50books_poc | Entries tagged with au.race:first.nations

I am coming to the conclusion that I am a sucker for food in my young adult fantasy. Every time it turns up, I know I'm going to really like the book, and Tantalize was no exception.

This is an awesome novel - it's a fantastic blend of horror, romance, comedy, and also features some brilliant brilliant descriptions of Italian food, all set in Austin, Texas, which is where the author is from, I believe, and certainly she gives the book a real sense of place. The supernatural world she's created is also a little quirky, a bit different, but definitely holds together. ( Mild spoilers beneath the cut )

It's the first book in a sort of trilogy - Eternal and Blessed are set to follow - and I'm looking forward to reading them as well. This isn't deep literature, and I'm not sure if it counts as urban fantasy, young adult or paranormal romance, but it's a really fun, frothy, bouncy read and I'd totally recommend it.

Current Mood: happy

atdelphi.livejournal.com

5. A Feast for All Seasons: Traditional Native People's Cuisine by Andrew George, Jr. and Robert Gairns (Vancouver: Arsenal Pulp Press, 2010)

This is a reissue of the 1997 Feast!, brought back to the public eye after Andrew George, Jr.—a Wet'suwet'en Nation chef—received some well-deserved recognition at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics as head chef at the Four Host First Nations pavillion.

A Feast for All Seasons features modern Native cuisine, aimed at the home cook and hunter. While a few recipes require a smoker or meat grinder, the bulk can be attempted by anyone with a source of fish and game. Background information on the chef and Native North American food cultures is provided, and the book is set up in four sections: From the Waters (seafood), From the Earth (vegetables and grains), From the Land (game), and From the Air (fowl). Seasonal menus are also offered.

So far I've tried the Smoked Salmon on Bannock Fingers (although, like anyone who grew up with bannock, I used my own recipe, because everyone else's recipe is wrong), the Wild Rice and Mushrooms, and the Baked Sweet Potato with Roasted Hazelnuts, and they've all been delicious.

The book is full of interesting information, written in an engaging voice, and the recipes are a great combination of traditional and innovative without being too out there for home cuisine. As someone living on the west coast of Canada, it was nice to find a cookbook that consisted entirely of ingredients I could easily find; most cookbooks on the market here are by U.S. writers, and there are often international differences as to what ingredients can be found cheaply and easily and in what season.

My one complaint is that the book really could have used more photographs. I don't know how this compares with the original edition, but in the age of digital photography, it seems like a few extra snapshots could have been included.

atdelphi.livejournal.com

2. Motorcycles & Sweetgrass by Drew Hayden Taylor (Toronto: Vintage Canada, 2011)

Motorcycles & Sweetgrass sees Nanabush himself riding onto the Otter Lake reserve on a vintage motorcycle to fulfill a promise to an old friend and shake up the lives of the chief and her son.

While reading this book, I couldn't help but think what a great television mini-series it would make. I know the area where the story is set, and I could picture the land and the people so easily. The story is full of memorable characters and snappy dialogue, and it would be a perfect addition to my favourite genre of the Quirky Small Town. I even started mentally casting the roles.

However, the reason I spent so much time thinking about this story in terms of another medium is because it didn't work for me as a novel. I'm not overly familiar with the author's other work, but I wasn't surprised to learn that this was his first adult novel and that he's primarily a non-fiction writer and playwright.

The storytelling fell flat for me. It's frustrating because the story is bookended by sections with a very engaging narrator's voice, but for the bulk of it, that voice disappears and we're left with an overly omniscient but ultimately charmless point of view. Backstory, motivation, and feelings are clunkily and redundantly described at every turn, and it often seems as though characterization is broken solely for the purpose of getting a good zinger in. In addition (a publishing issue rather than the author's), my copy of the book contained several typos and flubs that further kept me from closing my editorial eyes and just enjoying the thing.

Motorcycles & Sweetgrass is full of some great ideas, and if philosophy, plot, setting, or characters are more your gateway into a book than narrative is, you may well enjoy it. I'm glad to have read it and to have had the opportunity to take away its ruminations on modernity and tradition, but it was a struggle for me to finish, and I can't see myself reading it again.

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Writers of Color 50 Books Challenge

Entries tagged with au.race:first.nations

'Tantalize' by Cynthia Leitich Smith

A Feast for All Seasons: Traditional Native People's Cuisine

Motorcycles & Sweetgrass

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