Pics I've been meaning to post...And a recipe, sort of.

Here are some pics from my year. One is as old as April, a few are from May when I got my lovely new camera and several are from the past week. Enjoy. :)

Here is a picture of me (left), Kimberley Derting (middle) and my sister (right). We were at Powell's for a book signing and all the lights went out, which is why it is so dark. Ms. Derting's son was kind enough to be our photographer.

Pics from the Saengerfest:

 This is from the Nitobe Memorial Garden in Vancouver, B.C. One of my choir friends (name not shown to protect her identity) knows the gardener so we got in before hours. It was very quiet and lovely.

Also from the Japanese garden.

 Genuine Canadian Canada geese. :)

The church filling up for the Saengerfest. Sorry, but I don't have any pics of my choir singing.

 The Olympic Stadium through a car window.

 Vancouver's skyline.

More of Vancouver's skyline...not exactly sure what that building is, but it's cool.

 Entering Chinatown, the coolest part of the trip.

 The Jimmy Hendrix shrine.

 Dried squid.

 Mutant cucumbers. Yes, those are full-sized cabbages being dwarfed.

Me all dressed up for the party at the Hellenic Cultural Center. Don't ask me why the German choir was partying in a Greek building; we were in the Croatian Cultural Center the night before.

 A quick stop at a book store on the way home. Just because. :)

A frog. What more welcome could one ask for?

 A pretty flower.

 Conor the mouse.

Another pretty flower.

Fritz enjoying Insurgent.

Yet another pretty flower.

Waiting for a train to take me and my cousin on an adventure in Portland.

 A bridge in Portland.

 People at the Saturday Market.

 Cutlery art.

 Metal personages.

A cool statue at Chinatown.

 An interesting fountain.

Me and Monet.

 What to do with this overabundance of tomatoes?

 Let's wash them and lay them out...preparing for the slaughter.

 Tomato guts.

 Here are some peppers to throw in.

And some onions...

 Looks like we're getting somewhere.

 Lots of limes.

 Salt, pepper, cumin, cayenne and vinegar for flavoring.

And then lots and lots and lots of cilantro. Let it sit overnight and you have a lovely salsa. Of course, I still have enough tomatoes for five more batches....

                            Lieder Madchen

Series Review: Girl Genius by Phil and Kaja Foglio

Girl Genius
story by Phil and Kaja Foglio, drawings by Phil Foglio, colors by Cheyenne Wright

Genre: Steampunk / Science Fiction / Alternative / WebComic / Graphic Novel / Young Adult

Ages: 13 and up

Description:

The Industrial Revolution has become all-out war! Mad Scientists, gifted with the Spark of genius, unleash insane inventions on an unprepared Europe. For centuries, the Heterodyne family of inventors kept the peace, but the last Heterodyne disappeared twenty years ago, leaving their ally Baron Klaus Wulfenbach to maintain order with his fleet of airships and army of unstoppable, if not very bright, Jaeger Monsters.

At Transylvania Polygnostic University, Agatha Clay dreams of being a scientist herself, but her trouble concentrating dooms her to be a lowly minion at best. When her locket, a family heirloom, is stolen, Agatha shows signs of having the Spark in a spectacular, destructive fashion and captures the attention of the Baron—and the Baron’s handsome young son, Gilgamesh.

Swept up to the Baron's Airship City, Agatha finds herself in the midst of the greatest minds of her generation, as well as palace intrigue, dashing heroes, and an imperial cat. Agatha may be the most brilliant mind of her generation and the key to control of the continent, but first, she just has to survive.

My Thoughts:

This is so freaking awesome! This series was recommended to me many times, first by my brother and then by multiple online friends, so I finally gave it a shot. I'm not usually big on comics or graphic novels, but I went through this whole series in four days. Ten years worth of mad scientists, zany monsters, romantic hilarity and more squished into ninety-six hours with at least fifteen cups of coffee...It's a wonder my brain didn't start leaking out of my ears...oh, wait, what is that grey stuff on my shirt?...Sorry, I shall endeavor to be serious. It is difficult, since I only finished the last page a couple of hours ago and I'm still drinking too much coffee.

Okay...(a few hours later with time to calm down)...now I can get to the serious review. A-ha! They posted a new page! Sorry, I must go for a minute...Ok, I'm back. This is turning into the most peculiar review. Anyway, so, first of all, I love the characters. I had to have fallen in love with the Jagers first, then everyone else nearly as quickly. I love the bantering interplay between them all, particularly when Gil and Tarvek meet...oh, yeah, that was way too much fun. Agatha is brilliant, first as she comes to terms with her sudden lifestyle changes and then as she starts to truly enjoy herself. She comes to enjoy herself just a little too much at times...

