleuthing business. The catering business will also be a good set-up for Goldy to keep meeting new people and being in new scenarios, so the mystery series can continue without everyone she knows dying from book to book.

This book was published in 1990, but written in the 1980s. I expected some of the references to be indicative of the 80s -- there was the detailed discussion of lycra at the new gym, for instance. The thing I found distracting from the mystery, though, was some of the assumptions that seemed too dated to me. For instance:

• Goldy's husband's physical abuse is just one of the things that make him a "jerk," like his unfaithfulness. It's not portrayed as a crime of assualt and battery and there's no indication that any of the women he's abused have ever filed charges.
• The detective refuses to understand why Goldy is upset that he shut down her business. He expects her to get over that so that they can date -- like he's interrupted a hobby or something, not her only way of paying the mortgage.
• Arch's trouble with the local school bullies is a minor concern for Goldy, but she doesn't really take it seriously. In the post-Columbine world, I think a parent would have a different reaction to some of Arch's actions.
• One of the characters is identified as an extreme feminist, who would certainly not shave her legs or armpits, because she has some women's studies college text books on the shelf.
  

Bottom Line: Fun summer reading. I'm going to try out one of Diane's later mysteries and take notes on the desserts.


Obviously, if you're reading an 18th Century author, you're going to expect some societal changes between the time the book was written and today. Are there other books that have surprised you with attitudes that you find dated?

Pope Joan Giveaway

Pages to the Past is giving away a copy of Pope Joan by Donna Woolfolk Cross before her review of the book and interview with the author.

Here's the posted synopsis:

Synopsis: For a thousand years her existence has been denied. She is the legend that will not die–Pope Joan, the ninth-century woman who disguised herself as a man and rose to become the only female ever to sit on the throne of St. Peter. Now in this riveting novel, Donna Woolfolk Cross paints a sweeping portrait of an unforgettable heroine who struggles against restrictions her soul cannot accept.

Brilliant and talented, young Joan rebels against medieval social strictures forbidding women to learn. When her brother is brutally killed during a Viking attack, Joan takes up his cloak–and his identity–and enters the monastery of Fulda. As Brother John Anglicus, Joan distinguishes herself as a great scholar and healer. Eventually, she is drawn to Rome, where she becomes enmeshed in a dangerous web of love, passion, and politics. Triumphing over appalling odds, she finally attains the highest office in Christendom–wielding a power greater than any woman before or since. But such power always comes at a price . . .

In this international bestseller, Cross brings the Dark Ages to life in all their brutal splendor and shares the dramatic story of a woman whose strength of vision led her to defy the social restrictions of her day.

Head over to be included in the drawing!

Eco Reading Challenge

I heard about the Eco Reading Challenge from Chris at Book-A-Rama. Chris has started an online challenge group for eco readings at GreenNexxus. You can sign up here.

A GreenNexus sign-up begins with the standard option of setting up a profile for the site, but then prompts you to indicate what options, out of a long list, you want to list as your Acts of Green. I've listed out the things we're working on right now, which mostly involve gardening and making the house more efficient -- although I got a nice bump for telecommuting.

Once you're set up, come join the conversation about green books. Chris just posted about Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver -- one of the most thought-provoking books I read last year.

I'm working my way, chapter at a time, through Gorgeously Green by Sophie Uliano (check out my posts here, here, and here). I'm hoping this group will help me stay motivated to make changes and keep learning more.

Wordless Wednesday - Prairie Dog vs. Snack Pack

For all the drama, you'd think the prairie dog was up against a horrible villain instead of a snack pack:



You can see who was victorious in the end, though:

Here's my other Wordless Wednesday for today. For more (not so) Wordless Wednesday, click here.

Yard Work or Giant Moles?

I moved into our West Texas house a little over a year ago. (Tater moved in 6 months before that and tore the place apart -- but that's another story.)

After most of the interior renovations were complete, we decided this summer would be all about the yard. Here's the beginning of the process:

Then, on Saturday we rented this:



And here's the results from the "itch Witch":

The only picture missing out of this series is the 5 inches of rain that poured down on us while we were trying to finish things up about 10am on Saturday. Needless to say, the "final" stage only occurred on Sunday after the mud-yard dried out a bit.

Monday Meme - Personal Information

I picked up this meme from Brit' Gal Sarah. Figured it was good for a Monday morning in mid-May.

What are your current obsessions? I seem to be on a Star Trek kick lately. Finishing watching the last season of Star Trek: Voyager in the same weekend as watching the new Star Trek movie.

