Gran Cocina Latina

I have caught the cooking bug. It began with my designation as the official pie maker of the family Thanksgiving meal.  After whipping up my favorite, a pumpkin pie, I decided to get a tad crazy and try my hand at a bacon, apple, cheddar pie. It was to die for. Literally and figuratively. This was just the beginning though. 

Before I knew it, I was off and running creating meringues, Christmas cookies, and scones galore and then, right when I was hitting my stride, my wife laid down the gauntlet. No more desserts and no more butter. Fortunately, a new cookbook arrived at the Library just in the nick of time.

A massive tome, Gran Cocina Latina attempts to bring together in one work, the food of all of Latin America. Although an undertaking of such size sounds destined to fail, author Maricel E. Presilla is no ordinary foodie. A Cuban American with a doctorate in medieval history, it is Presilla's rigorous approach as scholar and historian as well as cook that shape this work and make it utterly absorbing as well as exquisitely delicious.

Indeed, Presilla starts the book with a discussion of what Latin America is and what can be found in its kitchens and on its tables before turning to the Latin tradition of layering flavors all before getting to the bulk of the book 157 pages in. Yet even when Presilla turns to recipes for good, a history lesson or story is never far off. Take for example, the meal I made the other night.

Having lived in Chile briefly, when deciding upon what to cook, a Chilean empanada sounded perfect. Despite my best intentions, before I knew it, I was engrossed in a discussion of the Galician region of Spain and found myself attempting a traditional olive and tuna empanada baked in this region for hundreds of years. It was fabulous and I was even able to bore my wife with the history of the meal while we ate.

If all of this tradition and history sounds a little overwhelming, don't worry. Presilla also wisely includes modern varieties and discussions of variations that aid both those short on time and those short on traditional Latin American ingredients. It is this all-encompassing nature that led one reviewer to call it the "bible" of Latin American food and truly, the combination of history, culture, people, places, and great recipes makes Gran Cocina Latina a treasure trove.

Starry River of the Sky

Grace Lin's 2010 Newbery Honor book "Where the Mountain Meets the Moon" was my favorite chapter book aimed at 8-12 year-olds to come out in 2010. So when I discovered that Lin was working on a companion novel, "Starry River of the Sky," I was both utterly excited  and a tad bit nervous.

I was enlivened by the possibility of another book that could successfully weave together a protagonist and plot from the long past, traditional Chinese folklore, and a very modern melding of multiple narrative voices and intricate and beautiful images. And truth be told, I was anxious that Lin couldn't possibly replicate such a feat.

My apprehension was of course, unfounded. Not only does "Starry River of the Sky" wonderfully pull together all of these elements, but it does so in a manner that, as a companion should, builds on rather than recycles these features. The Folklore and storytelling for instance, don't just shed light on the main character, but instead become the tools he must use to complete his inward journey. And unlike "Where the Mountain Meets the Moon," "Starry River of the Sky" is predominantly, an inward journey.

The individual at the center of the odyssey is  Rendi,  a sour-puss and stowaway young boy that is dumped in the remote village of Clear Sky. Working as the chore boy at the lone Inn, he is unwillingly drawn into the lives and problems of the Village including a missing moon, feuding neighbors and much more. However, when a mysterious woman with a gift for story telling arrives at the Inn, the truth about Rendi, the sky, and so much more is slowly drawn out and together from a tapestry of stories and folklore altering the Village and everyone in it.

Altogether, Grace Lin's "Starry River of the Sky" is like a fantastic meal. It presents both individual ingredients that beg to be savored as well as a whole that will leave any age satiated and satisfied.

Tale of Sand

I love graphic novels for a whole host of reasons. Mostly though, I love them because a good graphic novel presents the melding of art and literature into an experience that feels like a trip to an art museum and a library rolled into one. What could be better!

Now don't get me wrong, there are plenty of graphic novels that don't come anywhere near managing this feat but "Tale of Sand" is not one of them. Based upon a lost, 1960's-1970's era screenplay by Jim Henson and Jerry Juhl, the two geniuses behind the Muppets and Sesame Street, "Tale of Sand" is a mind bending blend of existential Americana tropes and utterly gorgeous poppy pastels drawn by Ramon Perez.

The plot, if it can be called such, follows the story of an unnamed man who, after arriving in an unknown town with no knowledge of who he is or why he is there, must participate in a strange event in which he is forced to flee across the desert chased by an assortment of villains. Sound strange? It is.

Yet "Tale of Sand" is more an evocation of emotion than a story and its blending of classic cartoon styles and realistic images, wild west and modern movie action, 1950's square culture and the 60's and 70's resistance to this culture all with artwork that is both understandable and yet modern-museum-worthy brings out a whole load of emotion.The most prominent of which is awe. "Tale of Sand" is art and literature that leaves your mouth slightly agape, just like a wonderful library or art museum.

