Rachel Manija Brown's Blog, page 103
October 20, 2019
Important Aspects of Modern Life
Stone Cold has as its theme two important aspects of modern life: homelessness and serial killers.
- Keith Barker, Outstanding Books for Children and Young People: The LA Guide to Carnegie/Greenaway Winners.
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- Keith Barker, Outstanding Books for Children and Young People: The LA Guide to Carnegie/Greenaway Winners.
comments
October 19, 2019
Gardening query
Good news: just look how huge my chard is now!
Bad news:
So, is this powdery mildew on the flat-leaf kale and the dill? If so, what should I do about it? The internet says to pick off the affected leaves, but that's most of the leaves and I'm afraid that would kill the entire plant.
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Bad news:
So, is this powdery mildew on the flat-leaf kale and the dill? If so, what should I do about it? The internet says to pick off the affected leaves, but that's most of the leaves and I'm afraid that would kill the entire plant.
comments
October 17, 2019
The Tournament of the Lions, by Jay Williams
A children's historical novel about a pair of mischievous young squires, Robert and Philippe, who hear the story of Roland and Oliver in installments while participating in their first tournament at the court of King Rene of Anjou. Written in 1960, it's old-fashioned and on the educational side... but it's written by Jay Williams, author of the Danny Dunn books, so it's also fun and sweet. The characters are sketches, but vivid and distinctive ones. We should all get our education in this pleasant of a format.
Williams' afterword on his historical sources and the liberties he took begins, As a boy, I read the Chanson de Roland - "Song of Roland" - in a translation by Scott-Moncrieff; I was thrilled by it, but I must confess it puzzled me, too. How could Roland be so pig-headed, and Charlemagne so blind? It wasn't until I had studied something about the Middle Ages, many years later, that I began to understand why these people did not behave as moderns would. For the "Song of Roland" is not a tale about real people, but a kind of mirror of the ideas that governed chivalry: honor, vassalage, brotherhood, piety, and prowess.
Go to library book sales. That is where you find neat stuff like this.
The Tournament of the Lions[image error]
Also, I wanted to note that the Danny Dunn books are now on Kindle. Here's my favorites:
Danny Dunn and the Smallifying Machine[image error]
Danny Dunn on the Ocean Floor[image error]
comments
Williams' afterword on his historical sources and the liberties he took begins, As a boy, I read the Chanson de Roland - "Song of Roland" - in a translation by Scott-Moncrieff; I was thrilled by it, but I must confess it puzzled me, too. How could Roland be so pig-headed, and Charlemagne so blind? It wasn't until I had studied something about the Middle Ages, many years later, that I began to understand why these people did not behave as moderns would. For the "Song of Roland" is not a tale about real people, but a kind of mirror of the ideas that governed chivalry: honor, vassalage, brotherhood, piety, and prowess.
Go to library book sales. That is where you find neat stuff like this.
The Tournament of the Lions[image error]
Also, I wanted to note that the Danny Dunn books are now on Kindle. Here's my favorites:
Danny Dunn and the Smallifying Machine[image error]
Danny Dunn on the Ocean Floor[image error]
comments
October 15, 2019
Cookies!
Yesterday I made some cookies: Chocolate chunk and M&M, peanut butter, and chocolate with white chocolate diamonds.
They are very special cookies.
( Read more... )
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They are very special cookies.
( Read more... )
comments
October 14, 2019
First harvest!
Basil and parsley died. I now have new parsley. I was advised that basil is not a winter plant, so I will hold off on that.
The dill and the kale with it have some white marks - possibly powdery mildew? I will try spraying with a milk solution.
( Read more... )
comments
The dill and the kale with it have some white marks - possibly powdery mildew? I will try spraying with a milk solution.
( Read more... )
comments
October 12, 2019
British Circus Life, by Lady Eleanor Smith and John Hinde
Published in 1945, this is a fascinating and detailed look at the day to day life of the traveling British circus, focusing on one specific traveling circus.
It had a ton of useful details if you’re looking to write about an old-school circus, or just interested in them, and also had significantly less racial stereotyping than the book on a Mexican circus that was written in the 1990s, which is not to say that it had none. There are lots of color photos.
The first part, written by Smith, is about the circus when it’s doing its summer cycle of performances. The second part (noticeably less well-written and with a lot more animal death) is written by Hinde and is about what they do on their off-season, in which they perform indoors for pantomimes and prepare for the summer touring.
