Saturday, April 26, 2025

Scarlet by Genevieve Cogman

(March List)

(April List)

This one is a library new book find and I picked it up because I am apparently unable to pass up an interesting looking book sitting on a shelf. Also, I've read some of Cogman's other books and enjoyed them so it was too tempting to pass up.  


As a Brit Lit teacher, I frequently touch on the French revolution in teaching my class. It's a very interesting patch of history. The entire social order just flipped on it's head. It was chaotic, violent, yet oddly inspiring and strangely relevant to current political events.  Someday I may even teach A Tale of Two Cities and really dive in. 

In any case, Scarlet is set during the French revolution and is a retelling of the Scarlet Pimpernel which I've never actually read. However in this version, it's a French revolution in a world where much of the European aristocracy are actually vampires. It's true of the English aristocracy too apparently, although it would appear that the English aristocracy is a little bit better behaved. The main character, Eleanor, starts out as a maid in the household of an English vampire. She's treated fairly and the occasional blood donation is just part of the job. Her big ambition is to move from household staff to lady's maid. 

Unfortunately for Eleanor, she looks just like Marie Antoinette. 

The Scarlet Pimpernel is determined to rescue the French royalty and Eleanor is part of his plot. 

This was a fun read and I have every intention of reading the rest of the series once I track them down.  Eleanor is a complex character who is thrust into what amounts to a spy caper. She does it for the sake of compassion but realizes over the course of the adventure that she can do more than just be a lady's maid. While it's not any sort of deep literature, it is a worthwhile read. 

Wednesday, April 23, 2025

Fast & Easy Chicken

This is one of those recipes that seemed ubiquitous in the 80's. The Campbell's Soup company put out dozens of  recipes that used their condensed cream soups as a base for a creamy dish. I found this recipe on a hand written care in Grandma E's box but there's no name on it so I have no idea who gave it to her. I selected it because it looked similar to one that my other grandma used to make. (it was actually one of my favorite dishes as a kid.

This came out ok, but the three different soups seems a little needlessly fussy. I've never really been able to taste the celery in cream of celery soup. I suspect this could easily be scaled down but I'd have to tinker with it.   

Fast & Easy Chicken

  • 2 Frying chickens (I used about 5 pounds thighs and legs)
  • 5 oz slivered almonds
  • 1 can cream of chicken soup
  • 1 can cream of mushroom soup
  • 1 can cream of celery soup
  • 1/4 c. dry white wine (I used closer to 1/2 c.)

  1. Parmesan cheese
  2. Preheat the oven to 350
  3. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Lay in a shallow baking pan and cover with 2/3 of the almonds.
  4. Mix the three cans of soup together with the wine and pour mixture over the chicken and almonds. Sprinkle the remaining almonds on top. 
  5. Bake at 350 for 2 hours

Serves 6-8 

Possible variations and additions:

  • Top with 8 oz of shredded swiss cheese
  • Substitute a bag of stuffing mix for the almonds (or maybe just add them)
  • Use cut up boneless thighs and add 2-3 cups of steamed broccoli

Tuesday, April 22, 2025

My Calamity Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows

 I'm always skeptical when I see books written by a duo. I always wonder how that works and who is doing the majority of the writing. This is a trio, which is even more boggling. These books however are pretty flawless. They are fun, the voice is consistent, and they are well plotted. 


My Calamity Jane
 is the fictionalized story of Calamity Jane with the addition of werewolves which are called garou in the story. There are three point of view characters: Calamity Jane, Frank Butler, and Annie Mosey (Oakley). Jane and Frank are a part of Wild Bill Hickok's Wild West Show which travels around the country performing for the masses. It's also a cover for Wild Bill who is a marshal and Charlie Utter who is a Pinkerton. They are on the hunt for the infamous criminal leader of the garou called the Alpha. The show provides cover while they hunt rogue werewolves. Jane and Frank are in on it, of course.

