Desperado Penguin

Blogfest 2012! Quirk Books Giveaway!

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Fri, 28 Sep 2012 12:39:00 +0000

Welcome to Blogfest 2012! I so thrilled to be participating in this fun event for the third time! Blogfest is an annual event hosted by A Journey of Books.

Up for grabs are two brand new books from Quirk Books, the fine folks who brought us Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. First is Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters, which I haven't read, but hey - who doesn't love a little seaweed in their Jane Austen? Next up is Bedbugs, an homage to Rosemary's Baby, only with, well - bedbugs. I reviewed Bedbugs recently and it was loads of fun. I'm also including a Bedbugs poster to hang on your wall and impress all your friends.

Rules:

1. Giveaway is open to everyone - U.S. and international.

2. Please complete the rafflecopter form below (do not leave information in the comments - it will not count!)

3. Giveaway ends October 1, 2012 at 11:59pm EST.

4. Once the winner is contacted, they will have 48 hours to respond to my email or another winner will be chosen (make sure to check your spam filters!).

That's it! Have fun!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

After you enter, go visit the next blogs on the list!
A Dragon's Love
Patricia Leever
Tanya & Diana
Author Killian McRae
Ruby @ Ruby's Reads :)

Review: Taste Of Home Cooking School Cookbook

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Thu, 20 Sep 2012 21:26:00 +0000

Taste of Home, which produces a magazine, website, and cooking school events, has assembled an all-purpose cookbook, Taste of Home: Cooking School Cookbook. The book is decidedly directed for the beginner cook, including instructions for items such as how to measure ingredients properly, what ingredients are found in a well-stocked kitchen, and what all those knives are for.

This is not a Julia Child or Marcella Hazan type book where the reader is extensively instructed in technique, although there are helpful sidebars throughout the book with tips that are helpful for the recipe at hand - for example, in the bar drinks section, a callout explains how to muddle fruit in a drink, and also lets the reader know that you can use an ice cream scoop - useful advice as the reader the book is geared to may not have a "muddler" handy. Even though I'm not a novice, I appreciated the tip on how to make meatballs of uniform size. Some of the ideas for dressing up basic foods were clever; there was a section on livening up a basic barbeque with flavored ketchups and mayos that I thought was quite clever (as well as very simple).

The book is well-organized and the recipes are presented clearly and with nice photography. Many recipes can be made in a very short amount of time or with just a few ingredients, and I didn't run across anything that was exotic or referred me to an appendix for a list of places I could order it. Although part of me didn't really care for a few recipes that included condensed soup mix, I have to admit, it was nice to see a recipe for calzones that called for a tube of refrigerated pizza crust; it looked good and we can't all cook from Mario Batali's cookbooks every night. Throughout the book, some recipes are highlighted with a note to "Cheat It!" - and the recipe that follows is basically instructions for dressing up prepackaged food.

The recipes are straightforward and could be followed by anyone. I think it would make a great gift for someone setting up their first home, or even a teenager who likes to try their hand in the kitchen.

I went ahead and tried "Lick the Bowl Clean Hummus," because a) I like hummus, and b) my father left me a lifetime supply of organic chick peas when he last visited. The recipe was easy to make, although I found it a bit garlicky for my taste. That may have been my fault, though, as I used four fairly large cloves of garlic. I ended up adding about a cup of extra chickpeas to make it a milder dip. My 12-year-old daughter, who generally prefers more bland food, liked this recipe and helped herself to it. I made my own pita chips to serve with it.

Lick-The-Bowl-Clean Hummus
2 large sweet onions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup plus 1/3 cup olive oil, divided
1 can (15 ounces) chick peas (I ended up using 3 cups chick peas)
1/4 cup plus two tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup tahini
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/8 tsp each salt and pepper

In a large skillet, saute onions in 1/4 olive oil until softened. Reduce heat to medium-low, cook, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes or until deep golden brown.

Transfer to a food processor and add remaining ingredients. Cover and process until smooth. Serve with pita chips.

I made my own pita chips to go with this: Cut plain whole-wheat pita into wedges. Drizzle with olive oil and toss until lightly coated. Sprinkle with Kosher salt. Bake at 400 degrees until crispy - about 10-15 minutes in my oven, depending how cooperative it is feeling.

This post is being linked up with Food on Friday over at Carole's Chatter. This week's theme is Lemons and Limes.

This is also my contribution to this week's Weekend Cooking, hosted by Beth Fish Reads. Be sure to check out the other entries this week!

FTC Disclaimer: I received an advance copy through netgalley.

Peep-Eye View: The Louvre, Paris, France

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 21:56:00 +0000

Wordless Wednesday.
And while you're here, don't miss this iTunes gift card giveaway.

Review & Giveaway: Dancing Naked In Dixie, by Lauren Clark

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Dancing Naked in Dixie by Lauren Clark follows fast-paced travel writer Julia Sullivan on an unlikely journey to Eufaula, Alabama. The publisher is giving away one copy of this book— use the Rafflecopter form at the end of the post to enter.

Dancing Naked in Dixie follows a typical chick-lit story arc: A young woman goes somewhere thinking she knows it all, discovers she doesn't, and finds true love - and herself - along the way. It's a nice way to spend an afternoon when the formula is executed well.

For the most part, Dixie is executed well: Julia Sullivan, the main character, is likeable enough, and the ways in which she is unlikeable - self-absorbed big city girl - the reader realizes immediately are the things that will be resolved by the end of the book. Julia is a travel writer who is constantly jet-setting to the world's vacation spots, a lifestyle that allows her to avoid any meaningful relationships, but who also pays little attention to the quality of her work. At the outset of the book, she is sent by a new editor - her father, with whom she has a strained relationship - not to another typical tourist destination, but to Eufaula, Alabama. He's taking her magazine in a "new direction," he tells her - and she's predictably furious about it.

