I thought i loved Charles Stross. Then i read his Halting State. Accerando and Glasshouse were two of the best scifi books i've ever read. Charlie, what happened? The concept of Halting State is just short of brilliant, but the execution just didn't work for me.
I thought i loved Jeff Vandermeer (who i do still, dearly adore), then i started reading Michael Moorcock's Elric Saga. the grace of his prose, the poetic romantisicm of Elric's exquisite pain. Not sure if i've ever run into this depth of intelligence in fiction before. i don't mean smart like tons of 50 cent words, i mean smart like the perfect elegance of a golden mean. and yes, smart can still have plenty of plot holes. it happens. i finished this book a few days ago, and keep staring at it. . . i'm going to read it again cover to cover before it goes back to te library, aren't i? and my review was so. . surface.
Mr Vandermeer, you'll have to deal with being my new second most loved, rather than first. m'kay? (and no, i still haven't taken City of Saints and Madmen back to the library, but the novelty hasn't worn off yet)
After much nagging from a friend, i picked up Catch 22. i'm laughing, i'm crying, i'm avoiding watching the news even more. this really is better than Slaughterhouse Five (not V's best by a long shot, but his most famous, and a very accessible anti-war novel). these days, i could probably be arrested for reading the Catch.
i decided to try cous cous. trying to experiment with grains other than wheat (holy crap, have you seen the bread prices??), and i remembered having a cous cous salad thing a number of years ago and liking it. so in an effort to make my cooking adventure a little easier, i bought one of those prepackaged cous cous dinner things in the ethnic aisle of the grocery store. Note to self: cous cous is good, but don't ever ever, EVER buy those prepackaged cous cous things in the ethnic aisle of the grocery store. those things taste of nothing but salt, so just march your butt back to the bulk section and buy a 1/2 pound of straight cous cous. you'll be much happier.
Showing posts with label Charlie Stross. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Charlie Stross. Show all posts
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
gotta read Stross twice
half way through Stross's Accelerando, and i've put it down. it's an excellent book, but the library had Stross's Halting State, and i just couldn't resist grabbing it off the "new releases" shelves.
the book is written in 2nd person singular (you did this, you did that. . . ), which mixed with a plot about gaming, gives the impression of a first person shooter experience. this is good. taking place in Scotland, most of our main characters blend english with scotish phonetic slang. this isn't so good. a glossary of scottish slang would be nice. plenty of insane plot twists, that in hind sight, make perfect sense, and i'm sure there is some crazy fun violence to be had before the book is done. but i'm so busy figuring out what the slang and the 75-cent cyberpunk words mean that i'm not enjoying myself as much as i'd like. feels a little like my first time reading Accelerando. oh, i get it. read it twice.
i'm also the proud owner of Martin's A Game of Thrones, the first book in his A Song of Ice and Fire series, and Robert Heinlien's The Cat Who Walks Through Walls. One day i will own every Heinlien book out there! (and probably every Martin book as well, but that's a pretty realistic goal).
might be offline for a while, i have a big family wedding this weekend. Did you ever see "My Big Fat Greek Wedding"? yeah, it's like that.
the book is written in 2nd person singular (you did this, you did that. . . ), which mixed with a plot about gaming, gives the impression of a first person shooter experience. this is good. taking place in Scotland, most of our main characters blend english with scotish phonetic slang. this isn't so good. a glossary of scottish slang would be nice. plenty of insane plot twists, that in hind sight, make perfect sense, and i'm sure there is some crazy fun violence to be had before the book is done. but i'm so busy figuring out what the slang and the 75-cent cyberpunk words mean that i'm not enjoying myself as much as i'd like. feels a little like my first time reading Accelerando. oh, i get it. read it twice.
i'm also the proud owner of Martin's A Game of Thrones, the first book in his A Song of Ice and Fire series, and Robert Heinlien's The Cat Who Walks Through Walls. One day i will own every Heinlien book out there! (and probably every Martin book as well, but that's a pretty realistic goal).
might be offline for a while, i have a big family wedding this weekend. Did you ever see "My Big Fat Greek Wedding"? yeah, it's like that.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
downloaded your brain. . . now what?
