Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Blogroll business
So I subscribe to a lot of blogs on Bloglines, and my poor blogroll was long and confusing. I have culled some really old blogs that were not updated in a long time and I organized it by topic. So if you only want to know what food blogs I read or what book blogs I read, you can now easily see.
Plague Ship!
69. Plague Ship by Frank G. Slaughter
There is one book from my vacation reading that I must post about -- Plague Ship! This book is awesome. First, I bought it for 25 cents while visiting Katie (who doesn't get a link since she hasn't blogged since February). I can't believe the library was culling this! Mysterious plague from the past! Sexist doctors with sexist descriptions given of young secretaries! Giant plot holes and foreshadowings that never occur! Awkward exposition given through dialogue. This book is exactly like a bad movie that is so bad you have to love it. Really. Better yet, Frank G. Slaughter was apparently a real surgeon, and wrote other awesome sounding books like Epidemic!, Women in White and Doctor's Wives. I plan on reading more of this excellent author and highly recommend him to you, if you enjoy movies like you find on Mystery Science Theater.
Monday, August 16, 2010
Quinoa!
Quinoa (pronounced Keen-wa) is apparently an amazing miracle grain full of protein and able to make you leap tall buildings in a single bound. I mostly just think it is tasty and I like it a lot better than cous cous so I use it in many cous cous applications.
I have only had it hot until recently, but then I realized I could make quinoa in my rice cooker which doesn't heat up the kitchen and THEN I could put the quinoa in the fridge, making an excellent summer dinner. Here is my improvised quinoa salad.
Yummy Summer Quinoa Salad
(partially inspired by this one, on The Picky Palate)
1 cup uncooked quinoa
2 cups water
1 orange sweet pepper, chopped kinda small
2 scallions, chopped, both white and green parts
1 avocado, chopped
1 small can mandarin oranges
1/2 a jalapeno (if you dare. Mine was really mild.)
1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons sesame oil
First, unless you have indication that your quinoa was pre-rinsed, put it in a mesh colander and run a bunch of water over it. It can have a bitter/soapy taste if you skip this step. Rinse rinse rinse.
Next, put the quinoa and the water in your rice cooker and turn it on. In 15 or so minutes you will magically have cooked quinoa. If you don't have a rice cooker, simmer the quinoa and the water on the stove. Really, it cooks just like rice.
Let the quinoa cool some and put it in a big bowl. Add all the veggies and oranges. In a small bowl, mix the olive oil, vinegar, sugar and sesame oil. Pour this over the quinoa and veggies and stir it all up. Put in the fridge for a bit and eat! Yum!
I did find this a little too sweet, so next time I will decrease the sugar by about half. You might want to start with that. Also, I meant to add fresh mint but forgot. It would be good though! Throw some in! Or parsley even.
I cooked the corn one of my two favorite ways. #1 is grilled, but here I steamed the corn. The idea is from How to Cook Everything Vegetarian. Basically, put the corn in a big pot with like an inch of water, cover, and cook for like 15 minutes. I think it is sweeter and more tender than boiling the corn in a huge pot of water and it takes less water and is therefore faster.
I have only had it hot until recently, but then I realized I could make quinoa in my rice cooker which doesn't heat up the kitchen and THEN I could put the quinoa in the fridge, making an excellent summer dinner. Here is my improvised quinoa salad.
Yummy Summer Quinoa Salad
(partially inspired by this one, on The Picky Palate)
1 cup uncooked quinoa
2 cups water
1 orange sweet pepper, chopped kinda small
2 scallions, chopped, both white and green parts
1 avocado, chopped
1 small can mandarin oranges
1/2 a jalapeno (if you dare. Mine was really mild.)
1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons sesame oil
First, unless you have indication that your quinoa was pre-rinsed, put it in a mesh colander and run a bunch of water over it. It can have a bitter/soapy taste if you skip this step. Rinse rinse rinse.
Next, put the quinoa and the water in your rice cooker and turn it on. In 15 or so minutes you will magically have cooked quinoa. If you don't have a rice cooker, simmer the quinoa and the water on the stove. Really, it cooks just like rice.