I love the bizarre tangents the story runs off in so frequently, I love the sheer quirkiness of any given page, I love the explosions, the gadgets, the Big Awesome Plant...what isn't to like? Plus there's the fact that you can read the ENTIRE thing online without taking any breaks, staying up to ridiculous hours until your eyeballs start to dry up like raisins and drinking coffee until you twitch at any sudden noise!

The art is lovely, full of fascinating details if you look at it closely enough. I enjoy reading the signs and labels scattered around. The outfits are so lavishly odd that sometimes you just have to sit there blinking at them for a bit. Most impressive. Not to mention the hats.

I would recommend this to lovers of steampunk, silliness, graphic novels or just plain fun. It was enervating, it was unnerving, and it was completely marvelous. Go here for the first page. You won't be able to stop.

Rating System: Profanity, Sexuality and Violence
1 (mild) through 10 (extreme).

Profanity:
I would rate it a 3.10 for mostly mild swearing.

Sexuality:
I would give it a 3.10 for quite a bit of innuendo that was for the most part harmless.

Violence:
I rate it a 6.10 for quite a bit of cartoon violence, most of which is shown with bright red blood.

                           Lieder Madchen

Help!

Ok, there is this truly amazing writing contest on Figment for a writer to get a story published in the Defy the Dark anthology. This anthology has stories by Aprilynne Pike, Rachel Hawkins, Beth Revis, Carrie Ryan, Myra McEntire and several other amazing authors. Basically, you write a story set at night or in the dark that is between 2,000 and 4,000 words long and publish it on Figment (full details here).

I would really, really love to win this contest. The cash prize is nice, but being published next to such wonderful authors is the best part. I love Beth Revis especially. :) This is where the help comes in. I have written two stories. They are completely different but both set at night. One is a realistic, romantic drama about two awkward people on a train. The other is about a city where there are two separate populations, one that lives in the day and one that lives at night. The first is more character driven and the second is all plot, so at the moment I'm leaning toward the first. Could you please take a look at them? Let me know which one you like better, if you see any mistakes, that sort of thing? If I win, there will be an amazing giveaway the likes of which you have never seen on this blog. Just click on the images below to read the stories and leave your feedback in the comments. The contest ends on Sept. 1st, 11:59 p.m. ET, so if you could get back to me by August 31st? Thank you!

                                    Lieder Madchen

Book Review: Mr. Darcy's Refuge by Abigail Reynolds

Mr. Darcy's Refuge
by Abigail Reynolds

Genre: Romance / Austenesque / Pride and Prejudice Re-telling / Historical Fiction

Ages: 16 and up

Mr. Darcy's Refuge is the latest of Ms. Reynolds' Pemberley Variations, which can be read in any order and are all lovely. Here are some others I have reviewed:  Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy: The Last Man in the World, Mr. Darcy's Obsession, and her collection of mini variations, A Pemberley Medley.

I received an advance e-copy from the author in exchange for a fair and honest review. (Thank you, Abigail!!!)

Description:

Trapped for three days by a flood, and trapped forever by society because of it….

It is a proverbial dark and stormy night when Mr. Darcy proposes to Elizabeth Bennet in the most insulting manner. Just as she begins her famous refusal, a crack of thunder presages the pounding at the door as the residents of the flooded village of Hunsford seek refuge from the storm at the parsonage atop the hill. Even worse, the flood has washed out the only bridge leading to Rosings Park, leaving Darcy stranded with Elizabeth at the parsonage. The river isn’t the only thing that overflows in Hunsford when Darcy and Elizabeth are forced to work together to deal with the crisis under the worst possible circumstances. And it may already be too late to redeem Elizabeth’s reputation….

In this Pride & Prejudice variation, the lane dividing the Hunsford parsonage from Rosings Park has been replaced by one of the flood-prone Kentish rivers. The storms are real – the spring of 1811 was remarkable for numerous thunderstorms in Southeast England.

My Thoughts:

This latest Pemberly Variation was simply delightful, rife with humor and drama. I alternated between laughing, sighing and tearing my hair out in exasperation.Poor Darcy and Elizabeth are trapped at the Hunsford parsonage when the river overflows after being interrupted in the midst of Darcy's dreadful proposal. Once the hullabaloo dies down a little, Darcy is under the misapprehension that Elizabeth had been on the verge of saying yes, which makes things a little awkward. When she sets him straight, things get a little tense...and that's before it gets really interesting.

I love how you see a great deal more of Col. Fitzwilliam in this story that usual. Caught between Elizabeth and Darcy, then Darcy and Mr. Bennet...as well as between some other people I won't mention for fear of spoilers, you feel rather sorry for the poor man. Other favorites of mine were Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner, both of whom managed to be quite devious and lovable. You get to see a harsher side to Mr. Bennet and, surprisingly, to Mr. Bingley, which I found quite interesting.