I read Charlie Stross's Accelerando when it first came out, and it was love at first read. Just recently, I finally bought a trade paperback version. And the fear set it. That I wouldn't like it as much. That maybe it was crap, and I loved it at the time because I just really really wanted to like futuristic cyberpunk.
I'm maybe 150 pages in? Pamela has converted to Islam in an effort to get her daughter, Amber, back (you know, out of context that makes no sense whatsoever). And Manfred is trying to make the economy obsolete, and doing a damn good job of it. Manny rocks my world. Although Pamela scares me.
And I still love it. For completely different reasons. The first time through, I was so enthralled by my future-culture-shock that I missed nearly everything having to do with human rights. Ever read a news story about someone who had their head (or entire body) frozen at the time of death, to have their brain (or entire body) revived at some later date? What kind of rights to they have after they wake up? If their brain is put into someone else's body, does that body have all the rights of the original person? Now amp it up some. You upload your brain into a computer right before you die. Then your brain is downloaded into someone else's body. Are you now that person? What kind of rights do you/they/them/it have? Are human rights attached to a physical meatbody, or to the brain/soul/person who is in that body at that moment?
Here's the beautiful Stross kicker, i'm paraphrasing because the book is across the room and I don't feel like getting up. He quickly discusses a religious group that is arguing the following: if a Muslim downloads their brain into a computer and then dies, is the computer now Muslim? Why or why not? This could hold true for any religion. If you download your brain into a computer, and then you die, does your soul go to heaven? If your soul is hanging out in heaven, and your brain gets downloaded from that computer into someone else's body, what happens to your soul then? Does it get yanked out of heaven and back to earth, into a meatbody? Does that body now have your brain, but not your soul?
How can spirituality work when the mind, body, and possibly soul be three seperate, and seperable things?
And oh, by the way, Accerlerando really isn't about human rights. Well it is, but it's about everything else too. And I still love it.
Also, i'm lazy. I didn't finish decoding the end of Vandermeer's City of Saints and Madmen. It's due back at the library 2 two days, and I don't think I can finish decoding by then. I'm fighting with myself about just looking the answer up on the internet (damn you internet!!), or going to Kazoo Books and just purchasing the darn thing, so I can go through it and underline seeminly random words and phrases like “grey caps”, and “giant squid”.
Don't tell Mr. Stross, but if I had to choose one author's books to take to a desert island, I'd take Vandermeer's.
I'm even lazier in the kitchen. Had some beautiful green beans, and wanted to do something new with them. Tossed 'em in a skillet with some oil, minced garlic and ground ginger, and stir fried till done (bright green). They were healthy, surprinsingly non-oily, and really tasty.
I'm maybe 150 pages in? Pamela has converted to Islam in an effort to get her daughter, Amber, back (you know, out of context that makes no sense whatsoever). And Manfred is trying to make the economy obsolete, and doing a damn good job of it. Manny rocks my world. Although Pamela scares me.
And I still love it. For completely different reasons. The first time through, I was so enthralled by my future-culture-shock that I missed nearly everything having to do with human rights. Ever read a news story about someone who had their head (or entire body) frozen at the time of death, to have their brain (or entire body) revived at some later date? What kind of rights to they have after they wake up? If their brain is put into someone else's body, does that body have all the rights of the original person? Now amp it up some. You upload your brain into a computer right before you die. Then your brain is downloaded into someone else's body. Are you now that person? What kind of rights do you/they/them/it have? Are human rights attached to a physical meatbody, or to the brain/soul/person who is in that body at that moment?