The reader knows that Julia will find new meaning in her life in Eufaula and either realize her true feelings for her current boyfriend or find her true love in Eufaula, and the story is a gentle walk with her against the scenic old southern town, as she meets its inhabitants and discovers its small dramas and big secrets and finds that she actually likes these people and - surprise - this historic small town is actually quite charming. I particularly enjoyed the characters she met, including the handsome southern gentleman love interest Shug, and his beautiful scheming girlfriend Mary Katherine (think Amanda on Melrose Place).

Although some of the plot points strained my credulity - notably, Julia's father suddenly becoming her boss - by the end of the book, when everything is explained and resolved, I felt satisfied and my initial reservations were overcome. That said, I did feel the loose ends were tied up very quickly at the end - everything was explained all in a whoosh, where I would have preferred a slightly slower pacing. A fun beach read.

Other stops on the Dancing Naked in Dixie blog tour:

Sept 10 Forget The Housework, I'm Reading Guest Post/Excerpt
Sept 11 Chick Lit Reviews And News- Review/Author Interview
Sept 12 Nette's Bookshelf Excerpt/Guest Post
Sept 13 Reflective Bookworm Review
Sept 14 Reflective BookWorm Author Interview
Sept 15 Chick Lit & WIne Review
Sept 16 The Thoughts Of A Girl, Review/Excerpt
Sept 17 Library Mosaic Excerpt
Sept 18 Desperado Penguin Review
Sept 19 Captivated Reading Excerpt
Sept 20 WV Stitcher Review
Sept 21 Kritters Ramblings Review/Author Interview
Sept 22 Steph The Book Worm Review
Sept 23 Aria's Dark Muse Review
Sept 24 Amy's Booket List Review
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Peep-Eye View: Hopkins Bay, Belize

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Wed, 12 Sep 2012 01:19:00 +0000

Wordless Wednesday.

Review: Misfortune Cookie, by Michele Gorman

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 10:00:00 +0000

In the wake of the chatter created by author Michele Gorman's article regarding pay-for-positive-review blogs, I contacted Ms. Gorman with the following question: Would she be willing to send me a digital copy of her book, in exchange for a free (but honest) review? She was happy to do so, and we had a pleasant email exchange about both the book and the debate she had stirred up.

The book in question was Misfortune Cookie, a follow-up to her novel Single In the City. I got a kick out of the description of the author's work, from her blog: "I write funny romantic fiction that's made for stuffing into suitcases and covering with suncreamy fingerprints." It's a bit off the beaten track for me, since I don't usually read much chick-lit and there isn't much call for sunscreen in Seattle.

The story follows the continuing adventures of Hannah, who leaves her home in London to go to Hong Kong with her boyfriend Sam - except that once she gets there, she finds herself without him, more often than not. We struggle along with Hannah as she tries to figure out where things are going with Sam, and as she tries to cope for herself in an unfamiliar place without a lot of life or work experience - or even, apparently, a work permit.

The story is a fairly simple, easy read, with plenty of sightseeing and local color to liven it up, which I enjoyed. I found myself rooting for different characters as the book progressed - hoping Hannah would hook up with her boss, or what appeared to be Sam's straying would turn out to be something easily explainable.

I would personally have preferred to see Hannah grow as a person. She remains childishly, obsessively focused on Sam through the course of the book - which I could relate to but found a bit excessive at times. More significantly, Hannah at the beginning is lacking in work experience and stumbles around in professional situations - although, miraculously, she seems to stumble into the right answers and good situations. Towards the end of the story, this is unchanged. Hannah attend a business function with her boss, where she babbles childishly in response to a business question, and someone helpfully finds a keen insight in the midst of the babble. She's a professional success. I get that these books are meant to be escapist, so it's fine that it doesn't work this way in the real world, where you don't get to look and act unprofessional, and then find yourself lauded for doing one tiny thing right.

What troubled me, though, was that Hannah didn't actually demonstrate to the reader, the growth that her friend Stacy, a few pages later, would claim she had shown. I felt the Misfortune Cookie could have been enriched by building out that aspect of story: Hannah's personal growth as she adjusts to living in a new place, finding a career that works for her. It's true she does encounter obstacles - she is sabotaged by another employee on several occasions - but although she overcomes it, we do not really see her rise to the occasion, nor do we really see her learn and grow. All we have is Stacy's word for it: It happened.

I was interested to discover that Misfortune Cookie was actually a collaborative effort: Gorman solicited reader feedback for the book via her blog as she wrote it. It's an interesting approach, though I'm not sure it entirely works. The story lacks focus and meanders a bit; although the Hong Kong details were interesting, their addition did not really add to the story. My overall sense was that Gorman is a probably a solid writer in the genre, as she displayed some nice humor and turns of phrase. So, although Misfortune Cookie is a quick, basic beach read, it is perhaps not her best effort. Still, I liked enough of what I read that I look forward to seeing more from her.

The Value of the Negative Review

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 10:00:00 +0000

There's been a lot of discussion recently on internet reviews, specifically, what value those reviews have when they are, increasingly, bought and paid for - sometimes directly, as discussed in a recent New York Times article; other times indirectly, as when a reviewer is offered a discount for providing a positive review on a website.

I became interested in the subject recently when a conflagration erupted in the blogosphere following this post on the blog of chick-lit author Michele Gorman. A quick synopsis: The author approached a fairly well-known chick-lit review blog* inquiring about a review from their site. She was informed that they charge $95 for a review, which they would only write if they felt her book would receive a positive rating, "in order to maintain the quality of our site."

