In My Mailbox Catch Up: Steampunk, Fantasy and Royals

Okay, so I've been lazy lately and haven't done an In My Mailbox for a little while. Aside from lack of time, I've been going through a bit of a mailbox drought (though this is primarily self-imposed since work has been so busy).

Here are some of books that I've added to my shelves in the past few weeks:

NetGalley

Innocent Darkness by Suzanne Lanear
The Girl in the Clockwork Collar by Kady Cross

Library

Ruby Red by Kristen Gier
Hard Magic by Larry
Lone Wolf by Jodi Picoult
Blood Red Road by Moira Young

Bought

Pheonix Rising by Pip Ballantine
When the Sea is Rising Red by Cat Hellison
The Better Part of Darkness by Kelly Gay
India Black and Widow and Windsor by Carol K. Carr

For Review

Her Highness, the Traitor by Susan Higginbotham
Dark Eden 2: Eve of Destruction by Patrick Carman
The Queen's Pleasure by Brandy Purdy
The Flower Reader by Elizabeth Loupas

Weeknights with Giada: Quick and Simple Recipes to Revamp Dinner by Giada De Laurentiis

I have been a fan of Giada De Laurentiis for a long time. By now, I've integrated several of her recipes into my cooking repertoire and have even taken the liberty to tweak a few of the recipes to my own liking. I've always been drown to Giada's warm personality on camera and her accessible approach to Italian cooking. Not only is Giada's food easy enough to make, but it tastes excellent -and is certainly a favorite of my very Italian boyfriend.

When I saw the title of Giada's newest cookbook, I got excited. It seemed that she moved forward in her career, Giada's cooking had become more complex and not as accessible to the everyday person to make with a busy schedule. In fact, with Giada's more recent move to food that's designed to entertain, I've found that there are fewer and fewer of her new recipes that I can tackle -mostly due to complexity and time constraints. I was hoping that Weeknights with Giada would go back to her roots more, and offer dishes that could fit around my job and life.

I was a little disappointed. A handful of the recipes here do fall into that category of "weeknight dinners," but most really don't, at least they don't fit my definition of weeknight meals. Most recipes here take the more complex entertainment approach. The result certainly seem tasty, but doesn't work as a recipes for a working woman trying to put good food on the table Monday through Friday. Really, if the title had just been different, my disappointment wouldn't be so high.

Weeknights offers a handful of different categories: soups and salads, bruschettas, sandwiches and pizzas, pastas and grains; meat, poultry and fish; something called "change of pace," breakfast for dinner, veggies and sides, and desserts. The soups and salads section feels fairly basic and straightforward, with cioppino, gazpacho and a tasty beef and cannellini bean minestrone recipe. Bruschettas, sandwiches and pizzas offers some seriously foodie-oriented recipes that pretty much require a grill, panini press or grill pan, including a tasty-looking argula, pesto, ricotta, and smoked mozzarella pizza. Pastas and grains, Giada's signature dishes, was actually somewhat disappointing, it felt like a re-tread of many previous recipes with edits or virtually the same spirit. The section on meat, poultry and fish had a little more spunk to it, with some unique recipes, including a great take on balsamic-glazed chicken.

The "change of pace" section was particularly interesting and unexpected. This is where the concept of "revamping" dinner that's expressed in the title is really utilized. Giada takes a break from her usual Italian-inspired approach and explores a variety of other types of foods, including Filipino, Greek, Thai, Asian, Mexican and South American-inspired dishes that really stir things up in Giada's cooking. Even though this isn't Giada usual type of thing, "Change of pace" was actually my favorite section of the entire cookbook, it felt more fresh, accessible and had genuinely tasty treats, such as
sweet and spicy greek meatballs, Asian chicken salad, Thai lettuce wraps and Tilapia fish tacos with arugula.

Breakfast for dinner gave a few good twists on traditional breakfast recipes to make them a little heartier for dinner. If you're into this sort of thing (I'm not), then is a really unique section with great variety. Veggies and sides was fairly comprehensive, though it feels like it's not really needed here. The dessert section was particularly good, as I thought it was the best collection of desserts that Giada has ever offered, with some tasty-looking mini pumpkin cupcakes with chocolate frosting
and chocolate mascarpone pound cake.

