I have this book to thank for my newfound love of Strega. My liver may not thank me, but I also now have a very long list of liquors that I want (need?) to try. What’s Strega, you ask? It’s an Italian liqueur, named after the witches of Benevento, a town south of Naples (where my great-grandparents are from). According to the book, there are 70 ingredients in Strega, including cinnamon, iris, juniper, mint, citrus, cloves, anise, and myrrh. It’s herbal based, and can be […]
No love potions, endless purses, parties or other entertainments
“But just because you are paranoid doesn’t mean that there isn’t an invisible demon about to eat your face.” So begins my foray into the world of Harry Dresden, Wizard and Private Investigator. This first book in the series sets things up nicely, introducing us into Harry’s milieu, set in Chicago (happily one of my favorite cities). There is Karrin Murphy, the director of Special Investigations (read: paranormal) for the downtown Chicago P.D. Harry works as a consultant for her from time to time, partially […]
A beautiful introduction to the silent among us
aThis book is a must-read, written by a man whose formative years during the Great Depression were made unique by the fact that he was a hearing child raised by two deaf parents. Hands of My Father is both a poignant memoir, a loving testament to his courageous parents, and a fascinating glimpse into growing up during those politically and economically tumultuous times. Louis and Silvia Uhlberg were each the children of large immigrant families in Brooklyn who had neither the time nor the skills […]
Jane Vamp-eyre; or Pride and Pointyteeth
A Victorian meditation on vampirism. The rules have been changed — garlic and churchy stuff are out, holy water and silver are in. There are no sparkletards, but there is an outstanding study on forbidden homosexuality in Victorian times. This felt like a really intriguing novel on forbidden passions in Victorian times, that got a big old vampire fist punched right through it. But like Ben Winters and Seth Graham-Smith, I’d totally read Lauren Owen’s next book.