Smith emphasizes the grueling hard work of the touring life, often pointing out that British weather is absolutely miserable and they’re not only getting up and working at 4:00 AM, they’re often doing so in sleet or rain. And also, if it rains when a performance is scheduled, people won’t show and then they lose their money. But she also notes that they’re doing it by choice and have a lot of fun in between the rain and the feuds and the bad food. (Smith does not identify it as bad food, probably because due to rationing she wasn’t eating well either. I, however, was aghast at how the staple diet appeared to be tea, bread, chips, “sauce,” and Spam.)
Apparently Lady Eleanor Smith was one of the Bright Young Things, was a circus publicist and wrote multiple books on them including a collection of ghost stories called Satan's Circus (Fantasy and Horror Classics)[image error], and died young of causes I was unable to ascertain right around the time this book was published.
Thank you very much to the mystery benefactor who sent me this!
British Circus Life[image error]
[image error] [image error]
comments
It had a ton of useful details if you’re looking to write about an old-school circus, or just interested in them, and also had significantly less racial stereotyping than the book on a Mexican circus that was written in the 1990s, which is not to say that it had none. There are lots of color photos.
The first part, written by Smith, is about the circus when it’s doing its summer cycle of performances. The second part (noticeably less well-written and with a lot more animal death) is written by Hinde and is about what they do on their off-season, in which they perform indoors for pantomimes and prepare for the summer touring.
Smith emphasizes the grueling hard work of the touring life, often pointing out that British weather is absolutely miserable and they’re not only getting up and working at 4:00 AM, they’re often doing so in sleet or rain. And also, if it rains when a performance is scheduled, people won’t show and then they lose their money. But she also notes that they’re doing it by choice and have a lot of fun in between the rain and the feuds and the bad food. (Smith does not identify it as bad food, probably because due to rationing she wasn’t eating well either. I, however, was aghast at how the staple diet appeared to be tea, bread, chips, “sauce,” and Spam.)
Apparently Lady Eleanor Smith was one of the Bright Young Things, was a circus publicist and wrote multiple books on them including a collection of ghost stories called Satan's Circus (Fantasy and Horror Classics)[image error], and died young of causes I was unable to ascertain right around the time this book was published.
Thank you very much to the mystery benefactor who sent me this!
British Circus Life[image error]
[image error] [image error]
comments
October 11, 2019
Sherwood's new Marlovan book is out!
A Time of Daughters.
In a time of change and danger, peace sparks to war, and sons become daughters...
It’s nearly a century after the death of Inda, the unbeatable Marlovan commander.
Danet and Arrow, content in their arranged marriage, just want to live in peaceful obscurity and raise their family. But when a treaty sends them to the royal city to meet the heir to the throne, they discover that peace is fragile, old enemies have long memories, and what you want isn't always what you get.
By the time they learn that you can’t go back again, events ignite a conflagration that no one could have foreseen—except for the ghosts who walk the walls in the royal city.
This is the first half of an epic story of politics, war, family and magic in the beloved world of Sartorias-deles.
At Book View Cafe
Only $1.99 on Amazon: Time of Daughters I[image error]
[image error] [image error]
comments
In a time of change and danger, peace sparks to war, and sons become daughters...
It’s nearly a century after the death of Inda, the unbeatable Marlovan commander.
Danet and Arrow, content in their arranged marriage, just want to live in peaceful obscurity and raise their family. But when a treaty sends them to the royal city to meet the heir to the throne, they discover that peace is fragile, old enemies have long memories, and what you want isn't always what you get.
By the time they learn that you can’t go back again, events ignite a conflagration that no one could have foreseen—except for the ghosts who walk the walls in the royal city.
This is the first half of an epic story of politics, war, family and magic in the beloved world of Sartorias-deles.
At Book View Cafe
Only $1.99 on Amazon: Time of Daughters I[image error]
[image error] [image error]
comments
October 8, 2019
Nominate fandoms for Yuletide - 2 days left!
It's my favorite time of year!
How and where to nominate.
Who's participating this year? Who's still contemplating? What have you nominated or plan to nominate?
This year I nominated Rocannon's World by Ursula K. Le Guin, Finisterre: The Nighthorses by C. J. Cherryh, and Mojo Magical Horse Figurines.
The latter may require some explanation. This is a new fandom which currently exists only in my mind. These delightful magical horses are currently prancing about my bookcases. I intend to ask for a story in which they come to life.
MOJO Dark Unicorn[image error]
[image error] [image error]
MOJO Rainbow Unicorn[image error]
[image error] [image error] (Schleich image as Mojo image won't work).