Here's the beautiful Stross kicker, i'm paraphrasing because the book is across the room and I don't feel like getting up. He quickly discusses a religious group that is arguing the following: if a Muslim downloads their brain into a computer and then dies, is the computer now Muslim? Why or why not? This could hold true for any religion. If you download your brain into a computer, and then you die, does your soul go to heaven? If your soul is hanging out in heaven, and your brain gets downloaded from that computer into someone else's body, what happens to your soul then? Does it get yanked out of heaven and back to earth, into a meatbody? Does that body now have your brain, but not your soul?
How can spirituality work when the mind, body, and possibly soul be three seperate, and seperable things?
And oh, by the way, Accerlerando really isn't about human rights. Well it is, but it's about everything else too. And I still love it.
Also, i'm lazy. I didn't finish decoding the end of Vandermeer's City of Saints and Madmen. It's due back at the library 2 two days, and I don't think I can finish decoding by then. I'm fighting with myself about just looking the answer up on the internet (damn you internet!!), or going to Kazoo Books and just purchasing the darn thing, so I can go through it and underline seeminly random words and phrases like “grey caps”, and “giant squid”.
Don't tell Mr. Stross, but if I had to choose one author's books to take to a desert island, I'd take Vandermeer's.
I'm even lazier in the kitchen. Had some beautiful green beans, and wanted to do something new with them. Tossed 'em in a skillet with some oil, minced garlic and ground ginger, and stir fried till done (bright green). They were healthy, surprinsingly non-oily, and really tasty.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
The Book Version
New book reviews up:
St. Lunatic High School, Volume 2, by Majiko. If only I would look as good in those gothy outfits as those insanely tall, insanely slender characters, I would die a happy woman. And what is it about young love? If only Niko and Ren would tell each other that they like each other, they could be happy! There was some hinting at the end of this volume that it would Majiko's final entry in St. Lunatics, and I hope that isn't true, because this really is a cute series. Great for the high school romance/paranormal fans.
Whitechapel Gods, by S. M. Peters. Probably the best steampunk I have ever read. Great adventure, some absolutely insane characters. I've read this book twice now, and am considering reading it a third time. And i've only had it 3 months! I only read FMA that often! I've a plain covered galley copy (no cover art), and i'd happily go spend my $10 on the real version. And then keep both versions.
Voices from the Street, by Philip K. Dick. No SF here, just plain 50's literature. Somewhat annoying, boring and slow in parts. Got much better near the end, when Stuart “cracks”. Dick was always an idea man, not much of an execution man. While you're reading his stuff, you don't like it, but a week after you've finished it, you've come to enjoy it. Or something. Not sure if i'll be keeping this one, or trading it away. So was it good, or am I just saying it's good, because of the reputation of the author?
Books on the plate:
slogging through Charlie Stross's 4th Merchant Princes book, The Merchants War. Am I a horrible person because i'm ready for this series to be over? I am ready for the final showdown. I recommend Stross to everyone I know (seriously, I do!), but this isn't my favorite of his. But anyone have a copy of his Halting State that you'd be willing to trade me for???
About half way through Bruce Taylor's Edward: Dancing on the Edge of Infinity. Remember the first time you saw a Baz Lurhmann movie? And you thought to yourself “Has this guy never seen a movie before? Because this isn't how they are made!” But the movie worked, and you liked it, and you kept your eye our for more Baz Lurhmann weirdness? This book is like that. I'll link to the review sometime later, when it's up.
Read Marjane Satrapi's Persopolis. It's a black and white, simply told comic book, told through a pre-teen Marjane, in the early 80's, in Iran. I highly recommend this book. Things are very different, and very real, when seen through the eyes of a 12 year old, who doesn't understand (and doesn't care) why she has to suddenly wear a veil to school, why her dad tells her to flush all the family's alcohol down the drain, why she can't learn French in school anymore, and why her teachers tell her the Shah was chosen by God, then the next year they are told to tear all the photos of the Shah out of their school books. At the end, her parents buy her a plane ticket to Vienna, and say they will follow in six months. Marjane tells everything simply, as it is. Life isn't complicated for pre-teens. They want to play with their friends, wear nail polish, and listen to Michael Jackson. She is old enough to know they are lying. I'm reading this in the first floor lounge at the library, and nearly crying. They have the second volume, too. I seem to have this fascination with the world of Islam through the eyes of Muslim women.