The Case of the Missing Servant

There are two seasons of the year that I am not particularly fond of. Now these are not seasons as officially named, yet all who live through them are well aware they exist and I call them the in-betweeners. We happen to be smack dab in the middle of the first in-betweener which falls just after the enjoyable bits of fall and just before the whites of enjoyable winter. The other in-betweener occurs after enjoyable winter has ended and before green enjoyable spring has begun. The latter is also called mud season. 

During both of these "seasons," the frequent gray skies and cold rain leaves me staring out the window daydreaming of foreign climes. Usually, warmer foreign climes. Alas, due to the constraints of real life, I am unable to take 12 weeks off annually to escape these in-betweeners and therefore, I have to settle for a surrogate. Travel by book is what I call it and Tarquin Hall’s “The Case of the Missing Servant” was the perfect recent vehicle.

Written by a Brit but set in India, “The Case of the Missing Servant” is an absolute riot of a mystery that follows the comical and capable Vish Puri, India’s Most Private Investigator in pursuit of, as expected, a missing and likely dead servant. Like any mystery writer worth his salt though, Hall further weaves in two subplot mysteries that are equally compelling.

Yet, despite an ensnaring plot, or rather multiple ensnaring plots, it is Hall's deft characters, dry humor, and most of all his vivid depiction of contemporary India that are this works greatest strengths as well as the predominant drivers of “The Case of the Missing Servant.”  

Best described as Sherlock Homes meets Alexander McCall Smith’s No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, Tarquin Hall’s “The Case of the Missing Servant” is a chariot that will make you chuckle and cheer while carrying you away from a dreary in-betweener November day to a more convivial clime. 

The Miseducation of Cameron Post

Emily M. Danforth's "The Miseducation of Cameron Post" is a finely wrought, emotionally complex, if occasionally a tad mundane young adult coming-of-age novel with one key twist.

Growing up in cowboy country, the plains of Montana, Cameron Post finds herself, just like I did, transforming into a young adult during the 1990s. Unlike my journey though, Cameron's is far more tumultuous. She loses her parents at the age of 12, the day after she kisses her best girl friend and realizes she likes it. As a result of her parents deaths, Cameron's highly religious and conservative Aunt as well as her Grandmother move to Montana to take over her care. This turn of events sets the story on a fairly predictable but still enjoyable trajectory.

As teenage Cameron's identity begins to coalesce, she is forced to hide her budding lesbianism. Like any teenager though, her attempts to at once explore and bury her feelings leads to a series of very different relationships and eventually, to an unceremonious outing. And just as expected, Cameron's sexuality does not sit well with either her Aunt or the community leading to the final ripple in the tale as Cameron's Aunt Ruth decides to send her off to a religious boarding school that promises to cure Cameron of her sinful ways.

Altogether, despite the fact that "The Miseducation of Cameron Post" won't necessarily surprise you with its plot twists, Danforth's patience and just-right prose manages to create out of all of her characters full yet faulted individuals that will capture teens and adults alike. It is this skill that both keeps this tale from feeling either too preachy or predictable while forcing us to understand if not always relate with all of the different characters and their actions. In the end "The Miseducation of Cameron Post's" greatest strength is its reminder that it is what we share, love and loss, rather than where we differ that makes us human.

Night of the Living Trekkies

Halloween has always been one of my favorite holidays. As a child, the opportunity to don an alter ego, gorge on candy, and stay up late in pursuit of said candy always made me ecstatically happy. And as an adult, truth be told, not much has changed. Every year I get giddy picking out a costume, eating enough candy-corn to swear it off (conveniently eleven months seems to be just the right amount of time to forget this resolution), and defiantly staying up later then I ought to to celebrate ghouls, ghosts, and all that this holiday has come to mean in our culture. So, in an effort to stoke this flame I ventured to our Sci-Fi section and grabbed "Night of the Living Trekkies" by Kevin Anderson and Sam Stall.

Brought to you by the same publishing geniuses that rewrote the classics "Sense and Sensibility" and "Pride and Prejudice" into far more entertaining if less educational works entitled "Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters" and "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies", "Night of the Living Trekkies" ranks high on the entertainment scale.

Set at a Star Trek convention in a hotel in Houston, the authors do indeed attempt to add substance to the narrative by creating out of Jim Pike, their main character, a disillusioned Afghanistan veteran struggling with civilian life. Don't let the veneer fool you though. When a strange virus starts turning both the Trek fans and the residents of Houston into the walking dead, Jim's combat experience comes tremendously in handy as he leads a small band of the non-stricken in an escape attempt.

I won't spoil the ending for you but I will deliver a spoiler. "Night of the Living Trekkies" is a hilarious romp that draws deeply on zombie, horror, and Star Trek cliches and references. Thus, if Vulcans, clumsy cannibalism, and completely predictable but still wonderfully monstrous plot turns aren't your thing, read no further. But if you are looking to simultaneously giggle and gag or simply want to get in the mood for the upcoming holiday of horrors, I strongly recommend beaming this book off the shelf.