Let the quinoa cool some and put it in a big bowl. Add all the veggies and oranges. In a small bowl, mix the olive oil, vinegar, sugar and sesame oil. Pour this over the quinoa and veggies and stir it all up. Put in the fridge for a bit and eat! Yum!
I did find this a little too sweet, so next time I will decrease the sugar by about half. You might want to start with that. Also, I meant to add fresh mint but forgot. It would be good though! Throw some in! Or parsley even.
I cooked the corn one of my two favorite ways. #1 is grilled, but here I steamed the corn. The idea is from How to Cook Everything Vegetarian. Basically, put the corn in a big pot with like an inch of water, cover, and cook for like 15 minutes. I think it is sweeter and more tender than boiling the corn in a huge pot of water and it takes less water and is therefore faster.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
books!
OK, if I write reviews for all the books I read on vacation I will be here the rest of my life. So here is a list. If anyone is super curious what I thought of any of them, you can ask. :) All were acceptable to varying degrees.
60. Sunshine by Robin McKinley
61. Seeing Redd by Frank Beddor
62. The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga
63. Heat Lightning by John Sandford
64. Serious as a Heart Attack by Louisa Luna
65. The Quiet Dogs by John Gardner
66. Smiley's People by John le Carre
67. White Hot by Sandra Brown
68. Pretty Boy Floyd by Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana
60. Sunshine by Robin McKinley
61. Seeing Redd by Frank Beddor
62. The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga
63. Heat Lightning by John Sandford
64. Serious as a Heart Attack by Louisa Luna
65. The Quiet Dogs by John Gardner
66. Smiley's People by John le Carre
67. White Hot by Sandra Brown
68. Pretty Boy Floyd by Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Shahi paneer
R came across some paneer on sale at the grocery store, so we decided to try a new to us Indian recipe. Here is some shahi paneer; a dish with paneer (Indian cheese) and a tomato based sauce. It was pretty easy and I thought it was pretty flavorful. R thought it needed more spices, but to me it was good for an every day supper. I've put the recipe below. If you think your palate is more like R's than mine, feel free to increase the spices, especially the chili powder.
Shahi paneer recipe
(Adapted from Allrecipes.com)
Ingredients:
2 tbs vegetable oil
1 large onion, sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 tsp chili powder
4-5 Roma tomatoes, pureed
1/2 lb. paneer, cubed
1/4 c water
1 tsp sugar
salt to taste
1/4 c cream
at least 2 tbs chopped fresh cilantro
Directions:
Heat the oil over medium heat. Cook the onion and garlic in the oil until the onions are golden brown -- about 10 minutes (less if you have a more powerful stove). When the onions are brown, add the cumin, coriander, turmeric and chili powder. Stir it all around and cook until the spices are fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Add the pureed tomatoes and cook about 5 minutes, stirring a few times, until some of the liquid evaporates and the oil begins to separate out. You'll see a few pools of oil forming. Add the paneer, water, sugar and salt. From this point on stir gently so that the paneer does not break up too much. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the paneer absorbs the tomato sauce and turns kind of orange-ish, about 10 minutes.
Lower the heat to a simmer and add the cream while stirring. Simmer about 5 more minutes. Remove from the heat, add the cilantro and serve.
We served this with store bought naan and jasmine rice. Yum yum.
Also, we are still on the hunt for a muttar paneer recipe, so if you have one, let me know!
Shahi paneer recipe
(Adapted from Allrecipes.com)
Ingredients:
2 tbs vegetable oil
1 large onion, sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 tsp chili powder
4-5 Roma tomatoes, pureed
1/2 lb. paneer, cubed
1/4 c water
1 tsp sugar
salt to taste
1/4 c cream
at least 2 tbs chopped fresh cilantro
Directions:
Heat the oil over medium heat. Cook the onion and garlic in the oil until the onions are golden brown -- about 10 minutes (less if you have a more powerful stove). When the onions are brown, add the cumin, coriander, turmeric and chili powder. Stir it all around and cook until the spices are fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Add the pureed tomatoes and cook about 5 minutes, stirring a few times, until some of the liquid evaporates and the oil begins to separate out. You'll see a few pools of oil forming. Add the paneer, water, sugar and salt. From this point on stir gently so that the paneer does not break up too much. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the paneer absorbs the tomato sauce and turns kind of orange-ish, about 10 minutes.