St. Lunatic High School, Volume 2, by Majiko. If only I would look as good in those gothy outfits as those insanely tall, insanely slender characters, I would die a happy woman. And what is it about young love? If only Niko and Ren would tell each other that they like each other, they could be happy! There was some hinting at the end of this volume that it would Majiko's final entry in St. Lunatics, and I hope that isn't true, because this really is a cute series. Great for the high school romance/paranormal fans.
Whitechapel Gods, by S. M. Peters. Probably the best steampunk I have ever read. Great adventure, some absolutely insane characters. I've read this book twice now, and am considering reading it a third time. And i've only had it 3 months! I only read FMA that often! I've a plain covered galley copy (no cover art), and i'd happily go spend my $10 on the real version. And then keep both versions.
Voices from the Street, by Philip K. Dick. No SF here, just plain 50's literature. Somewhat annoying, boring and slow in parts. Got much better near the end, when Stuart “cracks”. Dick was always an idea man, not much of an execution man. While you're reading his stuff, you don't like it, but a week after you've finished it, you've come to enjoy it. Or something. Not sure if i'll be keeping this one, or trading it away. So was it good, or am I just saying it's good, because of the reputation of the author?
Books on the plate:
slogging through Charlie Stross's 4th Merchant Princes book, The Merchants War. Am I a horrible person because i'm ready for this series to be over? I am ready for the final showdown. I recommend Stross to everyone I know (seriously, I do!), but this isn't my favorite of his. But anyone have a copy of his Halting State that you'd be willing to trade me for???
About half way through Bruce Taylor's Edward: Dancing on the Edge of Infinity. Remember the first time you saw a Baz Lurhmann movie? And you thought to yourself “Has this guy never seen a movie before? Because this isn't how they are made!” But the movie worked, and you liked it, and you kept your eye our for more Baz Lurhmann weirdness? This book is like that. I'll link to the review sometime later, when it's up.
Read Marjane Satrapi's Persopolis. It's a black and white, simply told comic book, told through a pre-teen Marjane, in the early 80's, in Iran. I highly recommend this book. Things are very different, and very real, when seen through the eyes of a 12 year old, who doesn't understand (and doesn't care) why she has to suddenly wear a veil to school, why her dad tells her to flush all the family's alcohol down the drain, why she can't learn French in school anymore, and why her teachers tell her the Shah was chosen by God, then the next year they are told to tear all the photos of the Shah out of their school books. At the end, her parents buy her a plane ticket to Vienna, and say they will follow in six months. Marjane tells everything simply, as it is. Life isn't complicated for pre-teens. They want to play with their friends, wear nail polish, and listen to Michael Jackson. She is old enough to know they are lying. I'm reading this in the first floor lounge at the library, and nearly crying. They have the second volume, too. I seem to have this fascination with the world of Islam through the eyes of Muslim women.
Sunday, January 27, 2008
January plaugue
i've been sick the last few days, with the January plaugue. you know the one everyone gets from all the hugging and kissing on New YEars Eve, then spends the next two weeks passing around to their family & friends? yuck. lots of chicken soup (yes, out a can, i suck, i know), and lemon and honey tea.
but my hubby has promised me some Caper Chicken this evening. even better, i think i'm feeling good enough to eat it.