My only very small complaint is that this book should have been longer. The beginning was just a trifle rushed, but mostly I just didn't want it to end so soon. I would have been very happy with another 200-300 pages so I could just wallow in the delicious romance.

Anyone who loves Austenesque re-tellings will love Mr. Darcy's Refuge. Sweet, funny, and absolutely lovely, I can foresee reading this again and again, just as I do most of Abigail Reynolds' books. This is not to be missed.

Rating System: Profanity, Sexuality and Violence
1 (mild) through 10 (extreme).

Profanity:
I rate it a 2.10 for some very mild swearing.

Sexuality:
I give it a 7.10 for a fairly descriptive scene, a fadaway and some references.

Violence:
I rate it a 2.10 for references to child abuse and bullying as well as several threats.

                                    Lieder Madchen

Book Review: The Girl in the Clockwork Collar by Kady Cross

The Girl in the Clockwork Collar
by Kady Cross

Genre: Steampunk / Young Adult / Adventure / Alternative History

Ages: 13 and up

Book 2 of the Steampunk Chronicles, sequel to The Girl in the Steel Corset.

I received an advance e-copy from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Description:

In New York City, 1897, life has never been more thrilling - or dangerous.

Sixteen-year-old Finley Jayne and her "straynge band of mysfits" have journeyed from London to America to rescue their friend Jasper, hauled off by bounty hunters. But Jasper is in the clutches of a devious former friend demanding a trade-the dangerous device Jasper stole from him...for the life of the girl Jasper loves.

One false move from Jasper and the strange clockwork collar around Mei's neck tightens. And tightens.

My Thoughts:

I just love steampunk. I can't get enough of the genre, and Kady Cross is a master of the gadgetry and the atmosphere that makes it so wonderful. I loved The Girl in the Steel Corset (I've read it three times), so I was ridiculously excited to get this one and it did not in any way whatsoever disappoint. 


All of the characters from the first book were as wonderful as ever, and it was so much fun to see more of Jasper. Finley gets to let her wild side out, Griffin gets to work a little bit of romance on her... ;) You also get to meet some marvelous new characters from Jasper's past. The lovely, endangered Mei who carries a bad attitude and many secrets.Wildcat, whose heart was broken by Jasper (I really, really want to see more of her). Then you've got Whip Kirby, the lawman who may not be entirely what he seems.


The story was fantastic, full of blackmail and intrigue and, of course, it wouldn't be steampunk without a hefty dose of peculiar gadgets. These books make me happy. :)

Rating System: Profanity, Sexuality and Violence 
1 (mild) through 10 (extreme).
 
Profanity:
I rate it a 4.10 for mid-level language.

Sexuality:
I give it a 2.10 for hints and references to prostitution.

Violence:
I rate it a 4.10 for several fights, none disturbingly graphic.


                         Lieder Madchen

Book Review: The Good Braider by Terry Farish

The Good Braider
by Terry Farish

Genre: YA Contemporary / Free-form Poetry

Ages: 17 and up

I received an advance e-copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Description:

 In spare free verse laced with unforgettable images, Viola s strikingly original voice sings out the story of her family s journey from war-torn Sudan, to Cairo, and finally to Portland, Maine Here, in the sometimes too close embrace of the local Southern Sudanese Community, she dreams of South Sudan while she tries to navigate the strange world of America a world where a girl can wear a short skirt, get a tattoo or even date a boy; a world that puts her into sharp conflict with her traditional mother who, like Viola, is struggling to braid together the strands of a displaced life.

Terry Farish s haunting novel is not only a riveting story of escape and survival, but the universal tale of a young immigrant's struggle to build a life on the cusp of two cultures.

My Thoughts:

I don't usually read books  written in free verse, but in this case it suits. The stark writing style only accentuated the emotions and brutality of the story. This is one of those books that leaves you kind of breathless at the end, as if you have witnessed something terrible and something beautiful. There are so many awful things that happen in this book, but there is also so much hope.


I loved Viola, who is so strong despite the horrors she has lived through. Her courage was my favorite part of the book. America is so alien to her and her family, but she is determined to learn the new rules and excel in her new life. She manages it much better than her mother does, which leads to possible the most painful part of the novel.

This book is beautifully written and utterly engrossing. Bittersweet and sad, it is sometimes difficult to read, but I couldn't stop.

Rating System: Profanity, Sexuality and Violence
1 (mild) through 10 (extreme).

Profanity:
I rate it a  4.10 for two uses of the s-word.

Sexuality:
I give it a 6.10 for rape, which isn't graphically described but doesn't fade away.

Violence:
I rate it a 6.10 for rape and murder, nothing graphically described but still disturbing.

                                 Lieder Madchen