New in the stacks:
Raven’s Ladder by Jeffrey Overstreet.
I picked this up yesterday off the new Fantasy and Science Fiction shelf at Barnes & Noble. The cover image completely captivated me, so you’ll probably see a post on this one later in the week. ;)
Back to Basics: Traditional Kitchen Wisdom ed. by Andrea Chesman.
“There’s something to be said for simpler times, when our way of life was wholesome and healthy. There were less pesticides and growth hormones in our food. We were self-reliant and self-sustaining. It’s easy to see why, with food costs on the rise, many people are returning to their roots-and root cellars-and finding solace in simple living.”
This book has beautiful color illustrations and helpful charts and guides for growing vegetables, canning, pickling, drying and so on. There is even introductory information for starting chickens and beekeeping near the end. I was disappointed to see an over-reliance on plastic as a storage material, but let’s face it, almost everybody is still using it, and even stored in plastic these foods will be healthier than what most people are eating. I have to admit, I expected something different based on the cover, title and description; I was looking for something with snippets of useful homekeeping wisdom from the past. This book is fine for beginners like me, but someone who already has books on gardening and preserving will probably not find much use for it.
Wishlisted:
Napoleon Concerto by Mark Mellon.
“Napoleon Lost At Waterloo. Right? The Napoleonic Wars: the world’s two great powers square off in deadly combat. France is militarily undefeatable under the greatest general in history, Napoleon Bonaparte. Britain’s Royal Navy rules the seas. Neither side can come to grips with the other, to engage and defeat a mortal enemy. The English whale confronts the French elephant with no practical way for either one to destroy the other. Or is there? The answers can be found in Napoleon Concerto, a novel of how history could have been that reads like Patrick O’Brien mixed with Jules Verne. Replete with authentic detail, filled with vivid characters (many drawn directly from history), with climactic scenes of battle on land and sea, and written with ceaseless pace and energy throughout, Napoleon Concerto will appeal to admirers of Napoleon, history buffs, science fiction fans, and lovers of plain old adventure alike.”
I discovered this book in a review at Fantasy Book Critic. Sounds tremendous!
Crisis of Doubt: Honest Faith in Nineteenth-Century England by Timothy Larsen.
“The Victorian crisis of faith has dominated discussions of religion and the Victorians. Stories are frequently told of prominent Victorians such as George Eliot losing their faith. This crisis is presented as demonstrating the intellectual weakness of Christianity as it was assaulted by new lines of thought such as Darwinism and biblical criticism. This study serves as a corrective to that narrative. It focuses on freethinking and Secularist leaders who came to faith. As sceptics, they had imbibed all the latest ideas that seemed to undermine faith; nevertheless, they went on to experience a crisis of doubt, and then to defend in their writings and lectures the intellectual cogency of Christianity. The Victorian crisis of doubt was surprisingly large. Telling this story serves to restore its true proportion and to reveal the intellectual strength of faith in the nineteenth century.”
What I’m Watching:
Under the Greenwood Tree starring Keeley Hawes and James Murray.
“In a small village in the south of England, Dick Dewy, a handsome working man, falls in love with Fancy Day, a newly arrived schoolteacher from a wealthy family who happens to be the village beauty. But other, richer men also want to win the hand of Fancy. There’s Farmer Shiner, a wealthy landowner, and Reverend Maybold, the decent young vicar. Who will win Fancy’s hand? And even if she agrees to marry Dick, will her father consent to the marriage? This charming, timeless story of rural life gave Thomas Hardy his first real taste of success, and with its rustic setting and moving tale of young love, it weaves a spell that still entrances today.”
This story was incredibly simple and sweet, and I loved it. Though I’m not sure it was the best introduction to Thomas Hardy because I hear he’s usually “gloomy”, and I know he was a naturalist writer, not at all my usual cup of tea. But I adore the sound of Southwest English accents, and this movie is replete with them. James Murray is not at all bad to look at, either.
What I’m Reading:
Incarceron by Catherine Fisher.
This book is really riveting, and while I haven’t fully formed my thoughts on it yet, the characters and dual settings have really grown on me. I’m pondering things like “progressive” systems versus “reactionary” systems, about reading present-day mores and mindsets into the past or a fictional future posing as the past . . . Very interesting stuff, thought-provoking YA fiction.
. . . and for novel research, I’m also reading a bunch of what I call “purple books”, New Age books about the region I live in. Not exactly great literature, sorry to say.
What I’m Writing:
I finished the 7 Point Plan for Foxglove and am about to begin working on the rough draft. I am crazy about the setting and so excited to finally get started! This is another one that has been many years in the making.
What I’m Revising:
Still slogging through the Dogwood manuscript.
Around the House:
I’ve been working on organizing my writing, which is an enormous job. I have notes on unfinished projects almost ten years old.
Cooking:
Going to a friend’s house tonight to learn to make omelettes like Julia Child. Also going to learn to soak grains soon!
Spirituality:
I feel like I’ve been making a little more time for prayer and reflection lately, and it’s helping. As I slowly get control of my environment, getting my home and my days into the shape I want them to take, it’s easier to quiet my mind and spend time in prayer. But still, I’m just taking it day-by-day and trying not to over-reach.
