Book Review: Sunshine

You wouldn't ordinarily think that vampires and dessert would mix well, but somehow in this book, they do.

Rae Seddon, nicknamed Sunshine, is the baker for Charlie's Coffeehouse in vampire-infested New Arcadia. When she is kidnapped by vampires, her entire world changes, and she must learn to adjust.

Sunshine tends to be a little wordy, and there's some brief sexuality. Aside from that, this book is very interesting, and will make you hungry. Frequently. Sunshine's gothic-named desserts sound amazing: Cinnamon Rolls As Big As Your Head, Sunshine's Killer Zebras, Bitter Chocolate Death, Lemon Lust, cherry tarts, the dramatic pudding known as The Death of Marat, and Sunshine's Eschatology are just a few of the bakery offerings for which you'll want the recipe.

iced tea how-to

I've liked hot tea--a lot--for about about seven years. I have an entire kitchen cabinet devoted to tea. As the weather has lately been growing warmer, I've been experimenting with iced tea. What kinds taste the best? Suprisingly, some of the teas that I enjoy hot don't make good iced tea, and some of the teas I don't like hot make wonderful iced tea. On with the experiment!

Top photo: Making several kinds of sweet tea at once. From left to right: orange pekoe, orange pekoe & raspberry zinger, chai, and vanilla chai.

Bottom photo: Sweet tea ready for the refrigerator. (The two kinds of chai on the right have milk added.)

Experiment conclusion:

Orange Pekoe is the basic tea used for sweet tea, so it was good.

Orange Pekoe & Raspberry Zinger was my experiment at making raspberry iced tea. It didn't taste quite right due to the hibiscus flavors in the Raspberry Zinger, so wasn't my favorite. Chai was suprisingly good, but Vanilla Chai wasn't. I'll definitely be experimenting with other flavors!

Want to make your own iced tea? You will need:

-One canning jar, with lid

-Two tea bags, preferably of the same kind of tea

-Sugar (if you want sweet tea) to taste

1. Place tea bags in clean canning jar.

2. Boil water and add to jar. Let tea steep for about five to six minutes (or a couple minutes longer, if you want it to hold up when you add ice).

3. Remove tea bags.

4. While tea is still hot, add sugar to taste. (I usually add about six tablespoons to a canning jar, but you can use more or less depending on your preference.) Stir the tea until the sugar is completely dissolved.

5. Wait until the tea cools a bit, until it is somewhere between warm and room temperature.

6. Put on the lid, and then put in the refrigerator.

7. Wait until tea is completely cold (about two hours, give or take) before serving.

Tip: It is very likely that the lid of the canning jar will be stuck to the jar at first. If this happens, don't worry. Just unscrew the outside ring, and then use a butter knife to gently pry open the lid. It should pop right off.

8. Serve in a glass with ice, and enjoy!

Book Review: Pegasus

This relatively new book is very similar in style to Robin McKinley's early works...until you get to the end.

In the world created within these pages, it is traditional for two peoples--the humans and the pegasi--to create a bond between carefully selected individuals in order for the races to better understand each other.

This is the story of a princess and her pegasus, and the secret that they uncover.

I didn't care for the ending at all--it was too abrupt, and didn't fully resolve things--but it was interesting until that point. However, the ending makes all the pages before it seem like wasted time, so I can't recommend this one wholeheartedly.

Book Review: The Blue Sword

Those of you who love Robin McKinley are no doubt already acquainted with The Blue Sword, as it is one of her very early works. However, I had the opportunity to discover it for the first time this past December, and fell completely in love.

This high-adventure tale has all the elements neccessary for a really good story: swordfights, kidnapping, danger, excitement, romance, and compelling characters. I loved it so much, I bought a copy online before I'd even finished reading the library copy. Highly recommended.

Book Review: Fire: Tales of Elemental Spirits

Another excellent story collection by husband-and-wife team Robin McKinley and Peter Dickinson, Fire brings together tales of such things as salamanders, hellhounds, and the Phoenix. Some of my favorite short stories included Dave's Wood (Dickinson), Hellhound (McKinley)--possibly the best story in the book, and Salamander Man (Dickinson), although I enjoyed them all. This one also includes a story about McKinley's Damar, entitled A Pool in the Desert. This anthology is even better than their previous endeavor, Water: Tales of Elemental Spirits!

Book Review: Water: Tales of Elemental Spirits

This four-star collection of six short stories by husband-and-wife collaborators Robin McKinley and Peter Dickinson is imaginative, satisfying, and extremely well-told. The tales are filled with mer-folk, sea serpents, water horses, and more, however, these are not your average mermaid tales. The rendering of the various worlds of the merfolk abound with rich descriptions, satsifying plots, and variety. Personal favorites among these stories included Water Horse (McKinley), Kraken (Dickinson), and The Sea-King's Son (McKinley). This last one surfaces as an unusual retelling of McKinley's favorite fairy tale, Beauty and the Beast. Excellent! [266 pages.]

Book Review: The Door in the Hedge

This collection of four short stories is great to curl up with on a rainy day with a good cup of tea. Along with two original tales by Robin McKinley, it also has her renditions of "The Princess and the Frog" and "The Twelve Dancing Princesses." Very enjoyable!