Archive | July, 2023

Finding Family in Unusual Places: The Only Purple House in Town and Divinity 36

12 Jul

I’m always enjoy a good “found family” story where characters find their place amongst others who often themselves have felt like misfits or outcasts. Speculative Fiction often puts a spin on this when characters don’t just feel different, but may be aliens or supernatural such as with Divinity 36 and The Only Purple House in Town.

The Only Purple House in Town
by Ann Aguire
I had previously enjoyed and written about Aguire’s novel Witch Please, the first in her Fix-It Witch Series. Although The Only Purple House in Town is set in the same world as Fix-It Witch, the central couple have other supernatural lineage. Iris Collins was raised by a family of psychic vampires, but believes she lacks any special abilities herself. Eli Reese has made a small fortune creating popular apps, but a late bloomer, most days he’d rather shift and fly free in his avian form then interact with other people. Eli and Iris met briefly in their youth before Eli moved away, but they bump into each other again as adults while Eli is fixing up his grandmother’s house for sale and Iris just inherited a purple Victorian, which she is renting to make ends meet. Sparks fly when Eli moves in; it seems Iris just might discover her hidden self and Eli might find a reason to stay in human form. They are joined in the restoring the old purple Victorian by several quirky humans and one witchy roommate. Although the core couple are straight, several LGBTQ characters are also featured and the growing suspicions and hatred towards the supernatural community seem paralleled to the rise of prejudice in our own society giving the book a timeliness. A meddlesome neighbor adds some drama and Eli and Iris have a few early misunderstandings to overcome but this low stakes cozy supernatural romance will make an enjoyable beach read. This gentle read will appeal to fans of TJ Klune’s novels. I received an early copy of The Only Purple House in Town from Netgalley and the publisher.

Divinity 36
by Gail Carriger
Gail Carriger is my favorite author; her work is unique, funny, insightful, and overall charming. She started off in the Steampunk Genre including the Adult Parasol Protectorate and the YA Finishing School series, but has recently begun crafting Science Fiction. Much like her Fantasy has mostly been confined to the interconnected Parasolverse, her individual Science Fiction is set in the larger world of Tinkered Stars. Divinity 36 is her first in the Tinkered Starsong Trilogy, about a crudrat refugee barista, Phex, who is selected to become a musical and literal “God” by an alien race who can make transcendent color from the songs and dances that the pantheons they create perform. At first Phex is unable to relate to many of his fellow contestants and feels closer to the more alien of them than the Sapiens who appear physically similar to him and yet are often repelled by the fact that he comes from a world where people are genetically engineered. Slowly though he finds friendship with others including my favorite character, the cuddly flying insectoid Berril. The novel is marketed as YA and has minimal violence and no sex so again a good choice for those looking for a gentle read for adults as well, especially those looking for new adult works. I look forward to the other books in the series that will be released later in the year (the next one, Demigod 12, comes out August 1). If you enjoy speculative fiction with a musical focus, check out my blog post on Catherynne M. Valente’s wacky Eurovision inspired Space Opera and my post on Spellsinger by Alan Dean Foster. You can also listen to another of Carriger’s YA stories set in the same universe, Crudrat, that gives more insight into the Wheel, the place where Phex grew up.

Written by:
Aimee Harris
Information and Digital Services Manager

Tags: , ,

Recipe Roadtrips: Terry & Mason’s Great Food Trip and State Plate

5 Jul

Terry & Mason’s Great Food Trip
The BBC show, Terry & Mason’s Great Food Trip, stars radio and television broadcaster Sir Terry Wogan and cabbie Mason McQueen who drive around in Mason’s cab to different areas of of Great Britain and see historical sites and learn about famous dishes from the past and present. Their trip is partially inspired by British Bouquet: An Epicurean Tour of Britain by Samuel V. Chamberlain, who took a similar journey in 1963 as the country was rebuilding from the war. Both funny and informative, I enjoyed sampling several episodes, which can be enjoyed in any order. The journey starts in the seaside town of Weymouth where legend has it the Black Death first came to the UK; Terry instead catches an assortment of succulent seafood including crabs and oysters. A visit to York includes sampling local beers and exploring a recreation Viking Village complete with a celebratory feast. Oxford we learn is famous not only for its colleges, but also marmalade and a lesser known, yet still tasty sausage that has a unique taste of lemon. In Bath they explore the Roman Bath’s of course, but also sample locally prepared coffee whose grounds are recycled to grow oyster mushrooms. When in the Chester episode they eat baked potatoes with unusual toppings in another underground roman bath turned into a seating area that dated back 1,800 years, it really put in perspective how far back the country’s history goes and how much it has changed over the years.

State Plate
Jumping across the Ocean from York’s historic chocolates to New York’s cheesecake, State Plate’s three seasons takes a look at the signature dishes of the United States. The show stars restaurateur and musician (he won the 5th Season of American Idol), Taylor Hicks, who each episode creates the ultimate plate of food, which represents that state’s unique cuisine. Of course I couldn’t resist checking out the New Jersey episode in Season 2 that included Italian hot dogs, pork roll, disco fries, and salt water taffy and another about nearby Pennsylvania home of cheesesteaks and Amish delicacies like chow chow and shoofly pie, which I sampled on a recent visit. Probably my favorite US cuisine and food culture though is Louisiana’s Cajun cuisine including po’boys, beignets, jambalaya, and etouffee. The episode about Massachusetts had me feeling nostalgic for my grad school days with Boston Baked Beans and their creamy version of clam chowder (which I prefer to New York’s tomato based style). It was also exciting to learn about places I’ve never been such as Nebraska, with the tasty sounding but caloric bomb appetizer, the cheese Frenchie a deep fried grilled cheese sandwich loosely based on one of my favorite French comfort classics, the Croque Monsieur, or West Virginia’s Pepperoni Rolls, which originated as lunch for coal mining Italian Immigrants. The show will definitely give you some tasty ideas for your next road trip.

Written by:
Aimee Harris
Information and Digital Services Manager

Tags: , , , , , ,

Newer Entries →