January 10th, 2012 by Amanda
I took a trip from Boise to Idaho Falls to visit my sister Quinn last weekend. It is about a four hour drive (a bit less if you keep your cruise set at 80, ahem!). I had been planning this trip ever since Thanksgiving, which was the last time I’d seen my sister. I very much enjoy road trips especially if I can go alone. Peace and quiet and nobody to judge my snacking habits!
In December I signed up for a free trial at Audible.com and downloaded Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere. This was both my first Gaiman and my first audiobook.
First to review the medium: I am not much suited to audiobooks. This particular audiobook may be a good or a bad example of the medium and I wouldn’t know, however, based on this example I don’t think I will be trying any new ones. It did while away the hours of driving at least as well as music would have done but not much better (and I am no lover of music). I was almost continually frustrated by how slowly Gaiman was reading his book to me; I could have finished it in less than half the 8 hours I spent on the road and I still have 4 and 1/2 hours left of the book! Were I often on the road I could perhaps incorporate audiobooks into otherwise non-reading time. As I am not, I shan’t. I was also frequently annoyed by sound-effects. Not contented to read me the narration describing a voice as coming over a static-heavy telephone line, Gaiman had to create that effect with static that made it difficult to understand the words. A book is not a radio-play; if I must listen to it instead of read it I would prefer straight narration with no more than slight intonation changes indicating different characters.
As to reviewing the book itself, I am only two thirds of the way through the book. I have frequently enjoyed Gaiman’s clever turn of phrase and am moderately eager to discover the outcome of the story. I find Door to be an engaging character but Richard an annoyingly dull one. Gaiman’s didactic purpose is blindingly obvious but not entirely offensive. We’ll see how it ends once I scare up a print copy, or find four and a half hours of walking or driving time to devote to the remainder.
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January 9th, 2012 by Amanda
I am cleaning out my library (need more shelf space!) and am selling a few duplicate copies I have.
If you’re interested check here and if you need me to ship it to you I’ll just ask you to reimburse me for cost!
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January 6th, 2012 by Amanda
I snagged this recipe from
Slate.com and made a few modifications. It enlivened our Christmas celebration
and my morning coffee. I’ve made it twice and modified it a bit. Give it a try!
Mocha Butter Crunch Pie
CRUST
1 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup cold butter
3 tablespoons finely chopped chocolate (semisweet)
3/4 cup chopped pecans
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoons (maybe more) water
FILLING
1/2 lb. soft unsalted butter
1 cup brown sugar
4 teaspoons instant coffee
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 oz. unsweetened chocolate, melted
4 eggs
TOPPING
2 cups cold heavy cream
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon instant coffee
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
1 teaspoon vanilla
OPTIONAL: Grated chocolate or chocolate curls
For Crust
Preheat over to 350F. Combine flour, salt, and brown sugar. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender. Stir in the nuts and chocolate. Mix in the vanilla and water. Work the mixture to combine (use your hands). Push mixture into a lightly buttered 13 x 9 dish and cover the bottom. Bake for about 18 minutes. Cool.
For Filling
Cream butter until fluffy and smooth. Add sugar, coffee, and vanilla and beat until smooth. Add the melted chocolate. Again beat smooth. Add the eggs one by one, beating for several minutes after each addition. Spread the mixture over the crust. Chill for several hours. (At this point the pie can be wrapped and frozen. Defrost in the refrigerator for 6-8 hours.)
For Topping
Just before serving, whip together the cream, coffee, powdered sugar, cocoa, and vanilla until stiff enough to hold a shape. You can just spread this across the top or use a pastry bag to pipe rosettes all over the top. Garnish, if desired, with grated chocolate or chocolate curls. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
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January 4th, 2012 by Amanda
This was only my second zombie book (first was I Am Legend
).
Max Brooks’s “oral history” was a fascinating read. I have a low tolerance for gore but the descriptions, while graphic, were not too intense for me. The variety of testimonies and post-war timeline kept me from getting too intensely invested in one character and so the tension never ratcheted up past my, admittedly low, threshold.
I long with the creative and interesting accounts of battles, strategies, and strongholds, Brooks weaves plenty of clever cultural and political commentary. I especially enjoyed his comments on the weaknesses of purebred dogs, the strengths and weaknesses of a cultural of individuality, and the impact of violence on societies and individuals.
