Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

This is my fourth book by this Mexican-Canadian novelist and it never gets old. I first found her through the annual Obama reading list, which also never disappoints, and then I finish one and soon thereafter start another one. She is a gifted story teller, and often has a hint of the supernatural in the mix, and this one is no different. This is a historical fantasy of sorts– and it reads so much like a dark fairytale – Casiopea, a young girl who is living out the roaring 20's scrubbing the floors of her grandfather's house after her mother marries the wrong guy. She accidentally frees the spirit of a Mayan god of death one day and then the adventure begins. The god of death, Hun-Kamé, tells Casiopea this: help him recover his throne from his brother and he will give her whatever she desires. Fail, and it will mean her death. As the two embark on their adventure, unbeknownst to them is that the road before them will change them both forever. Casiopea’s journey depends entirely on Hun-Kamé’s success. Having been imprisoned for decades, Hun-Kamé draws life from the Casiopea’s blood and essence through the bone shard embedded in her thumb, thus binding the two in ways they will not anticipate. Their fates are entwined--one fails then so does the other, and so as strangers they need to utterly rely upon the other. It is a good story well told.

Cucumber, Avocado, and Shrimp Salad

This was a good cucumber salad--but I would alter the recipe slightly to put the avocado in after plating or it will look much less appealing. 1 pound English, Persian or Kirby cucumbers, rinsed and dried ¼ teaspoon fine sea or table salt, more to taste ¼ teaspoon granulated sugar 2 tablespoons soy sauce 1½ tablespoons olive oil 3 teaspoons toasted sesame oil 1 teaspoon chile crisp, more to taste 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined if you like 2 large ripe avocados 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar, more to taste 2 scallions, thinly sliced ¼cup chopped cilantro, for garnish Cut cucumbers into bite-size pieces. Add cucumber to a colander, and toss with salt and sugar. Let sit for 15 to 30 minutes, or until the pieces have released their moisture. Toss a couple of times while draining. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together 1 tablespoon soy sauce, olive oil, 2 teaspoons sesame oil and the chile crisp. Set aside. Cook the shrimp: In a large skillet over medium heat, combine shrimp with 1 tablespoon water, remaining 1 tablespoon soy sauce and 1 teaspoon sesame oil. Cover the pan and let the shrimp steam until pink and just cooked, 3 to 4 minutes, adding more water, 1 tablespoon at a time, if the pan looks dry. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the shrimp to the bowl with the chile crisp dressing and toss well. Pit and peel the avocados. Cut flesh into ½-inch pieces. Add to a large bowl and toss with the rice wine vinegar until well coated. Add the drained cucumbers, tossing gently to combine. Add the shrimp and all of its dressing and the scallions to the cucumber and avocado mixture. Taste and add more rice wine vinegar and salt, if needed. Garnish with sesame seeds and cilantro.

The Wager by David Grann

I did not know this, but apparently some popular non-fiction in the 18th century was the publication of the captain's log book. Yawn. This book tells a classic sea yarn in a new way, overthrowing an old colonial story. We meet the cast of sailors and their officers during the absurd-sounding War of Jenkins’ Ear, so named because it arose from the allegation a Spanish sailor cut off a British sailor’s ear. Really it was a clash of empires, as the British and Spanish grabbed as much of the New World as they could, then snatched it from each other. In 1740, His Majesty’s Ship The Wager set sail across the Atlantic. Its covert mission was to intercept a Spanish treasure ship off the Chilean coast. The sailors endured hardships as they rounded Cape Horn, where the strongest currents in the world pounded the ship so hard even veterans reeled. That was also where scurvy set in, and typhus. He relates the physical and psychological toll of the voyage, and when things to deteriorate on board, he focuses on these factors. There is a shipwreck, a mutiny, two different sets of castaways who make it back to England, and what happens to them in the end makes for a fascinating story.

