War and Its Aftermath Nine Stories Nine Stories by J.D. Salinger, though much less well-known today than Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye, was quite popular at the time of its publication in 1953 – particularly the semi-autobiographical story “For Esme – with Love and Squalor”. This story was notable for its handling of recovery from…
Category: Books
Reviews of books and other printed and visual media
Sci Fi and Fantasy
Books by George R.R. Martin Windhaven CNP couldn’t get into Windhaven, written by George R.R. Martin and Lisa Tuttle – though at 336 pages in hardback it is considerably shorter than Martin’s A Song of Fire and Ice series. A Game of Thrones The graphic novel Volume 1 & 2 version of A Game of…
Manju Buns
Manjū – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. In Volume 51 of the Japanese manga One Piece Luffy, Chopper, and Brooks consume mass quantities of the Sabaody version of the manju bun.
Teen Friendly Fiction
Finishing School Series Tofa Borregaard under the pen name Gail Carriger writes Regency romance, steampunk, and paranormal fiction. (See the discussion of her The Parasol Protectorate series in the Romance Novels post.) In the Finishing School series she adds a school setting and teenagers to the mix. This new series which starts in 1851 England…
Food in Fiction
Contemporary Lady of Magick by Sylvia Izzo Hunter Set in an alternate Regency England, Chapter 6 opens on the dessert course of a fancy dinner party. “Joanna prodded irritably at the spun-sugar cage of glazed profiteroles on her plate. What was the use of a dish which one could not eat without first attacking it…
Children’s Fiction
(Also see the posts Children’s Classics and All Ages Manga.) Jane Simmons Quack, Daisy, QUACK! is a colorful picture book with two big bonuses: ducks quacking and the Monet-ish pond and garden backdrops. (With the exception of the first and last pages, the book consists of two-page oil paintings.) The ducks themselves (featuring yellow duckling…
Food Media
Books Also see the Food in Fiction post and posts in the Nutriate Related category under Books, Nonfiction. Cuisine Exploration Food Lover’s Guide to the World published by Lonely Planet. With introductions by Mark Bittman and James Oseland. Dirt Candy: A Cookbook: Flavor-Forward Food from the Upstart New York City Vegetarian Restaurant by Amanda Cohen,…
Teen Manga
School Gunnerkrigg Court Thomas Siddell’s rendering of unusual students at a British boarding school is reminiscent (in an excellent fashion) in both art and characters to San Francisco resident Ted Naifeh’s Courtney Crumrin series. It’s interesting that both series though written by men are centered on extremely bright young women unfazed by the beasties around…
Adult Manga
Western Scalped Scalped The Gnawing Vol 6 by Jason Aaron and R.M. Guera, published by Vertigo. Graphic novel series. More violent than 100 Bullets. Spy, Military, Ninja Greg Rucka Queen & Country series: criticized by some because while the main protagonist (Tara Chase) is a female Brit, the writer is a male native of San…
All Ages Manga
(Also see the post Children’s Fiction.) Paranormal Courtney Crumrin; Polly and the Pirates Ted Naifeh brings great characterization and detail to all of his art (including Gloom Cookie and Kin) but it is the stories that he also writes that we get to truly appreciate his storytelling. It may seem odd that the best stories…