Annie, however, leaves home (runs away might be a little more accurate) to avoid being pressured to marry. There's no one in particular that her family wants her to marry, they just think it's time. Annie is however not interested in that. She's been supporting her mother and siblings with her hunting and would rather find herself a job. This would be the point where she finds out that Wild Bill Hickok's Wild West Show is nearby in Cincinnati. So she hops a train with the intent of getting herself hired on as a sharpshooter. 

The story ultimately makes it to Deadwood where we get to see the infamous Wild West characters: Al Swearengen and Jack McCall.

The whole series is fun that way. Each book stays close enough to historical events to be familiar, but they depart wildly to incorporate their fantasy elements. The overall tone is a bit sassy and the narrators give little snarky asides. In hindsight, I actually kind of wonder if each author is in charge of one of the POV characters. That would be an interesting way to write collaboratively. 

Friday, April 4, 2025

House of Hunger by Alexis Henderson

 Another TBR.co recommendation. I was really rushing at the end of the cycle to get in all three recommendations before the new cycle started. This one was more of a light horror novel mixed with a paranormal romance. 


The world seems to be roughly split into three zones: a sunny southern zone and a northern darker colder zone with a transition area in between that features a band that experiences extreme storms. The North is ruled by families of what are essentially vampires. However, instead of killing their victims, the vampire nobility hire blood maids who provide blood regularly as part of their duties. It's all seemingly very civilized. 

Marion Shaw takes a job as a blood made to try to escape the poverty she was born in. The deal is that she fulfills her contract for 8 to 10 years and in return receives a pension that sets her up in luxury for the rest of her life. It's an appealing offer and Marion takes it. However, when she gets to the palace of the Countess Lisavet, Marion discovers an opulent but sinister world. 

This was not my favorite read. It's not awful. In fact, there is a lot of good world-building. I think I just had a hard time with the overblown sensuality that was on full blast for large chunks of the book. Aside from that, the plot was a good one. The resolution was telegraphed fairly on, but there were a few surprises on the way. If horror and romance novels are your thing, it's a good recommendation.

Wednesday, April 2, 2025

Someone You Can Build a Nest In by John Wiswell

 TBR.co is a service that allows a reader to get reading recommendations that are tailored to the individual reader. I originally signed up for the service in the spring of the Covid shut down. I've received 66 book recommendations and I've read most of them. Most of them are things I wouldn't have picked up on my own, and I've enjoyed them all with only a handful of exceptions. However, sometimes my recommender lobs me a curve ball.


This is a novel about a romance between an amorphous blob monster and a young eccentric noblewoman estranged from her family. 

Hello curve ball. 

In a general sense, this book is right up my alley. A fantasy setting with a unique protagonist, Shesheshen. Shesheshen spends most of her life as a blob resting at the bottom of a hot spring in a ruined manor. One season she is roused out of hibernation early when her home is invaded by monster hunters. She molds her body around a variety old junk like chains and bear traps to give herself a mostly human-ish form and attacks the intruders. She wins, but she is terribly wounded. She is found later by a young woman named Homily who begins to nurse the monster in human disguise back to health. 

To Shesheshen, love means finding a host for her eggs. When the eggs hatch, they devour their host from the inside. Shesheshen is in love. However, as she and Homily grow closer, Shesheshen discovers that she doesn't want her girlfriend to get eaten. Maybe love should mean something else.

Oh, and there's also a continuing conflict between the local ruler who is psychotically evil and her equally twisted family that draws the local town into something akin to a pitched battle. 

It's an odd book and I spent most of my read unsure of my opinion. I finished it several weeks ago and had a hard time writing this post because of this. After a few weeks time, I've come to the conclusion that I liked the book. It's really a romance, but a really weird one and that's refreshing. There's a lot of body horror rolled in since the protagonist tends to steal bones and organs from her victims. It's definitely not for everyone, but an interesting read. 

Tuesday, April 1, 2025

April List

Happy April everyone. I only managed to read 4 books in March and it was a challenging month in a lot of ways. I'm hoping though that I can use Spring Break to reset some habits and get going again on some goals.  