Though not as accessible as previous cookbooks, there are still some tasty recipes in here that are worth the time and effort. However, I wouldn't call this a "weeknight" friendly cookbook.

Book Review: Starters by Lissa Price

Genre:YA science fiction

Hardcover: 352 pages

Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers

Release Date: March 13, 2011

Series: Starters (Book 1)

Source: NetGalley

 

Blurb: In the future, teens rent their bodies to seniors who want to be young again. One girl discovers her renter plans to do more than party--her body will commit murder, if her mind can't stop it. 

Sixteen-year-old Callie lost her parents when the genocide spore wiped out everyone except those who were vaccinated first--the very young and very old. With no grandparents to claim Callie and her little brother, they go on the run, living as squatters, and fighting off unclaimed renegades who would kill for a cookie. 

Hope comes via Prime Destinations, run by a mysterious figure known only as The Old Man. He hires teens to rent their bodies to seniors, known as enders, who get to be young again. Callie's neurochip malfunctions and she wakes up in the life of her rich renter, living in her mansion, driving her cars, even dating Blake, the grandson of a senator. It's a fairy-tale new life . . . until she uncovers the Body Bank's horrible plan. . . .

Kami Garcia, coauthor of the New York Times bestselling Beautiful Creatures novels said “Fans of The Hunger Games will love it.”

Review:

I wouldn't call Starters a dystopian novel, though it does have a similar feel. It's more of a unique and interesting YA science fiction novel that paints a unique vision of the future with an unexpected twist.

Starters takes place in the future, where it's become common for teens to rent their bodies out to elder people who want the opportunity to be young again. Young Callie is an orphan who lost her parents in a brutal genocide attack, left with nothing but her younger brother and the desperate need to make make ends me. Callie's only salvation seems to be renting out her body to seniors, also known as renters. But her body's newest tenant doesn't just want to party, but has more sinister plans in mind.

Debut author Lissa Price brings a compelling and incredibly fresh new vision to the world of YA fiction. Price introduces readers to the voice of Callie, a unique teen dealing with some very serious -and adult -issues who is willing to do what it takes to provide for herself and her brother. Not only does Starters offer an engaging thrill ride for readers, but it explores the concept of eternal youth, and discusses the fact that our culture is so obsessed with youth that some people would be willing to do just about anything to achieve it -no matter how unethical it might be.

I really enjoyed Price's writing style. It's easy to read, access, crisp and strong. Any reader can easily fall into this book and not have problems with getting lost. Price is a fabulous new author that promises some excellent thrills for readers and a unique new series that's unlike anything else out there.

Book Review: Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier

Genre: Teen Fantasy

Hardcover: 336 pages

Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.

Release Date: May 10, 2011

Series: (none)

Source: Library

Blurb: Gwyneth Shepherd's sophisticated, beautiful cousin Charlotte has been prepared her entire life for traveling through time. But unexpectedly, it is Gwyneth, who in the middle of class takes a sudden spin to a different era!

Gwyneth must now unearth the mystery of why her mother would lie about her birth date to ward off suspicion about her ability, brush up on her history, and work with Gideon--the time traveler from a similarly gifted family that passes the gene through its male line, and whose presence becomes, in time, less insufferable and more essential. Together, Gwyneth and Gideon journey through time to discover who, in the 18th century and in contemporary London, they can trust.

Review:

I actually hadn't heard that much about this book before I picked it up. In fact, it was the captivating cover of Sapphire Blue that initially caught my eye, but upon further investigation I realized that it was a sequel to Ruby Red. Being the type of reader that I am (and the fact that Ruby Red was already out), I decided to pick up the first book so I'd be ready for the sequel. What actually really amazed me is the fact that it took so long for me to see the connection between these two books, primarily because the covers are so different. I just hate it when a publisher changes the cover style part of the way through a series -it can really throw me off.

That aside, I really enjoyed Ruby Red.