Lower the heat to a simmer and add the cream while stirring. Simmer about 5 more minutes. Remove from the heat, add the cilantro and serve.
We served this with store bought naan and jasmine rice. Yum yum.
Also, we are still on the hunt for a muttar paneer recipe, so if you have one, let me know!
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Funny funny blog
So one of my new favorite blogs is Hyperbole and a Half. The illustrations really add to the hilarity. Also, I really relate to a lot of things about this blog. This is how I still feel about bikes and I have totally had this experience with a cat before.
Sunday, August 08, 2010
books!
56. Population 485: Meeting Your Neighbors One Siren at a Time by Michael Perry
A series of vignettes about Perry's life as a writer and volunteer fire fighter in a small Wisconsin town. I really like Perry's voice and the setting, so I liked this book a lot.
57. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson
The third in this super popular series. I liked this one, but I don't have the fanatical love for these books that some others have. I thought it wrapped things up pretty well, though, and through the whole series I really liked reading about Sweden.
58. The Snake, The Crocodile and the Dog by Elizabeth Peters
Another awesome Amelia Peabody mystery. Nothing more to say.
59. To the Edge: A Man, Death Valley, and the Mystery of Endurance by Kirk R. Johnson
This book was really interesting. It is the story of a reporter who signs up for Badwater, a 135 mile ultramarathon from the lowest point in Death Valley to the highest point. Johnson signs up for the race after his brother commits suicide -- Johnson's goal is to explore what makes a person able to endure. Johnson takes another brother and sister with him as crew, and aside from the family stories we also see Johnson's change from an observer of the race (as a reporter) to a whole hearted participant. The early part of the book was less interesting to me as I was not compelled by the questions of why some people do endurance events or even are able to survive certain circumstances while others cannot. What most interested me, was how the idea of Badwater started to obsess Johnson. The books does a good job of carrying the reader along on this transformation. At first I thought only crazy people would run the race, but by the end of the book I could understand its appeal. I'm unlikely to be running in the sauna to train for this race any time soon, but this book is a good glimpse into why someone might do something like that.
A series of vignettes about Perry's life as a writer and volunteer fire fighter in a small Wisconsin town. I really like Perry's voice and the setting, so I liked this book a lot.
57. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson
The third in this super popular series. I liked this one, but I don't have the fanatical love for these books that some others have. I thought it wrapped things up pretty well, though, and through the whole series I really liked reading about Sweden.
58. The Snake, The Crocodile and the Dog by Elizabeth Peters
Another awesome Amelia Peabody mystery. Nothing more to say.
59. To the Edge: A Man, Death Valley, and the Mystery of Endurance by Kirk R. Johnson
This book was really interesting. It is the story of a reporter who signs up for Badwater, a 135 mile ultramarathon from the lowest point in Death Valley to the highest point. Johnson signs up for the race after his brother commits suicide -- Johnson's goal is to explore what makes a person able to endure. Johnson takes another brother and sister with him as crew, and aside from the family stories we also see Johnson's change from an observer of the race (as a reporter) to a whole hearted participant. The early part of the book was less interesting to me as I was not compelled by the questions of why some people do endurance events or even are able to survive certain circumstances while others cannot. What most interested me, was how the idea of Badwater started to obsess Johnson. The books does a good job of carrying the reader along on this transformation. At first I thought only crazy people would run the race, but by the end of the book I could understand its appeal. I'm unlikely to be running in the sauna to train for this race any time soon, but this book is a good glimpse into why someone might do something like that.
Vacay!
R and I just got back from an awesome 2 week vacation in Costa Rica. We saw lots of monkeys, we saw a hawk eat a snake that was planning to eat a frog, we saw sea turtles laying eggs and we saw a volcano. We relaxed and read books on a mountain. We swam in the ocean a little and braved walking on a windy road with crazy drivers in the rain. It was fun. Here are a few pictures -- more are on Flickr.
Sunday, July 04, 2010
Books!
55. Brasyl by Ian McDonald
Meh. I felt like all the action happened at the end of this book. And also, if the action had been more throughout I would have liked it better. I am not really impressed by books/movies, etc. with the premise "reality is not real."
