Yummy New Reads: Happy Snacking, Don’t Die! and The Pumpkin Vice Cafe

22 Sep

Happy Snacking, Don’t Die!
by Alexis Nikole Nelson
I enjoy Alexis Nikole Nelson’s adventures foraging in her videos under her alias The Black Forager so I was delighted to see that she was coming out with a cookbook filled with vegan recipes, Happy Snacking, Don’t Die!. Since my dad was a biology teacher we would frequently go on nature walks when I was child and one of my favorite moments was always in summer when the mulberry trees would be ripe and we’d get to sample the juicy berries. Mulberries are one of the featured plants that Nelson discusses along with some of my other favorite tasty treats that can be found in nature including: violets, morels, roses and black walnuts. The book begins with some tips such as useful tools and places to avoid while foraging. Then it breaks down items to forage during each of the four seasons with a description of what they look like as well as a few recipes to use with items such as acorn flour, dock crepes, and crab apple jelly. One of the reason I enjoy Nelson’s videos is her fun humor and ability to make foraging seem accessible, which is also seen in the text of the book, making it a fun read even if you aren’t yet ready to get foraging yourself. Of course I would recommend always being cautious when foraging since you have to worry about toxic look-a-likes and possible contamination of plants from pollutants or insecticides; consider doing additional research and seek out expert advice.

The Pumpkin Vice Cafe
by Ellie Alexander
The Pumpkin Vice Cafe is the 23rd book into Ellie Alexander’s Bakeshop Mystery series about Jules, the owner and baker at her family’s business. I found it easy to jump into the story even without having read previous books in the series since Alexander does a nice job of setting up who the various characters are and the dynamic between them. This a fun cozy mystery that kept me guessing about who the killer of her friend’s wedding planner was since the story was filled with plenty of suspicious characters. There is also some added drama that Jules, the owner and a baker at the inn is pregnant so there is suspense about when she will be due. I plan to check out some of the previous books when I’m in the mood for a cozy mystery read and I’m looking forward to the next book which comes out in 2027 which will feature Lance and Arlo’s wedding!

Written by:
Aimee Harris
Information and Digital Services Manager

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July Horror/Thriller Scary Movie Night & Book Club Pick: Watchers by Dean Koontz

17 Sep

Watchers (1987) is the title that solidified Koontz as a bestselling author. It was thought Koontz would be the horror rival to King, but with Watchers Koontz decided to separate and move into more thriller/suspense territory. Watchers is part thriller, part horror, part human love story, part man-and-his-dog story, and part ethics morality. I fell in love with the dog and wanted nothing more than to see him, Einstein, succeed on every page.

Book cover for 'Watchers' by Dean Koontz, featuring a blue-toned nighttime image of a golden retriever against silhouetted trees and two humans walking in the background before a picnic table.

But, enter the genetically engineered killing machine loose in California and the government agency trying to cover it up.

This is one of Koontz’s most beloved novels. The movie, though, had a limited budget and only a 1.5-hour run time and not much of an emotional element. Instead, it was narrowed to being just a monster movie. Still a valuable watch (with a few eye rolls in between), but nowhere near the enduring test of literature as the novel.

The Book (1987): A Sci-fi Thriller that Dabbles in Horror

Travis Cornell is a former military operative with a secret, a secret Koontz doesn’t quite reveal in chapter one because before he can, or at least before you, the reader, think he is going to reveal it, in comes Einstein – a golden retriever sprinting as if being chased by the devil.

It’s Dean Koontz’s classic story structure to a T: throw your main character into terrible trouble and in every scene going forward have their predicament get subtly worse. Maybe a few wins in between but always one step forward, two steps back.

Travis doesn’t know it, but the dog does – the monstrous, grotesque, and intelligent Outsider is on the loose, and it’s after the dog, for they both are from the same lab and only one can win.

Einstein is an absolutely brilliant spin of the pen from Koontz. A dog with moods, ethics, humor, integrity, heart, and trauma. The Outsider has these qualities too, albeit far more beastly in execution. Both know what they are – genetically altered life forms that must live in the body and mind man made for them.

Watchers is a sci-fi thriller that dabbles in horror.

The Movie (1988): A Creature-Feature Monster-on-the-Loose Movie Starring Corey Haim.

Movie poster for 'Watchers' showing a young man crouched with a shotgun beside a golden retriever baring its teeth, illuminated by blue light from a shattered, fiery window. A police officer and patrol car with flashing lights are in the background.

There isn’t much more to it than that. (My guess is Travis Cornell was aged down to make room for teen heartthrob Haim.)

While the novel was a slow burn, the movie compresses much of the emotional core into more on-screen body-horror situations and imagery. It plays out like a made-for-TV movie, where the scares are more anticipated.

The novel’s commitment to showing how humans and animals can survive trauma, guilt, and emotional damage is essentially wiped clean in the novel-to-movie translation.

The movie is worthwhile as a fun Friday night flick, but don’t expect a direct translation from book to screen or even an accurate portrayal of Koontz’s characters.

Expect an 80s monster movie with a dog.

If you enjoy the movie, there are three sequels, too.

Have you read Watchers, seen the movie, or both? Comment below.

You can reserve the book in the BCCLS system here.

You can watch the movie on Hoopla here.

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Written by:
Sean Willey
Information and Digital Services Assistant

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