In short: the author is asked to pay to receive a positive review on the site. The letter goes on to talk about how hard the service will work to help the author create "a favorable and likeable online presence."

Now, I could talk about how deceptive this is. In spite of review website's (rather awkward and not altogether obvious) disclosure of its fees - it is in effect a PR service masquerading as an unbiased book review blog.

I could point out the numerous errors in the letter and on the blog site itself that render the site's owners somewhat less-than-credible, such as: the section of the site devoted to "non-ficition"; the reference in the letter to posting the review on "Diggs"; and all of the miscellaneous typos ("goodeads," really?).

I could mention how nasty, ludicrous, and unprofessional was the review site's response when the author posted their $95 request for money letter on her blog.

Those things are interesting, to be sure, but not the point I want to make.

What I find so troubling about this incident is the idea that the only presence worth having online - and the only reviews worth getting - are positive ones. Ms. Gorman, and certainly some others, declined to pay for the review, and chose to try their luck elsewhere. But numerous others were willing to pay the price - there are quite a few "reviews" on the site.

Negative reviews have value.

The reader faces a vast number of choices in selecting books, and we are all bombarded online with endless requests for our attention. Studies have been done about how this actually exhausts us: all these decisions, all this information to process.

If someone is reading a review on a site, it is because they want to know: Will my time and money be well spent on this book? It doesn't actually matter if a review is positive or negative. What matters is that the reviewer has taken the time to explain and analyze their reaction to the book. Everyone is capable of reading the synopsis and cover blurbs all by themselves. What a review reader wants to know is not only how someone else reacted to something, but more important, why. They then take that information and decide if it is relevant to them in their personal decision-making process.

We've all not bought things because of negative reviews. But many times we read negative reviews and buy items or books anyway. Why? Because the things that were a problem for the reviewer were simply not a problem for us. One great example of this: A LOT of people gave 1-star reviews on Amazon to one of Michael Lewis' recent books. The reason? It wasn't available in Kindle format. It just wasn't relevant to me: content is relevant to me.

Most examples are a bit more subtle than that, of course (and actually relate to the content). Maybe a better example would be the raging success of 50 Shades of Grey: the vast amount of vitriol that has been expended over the series has done nothing to slow its sales. Some might argue that it the controversy has actually helped sales. I'm going to suggest here that the publisher doesn't mind a bit of controversy.

The author: I had an interesting email exchange conversation with Ms. Gorman, and was pleased to learn that she agreed. She felt it was better that a prospective reader not read a book of hers that they might not enjoy, because some time down the road, she might write something else that they actually would like - and they wouldn't read it after their first bad experience with her. In her view, a negative review would help a reader avoid such a situation - losing a sale now to hopefully sell more books in the future.

So, if the negative review has value to the reader, to the publisher, and to the author, what about to the blogger who writes it?

Book bloggers often receive requests for reviews, generally accompanied by a free books. I've personally been contacted through this blog, twitter, and goodreads for just that reason. It's nice, but it leads to a conflict: It's hard to say less than positive things about people you've talked to, who are often very nice and frequently have given you something for free.

I've read a number of book blogs for extended periods, and I think quite a few bloggers do succumb to the pressure. Several bloggers commented that if they didn't care for a book they were asked to review, they simply didn't post the review, rather than post a negative one. Here's the problem with that: the blog writing becomes unbalanced. Nobody likes everything. And now, the blogger has lost the reader's trust: Is that blog a paid promotional service? A reviewer who will not say what they actually think is not one that can be trusted. There aren't even any lines to read between.

This is one of the values I see in a service like netgalley (which provides advance digital copies to book bloggers): not only does it provide me with a wider range of titles than I might otherwise have access to, and allow me to self-select what I want to read and review - it serves as a neutral intermediary. If I don't like the book, I don't have to directly disappoint someone. It's nothing personal.

I prefer to be honest, which often means getting books from netgalley. Other times, though, I have a trick to let myself off the hook. I simply tell authors: I will be honest, for better or worse. Nobody has complained yet.

I know, of course, it's only a matter of time before someone does complain when I speak my mind. That's their right, too. When the discourse is honest and open, everyone benefits: Blogger, author, publisher, and reader. It should all be welcome.

*I'm not providing the name of the blog here but you won't have much trouble finding it if you read the author's page.

Weekend Cooking: Rhubarb Sour Cream Muffins

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Sat, 01 Sep 2012 13:46:00 +0000

I had big plans: I was going to Cook For Julia, and I found a recipe I wanted to make (for Rhubarb Upside-Down Baby Cakes). I went to the Redmond Farmer's Market and found some spectacular rhubarb.

I got ready to bake and discovered I needed pans I didn't have. I considered going out and buying new pans, but I didn't have time. I considered making something else from one of my much-loved Julia Child cookbooks, but ... well, I had this really nice rhubarb ... and I just wanted to use it.

I think Julia would understand.

I ran across a recipe on finecooking.com for Cinnamon Rhubarb Muffins, and thought, rhubarb muffins? Not only have I never tried rhubarb muffins, I've never heard of rhubarb muffins. I love muffins. I love rhubarb.

The addition of sour cream may make this the recipe of my dreams.

I tried it and not only did I love it, my daughter did too. The muffins have a pleasing crumb - not too moist - with a rich cinnamon ... playing nicely against the tart pink rhubarb.

The original recipe calls for a cinnamon-sugar topping, but I skipped it and don't think I would add it next time I make them. I also cut the sugar just a tiny bit; it was just the right level of sweetness.