I have a new TBR list incorporated and a handful of other books pulled randomly from stacks around the house. I'm really hoping I can knock a bunch of these mostly read series out this month. 


The List:

  1. The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo - 17
  2. My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite - 18
  3. Red Rising Saga by Pierce Brown
    1. Red Rising  (Finished 2/10/2025)
    2. Golden Son (Finished 3/21/2025)
    3. Morning Star (Finished 4/17/2025)
    4. Iron Gold
    5. Dark Age
    6. Light Bringer
  4. Quiet  by Susan Cain -NF 1 
  5. The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie - 13
  6. LitenVerse by Nino Cipri
    1. Finna  (finished 1/25/2025)
    2. Defekt (finished 4/3/2025)
  7. Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins - 25
  8. The Expanse Series by James S.A. Corey
    1. Leviathan Wakes (Finished 1/9/2025)
    2. Caliban's War (Finished 1/25/2025)
    3. Abaddon's Gate (Finished 3/31/2025)
    4. Cibola Burn - 5
    5. Nemesis Games -  26
    6. Babylon's Ashes
    7. Tiamat's Wrath
    8. Persepolis Rising
    9. Leviathan Falls
  9. Between the Sound and Sea by Amanda Cox (Library) - 23
  10. Atlas of AI by Kate Crawford - NF 2
  11. The French Girl by Lexie Elliot (Borrowed - Dad) - 15
  12. Normal by Warren Ellis - 19
  13. The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu by Joshua Hammer - NF 4
  14. Lady Janes series by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, & Jodi Meadows
    1. My Lady Jane (Finished 11/4/2024) 
    2. My Plain Jane (Finished 1/12/2025) 
    3. My Calamity Jane (Finished 4/22/2025) 
  15. The Girl From Everywhere Heidi Heilig - 10
  16. YouSpace Series by Tom Holt (Fantasy)
    1. Doughnut (Finished 3/5/2024)
    2. When It's A Jar (Finished 7/6/2024)
    3. The Outsorcerer's Apprentice (Finished 1/15/2024)
    4. The Good, the Bad and the Smug (Finished 1/1/2024)
    5. An Orc on the Wild Side - 6 
  17. Blackheart Man by Nalo Hopkinson (Library) - 9
  18. When You Trap a Tiger by Tae Keller - 29
  19. Fairy Tale by Stephen King - 7
  20. Mead Mishaps by Kimberly Lemming
    1. That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon by Kimberly Lemming (Finished 7/7/2024)
    2. That Time I Got Drunk and Yeeted a Love Potion At a Werewolf (Finished 4/6/2025)
    3. That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Human
  21. A Song to Drown Rivers by Ann Liang (TBR/Library) - 20
  22. Soul of an Octopus by Sy Montgomery - NF5
  23. Strange Beasts by Susan J. Morris (TBR) - 4
  24. Shock Induction by Chuck Palahniuk (Library) - 24 
  25. Dreadful by Caitlin Rozakis (Library) - 8
  26. The Writing Rope by Joan Sedita - NF 3
  27. All Better Now by Neal Shusterman (Library) - 22
  28. The United States of Atlantis by Harry Turtledove - 21
  29. John Cleaver Series by Dan Wells
    1. I Am Not a Serial Killer - 14
    2. Mr. Monster - 16
    3. I Don't Want to Kill You
    4. The Devil's Only Friend  (Finished 2/17/20250 )
    5. Over Your Dead Body
    6. Nothing Left to Lose
  30. Hammajang Luck by Makana Yamamoto (TBR) - 11

Assigned or otherwise pre-scheduled Reading:

  1. Lord of the Flies by William Golding (class novel) 
  2. Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan (Thomas Book)


Morning Star by Pierce Brown

  (The current list)   Finished April 17, so it's been a minute and the details are fuzzy at this point.  As a reminder, Darrow was born...