Which item from your wardrobe do you wear most often? I'm in blue jeans 90% of my time out here, although the weather heating up is making me re-consider my plan for the next 3 months. Would I be too much of a girly-girl if I switch to skirts for the summer?

What's for dinner? Good reminder -- we have a tri-tip in the fridge that need to be seasoned if it's going to be ready for the grill tonight.

Last thing you brought? Dinner at Wal-Mart. I know... I know... but it was a lazy weekend and the options of restaurants on a Sunday here are limited.

What are you listening to? I usually listen to Absolute Radio online while I work.

If you could be anyone, who would you be and why? At the moment, I'm a bit overwhelmed with who I'm trying to become. Five years ago, I would never have imagined that I'd be out in West Texas working online. If I'm going to be a Texas rancher's wive when I'm 50 (that's the hypothetical plan), then I need to be working on getting there now. That's what's behind my learning to garden in Texas conditions, as well as pushing myself to try to do more writing and other online work that can be done from any location with a satellite internet connection. Here's hoping I'm on the right path!

Favorite holiday traditions? After the first year of marriage, I'm still working to develop these for our new family. I'm in the process of collecting music and recipes for each holiday. The next one on the calendar is US Independence Day on July 4th. We're helping organize a neighborhood picnic and will probably be looking for a friend's property to set off fireworks again this year.

Reading right now? Red-Headed Step Child by Jaye Wells and Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith, with People of the Book on CD. Geez -- maybe I need more reading and less Star Trek.

Four words to describe yourself? Curious, Independent, Adaptable, Happy

Guilty pleasure? Quilting in front of the TV.

Who or what makes you laugh until you're weak? The prairie dog has been getting more and more interactive with us, which leads to lots of funny moments. Check back Wednesday for my first video of him.

First spring thing? I'm a holiday decorating addict. First thing was the Spring Decoration box coming out of the garage so that Easter decorations, silk flowers, and other items could be strewn about the house.

Best thing you ate or drank recently? Melonie, over at Wandering Quail Road, sent me a wonderful care package from Japan last week.

We just polished off the last of the chocolate-stuffed marshmallows. Marshmallow + mini-chocolate-bar center? Fantastic!!

Here's another picture of the goodies Melonie sent -- these chopsticks look way too pretty to eat with. Think they may become hair accessories. Hmmmm....

Favorite ever film? Too many to name. My favorites this weekend were Star Trek and Australia. (How's that for variety?)

Care to share some wisdom? Each one of us are the expert at teaching ourselves new things.

What may surprise us about you? Among other items strewn about my workspace, I have a picture of Neil Gaiman's personification of Death right in front of my computer, as a reminder. You can check it out here (she's about 2/3 of the way down the page, holding an umbrella).

The rules are "Respond and Rework." Answer questions on your own blog; replace one question; and tag 8 people.

I'm more of a voluntary meme player -- so, if you're interested, please consider yourself "tagged."

Sunshine by Robin McKinley

Plot Summary: In a world similar to our own, other than the wizards, werewolves and vampires, Rae works as a baker at Charlie's Coffeehouse. We are introduced to Rae's mom, Charlie (Rae's stepfather and the owner of the coffeehouse), and the other staff and coffeehouse regulars, including Mel, Rae's motorcycle-tough-but-zen boyfriend.

Society has been recovering since the Voodoo Wars started (when Rae was ten) and destroyed vast sections of the country. During the wars, the vampires, werewolves, demons, fallen angels, sprites and various types of "Others" had fought against the normal humans. Now there were laws trying to regulate the Others and even a police force specifically designed to handle Other incidents (the Special Other Forces or "SOF").

Neither the laws nor the SOF are able to help Rae, nicknamed "Sunshine" by her father, when she makes a visit out to the abandoned lakeside property her father's family owned before the wars. She had no chance to fight off the gang of vampires that attacked her that night. Luckily (?) they weren't interested in a quick snack. Instead, they were using her to tempt a captive rival vampire who is chained to the wall in an abandoned mansion in the area. Sunshine wakes up chained to the opposite wall of the elaborate foyer, dressed in a fancy gown, and clearly intended to be the feast for this vampire once his will not to eat her breaks down.

