Fictitious Dishes by Dinah Fried

Books are so much  more than a stack of papers--or, these days, a digital information file.  They can entertain, inspire, and educate us.  A book can change the way that we think and view the world--and ourselves.  There are books that capture moments in time or times of your life, that show society at large or the inner workings of the individual psyche.  Books stay with you and become a part of you.

Because books can influence all aspects of our lives, I love when it is obvious how literary references seep into everyday life or unexpected places....like a diner table.

Artist Dinah Fried has frequently combined her passions for photography and literature, and I love her project Fictitious Dishes.  She conceptualizes meals from classic novels, and then creates and photographs them.  The diner dish shown above, for example, is inspired by J.D. Salinger's classic The Catcher in the Rye.  I love both the simplicity of the project and the intricacy of staying true to the visions of both the author and the readers.

I always teach my students that you can "read" things other than books and that they should use their critical thinking skills in all aspects of their lives.  These photos are well worth "reading" (but will only be fully appreciated if you have read the novels that inspired them).


To find out more about Dinah Fried and her artwork, visit her website.

"Light Years" by Brian Clegg

I love books that are both educational and entertaining in ways that you never expected.  "Light Years" is one of those books.  It doesn't just look at one person or event or story.  Instead, it takes the history of man's study of and relationship with light.  There's a lot of stories, philosophy, and history.  The book is not quite a novel, not quite a history book, not quite a textbook.  It's something unique, and it was fascinating to read.

To read my full review of "Light Years" by Brian Clegg, click here.

If you've noticed that "Light Years" is the firs book I've posted about it awhile, there's a reason why.  My blog might be Keri's Bookshelf, but at the moment I don't have a bookshelf.  We moved.  Not just a down the road into a bigger house move, but a major, across the world, busy applying for a visa type move.  This involved majorly downsizing.  It felt like amputating a limb, but we managed to get rid of at least half of our books.  Some we sold; some we gave away.  Even so, we still have more boxes labelled "books" than anything else.  We got rid of all of our bedding, towels, and electronics (including my computer, which has also made blogging more difficult).  We kept stacks of boxes full of books.

Right now most of my books are still stacked in boxes in storage waiting to be shipped to us.  Life is hectic.  I don't even have a card at my new library yet.

On the other hand, I discovered ibooks on my new phone.  It isn't the same as holding an actual book.  It doesn't smell like paper or give the same weight in my hand.  It does let me have a stack of books in my pocket all the time.

I guess what I'm saying is this.  Thanks for not giving up on my or this little book blog of mine.

I'm back with Once by Morris Gleitzman

Sorry that I disappeared for a few months.  I know, I kind of disappeared for awhile.  I have a legitimate excuse though.  I've been busy moving.  So please be patient with me if it continues to be sporadic for awhile.

In between packing boxes and applying for new jobs and tackling a never-ending to-do list, I have managed to keep reading some good books as well.  Hopefully I'll eventually get caught up on here.

For now, here's a little tribute to a children's book set in WWII.  Once only took me a couple of hours to read, but it was good for readers in a wide range of ages and I personally enjoyed it.

For my book review of Once by Morris Gleitzman, click here.
To visit author Morris Gleitzman's official website, click here.

"Something Wicked This Way Comes" by Ray Bradbury

I have vague memories of an '80's movie adaptation of "Something Wicked This Way Comes".  Mostly I remember the greem mist and creepy carousel.  The movie came out when I was two, so that's about as far as my memory goes on that one.  It was enough, though, to give me an extra sense of anticipation when reading Ray Bradbury's original "Something Wicked This Way Comes".

"Something Wicked This Way Comes" is classic Ray Bradbury.  It has a story and interesting characters, but even more than that it has a mood, a vision of the world, that is fascinating.  He takes a seemingly simple story with children for main characters and makes it both child-like and utterly adult.  If you're only going to read one Ray Bradbury book (and if you read one I don't know why you wouldn't read more), then this wouldn't be the first one I'd recommend.  But if you're going to read several Ray Bradbury books, this is an enjoyable novella.

