If you missed me last week (and I missed you!), I didn't get the Soup out because we had a Girl Scout camp out over last weekend. I was in charge of cooking chili and cornbread outdoors for 35 people, which caused me to panic a little bit when I started really thinking through the logistics. Fortunately, I had training, references, and several really helpful helpers; plus, people just get hungrier in all that fresh air, and as they say, hunger is the best sauce. I got tons of compliments for the recipe, which included such gourmet ingredients as Ragu tomato sauce and McCormick taco seasoning spice packets. Haut cuisine, baby.
Soup Dish: book people are talking about...
✽As far as I can tell, the internet has been pretty quiet this week in terms of bookish uproar. Perhaps everyone is busy kicking off their summers. Where I am, it's just starting to get summery. I did spot one article on paperbacks vs. e-books that was pretty interesting - no conclusions, but I think it's an interesting concept that physical books will
become art objects imbued with nostalgia, akin to vinyl records and Polaroid cameras. As e-books increasingly become our main means of digesting literature, print books of every binding will stop being mass-produced and start becoming more “bespoke”...
✽Patricia Gaffney's Wickerly trilogy came up over at Pamela's place a few weeks ago, and BAM, in the crazy coincidental way of things, it is being re-issued electronically and discussed over at Dear Author. In addition, I finally got my hookup for the June Retro Reads and it includes another classic Patricia Gaffney title, Crooked Hearts. So it's shaping up to be a Pat Gaffney kind of summer.
✽You can feel the excitement building up in the romance community for RWA 2013 in Atlanta. I can't go to that, but I'm looking forward to the bookfair at the Greater Seattle RWA conference in October. I got to thinking that it would be really fun to try to host some king of blogger/author workshop, but I was too late when I pinged the organizer. I'm still pondering a little bit about maybe doing something in the area that weekend that isn't officially sponsored. I don't know very many local bloggers though... are you out there? Let's talk!
What I'm reading
✽Lately I have mostly just been finishing up things that I have already talked about. I finished Anna Campbell's Midnight's Wild Passion, Laura Wright's Eternal Demon, Jill Shalvis' It Had to Be you, and of course, Nalini Singh's Heart of Obsidian. I'm feeling inclined to review one or three of those, but I'll just say, recent reading exceeds all reasonable expectations.
✽Currently in progress is Janelle Denison's Born To Be Wilde, a contemporary that I got as part of a 6-pack special anchored by Carly Phillips. So far, I like it a lot!
✽I have a google alert set for blog articles about "Alpha Heroes," and recently it led me to this article, entitled Alpha Heroes and Kimchee. Hee. Great side benefit? There is a free short e-story posted in the article, any format you prefer. I don't know this author but I'm willing to check it out just for the blog article title.
✽Oh, and I see that Marilyn Pappano has a new release coming out this week. Her Bethlehem books with their slightly goofy guardian angels have a very fond place in my heart. I have lost track of her stuff in the interim; perhaps I'll nab this one.
On Tap... what soup isn't a little better with a slosh or two?
I still have a crush on Sam Adams. The Cream Stout is still a favorite because mmm chocolate, but when the temperature goes up a little more, I tend to prefer a lighter, fruitier ale - so Sam Adam's Blackberry Wit came home with me last week. (When it gets REALLY warm, nothing beats a Pyramid Apricot Ale, though.)
I am still experimenting with lagers and pilsners, but in general I am liking the ales better. apparently, my palate isn't sufficiently educated to be able to articulate exactly why, so until I can, I will probably keep trying them now and then -- as long as they aren't too hoppy.
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