Fish Tacos

Temporary unemployment has its perks, one of which is the opportunity to experiment in the kitchen.  This past week has found me attempting to make some of those hundreds of Pinterest recipes that look delicious but that I never had the time to attempt before now.  One such recipe is for fish tacos; as someone originally from southern California, I've always had a soft spot for this dish, but I'd never considered attempting a homemade version before.  However, once I found this recipe, I figured I had a winner.  And if tonight's dinner was any indication, both the husband and I agree:  we'll be making this one again.

The Husband helping with the frying

The finished product

Longitude

Longitude

Dava Sobel

Length:  175

Genre:  History

In a nutshell:  Today, it’s relatively simple to determine one’s longitude:  all you need is a simple wristwatch and the ability to do simple calculations.  However, during the heyday of naval exploration, the “Longitude Problem” was one of the biggest scientific hurdles of the time, as clocks were not able to maintain time under the harsh conditions at sea.  In this account, Sobel relates the conditions surrounding the problem, as well as the personal stories, triumphs, and disappointments that went into solving this issue.  She deftly ties all the threads together into a story that is as informative as it is entertaining and suspenseful, one that is grounded in history but full of intrigue.  Longitude is a quick and fun read that left me thinking long after I finished the final page.

Recommended to:  anyone who’s a fan of history, astronomy, navigation and exploration, clock making, or tales of human ambition

The Last Guardian

Artemis Fowl:  The Last Guardian

Eoin Colfer

Length:  328

Genre:  YA Fantasy/Adventure

In a nutshell:  This is the final installment in the Artemis Fowl series, and it’s quite a finish.  The gang is all back, and once again they must work to foil an evil plan for the sake of the world.  It’s hard to give much more information than that, but fans of the series will appreciate Colfer’s ending to the series, as he wraps things up neatly.  Overall, it was a quick and fun read that continued the adventures of Artemis in typical Colfer fashion, with a fast-paced, tense, action-filled plot full of twists and turns, right up to the end.

Recommended to:  Fans of the Artemis Fowl series, of course; also recommend to fans of John Stephens’ Books of Beginnings trilogy, Michael Scott’s The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel series, Henry H. Neff’s The Tapestry series, and of course Harry Potter fans

Lately

New house!

Sorry to have been absent from the blog for so long (*ducks head in shame*).  This past year has been a very busy one, with The Husband finishing up med school and matching into his residency program, while I was working to finish my dissertation and to defend it for my PhD.  Now that graduation has passed for The Husband and I’ve finally submitted my corrections to my dissertation, much of my time has been spent moving in to and organizing our new house in North Carolina.  We’re mostly settled in now, and work has started for The Husband, so I’m spending my days job hunting and trying to fight off my weakness for the summer sales currently going on.  I haven’t been super successful on either front, though.  Hopefully from here on out I’ll be posting more regularly, so here’s to hoping…

Proof of my lacking willpower in the face of summer sales

This move has not been good for my obsession with McAlister's sweet tea

Map of Time

The Map of Time

Félix J. Palma

Length:  609

Genre:  Historical Fiction

In a nutshell:  Three distinct yet overlapping sections relay the stories of a cast of characters, set in Victorian England soon after the Jack the Ripper murders and around the beginning of the development of the time travel genre in literature.  Palma relates events in the intertwined lives of his characters through his omniscient narrator, who frames the novel in the context of three mysteries, each solved in a given section of the story.  The story focuses on the possibility of time travel and its potential repercussions while staying grounded in the individual stories presented over the course of the novel.  Overall, a slower but extremely enjoyable read, one that drew me in and gave me a lot to think about over the course of the novel.

Recommended to:  Fans of H.G. Wells, Jules Verne, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Carlos Ruiz Zafón, Diane Setterfield’s The Thirteenth Tale, Sarah Waters’ Fingersmith, Scott Westerfeld’s Leviathan series, Ted Bell’s Nick of Time series