Mysterious Scottish Library Lover, get at me.

Okay you guys, I think it's time for a confession.  

The mysterious fantastically talented Scottish library lover?  

I know you all thought it was me.   It's not!  

I did not do this.  But I wish I did!

I'm actually Banksy.  

Just kidding.  But in all seriousness, how incredible are these pieces, and how much do you want to find one in your library?  I am hooked.  

I want to know what's next and who is the creative genius behind these!

Andalsoifwecanbebestfriendsandmaybeifyoucouldmakemeone...that would be cool too.

Very Important Thoughts By The PaperblogPrincess:

1.  Alice has a new haircut.  I didn't say it was a good one.
2.  There is not nearly enough of Jasper's constipation face in this trailer.
3.  How is it possible they were able to convince Taylor Lautner to keep his shirt on for the whole trailer?  Is it because he becomes a pedophile in part 2?  Was that the deal?
4.  Heheheheadboard!
5.  Oh, how I love Michael Sheen. You, sir, are possibly the only one who both sees and delights in this movie for what it really is:  a really great excuse for a drinking game.
6. Four movies in and they can't afford better makeup? HOW DO THEY STILL HAVE CAKEFACE?

News(ies) Flash

Last I heard, Newsies the Musical was no more than something I one of my ladyfriends made up after a few drinks, and wrote it off thusly.  BUT NO.  It is truth! TRUTH!  And you guys.  Check out this footage via Jezebel, via somewhere else.  SQUEE. 

Is it just me or is it slightly odd to see moderndudes dressed in moderndudewear, singing Newsies songs?  But more importantly: new Crutchy.  Will he limp as unconvincingly as OG Crutchy?  If not, I'm not sure I can get behind the revival.  Clearly I'm making this up for dramatic affect, kind of like those accents.  Where can I get my tickets already?

Recipe 38: Roasted Eggplant Soup

It became abundantly clear to me in, uh...March, that it was unlikely that I'd be able to complete the Le Creuset 52 Challenge this year, especially considering I was going away for the entire summer.  I definitely couldn't bring it to Chile with me; seeing as part of my apartment intruder-attack plan includes flinging Blue at said apartment-intruders head, I'm pretty sure it counts as a weapon of mass destruction (especially if you are a vegetable inside it, badoom ching! It's a good thing I make myself snicker...)  As per, I'm off on a tangent, so let us return to our regularly scheduled programming:  my new plan is to eventually get to the 52 recipes mark, as originally planned.  It may just take two calendar years though.  But we'll get there!  

BB: Before Blending

In other news, I've been sharing a farm share with the biggest little soccer fans this side of the Charles, the chef and publicity guy behind the fabulous Asphalt Kitchen.  Except since I wasn't here, they have been eating drowning in my half of the share for most of the summer.  Bean stopped by my first day back in town with a rather large shopping bag quite literally bursting with veggies.  It's a little overwhelming.  Luckily, the bountiful crop of veggies this time of year have forced me to crack open the cookbooks and start making the recipes I've been earmarking.  This week I invited the Asphalt Kitchen over to make Smitten Kitchen's Roasted Eggplant Soup.  We more or less followed the recipe, although I added some cayenne, cumin, and corriander to it (as suggested), and did have to substitute rosemary for thyme because I thought I had some and didn't.  Oops. 

AB: After blending

Everyone loved this soup.  Everyone but me.  Don't get me wrong, I really, really, really liked it.  I just found it incredibly bright, as though it needs something to bring it a little more down to earth.  Next time I make it (and I will, it is incredibly easy and uses up sooooo many of my farmshare veggies), I plan on trying some of the suggestions in the comments by either adding tahini or paprika.  Did anyone who has tried this recipe or some variant find the same? How do you do it differently?  Suggestions on how to make it more earthy, por favor!

Roasted Eggplant Soup
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen, where it was adapted from Bon Appetit

Serves 4

Three kinds of cheese, two kinds of tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini, green onions, and onions, all from Farmer Dave's farm, are visible in this one picture !

Stolen, by Lucy Christopher: Wherein Australia steals my vote AGAIN

Stolen
by Lucy Christopher
Chicken House (Scholastic, Inc.): New York, 2010.
ISBN: 978-0545-17093-2

I’m just going to go out on a limb and say it:  I still have no idea how Shipbreaker won a top literary prize when it was up against so, so, so many better written books.  Like, say, Stolen, by Lucy Christopher.  Holy, creepy, moly, is this a stunningly well written book, gorgeous in descriptive and evocative language, often striking chords and depths of frightened/confused/sympathetic emotions with a reader in ways that frankly, many YA books strive to reach, but just can’t quite get to.  So again.  I fail to see how a great story with excellent writing is just an honor book (like so many others this year), while a great story with just good writing (in my opinion) was the winner.  AHEM.  End of rant. 

