I just finished enjoying my first cup of George Howell’s Terroir coffee (Tarrazu, Costa Rica). As the mug cools, I regard the grounds collected at the bottom, like tea leaves, trying to divine some inspiration.
The Market Street Market, only recently established, carries these and other blends of beans. Walking through their already open door, we were greeted by Robert Nason, owner and resident cashier jockey, which combined made me feel immediately welcome.
After reading about their imported chocolates on Kathleen Pierce’s Gourmet Gal blog, I knew I wanted to try the Taza Mexican discs - bitter dark chocolate made with dried chili for a bit of heat in the finish. I think it’s important for a proprietor to know more about the products they carry than just the SKU numbers and Robert was no exception; he informed us about the Somerville-based chocolate company and the texture of their organic, stone-ground candies.
But it’s not all fancy coffee and chocolate, they also carry all the staples. In no particular order, I saw rows of fresh produce, peppers, cereal, frozen waffles, olives, oils, goat & mozzarella cheeses, homemade cannolis, flowers, paper products, made to order calzone (also known as dinner), and the pièce de résistance, a hand-squeezed orange juicer.
(Aside: at 7:30 p.m., there weren’t many fruits and vegetables left. This was encouraging; a high turnover rate ensures the food you’re getting is fresh.)
To my relief, they open early enough for my lifestyle (8 a.m.) and close reasonably late (8 p.m.)
Welcome to the neighborhood! I’m sure you’ll be seeing more of us. Thanks for enabling my burgeoning coffee snobbery.
First of all, a BIG thank you to Russ Marshalek for sending me an ARC of “Anointed”. He heard from the twitterverse that I was was a fan of Christopher Moore, and thought I might be interested in Zach Steele’s story of the man who would be Christ (or the corporate equivalent thereof). I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I must admit, I’m a hard sell for “comedy” books, and I hardly ever read fantasy; while I love Christopher Moore and Douglas Adams, sometimes I go into “funny” books, especially religious funny books, with one eyebrow safely raised. I tend to reserve judgement for a good forty or fifty pages, but Timmy Webb totally won me over. A classic anti-hero in the beginning, I soon found out that Timmy is the kind of Christ I’d follow around (if I did that sort of thing.)
“Anointed” was a romp, fast paced and witty, full of characters who you’ll enjoy getting to know. Better, they are characters that you feel you might already know. I’m an office-dweller by day, and without giving away too much (you’ll know it when you read it), Steele’s group of wacky apostles could fit right in at any of the cube-cities dotting the corporate landscape. The entire Christ Corporation crew in fact, bears an eerie resemblance to some of the companies I’ve worked for in the past.
Steele brings a lighthearted sense of fun to the story, and manages to make even his oft-maligned Ms. Morningstar endearing and essential. God is equally delightful, with a carefree voice that at times reminded me of the ultra-quirky King of All Cosmos from Katamari Damashi (I’m equally proud and ashamed that I can make such a nerdy comparison). These characters brought a great sense of whimsy to the read. I often found myself sitting in cold bathwater, giggling to myself, forgetting to get out of the tub. That’s a great sign, as there is no greater enemy to me that cold bath-water (just ask Ed)!
What I didn’t expect out of the book was some really gorgeous writing. Steele has all these razor-sharp witty retorts and observances, and then hits you with a description of a view or a sentiment that really showcases his writing talent. One line in particular, which I won’t spoil for you, just completely got me. I forgot for a moment that I was reading one of those “funny” books.
So, file my name under “Steele fan-girl”, put me on the email list for the next book, and go get yourself a copy of “Anointed”. You’ll love it.
Welcome to the second installment of the “Kindle Unboxing Experience”. You’ll get to see the “tutorial” set-up on the Kindle, as well as a glance at the Kindle’s on-demand dictionary function.
Stay tuned next time for an introduction to Tom, Kindle’s onboard text-to-speech voice (you know, the one that’s causing all the hubbub in the audiobook community).
Our Kindles came in on Wednesday, and we finally have the first installment of our “Unboxing Experience” ready for prime time!
Keep an eye out for future episodes of our Kindle series… we’d love to give it to you all at once, but we can only break ourselves away from them for a few minutes at a time to come up for air, feed ourselves, and edit the video. We hope you understand that we here at DSR have very strict priorities, most of which revolve around entertaining ourselves (and isn’t that the point?)
“The Rose Variations” by Marisha Chamberlain came to me as an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) from the very awesome folks over at Soho Press. My sincere thanks to Soho for turning me on to this great first novel, and my congratulations to Marisha Chamberlain for a beautiful and consuming story. I read almost non-stop over three days, unable to part with it for long.