Sunshine's expecting to be eaten as soon as she runs out of stories to tell the vampire. The vampire, Connie, is expecting to eat her as soon as the daylight drives him crazy enough not to care that she's a rational creature. That's only 40 pages into the book, but I don't think I can tell more of the story without giving too much away. You'll have to find out for yourself what happens next for Connie and Sunshine (and how her mysterious father's heritage comes into play), including the counter-attacks on the vampire gang that stranded them both in this trap.

The author's home page is here, but she's not going to give you much more information.

My Reaction: This book was Buffy meets Terminator for me. I loved seeing how the author adapted society just enough so that it was familiar to the reader, but included the destruction from the Voodoo Wars and threats from the Others into every day life. The story includes the traditional vampire lore (no sunshine, drink blood, rival factions, etc.) with a unique way of society coping with these threats and trying to regulate them.

I loved the relationships between Sunshine and her "family" of people at the bakery -- especially the believable tensions with her mother and her relationship with Mel.

Lots of action in this one and some violence / deaths, but in a science-fiction non-reality sort of way.

My only negative about the book is that Robin McKinley creates these wonderful worlds in her stand-alone books that I would often love to see expanded into a series.

Bottom Line: Please, Robin, write a sequel!

UPDATE: Turns out, I'm not the only one who's been asking that Robin write a sequel to Sunshine -- often less politely than I did (Entitlement blog post, second Entitlement blog post). It's been happening for the last 6 years and she says there are currently no plans to write a sequel, but she's currently working on some other books.

BoneMan's Daughter by Ted Dekker

Plot Summary: Two years prior to this story starting, a serial killer known as BoneMan killed 7 girls in Texas by breaking all their bones, but not breaking the skin. The District Attorney, Burt Welsh, and his team thought they caught the man responsible for the killings, which stopped after their suspect was in custody. As the story begins, a question about key evidence in the conviction leads to the release of the man convicted of the killings and a re-opening of the case.

On the other side of the world, naval intelligence officer, Ryan Evans, is captured in Iraq by a man named Kahlid. Kahlid is trying to convince the United States that the war in Iraq is evil because it is causing the death of innocent Iraqi children. His plan is to film Ryan offering up the location of his own wife and daughter to stop Kahlid's men from killing more Iraqi children in front of him. In an odd twist of fate, Kahlid is killing these children by breaking their bones.

Ryan escapes from Kahlid and returns to Texas, to try to deal with his experiences with Kahlid and rebuild his relationships with his family. He finds that his estranged wife, Celine, is in love with another man and that his dauther, Bethany, feels abandoned by his time overseas and rejects him. The man Celine is divorcing Ryan to be with is D.A. Burt Welsh.

When Bethany disappears, Celine blames Ryan, who becomes the authorities' new prime suspect for the BoneMan killings. Ryan then has to battle both the authorities and the BoneMan to rescue his daughter.

You can find more information about the book here and here.

My Reaction: I thought this book was well-written and liked the play off the Biblical themes both in the BoneMan's twisted perception of the world and the way the interaction between the BoneMan and Ryan played out. The classic thriller storylines of abduction, challenge, and attempts at rescue play out with extra urgency knowing how the BoneMan has killed before and knowing the similarities between the BoneMan and Ryan's experiences in Iraq.

I had difficulties dealing with the details about the bone-breaking, suffering and deaths. I know they were included to emphasize the danger and mental conditions of the BoneMan and Kahlid; however, they were still difficult for me to read (i.e. not a good book to read right before bed).

For me, though, the hardest thing about this book was the moral grey-ness of all of the characters. Obviously there are evil characters in novel about a serial killers. I also expect that modern authors will give some background and motivation for their villains to give context to their actions. I was not prepared for the moral ambiguity of the "good guys", though. Ryan, Celine, Bethany -- they're not people I'd want to hang out with. The lying, the hatefulness toward each other, and all the self-destructive behavior made it hard to cheer for Bethany's rescue or to see Ryan as a hero.

This ambiguity appears deliberate on the author's part -- as a way to explore the line between good and evil and the circumstances that can make even a hero question what sets him apart from the villains. It just makes for hard reading when there's not a character where the reader can "rest" or can safely mentally identify with other than supporting characters (like the FBI agent helping investigate the killings). The feel of this book, to me, was like the Sin City movies and books.

Bottom line: Good writing, but I like thrillers a little less graphic and my heroes a little more virtuous.

(Big "Thank You" to Miriam Parker at Hachette Book Group for sending me this book.)

