Of course, I am talking about S.M Stirling's latest novel of The Change, The Sword of the Lady. This series actually began with a trilogy of books about the Island of Nantucket, which got sent back in time to the Bronze Age. He then wrote a couple of other things, and then started the Change series, adding up to three trilogies. This one I really enjoyed because you got to see more re-imagining of how other traditions/cultures survived the Change, which, frankly, I enjoy more than the battle series. Stirling could end the series here, and I would be content. There was enough 'foreshadowing' in the book to satisfy the 'what happens next?', even though the ending came quickly and seemed rather abrupt. It did start feeling, while reading the third trilogy, the length of time it would have taken them to cross the US... I did feel that it was dragging a little at times, although this one had a better pace to it than the previous book.
If I had one criticism of Stirling, it would be that he didn't bring enough sense of other cultures onto the books... but he does do a great job with what he does.
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
The Sisters Who Would Be Queen
This book could be alternatively titled, "How History Gets Rewritten". A fascinating biography of the Grey sisters. We all have heard of Lady Jane Grey, but not so much about her sisters. It actually even turns out that what we thought we knew is so much less than the bigger picture....
and the status and marriages of the Grey sisters were, in part, what influenced Elizabeth not to marry.
I found it a fascinating look into some of the political points and counterpoints of the end of the Tudor reign, and also an interesting look into the education and upbringing of a new generation, of the first real generation of Protestant women, and how that factored into their lives...
It is also very readable. A lot of histories can get cluttered up with the same people who have different names, or other issues.... and this one avoids a lot of that. She also has family trees in the book, making it possible to look back and follow who a certain person is and what their relationships are to one another.
Its a very well-written, concise, thoughtful book about the impact one family had....
and the status and marriages of the Grey sisters were, in part, what influenced Elizabeth not to marry.
I found it a fascinating look into some of the political points and counterpoints of the end of the Tudor reign, and also an interesting look into the education and upbringing of a new generation, of the first real generation of Protestant women, and how that factored into their lives...
It is also very readable. A lot of histories can get cluttered up with the same people who have different names, or other issues.... and this one avoids a lot of that. She also has family trees in the book, making it possible to look back and follow who a certain person is and what their relationships are to one another.
Its a very well-written, concise, thoughtful book about the impact one family had....
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Fat, Cakes and Good Eats.
So, I've been on a cookbook binge recently. (These are all library cookbooks, btw, so I don't own them, yet)
fat: an appreciation of a misunderstood ingredient, with recipes
by Jennifer McLagan
This was a fascinating cookbook. As a result of reading it I went out and hunted down real leaf lard to play with. It is structured differently than other cookbooks, with recipes by fat source, rather than dessert or appetizer. She begins with butter, the most commonly available fat, moves on to pork, then poultry (including duck fat, mmmmm) and beef and lamb fats. It also follows in the traditions of books like the Omnivore's dilemma, and Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, in demystifying something that has become fraught with negative connotations.
Some of the recipes seemed a little over-the-top to me, as I really wonder if anyone would make bacon baklava, it seemed as if, in some ways, she was searching for more unusual ways to use an ingredient, but on the whole, it was a fascinating cookbook. I'm not sure that I would render lard in order to deep-fry, but apparently it does not create an odor, and can be reused! She does have a section on deep-frying with lard. With all the information we now have on quality fats, it really shows that less-processed (ie unhydrogenated) fats do have a place in our lives. This is one cookbook that would be a great buy for any meat-eating foodie on your list!