Gwyneth's cousin Charlotte has spent a lifetime preparing for a rather unorthodox career: traveling through time as the inheritor of a gene that allows her to travel through time. That is, until Gwyneth finds that her mother lied about her birth date, and she has the time traveling ability as well. Now a time traveler, Gwyneth must dive into her unexplained past and discover the strange truth behind her abilities and the mystery Circle of Twelve that seems to hold the key to everything. Along the way, Gwyneth finds herself lip-locked with Gideon, another time traveler. Together, the pair race through modern and 18th century London to put the pieces of a much large plan together.

What really jumped out at me about Ruby Red was the writing style and the storytelling. Everything about it was just completely solid, easy to understand, comfortable to read and just really crisp and polished. It felt like there weren't any extraneous words at all, and the entire story read very quickly and cleanly. I really enjoyed the quick paced sentences that were very quick, to the point, but still effective and enjoyable to read. This approach also helped to really expand upon the great mythology that author Kerstin Gier is building here. The entire history of the time traveling gene and the mystery Circle of Twelve is unique and compelling, and I constantly found myself wanting to read more about it.

Ruby Red is a quick, fun read that I finished in just one sitting. Though light on some fronts, it hits many of the right buttons.

Book Review: Dark Eden 2: Eve of Destruction by Patrick Carman

• Genre: Teen Paranormal Thriller
• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
• Release Date: April 24, 2012
• Series: Dark Eden (Book 2)
• Source: ARC

Blurb: Will Besting and the other teens whose phobias were "cured" at Fort Eden have been summoned back by Mrs. Goring. Her dying wish is to see them together one last time. Or is it?

Ensnared in a dangerous, ever-deepening mystery, Will must lead his friends through a perilous underground trap masterminded by two devious souls at war with each other. It's a game of cat and mouse, and not everyone will be alive when it's over. Can Will outwit both Rainsford and Goring, ending their reign of fear forever?

Patrick Carman'sDark Eden: Eve of Destruction offers a harrowing journey into the depths of fear, love, revenge, and—ultimately—redemption.

Review:

When I first saw that there was going to be a sequel to Dark Eden, I wasn't sure what to think. I really didn't know how there could be a sequel, considering how the first book was put together and how it ended. The ending, though not too perfect for the good guys, pretty much tied up all the loose ends and left little for any subsequent novels (unless, perhaps, it involved different characters). I was still optimistic, however, since I enjoyed Dark Eden so much. Though some would say that the plot is thin, I really enjoyed the semi-horror-like feel of the book and the fast-paced thrills (not to mention the Poe references), so I thought Dark Eden 2 was worth a try.

In Dark Eden 2, all of the teens who had their phobias cured, even Will, have been called back to Fort Eden -and no one knows why. It's not long until they find themselves trapped in the Fort once again, and find themselves as nothing but the playthings of others in a much larger -and deadlier -game. It's up to Will to get everyone safely out of the Fort, though the need for revenge is hard to resist.

Dark Eden 2 partially fell into the trap that I was concerned it would: essentially repeating the same story as the first book. Only this time, the point of view didn't switch between each character and the characters weren't nearly as compelling since their they've already worked through their issues. I really felt like, this time, the story was somewhat of a rehash without much new material -at least not enough to warrant a sequel in my opinion.

Despite this, I was still flipping through pages to see what would happen next. Carman still brings his signature thrills to each page, and kept me enthralled until the end. So, not a complete loss, but I feel like Dark Eden 2 really missed some opportunities and just doesn't stand up to the first book.

Book Review: Dancing at the Chance by DeAnna Cameron

• Genre: Historical Romance
• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Berkley Trade
• Release Date: April 3, 2012
• Series: (none)
• Source: Netgalley

Blurb: New York City in 1907 is a kingdom of endless possibilities for anyone who dares to dream. The Gilded Age has ended, and immigrants fill the bustling streets. The glamour of Broadway lures those who desire the limelight-but only a few are fortunate enough to thrive in the lights of a city that casts long, dark, and merciless shadows... 

Pepper MacClair and her mother arrived penniless in New York thirteen years ago, and their fortune has not changed. A dancer of fluid grace and motion, Pepper is still only one chorus girl among many, struggling for an opportunity to prove herself worthy of something bigger.

