What if Fairy Tales Were True in the Age of iPhones?

I have to share with you this book I've read!  If you aren't a big reader, check out the audiobook. After you read this tale, which you will love, get excited for the FX adaptation!


The Changeling by Victor LaValle
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

If this whole book was just the story of Apollo & Emma's first year of parenting Brian in NYC, I would have enjoyed it immensely. However, this is not a simple tale of parenting, this is an old school- Black Forest Germany - fairy tale where children are spirited away and monsters walk among us. I completely enjoyed the way Mr. LaValle weaves classic fairy tale lore into the 21st century and works with all the trapping of modern life while telling this ancient tale.

"The Changeling" doesn't shy away from the reality in America where for a black man, any encounter with the police can end in death. This story doesn't shy away from reminding us that far too often the concerns of new moms are brushed aside as they suffer silently with postpartum psychosis. This story doesn't shy away from reminding us we all cling to fairy tales we tell ourselves in order to sleep through the night.

In the end, Victor LaValle gives Emma, Apollo, and Brian some happiness. It's not forever but it's happily for now.


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*****

The summer is already winding down and with that I'm ready to enjoy Fall. I'm hoping for lots of sunny days, low humidity and temps that stay around 70 degrees throughout all of  September. Frankly, I'm in no hurry to break out my boots.  I am ready to enjoy spooky stories and for that I'm subscribed and enjoying each installment of the podcast Spooked (from Snap Judgement and WNYC Studios). Each week they are counting down to Halloween with a new tale of the paranormal.  Are the stories real, are they fiction?  I don't know!  You can listen via the website or subscribe at iTunes, Stitcher, Npr.org, etc. 

Looking for Summer Reads? Try some Urban Fantasy

I recently finished the Hollows Series by Kim Harrison. Below is my review of the final book in the series.  The first book is Dead Witch Walking. If you are tempted to take a taste of this series, the Kindle version is only .99 cents. That's how they get you sucked in! 😊 All the books were available at my local library, so you can read for free or order from audible.com for audio ( or get the audio or e version from your library as well). Or support your local independent book seller!


The Witch With No Name by Kim Harrison
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I started reading this book when it first came out and then I put it down for a few years, Why? It's the last book in Kim Harrison's Hollows Series and I wasn't ready to be done forever with Rachel, Ivy, Jenks and Al.

I thoroughly enjoyed the series. Back around book 7, I met Kim Harrison at a book signing. She is a lovely person. It's always nice when the writer whose work you look forward to reading is also pleasant and happy to answer questions about her stories.

I'm not 100% clear on the vampire resolution, like what will happen when Ivy dies her first death. Will there be some sort of vampire daisy chain? I'm not going to over think this, because I have to say I don't care as much about the vampires as I do the demons. The demon situation was resolved very satisfactorily.

I was disappointed on the fast forward that occurs in final chapters, I was really hoping to see Rachel and Trent marry and raising the kiddos (with Quen) shortly after the climax of the book. Ending with Rachel finally feeling like a full member of society would have been icing on the cake. Rachel says she is OK without a marriage, but I think we know better. Also Rachel's mom would love for her daughter to get married.  😊 Maybe Kim will do a short story follow up with a wedding, or maybe she has done one already and I don't know!

Having so many great books sitting in my TBR pile, and on my Audible wish list, I rarely re-read anything. However, The Witch With No Name did have me feeling surprisingly nostalgic and I want to go back to the beginning and read Dead Witch Walking  now that I know how the story ends.


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On the writing front, tomorrow starts the #1000wordsofsummer challenge.  You can click to join the challenge if you like to write!  I'm excited because yesterday I figured out what to do with the date I accidentally sent my protagonist on with one of her co-workers. It's going to be awkward!

Committing to writing weekly and a new adventure

I have goals for this year. One of which is to blog twice a week.  I have not managed to achieve this goal as of yet, but the time is now!  I'm naming it and claiming it and all that jazz.  Here is the first of many 2018 post from me to you.

So to begin, how have you been?  Well I hope.  Over at my house we have been continuing to duck and weave against that flu going around. May we continue to avoid it and may it be gone and Spring arrive ASAP.