In other news, it seems that my list of Bradbury's 59 books, taken from his own official website, is lacking.  I think the list includes his original novels and collections, but there are more.  My sister is reading "A Pleasure to Burn", a collection of Bradbury's stories and writings that culminated in "Fahrenheit 451".  On Amazon I also found these books that aren't on my Ray Bradbury list:

• "Where Everything Ends" (reprints of previous novellas, plus a new short story not in other collections)
• "I Live by the Invisible" (poetry new and old)
• "Summer Morning, Summer Night" (combination of his small town stories, some are reprinted from other collections and some were previously unpublished)
• "We'll Always Have Paris: Stories" (short story collection reprinted just last year)
• "Listen to the Echoes: The Ray Bradbury Interviews" (Sam Weller's interviews of Bradbury)

Maybe I'll never get to the end of Bradbury's writings...and just maybe I'm ok with that.

"Dancing with Mr. Darcy" edited by Sarah Waters



Wolvesey Castle in Winchester near where Jane Austen lived at the end of her life

I've got a soft spot for Austen adaptations and fan fiction.  I admit it.  So the short story collection "Dancing with Mr. Darcy" was really interesting to me.  All of the stories have some relationship to Jane Austen and/or her novels.  I loved some of the stories, and I admit that I didn't really enjoy all of them.  Overall, though, it was an interesting way to engage with Austen's literary legacy and be exposed to new authors.

To read my review of "Dancing with Mr. Darcy", click here.

"Made to be Broken" by Kelley Armstrong

This book has a kick-ass hitwoman for a main character, two interesting (and sexy in very different ways) male side characters, and a fast-paced plot full of twists and action.  For an entertaining read, what more could you want?  This is a great book to add a little excitement to your day whether you want something to read on the commute, during your breaks at the office, or waiting on the school run.

Kelley Armstrong's books may not be literary fiction or intellectual, but they are always entertaining.

To read my longer review of "Made to be Broken", click here.
To visit author Kelley Armstrong's official website, click here.

"Waking the Witch" by Kelley Armstrong

You've probably noticed by now that I enjoy Kelley Armstrong's novels.  I've read most of them.  I'd like to read the few books of hers that I haven't gotten to yet.

The Armstrong book that I've read most recently is "Waking the Witch".  Part of the "Otherworld" (sometimes called "Women of the Otherworld") series, "Waking the Witch" centres on the witch and private investigator Savannah Levine.  Savannah takes on her first solo case by travelling to a small town to investigate some murders.  She soon discovers that in this case, nothing is as it seems.

Although it wasn't my favorite book in the series, I did enjoy it and getting to read more about Savannah.  If you're just looking for a stand alone book I wouldn't really recommend it, but it does have its place in the series.

To read my longer review of "Waking the Witch" by Kelley Armstrong, click here.

If you enjoy "Waking the Witch", I recommend:

• the rest of Armstrong's "Otherworld" series.  "Bitten" is the first in the series.  For a similar crime type feeling without the paranormal element, try Armstrong's "Nadia Stafford" series.
• other crime fiction novels with a strong female lead, like Patricia Cornwell's books about Scarpetta.
• other urban fantasy/paranormal novels like "Generation Dead" by Daniel Waters or Rachel Caine's books.

"Living with the Dead" by Kelley Armstrong

I've read and enjoyed most of the books in Kelley Armstrong's Otherworld series.  Somehow I'd never gotten ahold of a copy of"Living with the Dead" though.

The 9th book in the series, "Living with the Dead" stars some familiar characters (chiefly half-demon Hope Adams and werewolf Karl Marsten), and introduces some new ones (so,e just for the purposes of the novel, but also some new characters that I hope will resurface in future books.  There's murder, mystery, supernaturals, romance...it's am interesting book that works well in the series.

If you like "Living with the Dead", I definitely recommend reading the rest of Armstrong's books.  (The Otherworld series starts with "Bitten".)  Click here for a list of books enjoyed by Armstrong fans.  I would also recommend books by P.C. Cast.

"The Silver Donkey" by Sonya Harnett

"The Silver Donkey" seems like a simple children's book at first.  It has a great, animal-related title with cover art that suggests a fairly young audience.  Within the book itself the main characters are primarily children, and the narrative is set up with a series of stories being told within the story (all related to a donkey).  It's a fairly simple storyline.  I think that I could read the book out loud to my five-year-old, and she would enjoy it.

If you dismiss this book as just a simple children's book, though, you'd be missing out.  I read and enjoyed it as an interesting approach to an important period in history (World War I).  The writing is simple, but charming.  I would highly recommend it, especially for children learning about the World Wars, but also for anyone who needs a piece of hope within difficult circumstances.