Meh. I felt like all the action happened at the end of this book. And also, if the action had been more throughout I would have liked it better. I am not really impressed by books/movies, etc. with the premise "reality is not real."
Books!
52. The Group by Mary McCarthy
This is the story of a group of college friends from Vassar in the 1930s. I mostly enjoyed it for the glimpses of life as an educated young woman back then, but I found it hard to get really close to the characters. A good read for the historical value, but not completely engrossing.
53. The Bridge: The Life and Rise of Barack Obama by David Remnick
The title says it all! The book starts out as a biography, and then moves on to Obama's political career and progress from state Senator to US Senator to president. I haven't read Dreams of My Father, so I not seen the biography stuff put all together before and I really enjoyed that part. I actually really liked seeing the whole story laid out. I mean, I lived through the election, I remember Obama's speech at the 2004 convention, but it was interesting to take a step back and see how it all fit together. This book only got three out of five stars because it was long, and some parts dragged a little, but other parts were page turners even though I knew how it would all end up. If you are at all interested in politics or knowing more about how Obama came to be who he is and fit this particular time I recommend this book.
54. Garnethill by Denise Mina
This is the second book of Mina's I have read and I really enjoyed both. I liked this one better than the other. It is a good mystery/thriller but also very well written and with a larger message about the treatment of people with mental illness in society. If you like mysteries but also more literary fiction, I recommend this book. As a bonus it is set in Scotland. I find I prefer mysteries that take place anywhere in Great Britain over those in the US.
This is the story of a group of college friends from Vassar in the 1930s. I mostly enjoyed it for the glimpses of life as an educated young woman back then, but I found it hard to get really close to the characters. A good read for the historical value, but not completely engrossing.
53. The Bridge: The Life and Rise of Barack Obama by David Remnick
The title says it all! The book starts out as a biography, and then moves on to Obama's political career and progress from state Senator to US Senator to president. I haven't read Dreams of My Father, so I not seen the biography stuff put all together before and I really enjoyed that part. I actually really liked seeing the whole story laid out. I mean, I lived through the election, I remember Obama's speech at the 2004 convention, but it was interesting to take a step back and see how it all fit together. This book only got three out of five stars because it was long, and some parts dragged a little, but other parts were page turners even though I knew how it would all end up. If you are at all interested in politics or knowing more about how Obama came to be who he is and fit this particular time I recommend this book.
54. Garnethill by Denise Mina
This is the second book of Mina's I have read and I really enjoyed both. I liked this one better than the other. It is a good mystery/thriller but also very well written and with a larger message about the treatment of people with mental illness in society. If you like mysteries but also more literary fiction, I recommend this book. As a bonus it is set in Scotland. I find I prefer mysteries that take place anywhere in Great Britain over those in the US.
Saturday, July 03, 2010
Books!
50 and 51. The Dead and the Gone and This World We Live In by Susan Beth Pfeffer
These are 2nd and 3rd books in a series that began with Life As We Knew It, which I loved. In these books a meteor crashes into the moon, pushing it off course and causing various disasters on earth. You all should know by now that I love a good apocalypse. But, I did not love these last two books. In The Dead and the Gone we go through the same time period as the first book, but in New York City. I did like a view of the end of the world from a big city stand point, but the characters were not as engaging. Also, the first book was written in a diary format which really drew the reader in and the second book was in 3rd person. The third book, though, was the worst. The characters from the first two books are brought together in a kind of contrived way and end up having to deal with things NOT going back to normal. In the third, I thought the characters were not as well fleshed out and there were many events that did not fit in with how I understood the characters so far. I would recommend reading the first book and skipping the second two.
These are 2nd and 3rd books in a series that began with Life As We Knew It, which I loved. In these books a meteor crashes into the moon, pushing it off course and causing various disasters on earth. You all should know by now that I love a good apocalypse. But, I did not love these last two books. In The Dead and the Gone we go through the same time period as the first book, but in New York City. I did like a view of the end of the world from a big city stand point, but the characters were not as engaging. Also, the first book was written in a diary format which really drew the reader in and the second book was in 3rd person. The third book, though, was the worst. The characters from the first two books are brought together in a kind of contrived way and end up having to deal with things NOT going back to normal. In the third, I thought the characters were not as well fleshed out and there were many events that did not fit in with how I understood the characters so far. I would recommend reading the first book and skipping the second two.