Rose's Heavenly Cakes by Rose Levy Berenbaum
This is a fabulous baking book. She has a section on gluten-free (or almost so) cakes and desserts, where the gluten component can be removed and the dessert will still be successful. She goes by weights as well as cups in the book, so it is a little different from the cookbooks I grew up with. She also seems to understand that while baking is somewhat chemistry, it is also somewhat intuitive as well. The other thing I loved about this cookbook is that it has fantastic resources. Resources for all the ingredients/decorations that a lot of other cookbooks use, and then forget where to tell you to buy them. She also has a section on cakes made with oil, which do require a different mentality to make. I do wish she had mentioned (and maybe she didn't realise this) but cakes made with Wondra or pastry flour are easier to convert to gluten-free, since both/either are low-gluten flours. Cheesecake and flourless chocolate torte are wonderful, but g-f people can get a little tired of those! It was still nice to have some mainstreamed options in a cookbook dedicated to baking.
Good Eats, The Early Years, by Alton Brown.
This is a fun compilation of the first six seasons of Good Eats. The one quibble I have with this cookbook is the footnotes. On the one hand, its cute, on the other, I found myself finding the footnotes box first, and reading through the episode with an eye on the footnotes because they were odd footnotes. Often on ingredients, or methods, or the history. Some of them would have been better served as being notes at the end of the recipe, or simply incorporated into the text. That being said, that was really my biggest issue with the book. It was fun reading about the different episodes, seeing the recipes in one place, and seeing what they would have added if they'd had time. I loved the little nuggets of trivia (and I think that was what annoyed me about some of the footnotes, is that they would have done better as trivia).
fat: an appreciation of a misunderstood ingredient, with recipes
by Jennifer McLagan
This was a fascinating cookbook. As a result of reading it I went out and hunted down real leaf lard to play with. It is structured differently than other cookbooks, with recipes by fat source, rather than dessert or appetizer. She begins with butter, the most commonly available fat, moves on to pork, then poultry (including duck fat, mmmmm) and beef and lamb fats. It also follows in the traditions of books like the Omnivore's dilemma, and Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, in demystifying something that has become fraught with negative connotations.
Some of the recipes seemed a little over-the-top to me, as I really wonder if anyone would make bacon baklava, it seemed as if, in some ways, she was searching for more unusual ways to use an ingredient, but on the whole, it was a fascinating cookbook. I'm not sure that I would render lard in order to deep-fry, but apparently it does not create an odor, and can be reused! She does have a section on deep-frying with lard. With all the information we now have on quality fats, it really shows that less-processed (ie unhydrogenated) fats do have a place in our lives. This is one cookbook that would be a great buy for any meat-eating foodie on your list!
Rose's Heavenly Cakes by Rose Levy Berenbaum
This is a fabulous baking book. She has a section on gluten-free (or almost so) cakes and desserts, where the gluten component can be removed and the dessert will still be successful. She goes by weights as well as cups in the book, so it is a little different from the cookbooks I grew up with. She also seems to understand that while baking is somewhat chemistry, it is also somewhat intuitive as well. The other thing I loved about this cookbook is that it has fantastic resources. Resources for all the ingredients/decorations that a lot of other cookbooks use, and then forget where to tell you to buy them. She also has a section on cakes made with oil, which do require a different mentality to make. I do wish she had mentioned (and maybe she didn't realise this) but cakes made with Wondra or pastry flour are easier to convert to gluten-free, since both/either are low-gluten flours. Cheesecake and flourless chocolate torte are wonderful, but g-f people can get a little tired of those! It was still nice to have some mainstreamed options in a cookbook dedicated to baking.
Good Eats, The Early Years, by Alton Brown.
This is a fun compilation of the first six seasons of Good Eats. The one quibble I have with this cookbook is the footnotes. On the one hand, its cute, on the other, I found myself finding the footnotes box first, and reading through the episode with an eye on the footnotes because they were odd footnotes. Often on ingredients, or methods, or the history. Some of them would have been better served as being notes at the end of the recipe, or simply incorporated into the text. That being said, that was really my biggest issue with the book. It was fun reading about the different episodes, seeing the recipes in one place, and seeing what they would have added if they'd had time. I loved the little nuggets of trivia (and I think that was what annoyed me about some of the footnotes, is that they would have done better as trivia).
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