“The Rose Variations” follows the story of Rose MacGregor, the “Girl Composer” in residence at a St. Paul university in the 1970’s, fresh from her emancipation from a strained life back home in New Hampshire. During her years in St. Paul, we experience the highs and lows of Rose’s life, and the relationships that fill the new chapter of her life out in the world; We meet her co-workers Alan and Frances, her wild sister Natalie, addled best friend Ursula, and a host of friends and acquaintances who will have a profound effect on Rose, and on the reader. “The Rose Variations” is an intimate tale, filled with rich and complex characters, people that for all their faults you would want the chance to know in your own life.
Chamberlain acknowledges not just the instances of deep loneliness and new passion that fill our lives, but also the little storms, the near misses and might-have-beens, the triumphs and disappointments that steer our course. It is the intimate exploration of these small lives that makes this story and its characters so inviting, and makes the journey we take with Rose so compelling.
Chamberlain’s style has an earthy, tranquil appeal. She observes the world with a grounded insight, and describes it in delicious prose. The change of seasons serves to underscore the story, in the “boiling green springtime” of Rose’s arrival in Minnesota, the “flower-thickened sounds” of the summer countryside up north. Chamberlain marks the passage of time beautifully throughout the novel, immersing us in transient external and internal landscapes. Even more alluring than her eye for season and setting, Chamberlain possesses a talent for bringing fullness to her offbeat cast of characters. She has sympathy and affection for them, but even in this sympathy, the novel is not a collection of neatly packaged happy endings. Her aim is never truer than in the moments where she reminds us how crushingly unfair real life can be.
“The Rose Variations” is a beautiful first novel, one that will earn much praise and attention from critics and new fans. This fan for one is very much looking forward to Marisha Chamberlain’s future work.
Now, I know I’m a geek. Everyone knows I’m a geek. But I’d actually never read the Hitchhiker’s Guide!
I know, it’s like saying you have the BA in Nerd Arts, but still having 3 gen-ed credits to fill. Anyway, I was the poorer for it. It was FUNNY! I actually listened to the Audio version narrated by Stephen Fry, who is fabulous. I recommend that version for anyone out there who likes audiobooks.
Hitchhiker’s Guide is laugh-out-loud funny, savvy, down to earth, and just a really fun take. You don’t even have to be a nerd like me to enjoy it, I promise. The story is fast-paced, with sense often having to run to keep up with plot (in an enjoyable way). Adams imagery is flawless, his characters lighthearted and human (well, in some cases). It’s an adventure story in the best ways, a social satire that we can all relate to, and just a really good time If the rest of the galaxy is as it’s told by Adams, sign me up.
The movie, not as impressive. Although it benefitted from a decent cast, and Douglas Adams’ input into the screen adapt, it just couldn’t capture the same free-wheeling joie-de-vie of the book. As is usually the case, the book was light-years (sorry, I had to) ahead of it’s film counterpart.
I had seen the movie version of “Everything is Illuminated” probably about five years ago- long enough ago to let the visuals of the movie fade so I could fully enjoy the book on its own merits. As is usually the case, the book was much better.
“Everything is Illuminated” is many things; At moments, it is laugh out loud funny (I couldn’t read it at lunch in work for fear of bursting out laughing at the table!). It shows us slices of life that prove we are not all so very different. It is at times irreverent, surprising, and heartwarming. Even the dog becomes a beloved character, in a way which does not usually occur in most stories.
It is also incredibly serious, unapologetic in its depiction of the war. It deals not only in the horror experienced at the time, but the war that all survivors carry with them for decades after. Jonathan, Grandfather, even Alex, were all in their own way, victims of that war. The holocaust claimed more victims than even history books will ever calculate.
The novel is faithful in its depiction of the real life of the war as well, the life in between the atrocities. The shtetl of Trachimbrod is a symbol of the reality experienced in every village that found itself under the thundering wheels of the Nazi war machine, facing the darkness by carrying on, marrying, loving, celebrating, keeping secrets, keeping traditions. Foer accomplishes something universal in anonymizing the people of Trachimbrod, giving them only so much identity to love, and just enough universality to make us understand that it could have been anyone, even us.
This is an incredible book, touching a wide range of the emotional spectrum, holding us to the end in a firm but careful grasp.
The book was gorgeously written, very delicate and reserved, intimate in Griet’s understanding of the world. It is written in such a way that after holding one’s breath for chapters, the suspense is richly rewarded. Definitely a great read.
About the author
I’m a writer, artist and degenerate internet addict. I have a day job only to keep the lights on and the internet working. I’m not always PG, but I’m always A+ (not to mention humble.) Please do not try to make me think before coffee. It will only end in tears.