For now, Pepper dances at The Chance, a rundown venue long past its prime. It is not only Pepper's workplace, where she has pushed her physical endurance to its limit, but also her home. And as the larger world changes around her and she is pulled into the intrigues of New York's elite, it is her last hope, not only to fulfill her dream, but to fulfill her heart.


Review:

New York City in the early twentieth century was a place of dreams, glitz, glamor and, most importantly, opportunity. The city is swarming with people looking for a new life, including Pepper MacCalir and her mother. The pair are penniless, but still harbor dreams of a better life. Pepper works as a vaudeville dancer at a rundown theatre called The Chance, though she's only a chorus girl. That is, until she finds an unexpected road to the city's elite, opportunities that could take her career to a different place, and a daring romance.

Author DeAnna Cameron transports readers to a lush and decadent time brimming with romance and elegance. Through practically every word, Cameron brings the beautiful world of the turn-of-the-century vaudeville stage to life, with all the gilded elegance it entails. Fans of historical novels will enjoy her in-depth research and romantic approach to something long past, but wrapped in elegance.

Though I never found myself fully invested in Pepper as a character, I was invested in her story and her struggles and, most importantly, I wanted to see her succeed and to find joy. The story told here is well-paced and solid, and offers everything that fans of historical romance novels should expect. I particularly enjoyed Cameron's portrayal of the period and the beauty infused into every sentence.

Romance and lush, Dancing at the Chance is a lovely historical that's a great escapist read for romance fans.

Mostly Metal Monday: Nightwish's The Crow, the Owl and the Dove Single

Nightwish is back with their second single from Imaginaerum: The Crow, the Owl and the Dove. The single includes a few different versions of just two songs, one of which is a previously unreleased track. According to band leader Tuomas Holopainen, Imaginaerum has no B-sides, so there's little additional material to release aside from what's already on the album.


The song we already know: "The Crow, the Owl and the Dove."

This single offers three version of the "The Crow, the Owl and Dove:" the album version, single version and instrumental version. Both the album and instrumental versions were previously released as part of the 2-disc special edition Imaginaerum album. So, not much new here (and, honestly, I generally prefer the full album versions of songs to the chopped-up single versions that are supposed to be more "radio friendly").

On first listen, "The Crow, the Owl and the Dove," was probably one of my least favorite songs on Imaginaerum. Compared to the rest of the songs, it just felt really weak and somewhat out of place. However, after more listens, I began to appreciate the beauty of the song more and found it to be a nice "quiet" harbor in the bombastic power that is Imaginaerum. Compared to the rest of the album, "Crow" seems to have more of an intimate, sit-down feel that becomes a moment to just bare all of the emotions going on in the album. Ironically, Tuomas has commented that this song, one of only two songs on the album that he did not write, is the most "pop friendly" song on the album, but it was written by the most metal guy in the band: bassist Marco Hietala.

Some aspects of this song reminded me a lot of "The Islander," mostly due to the way Anette and Marco's vocals weave together so effortlessly, plus the more folk-ish elements. Though it's not my favorite Imagnaerum song, "Crow" makes for an effective second single for the band.

The song we don't already know: "The Heart Asks Pleasure First."

Well, unless you're me and you haven't had the opportunity to see Nightwish live.

According to what I've read online, Nightwish has been performing a live version of "The Heart Asks Pleasure First," for years, but has not been able to release it due to copyright issues. You see, this song is actually a cover of the theme to the film "The Piano." Nightwish just added some lyrics and "metaled it up" a little bit. It wasn't until just recently that the band received permission to release the song, so they included in on their latest single.

The result is one of the most beautiful pieces of music I've ever heard. Nightwish makes this their own through the vocals and the guitars, and the core of the song, with its melodic and haunting strings and piano sections, fits perfectly with the band's other music. I was completely captivated by the pure, haunting beauty in this song and the deep atmospheric senses it conjures.

Nightwish did an excellent job of integrating lyrics into this song. They really don't seemed tacked on at all. The best part? Anette sounds like an angelic being that has somehow transcended reality here. When she started singing, I almost didn't believe that it was her -her delivery here is filled with so much power, innocence, romance and elegance that it almost moved me to tears. This is probably the best vocals she has ever delivered for the band. I love it -just, incredible.