The genius of Ira Levin's fiction is that his prose is so lucid, so simple and straightforward and true, that you can never imagine anything evil happening to any of his (read: ordinary) characters.

And then halfway through you'll get slapped by a line like, Rosemary found herself chewing on a raw and dripping chicken heart in the kitchen one morning at four-fifteen.

Like I said, genius.

Photo from fantasticfiction.co.uk

Indigo Springs (2009)
Written by: A.M. Dellamonica
Genre: Fantasy/Contemporary
Pages: 317 (Trade Paperback)

The premise: plucked from BN.com: Indigo Springs is a sleepy town where things seem pretty normal . . . until Astrid’s father dies and she moves into his house. She discovers that for many years her father had been accessing the magic that flowed, literally, in a blue stream beneath the earth, leaking into his house. When she starts to use the liquid "vitagua" to enchant everyday items, the results seem innocent enough: a “’chanted” watch becomes a charm that means you're always in the right place at the right time; a “’chanted” pendant enables the wearer to convince anyone of anything . . .

But as events in Indigo Springs unfold and the true potential of vitagua is revealed, Astrid and her friends unwittingly embark on a journey fraught with power, change, and a future too devastating to contemplate. Friends become enemies and enemies become friends as Astrid discovers secrets from her shrouded childhood that will lead her to a destiny stranger than she could have imagined . . .

My Rating

Worth the Cash: but close to a "must have." Any fan of contemporary fantasy (fantasy that takes place in today's world that is NOT Buffy-lit) must pick this up. The magic is creative and enchanting, and the characters are so very human in their motivations and interactions, and the story itself pays off very nicely, even though it's obvious there's gonna be a sequel. That said, I was very pleased and very satisfied with this story, and I happily await said sequel. This is one of those books that lives up to the beauty of the cover art, so aside from a few bumps in the opening, you're gonna be fine.

Review style: should be short and sweet, with no spoilers. If you're interested in the full review, just click on the link below, which takes you to my LJ. As always, comments and discussion are most welcome. :)

REVIEW: A.M. Dellamonica's INDIGO SPRINGS

Happy Reading! :)

There is this song and the lyrics say something about beating hearts or something. In the video its these guys playing a show in uniforms I think, and there are like neon lights waving everywhere. Or something haha. I think it was maybe 3 or 4 years ago.

Thanks for your help!

Hey all,

Could someone give me a brief description of James Joyce's Ulysses? I'm interested in reading it. I know it has something to do with Greek literature of which I have already read The Iliad, Oedpius Rex, and The Bacchae. I am reading The Odyssey next semester which I believe has something to do with Ulysses. Ulysses is the Roman name for Odysseus I think...?

Thanks!

The Canarsie Garbage Freights...

Per Felicia Day per ???, Pride & Prejudice & Zombies is being made into a 6-part TV series.

I've not read the book, but figured all of you who have might be interested. :)

Some kelp I found in a load of sardines - I hadn't seen it before and we're supposed to be documenting bycatch. I noticed that some of it was bright green and other specimens were brown, like this one. Luckily I still have my handy, dandy Marine Algae of California from my Marine Phycology class in college, and discovered it's a species of Desmarestia. Some of it was green because this type of kelp harbors acids in its tissues - so much so that it will bleach out anything else caught with it (and why some of it looked green).

Acid Kelp
San Pedro CA
Canon EOS 1000D
17 August 2009

Hi, everyone! Hoping someone can help me find a children's picture book, probably somewhere around 20-25 years old by now. Here's to hoping someone else will remember it too. :)

The book is about a homeless boy in New York, possibly named something like "Cornelius". He befriends a rich girl, and her parents don't want him coming around.

I remember a picture in the book of him sitting on the steps, wearing gloves that have no fingers left.

Thanks so much, in advance! :)

Avalon picked out this cookbook at the bookstore, and wanted to make this recipe from it. A little heavy on the cream cheese, but still tasty. I'm not sure whether the recipe actually called for the Fruit Snacks on the top, but she thought they'd be a good idea.

