Book Review: Horns

There's a certain segment of people that will find this book completely offensive.   Some might even say it borders on blasphemy.  Fortunately, I'm not in that segment and I loved every minute of it!

Horns, by Joe Hill is about a man who wakes up one day with a pair of horns growing out of his head.  Essentially, he slowly transforms into a demon.  Some might say a version of Satan.

It was a riot.  Well, a riot but also at the same time a pretty compelling take on love, loss, coming of age, betrayal...and sociopaths.  It was so easy to nestle in to the story line and the main character, Ig.

Joe Hill manages to create a character that readers empathize with  - regardless of all the questionable and sometimes downright malicious choices he makes.  Somehow, I never lost the feeling that he's not really such a bad guy.  Ig embodies those wrenching, sadly relatable human emotions that plague us all.

Along with the absurdity of the plot, Horns captures readers simply because you end up being insatiably curious about how it will all play out.  Between flashbacks to childhood experiences, to learning bit by bit the truth of the mystery which is the crux of the story, Horns was a chilling & entertaining pick.

Lately I've been choosing books to get me into the Halloween spirit.  My next read is The Book Thief, and I'm planning to delve into some classic horror novels I haven't read yet. 

Think Frankenstein by Mary Shelly and Dracula by Bram Stoker.  What better way to welcome fall and Halloween than with some time-honored monster novels?  And Horns was the perfect kick-off!

I forgot to mention, Joe Hill takes after his dad.  That would be Stephen King.  Yes, that Stephen King.  The apple doesn't fall far from the tree in that family!  Both father and son have creepy, creative, and sinister mastered.
 
So, for those of you looking to try a captivating and slightly malevolent read to usher in all things Halloween, I recommend checking out Horns.  Blasphemy be damned for those puritanical types! 

Ta-ta for now.

DIY Harvest Wreath

Oh, it's that time of year again alright.  Harvest time!  I seem to do way more crafting in the fall and winter, and this harvest wreath is my first project of the season this year.  Between Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas I definitely tap into the craftiness much more often once fall hits.

I guess it's the holidays & crispy weather.  Or perhaps it's because it coincides nicely with Alaska hibernation season.  Definitely one of the two. Because really - what better way to wile away the winter dark & cold than with crafts.  And booze.  But once again, I digress.

I've wanted to create a burlap wreath like this one for a long time, so I'm glad I finally got off my ass and did it.  It wasn't hard, thanks to you tube.  I followed this woman's tutorial for the burlap part, and free styled the decorating part.

I had a bunch of fall-themed decorations on hand already, and I found the orange thistle flowers I used on one of my favorite craft sites, www.save-on-crafts.com.  It's hard to believe how affordable their stuff is - well, minus the outrageous Alaska shipping costs, anyway.  Check it out, you'll be surprised at the variety and price.

I started with a standard Styrofoam wreath form, wrapped it with burlap & secured it with hot glue so the white wouldn't peak through.

Next, I cut the burlap into 5 x 5 squares, and glued each piece into little "pillows."  You basically just fold the pieces into triangles and glue the corners together to make little poufs.

There were more than a few sessions of picking the hot glue off of my fingers.  And I may or may not have burned my thumb a few times.  I never said I was precise. 

The finished poufs are on the bottom right

The fun part is arranging the poufs onto the wreath.  I squished them together and secured them with hot glue and pins, rearranging and jujing as I went.

Coming along

The part I struggled with was the design and spacing of the harvesty things I used on the wreath.  You can use whatever floats your boat, decorations-wise.  I was set on the harvest-theme, but you could easily go in a totally different direction.  Flowers, berries, something holiday specific...whatever you want. The burlap is pretty much a blank canvas.

I used mini-pine cones, acorns, wheat, orange thistle flowers & some brown nut/flower type carved pieces.  I still question whether my spacing, amounts, and positioning works, and I was especially unsure about the spikes of wheat sticking out, but overall I think it looks good.

I have to use this close-up picture of the flowers because the hubby thinks he's hilarious.

After I had a few days to check it out on the door as I was coming and going, I decided I love it!  Not too bad for my first autumn burlap wreath!

Now...what to tackle next at the start of hibernation/crafting season?  New harvesty cocktails or something crafty?  What the hell, who says I can't do both?  But maybe not together.  Could be messy.  Ha.  Gotta make the best of the winter suck, so standby for...stuff.

Ta-ta for now.

What's For Dinner?

My sister shared this recipe with me not too long ago and it's most definitely a keeper.  Great flavor combinations and healthy to boot.  Plus it features my favorite kind of olives:  Kalamata!

It's easy to pull together and I can't say enough about how much I love the texture of spaghetti squash.  It really can substitute for pasta.  Well, unless pasta is an absolute must.  Which if we're being real, is completely reasonable.