Caper Chicken
3 or 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup flour heavily spiced with pepper and salt
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp oil
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1/2 cup white wine
2 large tomatoes, seeded and chopped
3-4 tbsp capers
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp basil, freshly chopped in possible
prepared linguine
dredge chicken breasts in flour. heat butter and oil in a non-stick pan, and sautee breasts 4-6 minutes on each side. remove to a plate, and keep warm by covering with tin foil. you should still have some oil or fat in the pan. add the green onions, and cook one minute, scraping all the good bits off the bottom of the pan. add the wine, and bring mixture to a boil, until the wine is mostly boiled away. now add the tomatoes, capers, and garlic, and stir together. simmer until thickened.
put some linguine on a plate, put the chicken on top, and pour the sauce on top of the chicken. garnish with basil.
maybe it's because i haven't been feeling good, but i've been less than impressed with both Charlie Stross's Merchant Princes series, and Maggie Anton's Rashi's Daughter.
Merchant Princes. . . enjoyable, but i must just be cranky, because i'm not rushing out to get the next book in the series. Stross's writing is tight, as usual, characters are decently developed, i'm just having trouble caring. i wish he would spend more time explaining how things work in the other worlds. Yes, i understand Miriam doesn't understand how things work there, but give her (and me) a tourguide so we don't feel so damn lost. maybe i just need to read them again. i do have this problem with detail retention.
Rashi's Daughter - you know what? life in the middle ages was really fricken' boring. more so if you were female. so i can't completely blame the author for how uninspiring i find this book. Sure, Rashi himself has plenty of interesting things to say, but his daughters? they get up, they help the servants, they work on the farm, they grow up, they get married. the end. that's the problem with biopics of historic women - they really didn't do much. sorry.
meanwhile, i'm spending my sick time reading Fullmetal Alchemist and any other manga I can get my hands on.
but my hubby has promised me some Caper Chicken this evening. even better, i think i'm feeling good enough to eat it.
Caper Chicken
3 or 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup flour heavily spiced with pepper and salt
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp oil
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1/2 cup white wine
2 large tomatoes, seeded and chopped
3-4 tbsp capers
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp basil, freshly chopped in possible
prepared linguine
dredge chicken breasts in flour. heat butter and oil in a non-stick pan, and sautee breasts 4-6 minutes on each side. remove to a plate, and keep warm by covering with tin foil. you should still have some oil or fat in the pan. add the green onions, and cook one minute, scraping all the good bits off the bottom of the pan. add the wine, and bring mixture to a boil, until the wine is mostly boiled away. now add the tomatoes, capers, and garlic, and stir together. simmer until thickened.
put some linguine on a plate, put the chicken on top, and pour the sauce on top of the chicken. garnish with basil.
maybe it's because i haven't been feeling good, but i've been less than impressed with both Charlie Stross's Merchant Princes series, and Maggie Anton's Rashi's Daughter.
Merchant Princes. . . enjoyable, but i must just be cranky, because i'm not rushing out to get the next book in the series. Stross's writing is tight, as usual, characters are decently developed, i'm just having trouble caring. i wish he would spend more time explaining how things work in the other worlds. Yes, i understand Miriam doesn't understand how things work there, but give her (and me) a tourguide so we don't feel so damn lost. maybe i just need to read them again. i do have this problem with detail retention.
Rashi's Daughter - you know what? life in the middle ages was really fricken' boring. more so if you were female. so i can't completely blame the author for how uninspiring i find this book. Sure, Rashi himself has plenty of interesting things to say, but his daughters? they get up, they help the servants, they work on the farm, they grow up, they get married. the end. that's the problem with biopics of historic women - they really didn't do much. sorry.
meanwhile, i'm spending my sick time reading Fullmetal Alchemist and any other manga I can get my hands on.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
It's good to know the meat guy.
I've discovered Pork. It really is the other white meat, and damn is it tasty. And we got a deal on a good cut at the grocery store. It pays to know the folks working at the meat counter, they'll slice a gigantic chunk of meat up into managable pieces that can be frozen a few at a time. Genius.