Holiday in the Wild (2019)

Yes, it is true, I have been binge watching romantic comedies (but only when my spouse is on call, so I know that he won't be home until late, that chances are very good that I won't get to sleep early, and these are movies he has basically no interest in--a guilty pleasure, a vacation for the mind). In this one (also on Netflix) Rob Lowe (for me mostly famously from West Wing) and Kristin Davis (Charlotte from Sex and the City) pair up to deliver a tolerably good romantic comedy set in a spectacular setting (it is both set in and filmed in was filmed at the Lilayi Elephant Nursery in Lusaka, Zambia, and also filmed at Camp Jabulani in Hoedspruit, South Africa). So if you never had an African safari, or better yet, you did and you loved every minute of it, this will tick all those boxes). The movie opens with Kate being dumped by her long time husband literally as the door is closing on their only child leaving for college. Unfortuanately she did not see this coming, so she decides to take her second honeymoon safari on her own, and lo and behold, her bush pilot is also involved with an elephant rescue operation, and so en route to her luxury safari, they touch down to save a baby elephant after it's mother has been killed for her ivory by poachers. Kate not only loves animals (and who doesn't love elephants) she was trained as a vet prior to becoming a stay at home mom, and she stays to provide medical care to the herd and to fall for the very charming pilot. To be clear, this isn’t a bad film. If you like elephants, for example, you’ll love this. If you want to watch Lowe emit a low-level hum of charisma, this is the film for you. If you like knowing exactly how a film will go, beat for beat, right from the very first scene, you won't be disappointed. This is a nice, pretty, easy, undemanding film; it’s cheesy, but it’s also really quite charming.

Pure Colour by Sheila Heti

It is hard to write a review about what this book is about exactly. The one thing that I can say is that it centers on the grief the main character experiences upon losing her father, and it goes into every corner of that emotional experience. There is a touch of the fantastical, in a kind of matter of fact way, the way it happens in a Kazuo Ishiguro book, where it seems possible for a long time before you realize it is not quite possible, and more like fantasy. Then there is a part of it that is deeply spiritual, in an old timey biblical sort of way, and the whole thing has some shape shifting stream of consciousness about it. One review I read said that part of the author’s charm is her knack for coming from as far out of left field as possible, and here she has amped up her unpredictability as far as it can go, and then she proceeds to reel it all back in again. It is charming and lyrical, and it also gives you a lot to think about, especially if you have lost your father or are about to.

Reina Punch

This comes from a fun cocktail book called Batch Cocktails, which are recipes that make more than 1-2 drinks and can be scaled up for a pre-mixed cocktail at a party. Ever since we redid our outdoor eating and cooking area, we have enjoyed having the occasional bar menu, and this cocktail was featured at a recent party to thank ICU workers for their service during the pandemic and beyond. 2 1/2 cups chilled blanco tequila 1 1/4 cups Pinot Noir 1 1/4 cups chilled hibiscus–bell pepper syrup (recipe follows) 2/3 cup water 1 1/4 cups fresh lime juice To Serve 8 lime wheels 13 rosemary sprigs (optional) Hibiscus-Bell Pepper Syrup 1 red bell pepper, stemmed and seeded 1 cup sugar 1 hibiscus tea bag (such as Traditional Medicinals) 1 cup boiling water For the Hibiscus-Bell Pepper Syrup Using a very sharp knife, slice red parts of bell pepper into the thinnest strips you can manage. Place in a heat-safe bowl along with sugar and use a muddler to bruise slightly. Let macerate for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. When time is almost up, steep tea bag in boiling water for 3 minutes, then discard tea bag and pour hot tea over bell pepper mixture. Stir to incorporate sugar. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a resealable container and let cool. Refrigerate until chilled or for up to 2 days. For Reina Punch At least 2 hours and up to 12 hours before serving, make the batch. Pour chilled tequila, Pinot Noir, chilled hibiscus–bell pepper syrup, and water into a 2-quart pitcher and stir to mix. Seal well, covering with plastic wrap if needed, and refrigerate. Up to 2 hours before serving, prepare lime juice and stir into pitcher mix. Reseal and return to refrigerator if not serving immediately. To serve, stir mixture well and add lime wheels to pitcher. Pour into ice-filled rocks glasses and garnish each glass with a rosemary sprig.