To find out more about Sonya Hartnett and her books, click here.

If you enjoy "The Silver Donkey", I recommend "Once" by Morris Gleitzman, "The Firefly Gate" by Linda Newbery, and "Remembrance" by Theresa Breslin.

"The True Darcy Spirit" by Elizabeth Aston

Yes, I probably read too much Austen fan fiction.  I read Jane Austen's novels and now I just can't seem to stop.

My most recent visit to the world of Austen was "The True Darcy Spirit" by Elizabeth Aston.  Set about twenty years after "Pride & Prejudice", the children of Austen's novel take center stage.  I read it because of the Austen tie-in, it works on its own as an interesting historical novel.

Click here to visit author Elizabeth Aston's official website.

If you enjoy "The True Darcy Spirit", I recommend reading Elizabeth Aston's five other novels related to the Darcy family.  Obviously fans of Aston will enjoy reading (or rereading) Jane Austen's classic novel.  Other Austen fan fiction novels include "Jane Austen Stole my Boyfriend", "Dancing with Mr. Darcy", and "Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict".

"Bloodline" by Kate Cary

Having recently read the vampire classic "Dracula", I was intrigued by "Bloodline."  Kate Cary's novel is a piece of fan fiction written as a sequel to "Dracula".  In it, about twenty years have passed since the end of "Dracula".  The main characters of "Bloodline" are the children of the former novels main characters.  (That's less confusing than it seems when I write it down.)

Mary is a young nurse during World War I.  When a new patient arrives from the front in the hospital, she helps care for him.  The more than she sees of this new patient, John, the more interested in him she becomes.  Not only is she intrigued by his past and the problems still haunting him, she begins to fall in love with him.  Is love enough to save him from the horrors he is reliving in his head?  And if he can recover, what will happen when he learns truths that he never imagined?

Meanwhile, Mary must face John's former commanding officer, Captain Harker.  Harker quickly seduces John's sister and seems to ingratiate himself with everyone he meets, but Mary always knows that there is something sinister about him.  Will she discover the truth about Captain Harker before it's too late?  As the group embark on an adventure across the continent, they'll discover dark truths about both the past and their present natures. 

Although the story line picks up from Stoker's "Dracula", the writing style is very different.  However, as a piece of fan fiction and a historical novel/vampire novel, I enjoyed it.

To visit author Kate Cary's official website, click here.  On the site you can find out about her other "Dracula" fan fiction novel.  "Reckoning" is the sequel to "Bloodline", and I'd like to read it.

If you enjoy "Dracula" and "Bloodline", I recommend reading other vampire fiction.  Some good places to start include novels by Katie MacAlister, P.C. Cast, Poppy Z. Brite, and Elizabeth Kostova.

"The Illustrated Man" by Ray Bradbury

"The Illustrated Man" is a collection of short stories masquerading as a novel.  Ray Bradbury is a master of short fiction, and "The Illustrated Man" plays to this strength.

There is a loose framework to the book.  The unnamed narrator meets an unusual man, the illustrated man, whose body is covered in tattoos.  These, however, are not ordinary tattoos.  These intricately detailed and vibrant tattoos change, come to life, and show the future.  Parts of his body might show you your own future, or you may see a story of the distant future.  As the illustrated man sleeps, the narrator watches his tattoos and the book is a collection of the sixteen stories that are shown during the night.

These short stories have little to connect them other than the future setting, and the sense of menace that permeates the book.  Whether it is diseased men banished to another planet, a city wreaking revenge on people, or children plotting the death of their parents, there is a deep and disturbing sense of dread throughout most of the book.  It is a representation of the future, and shows snippets of possibilities.  (Most stories seek some type of future plausibility and loosely fall in the genre of science fiction, although "The Playground" is a noticeable exception that relies on fantasy and a less logically explainable event.) 

These snippets of the future are clearly part of Bradbury's vision, and are closely related to his futuristic books like "The Martian Chronicles" and "Fahrenheit 451".  In fact, "The Other Foot" seems to carry on from a plot line introduced in "The Martian Chronicles."  These are related stories that all fit into Bradbury's unique vision of the future. 

Although it is fantastic to read, Bradbury's depiction of the future is also deeply troubling.  Although there are moments of redemption, it is a generally pessimistic view showing the atrocities (big and small) that people are capable of.

