Bookish Review: The Spellmans Strike Again

If you read this blog, you know I am a fan of Lisa Lutz and her Spellman series. This is book 4, and it does not disappoint.

Izzy is still dating her bartender boyfriend, but her mother does not approve, and blackmails her into going on dates with lawyers every few weeks. Rae has gotten herself a boyfriend, refuses to take the bus or buy a car, and decides to take up a crusade to free someone who was wrongly convicted. Rae is also still best friends with Henry, who starts pestering Izzy to be his friend again, too. David is dating Henry's old fiancée, and the Spellman parental units kick everyone out of the house once a week. Shortly after this, things like doorknobs start disappearing from all over the house.

The book is once again filled with family drama and little mysteries on top of the projects the family is investigating. Two thumbs up!

Bookish Review: I Live in the Future, and Here's How it Works

The Children's Book Council sent me a copy of Nick Bilton's new work when I missed the annual meeting. I found it to be an interesting read. Nick focuses on the fact that technological change has always been met with skepticism, fear, and even panic--and nothing has changed about that.

Nick is an advocate of embracing this change and utilizing new technologies to create richer experiences. After all, we're certainly not going back--no one's making 8-tracks or VHS tapes anymore and it's not as if everyone's going to suddenly stop using the internet.

I thought Nick had some interesting points, though his repetition of the phrase "bytes, snacks, and meals" was extremely annoying to me. Also, Nick emphasizes that people will pay for experiences, which is not untrue, but he seemed to completely discount the fact that people will also pay for content--his point seemed to be that good content is not enough, but he almost took it too far, as if good content was meaningless. I'm not willing to go that far; I believe people will pay for content and expertise as much as experience, but the book did make some good points.

Cookish: Something Sweet

My new favorite brownies are Katharine Hepburn's brownies from the Al Dente blog: http://www.aldenteblog.com/2009/07/brownie-bakeoff-katherine-hepburn-brownies.html.

I leave out the nuts, though, and tend to underbake. Yum!

Kate's Famous Brownies

Ingredients:
2 squares (1 ounce each) unsweetened chocolate
1/4 pound butter
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

2. Melt unsweetened chocolate and butter over very low heat in a heavy saucepan.

3. Remove from heat and stir in sugar.

4. Beat in eggs and vanilla.

5. Quickly stir in walnuts, flour and salt.

6. Spread the batter in a well-greased 8 x 8-inch baking pan. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes. Remove the pan to a rack to cool.

Yield: 12 brownies

Bookish Review: Mockingjay

The final book in the Hunger Games trilogy did not disappoint! Katniss is finally going to have to choose between Peeta and Gale--if they all survive the war, that is. District 13 wants to use Katniss to help rally the rebel effort, but she's not sure she wants to let them use her like the Capitol did. When she realizes it may be her only option to save Peeta, she acquiesces, but not before naming her price.

There has been a lot of backlash over the violence in this book, and the series as a whole. I think this is ridiculous. It's not that the books aren't violent. because they absolutely are. However, the books are about war, about what is worth dying for--and what is worth killing for--and how far is too far, even in war. Guess what? Wars are violent. Men, women, and children die, often in horrible ways. That is reality, and if these books can bring that reality home to a few people, maybe we'll have fewer wars and less violence, not more of it. It's a beautifully done series. Highly recommended.

Cookish: Something Sweet

So, I usually bake from scratch, but I have found one mix which even you mix-haters will appreciate:http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/brownie-mix/?pkey=cfodbakdst

Is this mix kind of ridiculously expensive? Yes, yes, it is. However, it is also ridiculously delicious. The brownies are incredible and they stay great-tasting for quite a while. Add it to your wishlist and maybe some overly generous person will buy it for you.

Bookish Review: The DUFF

I'm not actually sure this is the final cover of this book, as the publisher sent me an advanced reading copy for review purposes.

I wasn't thrilled with this book. Although it tries to drive home the messages that labeling each other "whores" or "duffs" or whatever else only serves to harm us all and that maybe the consequences of sex should be kept in mind at all time, these conclusions kind of feel like afterthoughts as the main character repeatedly engages in sex with a boy she finds repugnant in an effort to take her mind off her problems. That seems to be the real message that comes through--that such behavior is okay and that you'll end up with a caring, sensitive boyfriend who no longer desires to be a man-whore because he has seen just how wonderful you are. Dangerous territory. Not recommended, especially not for easily-influenced teens.

Bookish Review: Catching Fire

This is the second book in the Hunger Games trilogy, and it's probably even better than the first. Katniss and Peeta survived the Hunger Games, but their defiance of the Capitol has not been forgotten, and it seems that uprisings are inevitable and Katniss will be held responsible. How will Katniss keep her family, Gale, Haymitch, and Peeta safe? Will she have to pretend she loves Peeta forever? When she and Peeta are sent back to the Hunger Games, will either of them be able to survive again? (Well, it is a trilogy, so it seems likely Katniss isn't going to die, right?) Will Katniss be able to figure out how she feels about Gale and Peeta? The action and tension are high, just as in the first book, and when Katniss and Peeta have to travel to the other districts, I actually shed a few tears. Can't wait for the third one