Poverty, By America by Matthew Desmond

It’s no wonder Americans have failed to eliminate poverty, sociologist Matthew Desmond (recipient of a MacArthur Foundation award) maintains in his new book. He believes the better-off are fighting a class war, keeping the poor down by design. Desmond shows that poverty blights rural white areas but that its hardest core is African American and urban. Having written the entry on racial capitalism for the New York Times 1619 project, Desmond is sensitive to the way poverty intersects other forms of subordination. The brilliance of this book lies in his account of how government and social policy act in ways commensurate with his class-war thesis. Living paycheck to paycheck means a precarious existence for people near the margin of daily survival. One cause is a labor market that forces workers to help companies achieve profits while underpaying them, simply because they can. He shows that the American economy has increasingly allowed business to enjoy power to coerce people into earning less for doing more--it is the second Belle Epoque, which is only aptly named for the richest of the rich. He shows how we need to turn that around so that everyone pays their fair share.

Happiness For Beginners (2023)

This is kind of a feel good romantic comedy that has elements of real life woven in. A year after her divorce, 32-year-old Helen Carpenter lets her brother persuade her to sign up for a wilderness survival course. We first see Helen sitting alone at a party at the aforementioned brother's house. All around her, people are talking, drinking, laughing, and dancing. She does not seem to notice anyone and no one notices her. She pulls out a piece of paper to re-read her list of goals for her upcoming hiking trip: 1. Find a deeper connection to nature. 2. Rise up from my own ashes like a freaking phoenix. 3. Earn a damned certificate. The ashes she wants to rise from are her divorce and the unhappiness that led to it. But you do not have to go too far out on a limb to guess that she will learn to acknowledge some other ashes from her past on the trip. When the leader, Beckett, says that the hike, 81 miles on the Appalachian Trail in Connecticut and New York, will be “daunting but beautiful,” he is also talking about life and all of the challenges and opportunities we face. You will probably also guess where this is going when Duncan’s friend Jake shows up as one of the hikers. He and Helen pretend they have not met before to avoid complicated explanations. Like a mapped-out trail, you know where it will end up, but there's enough to enjoy along the way. Another Netflix fluffy movie to put on your list.

Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton

I read a review that said the author has captured our collective despair about climate change, in that those of us who believe lack the power to change the crash course we are on, and those who have it are trying to make all the money they can regardless of the consequences. This is far shorter than the only other book that I have read by her (The Luminaries) but no less complex in it's story telling. The finishing of this also puts me well on the way to completing Obama's summer reading list, which always gives me a sense of accomplishment! It’s hippies versus billionaires--sort of. A group of Greenpeace style commandos decide to do some kamikaze planting after a land slide isolates a part of New Zealand, and things go terribly wrong. There is a lot of nuance in the story telling, with the second half of the book veering into the thriller genre, and with a take home message that will have you thinking about it long after you close the book.

ABCDEF Cocktail

The taste is complex as expected with these ingredients. The gin functions as the base, with a slightly modified flavor, in a way somewhat malty, almost like Genever, probably due to the addition of pisco. The main bitter component, Aperol, is lighter than the typical bitter cocktail, making for a nice color and lighter flavor which goes well with dry Dolin vermouth. The Campari and Fernet serve almost more as bitters, although they add significant flavor to the cocktail, vying for your attention, over the light Martini like undertones of this cocktail. Aperol 0.5 oz Gin (traditionally Beefeater) 1.5 oz Campari 0.25 oz Dolin Dry Vermouth 0.75 oz Pisco (traditionally Encanto) 0.5 oz Fernet-Branca 1 barspoon Stir with ice, strain into cocktail glasses