Sometimes pasta is just what you need and no substitute will do.  Okay fine, nothing can replace pasta.  Like how I did a 180 there?  I can't help it.  My love of pasta & bread is serious business.  But I'll stand by spaghetti squash as a nice alternative if you're not in that "pasta and pasta only" mind-set, and you feel like you need to shake things up.  This is what you'll need to make this deliciousness happen:
(For the complete recipe, scroll to the bottom.)

The first step is to roast the squash in the oven at 400 degrees for about 50 minutes.  All you need to do is slice the squash in half, scoop out the seeds, and smother it with extra virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper.  Place the squash cut side up on a baking sheet and just let it roast away.

Once you're at about 10 minutes until the squash is done, you'll want to get your veggies prepped & cooked.  Spaghetti squash has such a mild flavor on its own, so the bold taste of the olives and feta really work in this dish.

Once your veggies and feta are all bubbly and happy, you'll want to spaghetti-up the squash.  Its easy, you just have to drag a fork across the surface of the squash and it does its thing.

Try not to be distracted by my grody, well-used baking tray!

All that's left to do now is to plate it up.  Scoop out the squash and spoon your sauce on top of each serving, adding a little bit of parsley for a pop of color.  (I omitted the fresh basil in mine.  Just because I was lazy.)

This one's a tasty, light meal that you can't go wrong with - especially if you're a fan of feta and Kalamata olives. You know what?  I bet it would be even better with pasta.  And a side of bread.

Ta-ta for now.

Coming Around

Photo credit:  Giuseppe Crespi [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Don't think about it - just answer.  Favorite reading genre?  What was the first answer that popped into your mind?  I can tell you that for me, it wasn't historical fiction.  But a handful of books over the last few years have gradually changed my thoughts about it.

Until recently, I just didn't gravitate toward historical fiction.  But despite not being drawn toward it, over the last couple of years I've started to appreciate it more.

The shift happened gradually, and the reason was because of a select few books that fell into my lap.  Novels that stuck with me and subtly nudged me toward choosing more books that fall into that historical fiction category.  Maybe you'll find a new favorite.  Cause ya know I love to suggest good reads!

Brooklyn, by Colm Toibin
I loved this book.  I couldn't get enough of the fresh off the boat scrappy Irish girl making her way in the big city story line.  I can't deny the initial draw was the title (I was born in Brooklyn) and the fact that the main character is Irish.  Brooklyn in the early 1950's and a young, working class Irish woman taking her first steps toward independence and adulthood?  Throw in a love triangle with a young Italian and the Irish boy from back home? Yes and yes. Oh - and it's been made into a movie that looks pretty good.  Comes out in November, 2015.

The Pillars of the Earth, by Ken Follett

There's only one word to describe this monster of a book.  Epic!  It spans about 50 years, takes place in the Middle Ages & is almost a thousand pages, but man what a terrific read.  It follows the life and experiences of a medieval architect in England and his life long goal of building a cathedral.  It's a hefty one, but I'll recommend it to those brave souls who aren't intimidated by a book that can double as a doorstop.

The Chaperone, by Laura Moriarty
My favorite part about this one was the total transformation of the main character.  Readers meet her in the beginning of the book as a closed minded, Temperance movement, not immediately likable, early twenties woman.  But by the end?  It's a fabulous transformation to an open, compassionate, evolved woman who bravely followed her desire for happiness and love despite the restrictions & expectations of the rigid society she lived in.

The Kitchen House, by Kathleen Grissom
This one has been compared to The Help by Kathryn Stockett - which I haven't read yet.  The story and the characters in The Kitchen House get under your skin and stay with you.  The time period and unflinching look into the heartbreaking reality of plantation slavery in the time before the Civil War make it unavoidably heavy, but don't let that deter you from checking this one out.  It's a must-read for sure.

The House at Riverton, by Kate Morton
I'm a sucker for the "old woman looking back on her youth" narrator that this one's got going on.  It takes place via flashbacks of the main character - 98 year old Grace Bradley.  She tells the story of her time as a housemaid in the early 1920's at a grand English country house, Riverton Manor.  It's a mystery, a love story, and a terrific account of a time that's so far removed from anything close to my reality, that it sucked me in almost immediately. 

I can't leave out a little nod to one of my all time favorites, The Color Purple.  Now there's a top-notch historical fiction novel. Maybe one of these days I'll get around to watching the movie.

The book I'm reading now easily falls into this category of opening my mind toward historical fiction.  You may have heard of it, since it won the Pulitzer for fiction this year:  All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr.  It's the story of a blind girl in WWII France.  I'm digging it.

I have to say, these books have really helped me to give historical fiction more than just a passing glance.  It might just be a front runner in my book picks now.  Because truthfully, it's too damn hard to pick a favorite genre.  I heart them all.  Anyone want to join me in branching out?

Ta-ta for now.