Rhubarb Sour Cream Muffins

2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2-1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup sour cream

8 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly

2 large eggs

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1-1/2 cups finely diced rhubarb

Heat the oven to 400°F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with baking cups.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt and whisk to blend.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the sour cream, melted butter, eggs, and vanilla until smooth. Lightly stir the sour cream mixture into the dry ingredients with a spatula until the batter just comes together; do not overmix. Gently stir in the diced rhubarb. The batter will be thick.

Divide the batter among the muffin cups, using the back of a spoon or a small spatula to settle the batter into the cups. The batter should mound a bit higher than the tops of the cups.

Bake the muffins until they’re golden brown, spring back most of the way when gently pressed, and a pick inserted in the center comes out clean, 18 to 22 minutes.

That's my contribution to this week's Weekend Cooking, hosted by Beth Fish Reads. Be sure to check out the other entries this week!

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Weekend Cooking: French Zucchini Salad

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Sat, 18 Aug 2012 12:00:00 +0000

I first made this recipe at a cooking class in Paris. It is such a great dish to make when you have fresh zucchini available. There's no cooking involved, so it's great for hot weather. And since you need to let it sit for a while to allow the flavors to meld - you can get it ready ahead of time, and when your grilling is done, it's waiting for you. It's easy and quick; the perfect side dish. I love it with grilled shrimp.

French Zucchini Salad

1/3 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon coarse sea salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 pounds medium zucchini

1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives

1/4 cup pine nuts

Whisk oil, lemon juice, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper in small bowl to blend. Set dressing aside.

Toast pine nuts until fragrant in 350 degree oven. Wash and trim ends from zucchini. If you have a mandoline and enjoy using it, slice zucchini thinly into rounds that way. If you're like me*, use your Cuisinart. Quarter the olives. Place sliced zucchini in large bowl. Add olives and toasted nuts, then dressing; toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Note: I've seen versions of this recipe that include tomatoes, red pepper flakes, fresh basil leaves; that omit the olives; and that top with shaved parmesan. Have fun with it! It's delicious.

That's my contribution to this week's Weekend Cooking, hosted by Beth Fish Reads. Be sure to check out the other entries this week!

*Not lazy. Efficient.

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Review: Bedbugs, by Ben H. Winters

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Last spring, I think it was, bedbug phobia seemed to grip the nation, or so it seemed to me: Everyone was talking about bedbugs and how they were running rampant. For the most part, it struck me as much ado about nothing, and kind of made me wish that John Belushi was still alive to play the leader of a swarm of bedbugs - you know, like he did with the killer bees back in the day.

Along comes Quirk Books, tapping into the discussion with Ben H. Winters' Bedbugs, much as they latched on to the vogue for zombies with their successful and, well, quirky Pride & Prejudice & Zombies. I enjoyed that effort, which I can't say of some of the follow-ups, including Sense & Sensibility & Sea Monsters, also by Winters, which seemed like it had the same winning combination (Jane Austen and bizarre creatures) but fell a bit flat to me - probably because it did not tap into the zeitgeist in the same way.

With Bedbugs, though, Quirk hits the mark, even though they've retreated a bit from the public eye (as bedbugs will do) since the book came out last year. The story concerns a young couple and their young daughter who are miraculously able to find an apartment they can afford in a nice area of Brooklyn. The elderly landlady gives off a slightly spooky vibe, but of course they shrug it off - New York real estate being what it is. Once they move in, their initial slight misgivings start to grow - or at least, the wife Susan's do. They start to notice little things wrong, hear noises, see doors that weren't there before.

Susan's escalating paranoia reminded me a bit of the original Invasion of the Body Snatchers, but the book jacket makes the comparison to Rosemary's Baby - which I haven't seen in a very long time and yet immediately saw all the connections to. Or think of your favorite X-Files episode.

My one fairly minor complaint about it was that it felt a bit "written for the screen" at times; but since it was intended as an homage to Rosemary's Baby, it might be intentional. Apart from that, though, Bedbugs is a quick and fun read and once I finally picked it up and got through a couple of chapters, I couldn't lay it aside.

FTC Disclosure: I won this book in a Facebook contest.

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Review: Exile on Wall Street, by Mike Mayo

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 14:44:00 +0000

The author of Exile on Wall Street, Mike Mayo, has worked as a research analyst at several major investment banks for the past 20 years; the book is a chronicle of the recent crisis and what Mayo views as the causes, as well as a discussion of what has - and hasn't - changed.

There are a quite a few books that cover some aspect of the recent financial crisis, but I was particularly interested in Exile on Wall Street for a simple reason: I worked with its author, Mike Mayo, during part of the time period he discusses in the book. I was an editor in the Research Department at CSFB at the time he joined. I also worked briefly with his predecessor, Tom Hanley.Mayo wouldn't remember me, but I certainly remember him. His outsized reputation terrified me, so whenever I had a question, I dealt instead with his staff. Once or twice I considered approaching him directly, but he was always busy - always - and his demeanor was that of someone who wouldn't take kindly to being interrupted. I wasn't new to the industry and had worked with many top-ranked analysts by the time I worked with him; he was something different.

It was fascinating to read about the financial crisis from his point of view, someone who saw it coming and attempted, repeatedly, to sound the alarm. It was equally fascinating to me to read this book in which, that this outspoken, terrifying, powerhouse of my memory comes across as a likeable and decent guy - if somewhat opinionated. For those who think that all Wall Streeters are Master of the Universe types, it is refreshing to read about Mayo not only having insecure moments, but asking his wife's opinion when they happen; in one memorable moment, he is getting ready for an important meeting, he's already a well-known name in the industry, and he spends time picking out exactly the right tie to make him "look important."

