Alison DeLuca's Blog, page 37

The Beauty of Rare Things

Some things don't appear that  often, and when they do they are lovely. Here are a few that make my heart bound when I see them:

1. A package covered with brown paper, string, and loads of stamps.

2. That orange light you see on a late afternoon of a sunny day in the summer.

3. The taste of chocolate in advent calendars.

4. The first book of a really good series.

5. A cat that is all grey and has those really big paws. It's even better if it is in the "baked bread" position.

6. The sound of a kid's belly laugh.

7. That moment when you catch a perfect wave with your boogie board and sail in to the beach.

8. Skiing down a hill in perfect powder on a sunny day.

9. The smell of old fashioned, home made potpourri...

10. And home made wine, especially Elderflower champagne.

11. Opening the door to your cozy hotel room, where you will be spending the weekend with a really great friend.

12. The crackle of an outside fire and the trail the sparks leave in the dark.

13. The smell of an old map.

Cool Movies Coming Out in 2012

Darn it, Harry Potter has ended (except for the millions of times that we'll watch the DVD's in a DeLuca family HP festival) and there aren't any more instalments to look forward to this year.

Still, there are some cool movies coming out in 2012, and here are a few that I'd like to see:

1. The Hobbit : This was one of my first favorite books, ever. I read it and reread it, loving the dwarves and the songs and the way Bilbo Baggins, who was such a homebody at the start, turned into a gifted "burglar." Okay, it doesn't come out until December, but with Peter Jackson at the helm, I'll be waiting, popcorn in hand.

2. While I anticipate Smaug, I'll watch John Carter, the movie of the American soldier who time travels to Mars. I loved these books by Edgar Rice Burroughs, and I'll hope for a series, that will maybe include my favorite, Thuvia, Maid of Mars. (I love all types of Pulp Fiction. Mm Hm. *nods*)

3. Since I can't have Harry Potter, how about Daniel Radcliffe in a ghost story, The Woman in Black? Oh yes please. While we're at it, can somebody please put Rupert Grint in another film? That would be just great.
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4. Fresh out in January, ready for the new year,we have The Divide. I wonder, will I be able to watch this extremely disturbing movie of a group of survivors in a basement, after a nuclear event? I don't know if I can, especially since there is a child involved. Nope, don't think I can do it. Although, if it was a book I'd read it; since I survived The Road (Horrifying but fantastic,) I can read anything.
Naaaaaaaah
5. Dorothy of Oz, coming in April: I read as many Oz books as I could when I was a kid, and this animated version looks pretty cool.

6. Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter: I love it. There's no guesswork involved with that title.

8. The Hunger Games: Hurray! It's the start of a new addictive series! I'm saved!
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Coming soon: Books to read in 2012

My New Year's Steampunk Resolutions

This year I will:


Acquire a real pair of goggles.


Learn the specs for a sentient automaton.


Discover the working boundaries for my Crown Phoenix typewriter that is really a quantum computer, and then push beyond them.


Develop a set of maps for The Night Watchman Express and the entire Crown Phoenix series. Because there is nothing like a book that comes with a map (see: Narnia, Middle Earth etc.)


Bring out Devil's Kitchen in print.


Finish the edit on The Lamplighter's Special, book three in the Crown Pheonix series.


Decide on the title for the final book in the series. (I'm leaning towards The South Sea Bubble or In His Majesty's Post, what do you think?)
Caricature of The South Sea Bubble

Write The South Sea Bubble (or In His Majesty's Post.)


Develop some Cogs and Gears Wine, or some Clockworks Brewery Ale. Or maybe just some Airship Pastries. Because why not?


Somehow meet this gentleman:

Book Food: Miranda Warning

There is something about books that makes me hungry. The act of reading just seems to go naturally with a pot of tea, of course, as well as a plate of scones and some finger sandwiches.

There are books out there that strengthen this connection. One obvious culprit is Dickens. His characters are always going off on picnics complete with pork pies, cold cider, and rounds of cheese. One of my favorite descriptions of his is his "curiously light wine, with a curiously heavy cake."

Another book that makes me hungry is Miranda Warning. I'm almost at the end (reading it slowly so it will last; I'm going to hate being finished) and I love the gorgeous descriptions of food. The book, a murder mystery, is set in Texas, so there is plenty of RC cola, banana whoopie pies, as well as buttery croissants and delicious coffee drinks.

Miranda, the main character, is just as delicious. She is a bit overweight (who wouldn't be, with all that food) and works in a run down law office where her boss often falls asleep on the floor. She has to learn to maneuver her rolling chair carefully so she won't squash his hand.

She is also a sax player in a local band, and one of her band mates gets bumped off in the beginning. The way that Miranda investigates the murder is funny and well written and completely believable. Oh, and there's a romance, too, and it is delicious as well.

To be honest, I'm not a huge murder mystery fan, but I'm enjoying this book with a great deal of delight. It should be savored, like a whoopie pie, for its flavor and creamy filling.

Getting Malled

NOT what I looked like at the mall.Yesterday my kid and I sashayed out to the mall, and I learned several things:

1. Those people who own the kiosk with the iPodTouch covers just outside the Apple store might as well be printing money right now. Thirty two dollars for a crummy plastic case with fake bling? Who's going to pay that? Oh, I am? Oh, okay.

2. If you buy your kid a toy for the stocking because said toy was really cheap on sale and you thought you were being slick, be prepared to go back and buy the ten other things at full price that you need to work that toy.

3. Plop a peace sign and glitter on anything, and a seven year old girl will want to buy it.

4. There are a lot of other people sashaying out to the mall, and parking spaces are quite scarce. I might as well have driven to a Katy Perry concert and expected to buy a ticket at the window as park my truck. Did I do that annoying thing where I followed an unsuspecting couple with bags in their arms to their car because they "looked done," and they "didn't have a stroller?" Maybe.

5. Did I say Katy Perry concert? Monster High dolls are like gold dust right now. Need a Zhu Zhu pet, though (that wind up hamster that I spent hours looking for two years ago? They are giving them away, I tell you.)

6. It is really, really important to keep a child fed with starchy foods. Otherwise, apparently, they do this alter ego thing that makes other shoppers look at you with the Oh There Is The Worst Parent In The World glare.

I hope that you have gleaned something from this, unless unlike me, you are sane and refuse to set foot in any sort of shopping area until January 2.

J.R.R. Tolkien and Christmas

One of my favorite Christmas books is by Tolkien. That's right, the Eye of Sauron guy. Like many wonderful children's books, Letters from Father Christmas was written as a series of letters to Tolkien's children, as if Father Christmas himself had written them.

They started in 1920. And for twenty two more years, Tolkien sent the letters, each one illustrated and written in Father Christmas's signature shaky handwriting. In 1921 the North Polar Bear, or NDP, began to add to the letters. The Bear always got into mischief and ended up being scolded by Father Christmas.

In 1936 the elf secretary Ilbereth entered. He and the other elves had to ward off Goblin attacks, so Tolkien had begun to incorporate Middle Earth concepts.

Throughout you can see hints of Tolkien family life. Father Christmas explains why the children won't receive that expensive gifts they requested (the NPB switched the labels or fell down the stairs on top of them) which gives us an idea of the parents' worries. That he did so in such a creative, satisfactory way is just another testament to his imagination and genius.