Chickadees At Night

At this point I am merely joining the chorus, the chickadee chorus that is.

Having heard its praises sung, or rather chirped high and low, I decided that it was well past time to take a good long look at local author Bill O. Smith's picture book "Chickadee's At Night" and let me tell you, I was more than rewarded. 

Following an initial posing of the deeply vexing question of what those cheeky chickadees do at night, Smith presents a lyricial and laughable series of rhyming follow up questions that take readers to all sorts of wonderous places and on all sorts of witty adventures. From a trip to the moon, to a hop, to a bed of birds snuggled eight deep. Smith's prose shrinks, grows, spins, and sings and most of all, pleases. 

Yet it is Charles R. Murphy's gorgeous and whimsical watercolor illustrations that truly bring this tale to life. Although every page could easily present a favorite, I was won over simply gazing at the cover depicting a brash bird with its mouth slightly agape and feathers streaming in the breeze as it rides a flying squirrel past the full moon.

"Chickadees at Night" really is one of those rare and fantastic picture books that manages to be fun, clever, and beautiful while prompting imagination, questions, and learning. And as the book itself states, "if you love beauty, the natural world, tickled tummies and family snuggles then this book is certainly for you."

South of Superior

 

Just recently, when the lovely smell of rain finally retuned and the nights began to require a heavier blanket, I started to recognize the Michigan of my childhood. The previous sun soaked, nearly bone dry, 12 weeks were glorious mind you, and I enjoyed every beach bathing, dive off the dock, thank whatever higher power you believe in moment of it, but it sure didn’t remind me of the Michigan I remembered. 

The turn in weather and tree color though, brought forth a nostalgia and love of this great state that led me to grab a book off of the 2012 Michigan Notable Books list created by the Library of Michigan.

Ellen Airgood’s debut novel “South of Superior,” introduces us to engaged thirty something Madeline Stone. Madeline promptly decides to leave her unsatisfying Chicago life behind to both care for an elderly family friend and seek out the story of her difficult past on the bleak but beautiful shores of Lake Superior in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.  Of course, life in the gritty small town presents a wealth of challenges including the daily struggles of a community where the past, present, and future do not always come together smoothly and where a car accident or fire can shape the entirety of the town. True to small town life, these challenges are though, well balanced by community, kindness, and compassion. 

And indeed, it is Airgood's vivid and emotional portrayal of the individuals that exist within just such a tough love community that is the driving force behind her tale. Drawn from interviews of actual residents of Grand Marais where she runs a diner with her husband, Airgood's debut may be unsophisticated, but what it has to teach, surely isn't.

A Boy and A Bear in a Boat

Occasionally, a book's title says it all. And this is one of those occasions. Indeed, the entirety of this children's chapter book, suited well for ages 7-12, follows the travails of, yes, a boy and a bear in a boat.

Written by Dave Shelton, the tale begins with the boy procuring the services of a bear and his rowboat in an attempt to reach the "other side." The boy is initially equipped with a suitcase as well as a lack of patience and imagination. The bear on the other hand, has an abundance of patience, a trifle less imagination, and additionally, a ukulele and a comic book. 

Despite assurances that this trip to the other side will only take a short while, "unforeseeable anomalies"occur such as encounters with "turbulent stormy seas! a terrifying sea monster! and the rank remains of The Very Last Sandwich." 

Truth be told, these anomalies make up insignificant portions of the plot. But it is not the plot that makes this book worth reading. Instead, rather than action, it is the book's call to the reader's imagination that makes it a delight.

The slightly scary portrayal of being lost at sea is perfectly juxtaposed with the surreal, whimsical, and ridiculous. Add to the stories charms some fantastic yet understated illustrations and the end result is a well written, highly enjoyable touch of drama paired with a generous helping of humor, growth, and friendship. 

The Plunge

And so it begins. Having undertaken a new job in a new place, the time is ripe to embark upon a new adventure. I have for years, wanted to write about the books I have read but simply never worked up the courage to do so. That changes today.

My goal then, is to regularly post short reviews of something that I have checked out and read from the library. But I warn you dear readers, (future readers that is,) I am both an amateur and an omnivore.

What you read here neither represents the institution I work for nor any institution, anyone, or indeed anything other than my own opinions. 

Additionally, I like to read a bit of everything. Having worked as a children's and teen librarian, I frequently delve into reading fit for both. Being a lover of comics and cartoons, I also enjoy graphic novels. Having received not one but two English degrees, I like my stuffy, highfalutin fiction. Being curious about almost everything, I can't resist nonfiction. And being a human being, I like to be entertained by mysteries, westerns, romance, and any and everything that is well paced.  So please, join me on my journey through one library's collection.