The book's second half was most interesting. It begins with a detailed history of Citigroup, explaining a lot of the factors that contributed to the meltdown through the illustrative example of that one company, which Mayo views as one of the worst, due in large part to a corporate culture lacking in accountability. He discusses the dismantling of the Glass-Steagall act, which was a direct consequence of the merger that created the current Citigroup; G-S was the act that had previously prevented the creation of Too Big To Fail entities.

Mayo makes some suggestions for the future of the industry; one of the most interesting, I thought, was the idea that rather than selling failing banks to other large entities, creating still larger and more difficult to supervise banks, failing banks should be broken up and sold off in pieces. It makes a lot of sense: it's much easier to turn a smaller ship than an ocean liner.

In spite of having sounded an unheeded alarm for many years, Mayo does not come across and bitter or unpleasant; he's also fully aware of the public perception of Wall Street. In spite of everything, he displays a sense of optimism that I found refreshing.

If you're looking for a compelling page turner about the financial crisis, House of Cards or The Big Short are better choices. If you're simply looking for a bit more insight, though, Exile on Wall Street is a good, quick and insightful read.

FTC Disclosure: I borrowed this book from the library.

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When Garden Gnomes Ruled the Earth - Pike Place Market, Seattle, Washington

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Tue, 07 Aug 2012 23:00:00 +0000

Wordless Wednesday.

Review: Wisconsin Death Trip, by Michael Lesy

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Tue, 07 Aug 2012 00:00:00 +0000

There is a tendency, I think, for people to idealize the past, not to mention the people that lived in it. One example from my recent reading is the depiction of Pa Ingalls, both in the books written by his daughter Laura, as well as the Michael Landon version in the 1970s Little House on the Prairie TV show.

I always wonder about this as I go through my own family tree. Simply put: my people didn't seem to live that way. What I've got is spouses that ran off, bankruptcy, illegitimate babies - and death. And more death.

I have exactly no idea how Wisconsin Death Trip appeared on my radar, but as soon as I saw the title, I knew I had to check it out. Published in 1973, the author has gone through a collection of historic newspapers and antique photographer's plates from turn of the century Jackson County, Wisconsin, and presents the past that we generally prefer to forget.

The images are unsettling, ranging from small children in their coffins to curious groups of people. The author often zooms in on a particular person in a group, such as the woman on the cover, who on closer inspection, "may not be quite right," (as my grandmother would have said). We are presented with no information about the pictures from which to draw any inferences. Some of the photos are downright funny; one that struck me was a photo of a group of musicians, carefully posed with their instruments, yet half the faces were obscured by instruments. It's all just a little bit off.

The text is also alternately brutal and creepy, and occasionally hilarious in a Fargo-esque kind of way. For example:

Mrs. Leiniger ... was recently arrested and charged with poisoning her husband. Leiniger found her in the poorhouse from which he took her to be his bride.

Or this one:

A farmer of Buena Vista buried $2,600 in gold under his doorstep. When he went to dig it up, it was gone. It turned out his wife, who had been allowed to wear nothing except calico dresses for 14 years and had been compelled to work on the farm like a common hand, had taken the money ... everybody in the neighborhood is glad of it.

You can open the book to any page and be treated to an array of news items just like that: despondent suicides, bands of arsonists, and regular admissions to the Mendota State Insane Asylum. The cumulative effect is a picture of a harsh, desolate life and a social fabric that was coarsely woven and frayed easily and often.

Fortunately, Wisconsin Death Trip is the sort of book you can simply pick up and read a bit here and a bit there. It's not a happy read, but it's well worth the time.

The author's website is here: Wisconsin Death Trip.

FTC Disclaimer: I checked this book out of the library.

Lincoln's Toe Truck - Seattle, Washington

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Wed, 01 Aug 2012 00:06:00 +0000

Wordless Wednesday.

Outdoor Wednesday.

Pink Saturday.

Review: The Wilder Life, by Wendy McClure

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Sat, 28 Jul 2012 13:32:00 +0000

I have a confession to make: As a child, I loved Little House on the Prairie. I loved every bit of it - the books, the sappy, moralizing tv show. I had a Hollie Hobbie doll named Charlotte. I owned a sunbonnet and actually wore it. When Jimmy Carter was elected President and my class at school all write him letters telling him what we, America's children, wanted him to do for our country, I made this request: Mr. President-elect Carter, please bring back pioneer fashion.

My daughter wanted nothing to do with the books that I treasured and saved for her - she preferred Rainbow Magic fairy books and, later, Warrior cats.

I was a bit disappointed, I confess.

Imagine my thrill, then, when I discovered I was not alone: There are legions of Little House fans, young and old, and in The Wilder Life, author Wendy McClure takes a year to travel the country, visiting all the places the real Laura lived. Along the way, she explores not only who Laura and all the Little House people really were, she takes a look at every aspect of the Little House phenomenon: Laura look-a-like contests; Little House museums; anime. Yes, you read that right.

A lot of the book is less a memoir and more an exploration of the facts of the Ingalls' family's lives versus what turns out to be the highly fictionalized account that Laura wrote. I was startled to learn this. Before reading the book, I knew, for example, that Nellie Olsen was a composite of three different people that Laura knew. I was astonished to learn, though, that the events Laura describes in the books could not have taken place as she described; the books are very much a blend of fact and fiction.