And then I discovered Sweet Pork, adapted slightly from my Mexican cookbook. This stew is unbelievably good. Cook up some rice to serve with it, if you want.
Olive oil
1 lb pork fillet, cubed
¾ cup flour, seasoned with salt & pepper
1 large onion, chopped
2 cups chicken stock
1 tsp ground coriander
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small can mild green chiles, chopped
1 can diced tomatoes
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 small can pineapple chunks, each chunk cut it half
1 large (or two small) sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
1 tbsp chopped cilantro
you'll need a skillet, and a large baking dish or large casserole.
Preheat oven to 350.
toss cubed pork in flour. Heat a few tablespoons oil in the skillet, then add the pork, turning frequently to brown it on all sides (we just want to brown it a bit, it doesn't need to cook all the way through). Transfer meat to large baking dish. Add onion to skillet and cook until soft, adding more oil if needed. Stir in chicken stock, and bring to a boil. Add coriander, garlic, green chiles, tomatoes & bell pepper. Simmer for 5 minutes. Pour into the baking dish, over the pork.
Bake for one hour, then stir in the diced sweet potatoes and pineapple. Cook another 30 minutes, or until pork is tender. Garnish with chopped cilantro. Can be served with rice.
and you all know what goes best with good food. . . . good books!
my Charles Stross addiction has finally brought me to his Merchant Princes series. I blew through The Family Trade in two days, and am nearing the end of The Hidden Family. Sure, the concept of traveling between parallel worlds has been done to death, but when's the last time someone used it to smuggle drugs and make a boatload of money? Stross is one of my favorites, and his treatment of capitalism is just delicious. book three, The Clan Corporate, is also on loan from my trusty library.
Just finished Paraworld Zero, by new author Matthew Peterson. It's your standard orphan boy finds out he can do magic, gets spirited away from Earth by a new friend, and finds himself in a strange new world. except, it's like good. and cute, and funny. at first, it felt like Harry Potter meets Star Wars, then it kinda turned more into Star Wars meets Harry Potter. Full review to show up soon. .. . because i've got a lot I want to say about this book.
also on loan from the library is Maggie Anton's Rashi's Daughter, Book I: Joheved. i just can't resist a book with hebrew words on the cover. who knows, maybe this will be my jumping off point to Talmud? i'm about 50 pages in, and it's good. Can't find any faults with it. It's vindicating to know that life for Jews in the middle ages wasn't nightmare after nightmare, 24/7. you gotta love those midaevil scholars.
ARCs received:
St. Lunatic High School, volume 2 by Majiko (I'm really starting to dig this
loli-goth artwork. that outfit on the back cover? i want that!)
Ugly Stores for Beautiful People, by James Burr. You know, i vaguely remember promising myself something about self published stuff. . . .but most of these stories have already been published in literary magazines, so we shall see.
And then I discovered Sweet Pork, adapted slightly from my Mexican cookbook. This stew is unbelievably good. Cook up some rice to serve with it, if you want.
Olive oil
1 lb pork fillet, cubed
¾ cup flour, seasoned with salt & pepper
1 large onion, chopped
2 cups chicken stock
1 tsp ground coriander
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small can mild green chiles, chopped
1 can diced tomatoes
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 small can pineapple chunks, each chunk cut it half
1 large (or two small) sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
1 tbsp chopped cilantro
you'll need a skillet, and a large baking dish or large casserole.
Preheat oven to 350.
toss cubed pork in flour. Heat a few tablespoons oil in the skillet, then add the pork, turning frequently to brown it on all sides (we just want to brown it a bit, it doesn't need to cook all the way through). Transfer meat to large baking dish. Add onion to skillet and cook until soft, adding more oil if needed. Stir in chicken stock, and bring to a boil. Add coriander, garlic, green chiles, tomatoes & bell pepper. Simmer for 5 minutes. Pour into the baking dish, over the pork.
