Beautiful but haunting photography book looking at some of the ruins of Detroit. Amazing photography.
Friday, December 31, 2010
Detroit Disassembled, by Andrew Moore
Beautiful but haunting photography book looking at some of the ruins of Detroit. Amazing photography.
Avec Eric, by Eric Ripert
"over 100 simple recipes"- I don't think so. over 100 gorgeous, impossible to replicate recipes? yes!
things I want to eat? YES!!!!
anything I could make at home?
no.
:(
Forgotten Skills of Cooking, by Darina Allen
OMG, everything in this looked amazing and delicious, but it didnt' seem like many of the recipes or tips would be very useful to a suburban American, as opposed to folk living at a coastal Irish country house farm.
The Haunted Showboat, by Carolyn Keene
Nancy, Bess and George go to visit a cousin of Bess and George's , Donna Mae, in New Orleans. Intrigue, bayous, and an old wrecked showboat add up to a mystery that Nancy solves, bringing Donna Mae matrimonial happiness.
The Witch Tree Symbol, by Carolyn Keene
Antiques, theft, and Pennsylvania Dutch Amish are the background for this odd one. Bess eats lots of schnitzel-type things. Nancy is accused as a witch, and George puzzles the Amish.
The Ringmaster's Secret, by Carolyn Keene
Absurd Nancy Drew! Her (previously unmentioned) trick horse-riding skills allow her to fill in for an injured circus rider, and to help solve a mystery.
The Clue of the Leaning Chimney, by Carolyn Keene
Strange Nancy Drew, involving pottery and Chinese immigrants held as pottery slaves (?).
The Mystery of the Tolling Bell, by Carolyn Keene
Boats, caves, treasure, oh my. Nancy, Bess and George and their faithful and helpful friends Ned, Burt and Dave solve a puzzle involving a lot of messing around in boats.
The Clue in the Jewel Box, by Carolyn Keene
This was a pretty good one! Nancy helps an exiled ex-queen reuinite with her missing heir, while getting to know a batch of Russians and getting to see and wear some excellent sounding jewelry, as well as a jeweled egg by a Mr. Faber. Heh.
The Clue of the Moss Covered Mansion, by Carolyn Keene
Weirdly, Amazon doesn't seem to have an individual cover image for this one, but it is the one on the bottom right in that picture above.
Nancy, Bess and George go to Florida to solve why a case of explosive-filled oranges was sent to NASA, and become involved with a moss-covered mansion full of lions. Strange, but yes, that is the plot.
The Clue of the Broken Locket, by Carolyn Keene
Nancy, Bess, and George solve the clue of the broken locket, and reunite a family.
Monday, December 27, 2010
Freezing Point, by Karen Dionne
Hilariously bad attempt at an eco-thriller. This really was so bad, it was fantastic, at least in that it kept me laughing the whole time, but I don't think that was the goal, unfortunately!
The rats eating people on the iceberg were the best bit.
Is Sex Necessary?, by James Thurber
Classic funny Thurber and his friend E.B. White (yes, the Charlotte's Web E.B. White!) taking on modern (well, 1920s) psychology, and making hay with it.
Vixen, by Jillian Larkin
This was everything that Anna Godberson's The Flappers should have been, and wasn't. Fantastic, well done, vivid 20's Chicago setting, (almost) believable characters, solid plot, great fun. Can't wait for Ingenue, the second in the projected trilogy, coming in November 2011.
Starstuck: The Business of Celebrity, by Elizabeth Currid-Halkett
Interesting quick read about modern celebrity and its impact on the economy, as well as the meaning and definitions of 'celebrity' as opposed to fame or talent. This was a fun, sort of popcorn read, I am surprised by the amount of serious attention the book got, but I enjoyed it enough that I was only slightly enraged to see that the author thanked the ubiquitous and to me, intensely irritating, Sloane Crosley in the acknowledgements.
The Lying Game, by Sara Shepard
Not nearly as good as her Pretty Little Liars series, and too similar to be fresh. Also, ghosts? Really, Sara Shepard? You make me sad.
Mistletoe and Mayhem, by Kate Kingsbury
Pretty terrible and confusing mystery. Set in Edwardian England at a country house hotel, this tried for an upstairs/downstairs kind of thing, but was overall a bit of a mess.
A Killer Plot, by Ellery Adams
Really well done an atmospheric mystery! I meant to blog this AGES ago, but many weird things happened and got in the way. That said, this was a wonderfully done classic-style mystery set in coastal North Carolina, among the motley crew of a writers group. I am really looking forward to the next in the series.
Not a Girl Detective, by Susan Kandel
A Nancy Drew themed adult mystery! Biographer Cece Caruso is working on a project on Mildred Wirt Benson and Harriet Stratemeyer Adams, the women behind the "Carolyn Keene" pseudonym, when a speaking job at a Nancy Drew convention leads her into mystery and mayhem. The mystery was well done, the Nancy Drew stuff was seamlessly woven in, and the tidbits about the life of Grace Norton, the model who posed for the original covers, was fascinating. Really enjoyable.
Pretty Little Things, by Sally Jean Alexander
Beautifully done craft book, mostly glass and soldering, very creative and inspiring, but the layout for initial supplies outweighs how much I want to try these things.
Steampunkery, by Christi Friesen
More polymer claywork by Christi Friesen, beautifully done, but not my thing.
My World and Welcome To It, by James Thurber
James Thurber is way underappreciated, I think. These short pieces ranged from hilarious to tragic, but most balanced a fine line between the two, such a hard trick. Even losing his sight, he saw more than most, and was able to point out the funny bits in life even in a sea of slights, and the funny bits are damn funny.
Real Fast Food, by Nigel Slater
I wanted to make and eat every single thing in this. I should probably get a copy to keep, it was that good. Fun writing style too, wasn't all "this is life or death" about what should be fun!
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