MOJO Dark Pegasus[image error]
[image error] [image error]
MOJO Rainbow Pegasus[image error]
[image error] [image error]
I was unable to nominate this one as it's not Mojo, but Morbane said I could mention it as an optional detail. Behold the Safari Ltd. Pyrois[image error]!
[image error] [image error]
comments
How and where to nominate.
Who's participating this year? Who's still contemplating? What have you nominated or plan to nominate?
This year I nominated Rocannon's World by Ursula K. Le Guin, Finisterre: The Nighthorses by C. J. Cherryh, and Mojo Magical Horse Figurines.
The latter may require some explanation. This is a new fandom which currently exists only in my mind. These delightful magical horses are currently prancing about my bookcases. I intend to ask for a story in which they come to life.
MOJO Dark Unicorn[image error]
[image error] [image error]
MOJO Rainbow Unicorn[image error]
[image error] [image error] (Schleich image as Mojo image won't work).
MOJO Dark Pegasus[image error]
[image error] [image error]
MOJO Rainbow Pegasus[image error]
[image error] [image error]
I was unable to nominate this one as it's not Mojo, but Morbane said I could mention it as an optional detail. Behold the Safari Ltd. Pyrois[image error]!
[image error] [image error]
comments
October 7, 2019
Paperbacks From Hell, by Grady Hendrix
The Gilgul honors the beautiful traditions of the Jewish people with the story of a young possessed bride who sprays blood from her nipples.
I hope some day I can meet Grady Hendrix, buy him a drink, and talk for a while about terrible and surprisingly good paperbacks with lurid covers, because he and I are clearly sisters under the skin when it comes to a fondness for bizarre books.
Behind every successful soap star and ballerina is a controlling skeleton who doesn't understand personal space and gets 15% of everything she makes.
Hendrix had a series of reviews of 70s and 80s pulp paperbacks up at Tor.com as Freaky Fridays, plus a similar series he did with Will Erickson there as Summer of Sleaze. If you enjoyed any of those or enjoy my reviews of strange books, you will enjoy Paperbacks From Hell, which is based on those series and explores the history of 70s-80s horror paperbacks, with tons of gorgeous/WTF color cover illustrations.
Essentially medical thrillers in the vein of Coma, these novels stopped at every station of the genre and genuflected deeply.
He explores some of the social concerns underlying themes in the books with insight and humor:
A lot of fear surrounded pregnancy and childbirth, but fortunately horror paperbacks were there to address every new parent's fears with a resounding "Yes!" Yes, having sex will cause your baby to die, especially if that sex included female orgasm (Crib, 1982.) Yes, having a baby will cause a woman's breasts to look "as though a vandal had defaced a great work of art" (also Crib). Yes, you will be confined to a locked mental ward after giving birth (too many books to list). Yes, if you have an abortion the remains will be buried in a shallow grave behind the hospital, where they will be struck by lightning and reanimated as brain-eating babies who telekinetically explode your womb (Spawn, 1983).
He has some genuinely excellent brief histories of publishing houses, authors, and cover artists. Way more of the artists were women than I had realized. One artist sculpted a monster head to use as a basis for his cover painting; another used an anatomical drawing of a circulatory system that was so accurate that the editor booted it back for being too complicated.
Skeleton doctors are the worst doctors.
I also enjoyed his takedown of much of the splatterpunk movement, which he generally sees as a 2 Edgy 4 U boys' club.
(While reading it, I thought that perhaps the spiritual heir of this era of trashy horror is self-published Amazon romance. It certainly shares the attributes of being cheap, widely read, often completely batshit, and sometimes unexpectedly actually good.)
Some of the books he describes sound genuinely good, though frustratingly, many of those also seem completely unavailable. Others are just fun to read about:
Karen's neck is pregnant!
If you like this kind of thing, and I know I do, the book is an absolute delight. Also, I now have a rather long reading list and have bought a few books via Kindle, which you will eventually get to read about when I review them. If you've read this book, have you read anything because Hendrix mentions it?
Finally, a piece of wisdom for the ages:
Most important, try not to have sex with Satan.
Paperbacks from Hell: The Twisted History of '70s and '80s Horror Fiction[image error]
[image error] [image error]
comments
I hope some day I can meet Grady Hendrix, buy him a drink, and talk for a while about terrible and surprisingly good paperbacks with lurid covers, because he and I are clearly sisters under the skin when it comes to a fondness for bizarre books.
Behind every successful soap star and ballerina is a controlling skeleton who doesn't understand personal space and gets 15% of everything she makes.