Friday, July 02, 2010
Free like a monkey!
My last post on zoos was partially inspired by this article in the Chicago Sun-Times: The Brookfield Zoo has let some golden lion tamarins (GLTs) out to forage in a wooded area next to the zoo. This is similar to a set-up at the National Zoo. There, tamarins live out in a wooded area of the zoo to learn to forage in a "wild" situation as part of their pre-release training.
In my earlier post I said I was skeptical of reintroduction programs, and I am, but one that comes closes to appearing like a success to me is that of the GLTs. Michelle sums the program up well here, and also introduces Devra Kleiman, a pioneer in this work, who sadly died earlier this year.
I don't know if reintroduction is going to save GLTs, but I haven't made it to the Brookfield Zoo yet and after reading this article I am excited to finally get there and see if I can spot the free-ranging ones.
In my earlier post I said I was skeptical of reintroduction programs, and I am, but one that comes closes to appearing like a success to me is that of the GLTs. Michelle sums the program up well here, and also introduces Devra Kleiman, a pioneer in this work, who sadly died earlier this year.
I don't know if reintroduction is going to save GLTs, but I haven't made it to the Brookfield Zoo yet and after reading this article I am excited to finally get there and see if I can spot the free-ranging ones.
What I think of zoos
A while ago, when I was in crazy dissertating/teaching land and thus neglecting the poor little blog, Michelle had some great posts about zoos and their goals. She asked me what I thought of this, and I wanted to take time to think of an answer and do some more reading before writing a well-crafted and thought out post.
I am never going to find that time. So here is my off the cuff answer: I am skeptical of the ability of zoos to meet their goals of educating visitors to care about conservation of wild animals and to genetically maintain populations for later reintroduction. For the education part, I have a suspicion that sometimes zoos teach people animals belong in captivity for the visitors' enjoyment. I suspect this due to the number of people I have seen at zoos demanding the attention of an animal, or complaining when the animals are not in good view. I also suspect this after being in various national parks with people viewing wild animals, and hearing the people complain that the animals are too far away or not easy to see. I was at one park and heard a woman demand her money back because she did not see a monkey. She did not seem to understand that the animals were wild, and not on display for her enjoyment. So, that is a concern of mine regarding zoos.
As for the preservation of species on the chance they can be reintroduced, I am again skeptical. I am not sure what benefit animals of a species gain by being maintained in captivity when there is no habitat for them to go back to. Also, I have not yet been convinced of the success of any reintroduction program. Many times the animals are reintroduced into a habitat that still has the same problems that led to the endangerment of the animals in the first place.
So there you are. I am skeptical. But I understand that all my evidence is personal and anecdotal, and I would like to see more research into reintroduction programs (I know of some mom and pop operations that reintroduce ex-pets on a small scale, but do not follow up) and into how zoo visits affect people's views of animals and conservation. This research could definitely help convince me one way or the other, and also help us decide where to best put our resources for conservation and preservation of species.
I am never going to find that time. So here is my off the cuff answer: I am skeptical of the ability of zoos to meet their goals of educating visitors to care about conservation of wild animals and to genetically maintain populations for later reintroduction. For the education part, I have a suspicion that sometimes zoos teach people animals belong in captivity for the visitors' enjoyment. I suspect this due to the number of people I have seen at zoos demanding the attention of an animal, or complaining when the animals are not in good view. I also suspect this after being in various national parks with people viewing wild animals, and hearing the people complain that the animals are too far away or not easy to see. I was at one park and heard a woman demand her money back because she did not see a monkey. She did not seem to understand that the animals were wild, and not on display for her enjoyment. So, that is a concern of mine regarding zoos.
As for the preservation of species on the chance they can be reintroduced, I am again skeptical. I am not sure what benefit animals of a species gain by being maintained in captivity when there is no habitat for them to go back to. Also, I have not yet been convinced of the success of any reintroduction program. Many times the animals are reintroduced into a habitat that still has the same problems that led to the endangerment of the animals in the first place.