Perfect Parfaits
Huntington Beach CA
Canon EOS 1000D
16 August 2009

http://feeds.seriouseats.com/~r/seriouseatsfeaturesvideos/~3/HpYVwHVA1m8/leftovers.html

• Shhh: 30 things your waiter will never tell you. [Reader's Digest]
• "The Great Scrapple Correspondence of 1872": Played out in the New York Times, it was "a sort of steampunk prototype for online food discussion." [NYT]
• New TV Show: Bob's Burgers, a new animated comedy series coming to Fox, will debut in early 2011. [THR, via EMD]
• Rebound: Cooking schools picking up students once again. [LAT]
• Best Burger in the U.S.? Texan Robb Walsh negs Guy Fieri's No. 1 choice, Hodad's in San Diego. [Houston Press]
• "Chewing Gum of the Orientals": Don't blame me; that's what the package says! [VV/FitR]
• In the Year 2000: More restaurant trend predictions for 2010. [R&I]
• Sibling Rivalry: The Voltaggio brothers on facing off in the Top Chef finale—and who their mom is rooting for. [Capital Spice, via GS]

42 MISS JULIE August Strindberg (Sweden, 1888)

Class: Theatre History Part II

Miss Julie is a young woman torn between society's expectations and her deceased mother's education. One evening she seduces (and is seduced) by her manservant Jean. But it is a situation that she cannot handle properly as she is confused and is never sure if she should act the way a woman is expected to act or if she should be the way her mother taught her to be and act like a man. The evening is a battle of power between the two sexes and the two classes.

Miss Julie is a typical naturalistic play as it deals with forces that are beyond the characters and that they are unable to escape. Because of the contrast between her education and society, we know from the beginning that Miss Julie will never find her place and is doomed to failure. The truth is I was not particularly impressed by the play when I read it and I couldn't understand the message but studying it made me change my mind completely. It is not openly dramatic but when we decide to pay attention to all the symbols then everything becomes meaningful.

3/5

Girl!!!

We're pretty excited! I won't know what to do with a girl! I'll be able to shop in the forbidden 2/3 of the baby department. I'll get pink and minty green and purple and teal! I'll get to share the joys and sorrows of Anne Shirley, Jo March and all my other favorite friends. (Not that I wouldn't recommend them to Erik, but I think it is more likely a girl will enjoy them). I might get to enjoy doing a craft or doing something that requires sitting for more than five minutes. There might not be so much running! Always with the running. I get so tired of the running.

We might even have a name picked out. I've been sort of thinking of a name, but Mike refused to comment on it one way or another. I said it again today and Mike said "Ok, let's just name the baby that." It's way too soon!

We won't be sharing the name until the baby is actually here because 1) it is more fun to have a surprise! and 2) I don't want to hear any criticism.

Anyway, the name is a traditional Swedish name with a totally made up middle name. Mike was telling me that even though it is a traditional Swedish name, it would be very unusual for a girl to have the name. I was quite confused because my friend sent me a link to the most popular Swedish girl names in 2008 and this one is listed in the top 10. We even had to go through my link history to try to find the site since he didn't believe me.

I didn't think we were going to get to find out and I was getting a bit agitated. She kept her legs crossed for most of the ultrasound, just barely waving her arms around a little. I remember at the 20 week ultrasound with Erik, he was totally doing somersaults and flips. This girl is already a lot calmer.

Finally at the end she gave up the goods, but the tech was not willing to say it was a girl with any authority. When the doctor came in, she was very sure it was a girl so now I get to start the great boy clothes purge of 2009.

In other news, Erik is really into the Christmas spirit. He's currently watching A Year Without Santa Claus, one of those old timey stop motion animated movies. He's mesmerized.

Here's a picture of our Activity advent calendar, made with nothing more than garland, tape, binder clips and holiday card stock.



We made a craft for Grandma today. I had a plan to make hand print reindeer, but Erik wanted to make her a sock puppet. Using the dirty sock that was currently on his foot. I talked him into making a paper bag puppet and I think he was pleased with the result. My mom will be amused.

Hi everyone. I have lurked at this community for a long time but have never posted, so I thought I would remedy that! I love to read, but because of schoolwork I haven't had much time for leisure-reading this fall. I thought I would ask your opinions on a book I've been assigned for my Modern Lit class, William Faulkner's The Sound and the Fury. Have any of you read it? I'm not finished with it yet, but am nearly through with Jason's narrative. I had a hard time tackling this novel at first because of the difficulties presented by each narrator, and have admittedly consulted sparknotes quite frequently. I'm not sure I'd have made it through without them, to be honest! This is the first novel I've read by Faulkner, although I did read and enjoy one of his short stories ("A Rose for Emily").

So, I was just wondering what you might have thought about the book? Which narrative did you find it most difficult to get through, if any? And for those of you who have read other novels by Faulkner, is this typical of his writing style? I hope to have it finished by Thursday, so hopefully my not having completed the book won't hinder conversation! Thanks for your input.

I also just want to say that the reviews posted in this community have drastically helped to shape what I read. I recently started an account at goodreads, and all of the books in my to-be-read pile were suggested by members here, so thank you! :)