How can this be? Laura's original manuscript was an adult book called Pioneer Girl, and if you want to read it, you can order an archival copy from the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library in Iowa - it was never published. Apparently it's quite a popular purchase at that library, surprising given that it costs about $100. When no publisher expressed interest in it, Laura's daughter Rose suggested she try her hand at children's books; Rose - and her politics - heavily influenced their creation.

My favorite example of this was Pa, who was apparently quite the character. Pioneer Girl includes an account of the posse Pa joined when the owners of a nearby Inn are discovered to be a family of mass murderers - The "Bloody Benders." Officially, the case was never solved; in her narrative, Pa told the family when he returned that "justice was served."

Great story, right? Except that it can't possibly be true: The "Bloody Benders" were real enough, but they disappeared in 1873, after the Ingalls family had moved back to Wisconsin. Pa could not have been there.

There are dozens of tidbits like this, because mountains of research have been done on the Ingalls family and their travels. It is easy enough to look up census records* and discover for yourself that at the time Laura's family actually lived in Kansas, she was much, much younger than the Laura of the books. It is startling to learn, though, that the Ingalls homestead of Little House on the Prairie was probably an illegal one - and Pa undoubtedly knew it.

But separating out the sometimes startling fact from the fiction doesn't deter McClure: she faithfully visits all the homes in the Little House books, describing how it feels to be inside a dugout, and what it felt like to see Pa's actual fiddle. In one entertaining section, she and her husband spend a weekend at a living museum taking homesteading lessons.

I wasn't deterred, either: I enjoyed getting a clearer picture of this Pioneer Family and especially the "real" Laura. I was equally pleased to know that, even though it didn't happen in my own house, appreciation for the Little House series continues to be strong.

*yes, I did.

Mr Dimaggio Pain - Spring Street, New York City

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 21:52:00 +0000

Outdoor Wednesday.

Wordless Wednesday.

Bookish Things

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Sun, 22 Jul 2012 16:54:00 +0000

If you see a bit of fiddling on this blog in the coming few weeks, don't be surprised. It felt like things had become a bit muddled around here, so I decided it would be best to focus this blog a bit more specifically - on book reviews - and move my genealogy to a more focused blog, where my ancestors get the attention they deserve. That blog is in the construction phase, but there's now enough there that I feel I can invite you over: Brick Wall Climber.

In the meantime, I am reading (as usual), and looking forward to bringing you more reviews in the near future. I'm currently working on Michele Gorman's Misfortune Cookie.

In the meantime, I've found some fun bookish things to share with you. I've gone almost completely digital with my reading, but I still find good old-fashioned books to be beautiful, and I love having them around the house - though I don't really miss the heaps and piles that amassed in my house before.

This awesome Book Page Paper Wreath is one you can make yourself (unless like me you're afraid of glue guns). There's a tutorial over on The Shabby Creek Cottage.

These coasters made from upcycled children's books are just so neat. There's a tutorial here, and it basically involved old coasters, old books, and modge podge (which I can handle):

Then finally, if you are still a user of non-digital books, you might still be in need of bookmarks. These are awfully cool:

I can't imagine they'd be that hard to make, but since I've got a couple of blogs I'm working on, I'll probably be buying my own on etsy.

Thanks for bearing with me during the transition! Hope to see you back again when things get rolling.

Long Lost Cousins: Pretty As A Picture

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 00:34:00 +0000

Last summer, I wrote about my late cousin Isak Hakel, who died, taking his sad history with him and leaving me with memories only of a joyful man.

At the time of his death, I was working with the Latvia State Historical Archive to retrieve the history of the Hakel family, and specifically to retrieve photographs of any family members. One of the most amazing things I discovered the Archives holds is old passport photos - apparently, it was necessary to have a passport for identification purposes, and so nearly everyone had one taken in the 1920s and 1930s, and many of these photos still exist.

I had sent Isak all the photos from my grandmother's collection - photos of his mother, father, sister, and grandparents. There was one large wedding photo that Isak was in, and he told me, he knew all the people in the photo. He treasured them and was obviously, in spite of our difficulty communicating, grateful to get them.

But there was one photo I did not have, and it troubled me: Ruth.

Ruth Hakel was Isak's little sister. She was born in 1939, two years before the German Army invaded Liepaja and destroyed the majority of the Jewish inhabitants. She died on November 3, 1943, according to a Yad Vashem card filed by her father that I found online. A short life, for which only a name and some dates remain - and even the death date cannot be stated with certainty.

I wanted to give Isak a picture of his sister, but the archive moved slowly, and it took over a year to receive the records I requested, which arrived just this past week. There were many treasures among in the packet, but the one I hoped for was not to be found.

I began to enter the data into my family tree, and sort through records, and cross-check new information against things I had learned before, from other sources. When I got to Ruth Hakel, I went back to the Yad Vashem website, and looked up the Page of Testimony that was filed for her by her father and brother. The website had been updated recently, and to my amazement, I discovered that along with the Pages of Testimony were now photographs of those who perished.

And there she was.

Ruth Hakel

Born 1939, Libau, Latvia.

Died 1943, Auschwitz.

The card and photograph were placed in the museum by her surviving brother, Isak Hakel.

I asked him many questions, yet it never occurred to me to ask him for a photograph. He got it to me anyway.

My Great-Grandmother Hanna Hakel (1882-1957) with

(left) Isak Hakel 1930-2011.

(right) Romy Hakel 1933-1943.

from my grandmother's albums.

New Year's Rulin's

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 19:32:00 +0000

Woody Guthrie's New Year's Resolutions, 1942

I've never been big on New Year's Resolutions. Like most people, I don't keep them, and New Year's Eve seems like a kind of arbitrary dividing line between old and new behavior: like I'm going to stop drinking and eating at the stroke of midnight. As if.