So there you are. I am skeptical. But I understand that all my evidence is personal and anecdotal, and I would like to see more research into reintroduction programs (I know of some mom and pop operations that reintroduce ex-pets on a small scale, but do not follow up) and into how zoo visits affect people's views of animals and conservation. This research could definitely help convince me one way or the other, and also help us decide where to best put our resources for conservation and preservation of species.
Thursday, July 01, 2010
Books!
48. The Help by Kathryn Stockett
A story of various women and race relations in early 1960s Mississippi. I found the story and characters compelling; both the privileged white women, the white women aware of the injustice of their privilege and the black hired help. All were pretty much treated with respect and interest by the author. After I got into the book awhile I could not put it down, although at the end I felt the author missed the mark a little in some way, and could have gone deeper or told us something more radical. Still, a very good book worth reading.
49. Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman by Jon Krakauer
I love a lot of Krakauer's writing. This seems to be a very thoroughly researched book about Pat Tillman, the NFL player who gave up a $$$ contract to join the military. In the end, he was killed by friendly fire in Afghanistan and there was a big cover up about it. This book is very disturbing when it talks about the extent of the cover up, and also the extent of friendly fire deaths in the military and the way in which soldiers are sent into dangerous situations that could be avoided. You can read this if you want to be angry and disturbed about failures of the command structure of the military, and the extent that some will go to to keep people supporting the fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Aside from the indignation this inspired, I liked learning about Tillman, about the life of a pro-athlete and about the life of a soldier, all of which I knew nothing about before.
A story of various women and race relations in early 1960s Mississippi. I found the story and characters compelling; both the privileged white women, the white women aware of the injustice of their privilege and the black hired help. All were pretty much treated with respect and interest by the author. After I got into the book awhile I could not put it down, although at the end I felt the author missed the mark a little in some way, and could have gone deeper or told us something more radical. Still, a very good book worth reading.
49. Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman by Jon Krakauer
I love a lot of Krakauer's writing. This seems to be a very thoroughly researched book about Pat Tillman, the NFL player who gave up a $$$ contract to join the military. In the end, he was killed by friendly fire in Afghanistan and there was a big cover up about it. This book is very disturbing when it talks about the extent of the cover up, and also the extent of friendly fire deaths in the military and the way in which soldiers are sent into dangerous situations that could be avoided. You can read this if you want to be angry and disturbed about failures of the command structure of the military, and the extent that some will go to to keep people supporting the fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Aside from the indignation this inspired, I liked learning about Tillman, about the life of a pro-athlete and about the life of a soldier, all of which I knew nothing about before.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Do chimps have culture?
Ah, the eternal question.
Read this post on Primate Diaries for a great discussion of the topic.
Read this post on Primate Diaries for a great discussion of the topic.
books!
45. The Demon King by Cinda Williams Chima
I read another series by Chima and really liked it so I thought I would pick this one up. I also really liked it. This is just really solid straight ahead fantasy. You have the supernatural, magic, people who are probably not who they appear to be, all kinds of romantic triangles hinted at and some great selfless heroism. Chima is currently one of my favorite contemporary fantasy authors and I am looking forward to the next book in this series.
46. Skim by Mariko Tamiki and Jillian Tamiki
This is a graphic novel about a loner teenage girl as she navigates various teen angsts. It didn't so a lot for me now, although I enjoyed reading a kind of character driven graphic novel. I think I would have loved this as a teenager, though, and really related to it then.
47. The Deeds of the Disturber by Elizabeth Peters
Another great Amelia Peabody mystery. This one is set in Britain, but it is still awesome.
I read another series by Chima and really liked it so I thought I would pick this one up. I also really liked it. This is just really solid straight ahead fantasy. You have the supernatural, magic, people who are probably not who they appear to be, all kinds of romantic triangles hinted at and some great selfless heroism. Chima is currently one of my favorite contemporary fantasy authors and I am looking forward to the next book in this series.
46. Skim by Mariko Tamiki and Jillian Tamiki
This is a graphic novel about a loner teenage girl as she navigates various teen angsts. It didn't so a lot for me now, although I enjoyed reading a kind of character driven graphic novel. I think I would have loved this as a teenager, though, and really related to it then.
47. The Deeds of the Disturber by Elizabeth Peters
Another great Amelia Peabody mystery. This one is set in Britain, but it is still awesome.
Monday, June 28, 2010
books!