In the big news to start the year category, I retired from Tastefully Simple  after 15 years.  I am very excited to enjoy only having one job (in addition to the raising of the teens and so on and so forth). One of the ways, I am enjoying my free time is to work on writing more.  Clearly not here on my blog thus far, as I've been quite lax in posting.  Anyway I'm proud to say I am now a contributor for Project Fandom !  It's a great website and podcast devoted to all things entertainment.  My first assignment was a book review for the book The Beauty by Aliya Whiteley. You can read my review here. 

Next month I start my first TV series review for the website, and yes I'm nervous about that, a reoccurring six episode assignment. This is as close to my childhood dream of being a newspaper reporter coming true.  I'm reporting weekly on a TV show, you see a parallel right?  Close enough to call it a dream come true?  I say yes!  Make sure to follow, like and share Project Fandom on your social media,. As I  said it's a great place to keep up on all your favorite movies, comics, TV shows and book--and find new favorites as well.

That's what is new with me. Next week I will have more new with me news.  So stay tuned! In the meantime, Williams-Sonoma  sent me an email recipe, as they do daily, and I was pleasantly surprised to find I have everything on hand to make it for dinner. It's a sheet pan recipe and it looks delicious.  You can see it here: Mexican Stuffed Peppers with Chipotle Sweet Potatoes.  Looks good, right?  If you are a Pinterest user, you can find it on my "Sheet Pan Recipes" board and my name is Victoria7401 if you want to follow me.

Thanks for reading!  Have a great day!

Review and Recipes

All the Little Liars by Charlaine Harris
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I found that the voice of Aurora Teagarden was much more the voice of Charlaine Harris a 60-something than that of a 30-something librarian. For example, what 37 year old woman in 2016 uses the word trousers to describe pants. C'mon! This book takes place just a few weeks after the last one, which is disjointing. (esp. since the previous book was set in the early 2000s)  So just a few weeks ago Aurora finds her SIL dead and now it is Christmas, she is pregnant, married and not only is her step brother missing but there are other kids missing AND dead teenagers. It seems like a bit much, and yet there is plenty of time for the author to give paragraphs of space to the discussion of  Aurora preparing the most bland food ever eaten.

Lastly during the book Aurora does three stupid things and hides 2 crucial details from police that prolong the mystery and are so reckless it's hard to fathom. I almost through the book across the room a couple of times due to the lack of critical thinking by Aurora and her husband.


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A common thread in all Charlaine Harris books is uneccessary discussion of what food the protagonist is preparing.  If the food sounded good, that would be forgiving, but her main characters are bad cooks.   Just the most boring food. It's depressing.  If I was her editor, I'd put big red slashes through all food talk!

To combat bad food writing I thought I would share a couple fun Halloween themed recipes:

Pumpkin Soup with Herbed Pumpkin Seeds (Tastefully Simple) 

ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. 1 tsp. Avocado Oil or olive oil, divided

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• 2 Tbsp. Onion Onion Seasoning 

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• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 2 (15 oz.) cans 100% pure pumpkin
• 13-14 oz. can coconut milk
• ½ cup roasted and salted shelled pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
• 1 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
• Sour cream (optional)

directions

Heat 1 Tbsp. oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add Onion Onion™ Seasoning; sautè 30 seconds.

Stir in broth; bring to a simmer. Add pumpkin and 1 Tbsp. Rustic Herb Seasoning; simmer 5 minutes. Stir in coconut milk; continue simmering 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine pumpkin seeds and remaining 1 tsp. oil in small bowl. Add remaining 1 Tbsp. Rustic Herb Seasoning and Parmesan cheese. Toss to coat.

Ladle soup into bowls or shot or cordial glasses. Sprinkle with herbed pumpkin seeds.

Tips:

• To decorate the glasses, add sour cream to a resealable plastic bag. Cut off a bag corner. Pipe slightly wavy ring around the inside of each glass. Using a wooden skewer, push the sour cream down to make elongated lines. Pour soup into glasses.
• Serve soup in Jack Be Little or other small pumpkins. To prepare pumpkins, cut top ½ inch off each pumpkin; scrape out seeds. Place on a baking sheet with rim. Add ½ cup water to baking sheet; cover pumpkins with foil. Bake 20 minutes or until soft enough to scoop out pumpkin flesh. Remove from oven and cool; gently scoop out flesh, leaving a ¼-inch shell.

And here is a recipe from All Recipes that sounds like a fantastic Chili!
Pumpkin Turkey Chili !