Here are some other reviews of BoneMan's Daughter:

• My Friend Amy
• Cafe of Dreams

Wordless Wednesday - Missouri Straight-Line Winds

This was my parents' neighborhood last week (took pictures on a break from drying out the flood in the basement):

You can see even more severe damage in Joplin, Missouri (drove through on my way to the parents') here.

For more Wordless Wednesday, click here.

Lucinda Matlock by Edgar Lee Masters

This is a reminder for me after a bad day yesterday.

It's a poem from the Spoon River Anthology by Edgar Lee Masters. I read this for the first time in high school and this is one of the two poems out of that book that has been rolling around in my head ever since.

Lucinda Matlock

I went to the dances at Chandlerville,
And played snap-out at Winchester.
One time we changed partners,
Driving home in the midnight of middle June,
And then I found Davis.
We were married and lived together for seventy years,
Enjoying, working, raising the twelve children,
Eight of whom we lost
Ere I had reached the age of sixty.
I spun, I wove, I kept the house, I nursed the sick,
I made the garden, and for holiday
Rambled over the fields where sang the larks,
And by Spoon River gathering many a shell,
And many a flower and medicinal weed--
Shouting to the wooded hills, singing to the green valleys.
At ninety-six I had lived enough, that is all,
And passed to a sweet repose.
What is this I hear of sorrow and weariness,
Anger, discontent and drooping hopes?
Degenerate sons and daughters,
Life is too strong for you--
It takes life to love Life. 

Hope you're having a good Tuesday.

Monday Meme - What You Don't Know

I got indirectly tagged for a "what your readers don't know" meme by Hair Bows & Guitar Picks. Here are the rules:

• Link to the person who tagged you.
• Share 7 things that people may not know about you.
• Tag 7 people to share 7 things and link to them.
• Let them know they have been tagged.
• Have fun!

Umm... So, what don't you know...

(1) I just got back from Missouri, where straight-line winds did damage usually only reserved for tornadoes.
(2) I can go a week not hearing from my boss (I work from home), but if I leave town, I will get 9,000 urgent phone calls.
(3) I've only been here a year, but already breathe a sigh of relief on the drive back to West Texas when I start to see the mesquite and wind turbines of home.
(4) I made my husband re-open the NetFlicks envelope so I can see the last episode of Star Trek Voyager (after a year of making me watch the show, I want to see them get home, dammit)
(5) I have ridiculously bad eyesight and haven't had a new glasses prescription in about 5 years. (I'd be unable to drive if something happened to my contacts.)
(6) I did Scottish highland dancing as a kid and am tempted to get back into it just to encourage some Celtic festivals out here.
(7) This is the only place I've ever lived where there is no Irish pub and therefore no Irish pub sessions to join in with. My violin has been gathering dust in the closet for the last year. Maybe I need to start one of those, too.

And I guess I'm supposed to tag individual bloggers, but I'm going to tag any of you who are interested in playing along.

Friday Travel "Reading"

I'm headed to Missouri today to spend the weekend with my mother to celebrate Mother's Day and her birthday (which was yesterday).

Despite the huge TBR stack under my bed, I have very few un-"read" books on CD, so I hit the library for some traveling books. Here's what I'll be listening to about the time you're reading this post and on the return drive:

Catering to Nobody by Diane Mott Davidson -- According to the Random House website, This is Diane's first book in her catering mystery series: "Catering a wake is not Goldy’s idea of fun. Yet the Colorado caterer throws herself into preparing a savory feast including Poached Salmon and Strawberry Shortcake Buffet designed to soothe forty mourners. And her culinary efforts seem to be exactly what the doctor ordered...until her ex-father-in-law gynecologist Fritz Korman is struck down and Goldy is accused of adding poison to the menu. Now, with the Department of Health impounding her leftovers, her ex-husband proclaiming her guilt, and her business about to be shut down, Goldy knows she can’t wait for the police to serve up the answers. She’ll soon uncover more than one family skeleton and a veritable stew of unpalatable secrets–the kind that could make Goldy the main course in an unsavory killer’s next murder!"

People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks -- According to the author's website, "inspired by the true story of a mysterious codex known as the Sarajevo Haggadah, People of the Book is a sweeping adventure through five centuries of history. From its creation in Muslim-ruled, medieval Spain, the illuminated manuscript makes a series of perilous journeys: through Inquisition-era Venice, fin-de-siecle Vienna, and the Nazi sacking of Sarajevo."

I'll let you know how it goes!

The Liberation Diet by Kevin Brown and Annette Presley

I was curious about The Liberation Diet after hearing Annette Presley talk about it at West Texas Writers meetings.