41. A Curse Dark as Gold by Elizabeth C. Bunce
A really good re-telling of the Rumpelstiltskin fairy tale, with some excellent, strong female characters thrown in. This dragged a little bit in the middle, but by the end I couldn't put it down.
42. The Unnamed by Joshua Ferris
I was a little disappointed in Ferris's first book, as I'd heard it was hilarious and I did not LOL. I liked this book more. This is the story of a man with a strange medical condition/compulsion/what have you. The book follows him and his family as he deals with this. This description makes the book sound kind of Hallmark-channely, but it is a good character study with a unique premise.
43. Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Suskind
Someone highly recommended this book to me, and I always hate it when I don't like a book someone recommends, but I did not like this book. It is about a strange man who has no odor of his own, but has an amazing sense of smell. It goes inside his mind as he commits some murders, and in that way it is interesting, but I really really did not like the main character and did not want to be inside his mind. That was probably the point, but it did not make for an enjoyable read. I did like the descriptions of the smells throughout the book, though.
44. Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer
Loved this book. It is in the form of a diary of a teenage girl who lives through an asteroid hitting the moon and knocking it off course. Of course, various terrible things befall the earth. I love post-apocalyptic novels and teen angst, so this was an excellent book for me. I recommend it.
A really good re-telling of the Rumpelstiltskin fairy tale, with some excellent, strong female characters thrown in. This dragged a little bit in the middle, but by the end I couldn't put it down.
42. The Unnamed by Joshua Ferris
I was a little disappointed in Ferris's first book, as I'd heard it was hilarious and I did not LOL. I liked this book more. This is the story of a man with a strange medical condition/compulsion/what have you. The book follows him and his family as he deals with this. This description makes the book sound kind of Hallmark-channely, but it is a good character study with a unique premise.
43. Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Suskind
Someone highly recommended this book to me, and I always hate it when I don't like a book someone recommends, but I did not like this book. It is about a strange man who has no odor of his own, but has an amazing sense of smell. It goes inside his mind as he commits some murders, and in that way it is interesting, but I really really did not like the main character and did not want to be inside his mind. That was probably the point, but it did not make for an enjoyable read. I did like the descriptions of the smells throughout the book, though.
44. Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer
Loved this book. It is in the form of a diary of a teenage girl who lives through an asteroid hitting the moon and knocking it off course. Of course, various terrible things befall the earth. I love post-apocalyptic novels and teen angst, so this was an excellent book for me. I recommend it.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Too much typing
Wow. It has been more than a month since I updated. How have you, my five readers (hi, Mom!) survived without my updates? I bet it has been a struggle.
Here is what I was doing: teaching, finishing the quarter and dissertating like crazy. I will blame the dissertating for my absence as I dissertated myself right into some mild carpal tunnel syndrome plus some bonus tendinitis! I was supposed to rest my wrists some, but as I could not really stop dissertating I did cut down on non-essential typing, thus less blogging. I am pretty cured now -- my wrists still get a little sore from time to time, but rest, ice, Aleve, and sleeping in a wrist brace have done wonders.
Aside from that, in the last month I have also gone to North Carolina, South Carolina and to a conference in Kentucky. More travels await this summer! I am also way behind on my book list, so expect more posts on that. I've also been reading more primatology blogs and am toying with writing about more science. We'll see how that goes, though.
Here is what I was doing: teaching, finishing the quarter and dissertating like crazy. I will blame the dissertating for my absence as I dissertated myself right into some mild carpal tunnel syndrome plus some bonus tendinitis! I was supposed to rest my wrists some, but as I could not really stop dissertating I did cut down on non-essential typing, thus less blogging. I am pretty cured now -- my wrists still get a little sore from time to time, but rest, ice, Aleve, and sleeping in a wrist brace have done wonders.
Aside from that, in the last month I have also gone to North Carolina, South Carolina and to a conference in Kentucky. More travels await this summer! I am also way behind on my book list, so expect more posts on that. I've also been reading more primatology blogs and am toying with writing about more science. We'll see how that goes, though.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Late Mother's Day
Here is a beautiful biology song for Mother's Day!
Thanks for my mDNA and hypothalamus, mom!
Thanks for my mDNA and hypothalamus, mom!
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