But a friend of mine posted the image above on Facebook this morning, and I thought, well, now that's a pretty good list and not a bad idea, really. I already do a lot of those things, of course ("wash teeth if any"), but other items don't really apply ("send Mary and kids money.")

So herewith, my own list of New Year's Rulin's.

Work more and better
Read more
Blog more
Save dough
Have good company
Get out on the highway
Take pictures
Wear clean clothes
Find more ancestors
Hug lots
Cook better
Relax more
Don't get lonesome
Vote
Learn people better
Learn God better
Stop and let my dog sniff the roses
Play offense
Win the War
Doodle

I think that covers it. Happy New Year to one and all.

Edward R. Murrow - Edison, Washington

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 19:18:00 +0000

Goodbye 2011. I won't miss you.

Chocolat Michel Cluizel, Rue St. Honore, Paris

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 03:39:00 +0000

Wordless Wednesday.

Read My Own Books! Why Didn't I Think Of That?

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 02:52:00 +0000

When I got my iPad last year, I found I really, really liked reading books in digital format - much more than I thought I would. I packed up most of my books and gave away several bookshelves - but kept a big pile of books I had acquired somehow that I really wanted to read.

I've been looking at that pile for a year and wishing it would all magically appear on my iPad. The books, in turn, have been glaring at me for a year and reminding me that they're probably really good books that I'm just passing by in my digital laziness.

So when I found out that bookalicio.us was hosting the reading challenge to Read Your Own Books in September, well - count me in. I just can't handle the guilt anymore. I need to get through at least part of the pile!

I’m very excited to participate and agree to read only my own books in the month of September.

The list of titles I hope to read includes:

Kraken - China Mieville
Curse of the Wendigo - Rick Yancey (Book 2 of the Monstrumologist Series)
The Voluptuous Delights of Peanut Butter & Jam - Lauren Liebenberg
Play Dead - David Rosenfelt
The Big Over Easy - Jasper Fforde

And there are a couple of digital books I've bought and not gotten very far with:

Swamplandia - Karen Russell
Zombies vs Unicorns - Holly Black and Justine Larbalestier

I don't know if I'll get through them all but I'm going to give it my best shot.

For more information on the Read Your Own Books Challenge:

When Garden Gnomes Ruled The Earth: Muffler Man, Everett, Washington

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 03:39:00 +0000

Wordless Wednesday.

Retro Recipes: Orange Cream Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 14:39:00 +0000

One of the blogs that I adore is Forgotten Bookmarks - whose author runs a used bookstore and finds unique bookmarks (old photos, postcards, letters) in estate-sale books, and posts them. He runs a sister blog, updated less frequently, called Handwritten Recipes.

Recently he posted a recipe that intrigued me, for "Orange Cream Cake," by "Mystery Chef." I'm not sure what exactly I liked about it. Maybe it was because it featured handwriting that looked like my grandma's. Or maybe it was because it was found in an antique Booth Tarkington novel (not The Magnificent Ambersons, which he also wrote, which was made into a movie I love by Orson Welles - but still, Booth Tarkington).Or maybe it was the utter lack of instructions after the ingredient list - it felt like a challenge.

Apparently I'm not the only one who loves a challenge, because next thing I knew, Brewed Bohemian had tackled the recipe and posted suggested directions.

It sounded good, but it also sounded like it needed frosting, specifically vanilla frosting - to make it kind of an orange creamsicle. Emma and I also prefer our cakes to be of the "cup" variety, so we made some minor variations with the baking time. We made the entire thing in my Kitchenaid mixer, folding in the beaten egg whites at the end.

Orange Cream Cake
1/4 c. butter
1 1/3 c sugar
3 eggs, separated
1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
3 t. baking powder
1/3 t. salt
2/3 c. milk
1 t. orange extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Put paper liners into cupcake tins.
Separate the eggs. Whip egg white until stiff peaks form; set aside.
Cream butter and sugar, then add egg yolks.
Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt
Mix the orange extract into the milk
Alternate adding the flour mixture &amp; milk mixture into the sugar/butter/egg mixture
Fold in egg whites.
Divide batter among 12 cupcake tins; bake for 22 minutes, until cupcakes are lightly golden and spring back to the touch.

Emma and I were super excited to try these, so we burned our fingers and ate one of the cupcakes right out of the oven. It was hot but delicious - a very light and delicate cake, not dry at all, with a slight chewiness at the edges.

We decided to go with a traditional vanilla buttercream frosting, and we used the recipe from the Magnolia Bakery Cookbook, one of my most reliable standby cookbooks.

Traditional Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
6 to 8 cups confectioners' sugar

Place the butter in a large mixing bowl. Add 4 cups of the sugar and then the milk and vanilla. On the medium speed of an electric mixer, beat until smooth and creamy, about 3 to 5 minutes. Gradually add the remaining sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition (about 2 minutes), until the icing is thick enough to be of good spreading consistency. You may not need to add all of the sugar. Icing can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Oddly enough, the frosting was delicious and the cupcakes were delicious - but we didn't really like the combination. The light cakes were overwhelmed by the rich buttercream. The combination improved the next day, but the cupcakes were best right after they cooled.

No, I do not decoratively pipe my frosting. I heap it on until it seems like there's enough, then I add a bit more.

We agreed we want to make the cupcakes again, but just have them plain. We had been debating getting some root beer extract and making root beer float cupcakes, but I think a different type of cake would be better suited to that. We're also thinking we might make them even smaller - as mini-cupcakes or possibly in Madeleine molds - to capture more of the chewy edges in each bite.

That's my contribution to this week's Weekend Cooking, hosted by Beth Fish Reads. Be sure to check out the other entries this week!