Bake for one hour, then stir in the diced sweet potatoes and pineapple. Cook another 30 minutes, or until pork is tender. Garnish with chopped cilantro. Can be served with rice.
and you all know what goes best with good food. . . . good books!
my Charles Stross addiction has finally brought me to his Merchant Princes series. I blew through The Family Trade in two days, and am nearing the end of The Hidden Family. Sure, the concept of traveling between parallel worlds has been done to death, but when's the last time someone used it to smuggle drugs and make a boatload of money? Stross is one of my favorites, and his treatment of capitalism is just delicious. book three, The Clan Corporate, is also on loan from my trusty library.
Just finished Paraworld Zero, by new author Matthew Peterson. It's your standard orphan boy finds out he can do magic, gets spirited away from Earth by a new friend, and finds himself in a strange new world. except, it's like good. and cute, and funny. at first, it felt like Harry Potter meets Star Wars, then it kinda turned more into Star Wars meets Harry Potter. Full review to show up soon. .. . because i've got a lot I want to say about this book.
also on loan from the library is Maggie Anton's Rashi's Daughter, Book I: Joheved. i just can't resist a book with hebrew words on the cover. who knows, maybe this will be my jumping off point to Talmud? i'm about 50 pages in, and it's good. Can't find any faults with it. It's vindicating to know that life for Jews in the middle ages wasn't nightmare after nightmare, 24/7. you gotta love those midaevil scholars.
ARCs received:
St. Lunatic High School, volume 2 by Majiko (I'm really starting to dig this
loli-goth artwork. that outfit on the back cover? i want that!)
Ugly Stores for Beautiful People, by James Burr. You know, i vaguely remember promising myself something about self published stuff. . . .but most of these stories have already been published in literary magazines, so we shall see.
Saturday, January 20, 2007
Steampunk Apple Pie
i think i'm a little overloaded on cyberpunk. speaking of, go check out my review of Stross's Glasshouse. That book seriously scared the crap out of my. pshychological thriller on crack. nice.
time for some "steampunk". kinda scifi, but only with steam powered technologies. apparently, i've been digging steampunk for some years now, it just never dawned on me that Fullmetal Alchemist (just picked up volume 4, btw!), Tim Power's The Anubis Gates, most China Meiville, most Miyazaki stories, and plenty of other stuff i thoroughly enjoy fell under the umbrella of steampunk. It's like hard scifi, minus the headache.
and yes! I am back from the library! gots me a copy of William Gibson & Bruce Sterling's The Difference Engine. Supposedly this is those two doing steampunk. It's not like Gibson or Sterling to dissapoint, so i'm excited. also nabbed a few Cowboy Bepop and Tokyo Babylon manga. that damn shojo Tokyo Babylon. . . it's dumb and cheesy, but i want to see what happens, and see if those two stupid boys hook up already. and speaking of boys with fashion sense, when is the library going to get copies of Paradise Kiss? it looks fashionably awesome. and cheeky.
i'm also into my ARC of Jackie Kessler's Hell's Belles. It's tagged as "paranormal romance". it's fun, funny, and unexpected. Not heavy, or earth shattering or magical, just very funny, and very fun. a good vacation read. Review to soon show up on Mutiverse Reviews.
i'm hungry. and i got pie crusts "resting" in the fridge, for this wine tasting party thingy we're going to tomorrow. one of them pies is gonna be filled with apples! and cinammon! and lots and lots of sugar! mmm mmm good! like porn, but way tastier. and with calories.
here's the secret apple pie filling recipe. you can use the frozen pie crusts from the grocery store. or you can wait till next time, when i give you the secret for the most incredible pie crust ever.
2 pie crusts - at room temperature, cuz your pie's gonna be covered.
6 apples - any combination of golden delicious, gala, or fuji (these seem to work the best).