Sixteen-year-old London teenager Gemma is on her way to Vietnam with her parents for vacation when she is drugged and abducted by a handsome, blue-eyed, oddly familiar stranger during her layover in the Bancock airport.  When she finally wakes up, she finds herself in desolate house filled with years of provisions, in the middle of a foreign desert.  Ty, her captor, is the only other human for hundreds of miles.  Naturally, Gemma is terrified, confused, and wants to escape.  Naturally, Ty doesn’t want her to, but curiously also doesn’t want to harm her in any way.  Over time, Gemma discovers that he has been planning this for years, following her and her family, learning everything he could about her as he planned and built his isolated desert compound.  However, as Gemma and her readers come to know Ty, his kindness, and his story, surprising and confusing feelings of sympathy emerge.  In this terrifyingly gripping story of survival, lines are blurred between hate, compassion, empathy, captivity, and freedom. Striking and gorgeous descriptions of the Australian Outback are juxtaposed with a rich, realistic, and evocative spectrum of emotions.  This boldly written first person narrative is recommended for teens grade 8 and up, and may even hold special interest for adults who want a read-alike of books like Emma Donoghue’s Room. 

Sidebar: It is my understanding that Lucy Christopher is not-quite-Australian, but lived there for a while.  I’m counting her and this book in my funloveparade of awesome lit coming straight of that giant landmass down under.  Seriously.  Keep it up, Australia!  If you couldn’t tell, I thought this book was fantastic.  Terrifying and confusing.  But dayum the man.  Never did I ever think it would happen,  but Lucy Christopher takes us right along with Gemma; I too developed a wicked case of Stockholm Syndrome before I saw it coming.  Sure, you could argue the camel capture and taming is kind of an obvious metaphor.  But in a book that creates such a frighteningly real yet foreign world, it’s not outside of the scope, and moreover, it works.  This story has great adult appeal, and yet also works so well in the YA length and format; we really just need the high/lowlights that Gemma gives about her experience.  I could say more but won’t waste your time; do yourself a favor and just read it.  You won’t regret it!

Black Hole Sun, by David Macinnis Gill: Baby Browncoats?

Black Hole Sun
by David Macinnis Gill
Greenwillow Books: New York, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-06-167304-7
 

     In a distant future, humans are living on and occupying a Mars that is a perfect mashup of Star Wars and Firefly (with shades of and shout outs to other sci-fi that I’m sure I’m just not picking up on).  Our young hero, Durango (sidebar: how great is this name? I’m not sure if it’s better for a child or dog. OR BOTH.  Ima go George Foreman my future pets and children!), is a mercenary soldier in a world where soldiers pledge themselves for life to one individual, and where you’re ostracized if you’re a lone wolf.  Durango also has a bit of a secret; he had artificial intelligence implanted in his brain by his currently deposed and imprisoned father, the former governor of Mars.   Durango, and his second in command, Vienne, who he thinks is totally a babe btw, often work rescue missions in kidnapping cases, often hiring a band of unruly and hilarious misfits to flesh out their team.  Their latest underpaying offer is for protection services for a remote mining post, under attack by the Draeu (I have no idea how to pronounce this, and or how to access the correct letters for it, deal), who kind of like the Reapers of Firefly, eat people (thank gawd they don’t rape them to death, thanks for those nightmares Firefly writers), which is generally pretty gross in my opinion.  But I digress!  The Draeu want something aside from manflesh, and the miners are hesitant to disclose what it is.  What is it, and why is it wanted?  What will happen when a hot miner-girl develops a not-so-secret crush on Durango (hint: girl drama!)?  Will they all survive the Draeu? How cool are the soldiers uniforms (hint: pretty cool)? What makes the Draeu so greepy (gross+creepy) and hard to get rid of? Is this underpaying mission even worth it?   This action packed, sci-fi adventure is filled with explosions, humor, snarky banter, fun, and drama.  Black Hole Sun is strongly recommended for Browncoats of all ages, and other people of all ages (12 and up) who like to read fun, not-too-heady sci-fi.  Not sure if there will be a sequel, but it was fun and quick enough to read that I’d for sure pick up another!