"Now and Forever" by Ray Bradbury

There's not really any rhyme or reason to my Ray Bradbury reading order.  Having decided to read all of his books, I'm just reading them as I happen to get ahold of a copy.  This time the library happened to have "Now and Forever" on the shelves.  (To anyone else in Hampshire trying to read Ray Bradbury books, I'm really sorry.  If you can't find them at the library, it's probably because they're at my house.)

"Now and Forever" is actually two unrelated stories published together.

The first is "Somewhere a Band is Playing".  This story has a feeling of timelessness which fits with the theme of the story.  Is it possible for people to stop aging?  If so, what would their lives be like?  It's a slow-paced, understated bit of writing, but I enjoyed it.

The second story is "Leviathon '99".  This story is Bradbury's scifi adaptation of "Moby Dick".  I don't regret reading it, but I'm honest enough to admit that this is my least favorite of Bradbury's work (at least that I've read so far).  I have a feeling Bradbury knew it wasn't his strongest piece as well because this story has been through a lot of different versions and revisions.  Rather than being satisfied with it, I feel like he just gave up and published it so that his time wouldn't be wasted.  As an author it's a little bit reassuring to realize that Bradbury has his off moments too, and that not every single thing he writes blows my socks off.  It makes me hope that in my very imperfect writings I'll still be able to create something meaningful and enjoyable.
Only 55 more Ray Bradbury books to go.

"Fahrenheit 451" by Ray Bradbury

What can I possibly say about Ray Bradbury's novel "Fahrenheit 451"?

If you haven't read it yet, stop whatever you're doing and go find a copy of it.  Then read.

There should be a reading list for life, and "Fahrenheit 451" should be on it.

This novel is sparse and in some ways simplistic, and yet that's part of it's power.  The futuristic world of "Fahrenheit 451" seems dramatic, and yet in many ways it's not that different from the way we live now.

"The Empress of Ice Cream" by Anthony Capella

I love to read (thus the book blog), and I love to eat (thus my other blog with lots of recipes).  It's not often that literature combines these two loves.  However, that is exactly what author Anthony Capella does.  He writes foodie novels.  They aren't just novels that mention food, or cookbooks that mention stories.  They are beautiful novels that are carefully crafted to make food an integral part of the novel.  There is always an intense relationship with food.  If you were to remove all of the parts related to food, then the little bits of the novel left just wouldn't make sense.

Capella's newest novel, "The Empress of Ice Cream" tells the story of an ice cream maker.  Not just an ice cream maker, but the first true maker of ice cream and a master of frozen desserts.  It spans from Italy to France to England in the days of King Louis the 14th (the "Sun King").  It is an interesting read with a good mix of history and invention, characters and food.

To read my review of Anthony Capella's "The Empress of Ice Cream", click here.

To visit Anthony Capella's official website and find out more about "The Empress of Ice Cream" or any of this other novels, click here.

"Goddess of the Rose" by P.C. Cast

If you're familiar with the "Goddess Summoning" series by P.C.Cast, then you'll know what to expect from "Goddess of the Rose".  Yes, it takes a strong modern woman and throws her into mythology and a passionate love story.  Yes, there is a conflict of how to resolve the two different worlds, and the initial struggles about whether they can accept love.  Then there's the inevitable happy ending.  If this is what you're expecting, then "Goddess of the Rose" delivers.  Yes, you know what to expect.  You also know what to expect when you buy a chocolate bar, but that doesn't stop you indulging, does it?

To read my book review of "Goddess of the Rose" by P.C. Cast, click here.
To visit P.C. Cast's official website, click here (or here for her blog).

"The Red Queen" by Philippa Gregory

"The Red Queen" is the second book in Gregory's "The Cousins' War" series (after "The White Queen").  The interesting thing about this series so far is that it takes many of the same events and shows them from differing perspectives.  It was an interesting book set during a period that is less often covered in historical novels than many other areas of English history.  Although it wasn't my favorite book of hers, Phillipa Gregory is the queen of historical novels set around the English court.

For my review of "The Red Queen", click here.

"The Crafty Kid" by Kelly Doust

My kids (especially my five-year-old) really love doing crafts.  We have a big craft box of their craft supplies, and they get used a lot to make everything from robots to fairies.  So when I saw Kelly Doust's book "The Crafty Kid" I figured it was worth having a look for some new ideas.