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January 3rd, 2012 by Amanda
I was given this book
as a Christmas gift from my friend MB.
It is clever and engaging but doesn’t rise above the level of light entertainment. Which is, of course, perfectly fine. Light entertainment is an enjoyable part of life.
Jasper Fforde includes enough literary allusions, academic in-jokes, and time-travel conundrums to keep things moving, even if the plot wasn’t already brisk.
I am as intensely familiar with the plot of Jane Eyre as the protagonist is supposed to be and I only have one quibble with how it is represented. Fforde posits that Rochester intended to marry Blanche Ingram when he very clearly did not. Rochester declares to Jane, the morning after their engagement, that he only courted Blanche to make Jane jealous. He also indicates in the gypsy woman episode that, while in disguise, he lied about his fortune in order to cool her interest in him – this some five weeks before proposing to Jane! This discrepancy is not attributable to the alternate history caused by time travel as it is reaffirmed in the re-writing of the book.
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January 2nd, 2012 by Amanda
So far 2012 is going very well.
We rang in the new year with 8 of our very best friends. We spent the evening eating, discussing Constantine’s eldest son Crispus, women in ministry positions, and the relative merits of such diverse things as The City of God, Harry Potter, “Tangled,” and The Lord of the Rings.
The next morning we attended church and then Jared and the boys headed up to Lucky Peak to play in the mud with more good friends while I went to the 4th annual White Elephant Book Exchange.
I borrowed a shelf-full of books on my 2012 reading list from Brent and am looking forward to extending my sci-fi and fantasy education.
I am almost finished with Jasper Fforde’s The Eyre Affair and will review it soon.
I started Latin lessons this morning. Pronunciation and 4 conjugations – wheee!
The other night I awoke in a cold sweat from a nightmare wherein I had gone two entire days without reading. Good to know that my subconscious priorities closely mirror my conscious ones.
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December 30th, 2011 by Amanda
I don’t know about your world but in mine reading and eating just go together.
When I curl up with a good book the situation goes from great to amazeballs just by adding something to nibble on. I like small candies (M&Ms, Nerds, Reese’s Pieces, etc), popcorn and lemonade, beef jerky, or cookies.
When I sit down to a meal alone I am quite miserable if I can’t find some reading material to go along with it; I no longer try to read while eating with other people.
And so, here is a list of my favorite places to eat, rated both for the food quality and the ease of reading while eating.
#1. My couch. It’s the best simply because the food is usually good (I’m a decent cook), the privacy is total, the seat is comfortable, and I can never be without a book (a library of several thousand books is in the next room).
#2. Bar Gernika. This is the best place for any dry reading and also great for absorbing reading. The noise level is moderate, the food fantastic, there is always a decent beer or wine available, and the servers don’t look at me like I have two heads when I sit down alone and order with a book in my hand.
#3. Dawson Taylor Coffeehouse. The coffee is truly great and coffeeshops are natural places to sit and read in public. I can’t always find a seat though, and they don’t have a wide selection of foods.
#4. Bittercreek Ale House. Good beer and good food help but I almost always get the two-heads look and unless I sit next to the window during the day it is too dim to read. The french fries do balance things out quite a bit…
Anyone else have favorite reading and eating places?
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December 29th, 2011 by Amanda
(But I only answered 9!)
Here is a Q & A with me over at All Things Expounded.
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December 22nd, 2011 by Amanda
I’ve been reading like a madwoman. I wolfed down The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, am four-sevenths of the way through The Chronicles of Narnia, and just finished the first volume of The Book of the New Sun. I am living on coffee and wine and fudge and the very best fantasy ever written.
In other news: I’ve ordered stacks of books off my 2012 reading list from Amazon and have heard a rumor that my delightful mother-in-law has been investigating my wish-list. I cannot wait!
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December 13th, 2011 by Amanda
I’ve been getting ready for Christmas lately. Shopping. Baking. Planning. Inviting.
I’ve been working on my Lewis Library project (albeit slowly).
And I’ve been reading for the sheer indulgent pleasure of it. First The Lord of the Rings. Next The Chronicles of Narnia. And lastly The Book of the New Sun. I hope I make it through all 16 books before the end of the year (counting The Hobbit and Urth of the New Sun in that total).
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