Hendrix had a series of reviews of 70s and 80s pulp paperbacks up at Tor.com as Freaky Fridays, plus a similar series he did with Will Erickson there as Summer of Sleaze. If you enjoyed any of those or enjoy my reviews of strange books, you will enjoy Paperbacks From Hell, which is based on those series and explores the history of 70s-80s horror paperbacks, with tons of gorgeous/WTF color cover illustrations.
Essentially medical thrillers in the vein of Coma, these novels stopped at every station of the genre and genuflected deeply.
He explores some of the social concerns underlying themes in the books with insight and humor:
A lot of fear surrounded pregnancy and childbirth, but fortunately horror paperbacks were there to address every new parent's fears with a resounding "Yes!" Yes, having sex will cause your baby to die, especially if that sex included female orgasm (Crib, 1982.) Yes, having a baby will cause a woman's breasts to look "as though a vandal had defaced a great work of art" (also Crib). Yes, you will be confined to a locked mental ward after giving birth (too many books to list). Yes, if you have an abortion the remains will be buried in a shallow grave behind the hospital, where they will be struck by lightning and reanimated as brain-eating babies who telekinetically explode your womb (Spawn, 1983).
He has some genuinely excellent brief histories of publishing houses, authors, and cover artists. Way more of the artists were women than I had realized. One artist sculpted a monster head to use as a basis for his cover painting; another used an anatomical drawing of a circulatory system that was so accurate that the editor booted it back for being too complicated.
Skeleton doctors are the worst doctors.
I also enjoyed his takedown of much of the splatterpunk movement, which he generally sees as a 2 Edgy 4 U boys' club.
(While reading it, I thought that perhaps the spiritual heir of this era of trashy horror is self-published Amazon romance. It certainly shares the attributes of being cheap, widely read, often completely batshit, and sometimes unexpectedly actually good.)
Some of the books he describes sound genuinely good, though frustratingly, many of those also seem completely unavailable. Others are just fun to read about:
Karen's neck is pregnant!
If you like this kind of thing, and I know I do, the book is an absolute delight. Also, I now have a rather long reading list and have bought a few books via Kindle, which you will eventually get to read about when I review them. If you've read this book, have you read anything because Hendrix mentions it?
Finally, a piece of wisdom for the ages:
Most important, try not to have sex with Satan.
Paperbacks from Hell: The Twisted History of '70s and '80s Horror Fiction[image error]
[image error] [image error]
comments
October 6, 2019
Behold the honorable Mantis!
The morning glory
has captured my well-bucket;
I go to the neighbor for water.
- Chiyo-ni
I have a neighbor with a green Jeep that he spends an enormous amount of spare time tending. When he does so, I have to make him move it so I can get in and out of my garage, as his garage is next to mine and he has to park it behind them. (The garages are so small that the vehicle completely fills the space. Layla can testify to that as she once attempted to extract my car from it.)
Yesterday I pulled up and asked him to move his car so I could get in the garage. His hood was up, so he laboriously pushed the Jeep out of my way. I went to open my garage door (it's manual), and saw...
( Cut for praying mantis )
I haven't seen a mantis in my neighborhood in years, and there this little fellow was, climbing steadily up the crack between the garage and the garage door, feeling for each hold as carefully and deftly as any good climber. I stood and watched it for a while, hoping it would get high enough to be out of danger, but it was really taking its time. I finally went and parked on the street. My neighbor clearly thought I was insane.
When I walked back (I had to search for parking, then park a block away) I found that the brave little mantis had completed its trek and was poised triumphant at the summit.
( Cut for praying mantis )
comments
has captured my well-bucket;
I go to the neighbor for water.
- Chiyo-ni
I have a neighbor with a green Jeep that he spends an enormous amount of spare time tending. When he does so, I have to make him move it so I can get in and out of my garage, as his garage is next to mine and he has to park it behind them. (The garages are so small that the vehicle completely fills the space. Layla can testify to that as she once attempted to extract my car from it.)
Yesterday I pulled up and asked him to move his car so I could get in the garage. His hood was up, so he laboriously pushed the Jeep out of my way. I went to open my garage door (it's manual), and saw...
( Cut for praying mantis )
I haven't seen a mantis in my neighborhood in years, and there this little fellow was, climbing steadily up the crack between the garage and the garage door, feeling for each hold as carefully and deftly as any good climber. I stood and watched it for a while, hoping it would get high enough to be out of danger, but it was really taking its time. I finally went and parked on the street. My neighbor clearly thought I was insane.
When I walked back (I had to search for parking, then park a block away) I found that the brave little mantis had completed its trek and was poised triumphant at the summit.
( Cut for praying mantis )
comments