The book itself is well presented with clear instructions, big pictures, and a touch of personality.  I enjoyed just flipping through the book, and was inspired to start some new projects.  My kids and I made her feng shui bird mobile, and it turned out adorable.  They really like having it hanging up in their room.

It did seem to me, though, that for a book called "Crafty Kid", there were too many adult crafts related to kids rather than crafts for kids to do.  I expected more things that my kids would enjoy making themselves and with me, rather than a lot of things (adorable as they are) for me to make for them.  I think it might have more accurately been titled "Crafty Parent".  Also, there seemed to be an inordinate amount of projects involving oilcloth.

I'm glad I found this book, but overall I would say it's a good one to check out from the library (or maybe buy a second-hand copy) rather than paying full price for.

"Dracula" by Bram Stoker

I read a lot of vampire books, so I decided to go back to the classic and read Bram Stoker's "Dracula". 

Although it wasn't the first piece of vampire fiction, "Dracula" is the classic vampire novel.  The funny thing is, when I read it, I wanted more of the vampire.  I felt like for a book called "Dracula", there simply wasn't enough of Dracula (who also uses the name De Ville...later borrowed by Cruella of "101 Dalmations").  That was a major way in which vampire fiction has evolved since then.  In Stoker's "Dracula", the vampire is an evil, "unholy" creature that the main characters hunt down and abhor.  In most modern vampire fiction, the vampire is one of the main characters that in some way you like.

Traditionally, there is something seductive and sexy about vampires (even in old succubus folklore).  There are moments of this in "Dracula", but only moments.  For example, the vampire tells the group of men hunting him, "Your girls that you all love are mine already; and through them you and others shall yet be mine..."  Most of the time, though, Dracula is more of an eccentric old man or generic shape shifting evil.

Yes, "Dracula" is a classic, and I'm glad that I read it.  It made me interested in how vampire fiction has evolved, and showed how different culture was then.  As far as simple entertainment goes, though, I have to say that I prefer modern vampire books.

Ray Bradbury: The List

Here's the list of Ray Bradbury's books:

"Ahmed and the Oblivion Machines"
"The Anthem Sprinters and Other Antics"
"Bradbury Speaks"
"Bradbury Stories"
"The Cat's Pajamas"
"A Chap-book for Burnt Out Priests, Rabbis, and Ministers"
"The Climate of Palettes"
"The Complete Poems of Ray Bradbury"
"Dandelion Wine"
"Dark Carnival"
"Death Has Lost Its Charm For Me"
"Death is a Lonely Business"
"Dinosaur Tales"
"Dogs Think That Every Day is Christmas"
"Driving Blind"
"Fahrenheit 451"
"Farewell Summer"
"Fever Dream"
"From the Dust Returned"
"The Ghosts of Forever"
"The Golden Apples of the Sun"
"A Graveyard for Lunatics"
"Green Shadows, White Whale"
"The Halloween Tree"
"The Haunted Computer and the Android Pope"
"The Homecoming"
"The Illustrated Man"
"I Sing the Body Electric!"
"The Last Circus and the Electrocution"
"Let's All Kill Constance"
"Long After Midnight"
"The Love Affair"
"The Machineries of Joy"
"The Martian Chronicles"
"A Medicine for Melancholy" (also published as "The Day It Rained Forever")
"A Memory of Murder"
"The Mummies of Guanajuato"
"Now and Forever"
"The October Country"
"One More For the Road"
"Pillar of Fire and Other Plays"
"Quicker Than the Eye"
"R is for Rocket"
"Ray Bradbury"
"Ray Bradbury on Stage"
"S is for Space"
"Something Wicked This Way Comes"
"A Sound of Thunder and Other Stories"
"The Stories of Ray Bradbury"
"Switch on the Night"
"This Attic Where the Meadow Greens"
"The Toynbee Convector"
"Twice 22"
"The Vintage Bradbury"
"When Elephants Last in the Dooryard Bloomed"
"Where Robot Mice and Robot Men Run Around in Robot Towns"
"With Cat for Comforter"
"The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit and Other Plays"
"Yestermorrow"
"Zen in the Art of Writing"

If I'm not mistaken, that's 59 books.  The man really knows how to crank them out.
2 down; 57 to go.

List compiled from information on Ray Bradbury's website.