"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, fabulous quotations, photographs. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend."

Life Skills: Being a Gift Horse

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 15:29:00 +0000

For many years, I drove a beat-up old Subaru Impreza - it's 12 years old now, and doesn't look like much, because it has been loved and driven hard for most of its 12 years. It's got a lot of life left in it, though, and some nice features, like all-wheel drive and an iPod jack. Great gas mileage. It is nicknamed The Yeti, for reasons even I don't recall.

My stepson has never thought much of this car. I have been aware for several years that I would probably be ready to get a new car right around the time he would get his first driver's license, and thus, it might be handed down to him. From time to time, I would mention this to The Boy.

He replied to these comments by letting me know that, basically, my Subaru sucks, and his stepfather's car - a beat-up Saturn even older than The Yeti - is WAY COOLER. And that's the car he's getting. He wouldn't want to be driving around in an uncool car like The Yeti.

I admit, it stung, but since it was all theoretical, I let it go, mostly.

This past spring, I decided that it was time for me to finally get a slightly more upscale vehicle, and after a little test-driving of assorted luxury gas-guzzlers*, I settled on an Acura MDX, for the simple reason that it was the only car that I found that has heated second-row seats. Lots of cars are nice and have satellite radio and are fun to drive, but very few bother to take the chill off of all the passengers. Happy passengers make for a happy drive.

We made the decision, and then my husband called The Boy - now taking driving lessons and approaching his license - and asked him what his car arrangements were, since we had to decide whether to trade in The Yeti.

The Boy replied that he was getting his stepfather's car. My husband, though, mentioned this to the Ex-Wife when she came to pick their kids up - and she had a slightly different take on the situation. In the first place, they might want to see if The Boy could even drive the car, what with it being a manual shift and all. In the second place, The Boy was going to have to share said car - because a new vehicle for the Stepfather "isn't in the cards right now."

They agreed to take The Boy out to test-drive Stepfather's car, and discuss it with him a bit, so he could do some thinking based on the facts. And sure enough, later that week, my husband got a call from The Boy, which was along the lines of,

"I've been doing a lot of research, and it turns out that a Subaru is a really good car for a beginning driver such as myself. I'll take it."

It turns out that a manual shift car whose upholstery is splitting inside is a really bad choice for a beginning driver - who spent 20 minutes stalling it in the school parking lot and realized that might be even less cool than driving a beat-up old Subaru.

We bought my new car and put the Subaru in the driveway while The Boy - who had certainly learned a useful life lesson about getting all the facts before you make a decision - worked on getting his driver's license.

Great story, right?

I'm not done yet.

The Boy got his license last week, and Friday night we went out for a family dinner, over which we congratulated him and talked a little about the logistics of transferring The Yeti over to him - insurance and maintenance and all that fun stuff. I asked him if he's excited about getting his own wheels and he replied:

"Oh yeah. I mean, it'll do for now. I'm still going to learn to drive a manual shift, I mean I really should anyway, it's good to know how to do and eventually I want to be able to drive Stepdad's car."

My husband sees the oncoming train and attempts to divert the wreck, but The Boy continues:

"I mean, the Subaru will be okay for a while, but it's not like I could ever, you know, take a date out in it or something. I need to be able to drive Stepdad's car for things like that. It's way cooler."

I tried to imagine what, exactly, he would say to a date seated on the torn upholstery of that car:

"OK, well, I'm here to take you to the prom. Of course, I'd rather be going with that little red-haired girl, so I didn't buy you dinner or a corsage or anything. I'll probably spend my evening keeping an eye out for her."

Or to his future boss, if he gets a job to pay for gas:

"Thanks for the job offer. I guess I'll take this job - I don't really want it and I probably won't stay very long because I'm still looking for a better job with a boss I can respect - but I'll show up every day, especially payday."

We got home, and I looked at the Yeti, sitting forlornly in the driveway. We've been through a lot together - driving cross-country with two dogs in the back. (Nebraska in January, fun!) I drove my ex-husband and those same dogs to the airport, for the last time, while my sweet, soon-to-be-fatherless baby girl slept in the back seat. That baby girl grew into a toddler and said Shit! with me every time I hit my head on that car's back door frame while buckling her into her carseat**. That toddler grew into a kindergartner who sang me songs from the back seat of that car. Once I drove my cat Linus to a Burger King drive-thru window in that car - because he seemed depressed and really, really liked Burger King french fries.

I know it's just a car, but here's the thing - it's my car.

And here's another thing - I didn't really even want thanks or a great show of gratitude. Nobody gives anything to a 16-year-old boy expecting either of those things. I just wanted that car - my car - to go to a good home. I wanted it to be appreciated and maintained.

Oh, and one more thing - it's kind of funny really - I got an email that same day from the Humane Society, which I am a great supporter of, letting me know that I can donate a used vehicle, no matter how scruffy, to them, and they will use the money to help some similarly scruffy animals, and send me their thanks and a receipt so I can deduct the value of the car on my tax return.

I discussed this with my father, inquiring, "What would Jesus do?" I meant to be a bit ironic, but he replied without hesitation: "You have followed the law faithfully since you were a child, now give up your wealth to the poor, take up your cross and follow me."

I asked, "You mean the poor animals or the poor kid?"

He replied, "The kid is not poor by any definition of the word."

The Boy mumbled a half-hearted apology to me as he left at the end of the weekend, and I overheard my husband talk briefly to the Ex-Wife, suggesting that maybe a well-worded email might help the situation. That was Sunday.

I'm still waiting.

* Sorry.
**She was seriously cute in spite of her profanity.