This is the final book of the Dying Earth books, and is as beautifully written as the ones before it. Rhialto is a magician, and though he and his fellow magicians are not as great as those that came before them, they still manage some pretty impressive feats. The story is split into three distinct […]
Rhialto the Marvellous – Jack Vance Read More »
Candy Freak is a journey to find America’s small candy makers and some of their iconic candies. Most of these are candies that you’ve probably only heard of if you live in a specific region, and they’re sadly disappearing. I didn’t realized how bad the big three (Hershey’s, Mars and Nestle) are making it for
Candy Freak – Steve Almond Read More »
Bella is the eldest daughter in her house, with two younger step-sisters.    If you’re familiar with fairy tales, you can see where this story could go.   But Bella’s step-mother, while a flighty hypochondriac, is kind, and her two step-sisters adore her.  She’s also on good terms with her father, who has indulged her desire to
Beauty and the Werewolf – Mercedes Lackey Read More »
Yes, I am enough of a Castle fangirl that I’ve been reading the novels that Castle has written on the show. (I am not so much of a fangirl that I buy them before they hit the bargain bin…) First thing to know about these books: they are much more fun if you watch the
Heat Rises – Richard Castle Read More »
So, what’s a girl to do with about four pound of tomatoes when her salad needs are being fulfilled by the cherry tomato plant in the garden?  Salsa! This is the Fresh Vegetable Salsa from the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving. It was meant to make five pints, but I got the above four,
Further Adventures in Domesticity Read More »
The planet Windhaven was colonized long ago by people from Earth. It has low gravity, and near perpetual storms, so some of the colonists used the remains of their ship to build wings, and their descendants became an important link between the islands in this world of vast oceans plagued by storms and deadly monsters.
Windhaven – George R. R. Martin and Lisa Tuttle Read More »
For a bit of a knitting interlude, I’ve cast on an Argyle Purl Scarf, by Jenna Nunziato, using Classic Elite Renaissance yarn.  This scarf will go to the Red Scarf Project. I’m liking the pattern so far.   It’s fairly simple, yet long enough to not get boring.   I’ve been flying along – I’m pretty much
Pattern: Palimpsest by Anne HansenYarn: Knit Picks Alpaca Cloud in the Horizon colorwayNeedles: Size 4 circs Wow. Â Â In checking my notes, I cast this on on the last day of May. Â Â So it’s been slightly more than two months. Â Â I can’t believe I’ve managed that much project monogamy in that time. This
When I was young, and we still lived in Portland, about a block away from the local elementary school, which also contained the local branch library, my mother, sister and I would walk up there seemingly all the time. We would get picture books, and my mother would get more complicated chapter books that she
Mary Poppins in the Park – P. L. Travers Read More »
Captain Laurence and Temeraire have finally made it back to England, only to find that all the dragons there have been infected with a very nasty cold that’s kept them sick enough that many of them can no longer fly. After accidentally breaching the quarantine, they find that Temeraire is immune to the cold, and
Empire of Ivory – Naomi Novik Read More »
