Ho Lin’s short story anthology was an interesting read. Each tale aimed to shed light on random moments from varying points of view. He pulls in the reader with unexpected juxtapositions of settings and tone. The collection exudes emotion as if the stories were collective memories meshed together. He rarely delves deep into any specific narratives. The stories bounced between Asia and American even within the same story. We meet an American ex-Pat in China, then a host of characters in San Francisco, while another […]
Secret origins of fiendish pony villains
Last month, I attended a lovely library talk about women in comics. Christina Rice, a local librarian and comics writer, talked about her work on My Little Pony comics. I’ve always been a fan of My Little Pony, but hadn’t really watched the new show. To sate my curiosity, I picked up the My Fiendship is Magic volume. These five comics explore the secret origins of five pony villains. It was interesting to see kingdoms outside Equestria, the main pony land, told from the various POVs. Beware, […]
A shapeshifter tale of violence & confusion over the ages
Unfortunately, life happened, so it’s been a while since my last review. It took me an extra month to finish the last 60 pages of The Devourers! I did participate in our Cannonball Read book club discussion on time. Better late to review than never, I say. ;) The Devourers was on several 2016 year end lists. I hadn’t read much contemporary fantasy, so was very intrigued to read it. I also love stories about shape-shifters (and most supernatural creatures). While reading the Kate Daniels’ series by Ilona Andrews, […]
My modern Italian feast experiment
After a year back in town, I finally sorted out my LAPL library card privileges. Much to my surprise, the Highland Park branch has a very extensive cookbook selection. I LOVE Italian food and culture, even minored in Italian at USC. As such, I immediately snagged the Giada’s Kitchen: New Italian Favorites off the shelf. I was never a big fan of her Food Network cooking show, but I do own a very nice skillet from her Target line. :) The book is organized into the following sections: appetizers […]