The Premise: The premise of this book is that during the last 100 years many things were done to the American food supply (and presumably that of other industrialized nations). These changes have been advertised to the public as more healthy alternatives to the previous food preparation methods. A scientific review of these claims shows that the changes usually had more benefit to the food manufacturers, by making centralized, industrialized food production possible and profitable, than to the people eating the food.

"Locally grown, fresh food cannot be mass produced and nationally distributed as it would spoil on the journey from California to New York, so purveyors of real food remain the 'little guy.' On the other hand, mass industrialized food processing is designed to have large distribution channels that generate large sums of money, making industrial food the 'big guy.'"


"The rise of fake food has paralleled the rise of heart disease, diabetes, cancer, ADHD, autism, and obesity. IF you really want to lose weight and get healthy, its time to get back in the kitchen with real food."

My Reaction: I was most impressed by the historical perspective that the authors gave in this book. They spent several chapters talking about how common food additives, such as cottonseed oil, were developed and marketed. (The short version of this one -- cottonseed oil is an industrial byproduct of processing cotton from plant form to fabric form. It was the first oil to be hydrogenated for use in place of lard in candles. As the demand for candles decreased, it was marketed as a "healthy" replacement for lard in food. This hydrogenated oil is one of the causes of trans fats in foods, which is now regarded as very unhealthy.)

I definitely buy into the book's emphasis of "real food" over processed food. After reading it, I have been replacing the sweetner in my morning coffee with locally produced honey (which in theory may also help some of my allergies to local wildflowers).

I am still thinking about some of the claims in the book that seem more controversial. In particular, the authors claim that saturated fats and cholesterol do not cause heart disease. They've said that this information has been advocated by groups that have a financial interest in promoting plant oils and grains over meat and dairy products.

Heart disease runs in my family, but only during the last 50 years. I've always understood that this was related to the change from farm work to sedentary work and not dying of other causes (such as being struck by lightening in the field). I'm curious now, though about the possibility that this is related to a switch from lard and full fat dairy products to a diet that includes more processed food and more grains and plant oils. I know we have wondered how our great-grandparents lived on whole milk and weekly fried chicken without the obesity problems that seem to affect generations now who eat many more salads and try to hit the gym.

My final analysis -- this book definitely made me think. It's also sent me off doing some more research, including a stop by the Weston A Price website cited in the book.

Let me know what you think if you've read this book or heard some of these theories.

Wordless Wednesday - Grocery Shopping Extras

There are some things you expect to see at a Texas grocery store on a Saturday night... trucks, University of Texas t-shirts, Shiner Bock beer.


The trailer of horses for sale was a new one for me.

For more (mostly) Wordless Wednesday, click here.

Joolwe Hammered Oval Pendant Giveaway

Last month, I entered a give-away hosted by Jewelry Revelations. Imagine my surprise when I won!

I know it's not book-related, but I wanted to share pics with you all of the lovely necklace Joolwe sent me as a winner of this contest.

It's a beautiful yellow-gold color (which I don't wear often, but may start now). It's also the perfect weight -- the pendant is relatively heavy, but not too heavy. The hammered texture is kind of funky, but the gold color, rounded pendant finish and delicate chain make it sophisticated enough for a business meeting or dressy event.

You can find out more about Joolwe give-aways here.

What Type Are You

So, my friend Lisa Jo passed on a link to The Typealyzer, which analyzes your blog and tells you what Myers-Briggs personality you are based on your website.

I am supposed to be:

"ESTP - The Doers

The active and playful type. They are especially attuned to people and things around them and often full of energy, talking, joking and engaging in physical out-door activities.

The Doers are happiest with action-filled work which craves their full attention and focus. They might be very impulsive and more keen on starting something new than following it through. They might have a problem with sitting still or remaining inactive for any period of time."

What does this mean for you, as my readers? I guess it means I project an image that is more extroverted and active than the rest of my life, as my standard Myers-Briggs tests always come out INFJ.

(Yes, I've taken it more than once, although taking it as part of a class in junior high and high school can hardly be held against me, right? It's gotta be somewhat more reliable than What Type of Wine Are You!)

Friday Link-Ups

Looking for my Fiber Arts Friday post? Check out my quilting blog page. You can also see some of my fiber arts work at KaiserMommy's page today.






Also, are you playing along with Smash's Harry Potter Revisited challenge? Check out her page today, too!