3/4 cup sugar
3 tbsp flour
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp cinammon
1/8 tsp salt (a really good pinch)
a little later, you'll need:
2 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into small peices
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp cinammon
1 tsp brown sugar
preheat the oven to 425F.
peel the apples, and slice into 1/4" thick slices. i've found this is quicker work with a sharp knife, than with one of those dumb apple corer thingys. in a large bowl, combine apple slices with the next 5 ingredeints. stir it up, and let it sit for 15 minutes, and stir occasionally.
take one pie crust and form it into your 9" or 10" pie plate. trim it so there's only a 1/2" or so extra all around. pour the apple mixture in, and top the mixture with the butter peices. to seal the top crust on, brush the edge of the bottom crust with ice water, and lay the top crust on it. trim the top, and seal the edge by pressing with your fingers. trim more, as needed. with a very sharp knife, cut steam vents into the top. mix together the last 3 ingredients, and sprinkle on top. put the pie in the oven for 30 minutes. slip a baking sheet under the pie and cook for another 40 minutes. once it's done, it will need to "set", so allow it to completely cool on the counter for a few hours.
it should look something like this:
time for some "steampunk". kinda scifi, but only with steam powered technologies. apparently, i've been digging steampunk for some years now, it just never dawned on me that Fullmetal Alchemist (just picked up volume 4, btw!), Tim Power's The Anubis Gates, most China Meiville, most Miyazaki stories, and plenty of other stuff i thoroughly enjoy fell under the umbrella of steampunk. It's like hard scifi, minus the headache.
and yes! I am back from the library! gots me a copy of William Gibson & Bruce Sterling's The Difference Engine. Supposedly this is those two doing steampunk. It's not like Gibson or Sterling to dissapoint, so i'm excited. also nabbed a few Cowboy Bepop and Tokyo Babylon manga. that damn shojo Tokyo Babylon. . . it's dumb and cheesy, but i want to see what happens, and see if those two stupid boys hook up already. and speaking of boys with fashion sense, when is the library going to get copies of Paradise Kiss? it looks fashionably awesome. and cheeky.
i'm also into my ARC of Jackie Kessler's Hell's Belles. It's tagged as "paranormal romance". it's fun, funny, and unexpected. Not heavy, or earth shattering or magical, just very funny, and very fun. a good vacation read. Review to soon show up on Mutiverse Reviews.
i'm hungry. and i got pie crusts "resting" in the fridge, for this wine tasting party thingy we're going to tomorrow. one of them pies is gonna be filled with apples! and cinammon! and lots and lots of sugar! mmm mmm good! like porn, but way tastier. and with calories.
here's the secret apple pie filling recipe. you can use the frozen pie crusts from the grocery store. or you can wait till next time, when i give you the secret for the most incredible pie crust ever.
2 pie crusts - at room temperature, cuz your pie's gonna be covered.
6 apples - any combination of golden delicious, gala, or fuji (these seem to work the best).
3/4 cup sugar
3 tbsp flour
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp cinammon
1/8 tsp salt (a really good pinch)
a little later, you'll need:
2 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into small peices
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp cinammon
1 tsp brown sugar
preheat the oven to 425F.
peel the apples, and slice into 1/4" thick slices. i've found this is quicker work with a sharp knife, than with one of those dumb apple corer thingys. in a large bowl, combine apple slices with the next 5 ingredeints. stir it up, and let it sit for 15 minutes, and stir occasionally.
take one pie crust and form it into your 9" or 10" pie plate. trim it so there's only a 1/2" or so extra all around. pour the apple mixture in, and top the mixture with the butter peices. to seal the top crust on, brush the edge of the bottom crust with ice water, and lay the top crust on it. trim the top, and seal the edge by pressing with your fingers. trim more, as needed. with a very sharp knife, cut steam vents into the top. mix together the last 3 ingredients, and sprinkle on top. put the pie in the oven for 30 minutes. slip a baking sheet under the pie and cook for another 40 minutes. once it's done, it will need to "set", so allow it to completely cool on the counter for a few hours.
it should look something like this:
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