Save The Books, Drink The Wine

Reviews of the multitude of books I read or listen too. Occasional wine/champagne reviews just to mix it up

[les-lapin-reviews]

Two for one, books & beer.

Today I’m drinking and reading. There’s a fun one and a dramatic one. A good balance. The drink - Sparkle Ale by 21st amendment brewing. Which is a great name for a brewery.

Honestly, it’s not great. A little bit like regular sparkling cider with a hint of beer. It should be refreshing but just reminds me of the LaCroix memes about the flavor. Meh. Higher alcohol content then the spiked seltzer’s & the same price though so...not a bad buy.

Now the book. “The Tiger and the Wolf” by Adrian Tchaikovsky

Whoah. Intense.

Fantasy for sure. Definitely Russian. Still at the beginning so I don’t have a lot of data but it’s good for a dark moody night. Outcast Maniye is part of a wolf shapeshifter community. But having a tiger shapeshifting dead mom makes her not only hated but a pawn for her leader father & his head priest.

Like reading it on dark spooky nights in October. 😲

[les-lapin-reviews]

Blown away by Rob Biddulph

I read a lot of children’s books to my two little kids. I found this one to be incredibly cute.

The artwork is beautiful. Rob is the art director for the Observer Magazine and won a waterstones children’s book award for this book!

It’s a super cute poem about a few arctic friends getting lost (by kite) in a jungle. Highly recommended!

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Van Sessions - YouTube

Van Sessions - YouTube

Had to share - This guy took a van/recording studio around Europe for 2 years & recorded street musicians. I’m completely obsessed.

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The Romanov Sisters; The lost lives of the daughters of Nicholas & Alexandra. By Helen Rappaport

You guys, this gif is perfect because I’ve been reading “the Romanov Sisters” by Helen Rappapot and it’s so Anna Karenina! It’s actually pretty great, well written, expertly researches, interesting & enlightening.

So there’s an true story plus urban legend in my family - my Great grandmother, Manya, grew up partially in St. Petersburg, was a debutante and very charming with many suitors. She was also a concert pianist at the royal conservatory.

She and a male student were selected to play for the tsarista, who enjoyed Manya’s playing so much, she invited my great-grandmother to come to their home frequently. She played piano & worked as a seamstress with the tsarista.

The legend part, says that when the revolution began, a chest of jewels was buried somewhere by Manya’s sister & brother-in-law (Manya was living with them in St. Petersburg) before they fled to America. Needless to say my great grandmother’s life was vastly different in Baltimore Md then in Russia.

Anywho, this book hasn’t mentioned her and I doubt it will, but it’s a fascinating and serious look at a royal family at the turn of the century.

Tragically, it’s kind of hard to read sometimes since I already know the outcome. Ouch.

[les-lapin-reviews]

Starting this interesting story. It started off a little kitchy but it’s actually turned into a fascinating story. I love the concept of a world between worlds and so far, Cogman has an interesting twist.

Also a library of inter world travel that’s Indiana Jones’s books from all types of alternate universes? YES PLEASE I want in!!

EDIT #1: ok this book had me up until some enemy faction or another released a bunch of alligators with iron mind control devices on their heads, onto a fancy dress ball. What!? Still reading, but what!?

[les-lapin-reviews]

Prudence & Imprudence by Gail Carriger

I LOVE THIS SERIES! Bustles & parisols mixed with derigibals & Gatling guns...a cute love story, daring adventures, airship travel, werewolves & werecats, plus a lot of tea. This series has everything I could ever ask for in a book. I love the spitfire attitude and I-don’t-give-a-hoot attitude of the main characters. The 4 are all from wealthy families and a bit spoiled but always up for doing the right thing and bending the rules if needs be, to do it.

The offbeat humor, colorful characters and well detailed events put these books at the top of the charts for me. I can hardly wait for the final one to come out this summer!

Here’s the second one in the series.

[les-lapin-reviews]

Chateau Recougne

Accidentally found this $10 bottle of wine. It’s the best tasting bottle of red under $75 I’ve had. Hidden in the crappy beer/wine store up the street, it’s well worth the extra trip with two little kids in tow. Hence the need for wine. Check out googled cool blurb about the grower, looks like the French think it’s great too!

Anyone for a glass of wine? The bar is open!

[les-lapin-reviews]

The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury

Only about 1/3 of the way through, but damn. This book is a dark look at people from Mars & how they want to kill us all when we coming stomping onto their planet.

Yet, I agree Mr. Bradbury, all human men are basically rude, selfish, baboons. Well portrayed.

Also, this page may be one of the most brilliant, enlightened pieces of literature...very very zen.

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City of Light, City of Poison; Murder, Magic & the First Police Chief of Paris by Holly Tucker

Only halfway through this one but I thought I’d give a shout out to my father for unknowingly recommending this book. He didn’t. But he was reading it. And you know how us daddy’s girls want to copy our papas...

So far, let’s just say it was the right scary story to read for October without giving me nightmares. Well, almost no nightmares.

True story? ✔️

17th century France? ✔️

Louis the XIV? ✔️

High treason? ✔️

1st French policeman & dank prisons?✔️

Royals behaving badly? ✔️

Adultery? Poison? Abortions? Mistresses? ✔️

TORTURE? ✔️✔️ DEATH? ✔️✔️✔️

Sooo halfway through I’m a little gloom & doom minded but intrigued as to where it’s all going. There are a LOT of ladies - poiseners, muderers, midwives, royalty, ladies in waiting, mistresses, abortionists, wives, widows & daughters...and they’ve all got like, 5 names, half of which are the same. 🤷🏻‍♀️

At this point, I’ve got no clue who is who, as far as the women go, but I’m just happily trudging through the draaaama, waiting for the culmination.

The coolest part of this book, is the historical accuracy. Written records from the chief of police & many others were researched & interpreted rather well. The author gets an A for effort. But a C for clarity (there’s a lot of skipping around to different story lines).

Looking forward to the ending & finding out what’s in the spooky black locked box king Louis opens up from a dead guy.

Update :: had to stop reading it for a while. Too much torture & too little conclusion. Simultaneously horrified & bored. 🤷🏻‍♀️

[les-lapin-reviews]

Hothead (book 4 irresistible series)

Stella Rhys, your dirty scenes speak to me. I’ve read (listened to) 3/4 of the books in this series and every one of those scenes gets my blood hot. Gotta get to that last one!!

Whitty, dirty, baseball, lots of teasing, a shitty ex & a rich guy? Yup. I’ll take 2, thanks. The best scene is one where he rubs one out in front of her. Gotta imagine a 6’3” ripped jock jerking off in front of you while you play with your tits & bite your lip. Yup. 🔥

Only a fairly small bit of conflict involving a douch of an ex bf, a heroin addict sister & the two lover’s inability to understand that f*cking = love in this genre, which make this an easy read for the fun bits.

Who cares about an overly dramatized plot when really, we’re just there for the sex & the ring?

Oh wait...sounds about right. 🧐 Duh.

[les-lapin-reviews]

A Natural History of Dragons - a Memoir by Lady Trent

Welcome to the first review! I’m disinterested in preamble so I’ll just jump right in.

Despite not finishing it yet, this book is already one of my favorites. It’s a combination of Indiana Jones and Downton Abby, set in a fictional British-esq world where men still rule the world with guns & horses, and women sip tea, get married & wear bonnets. For us feminine adventurous types, this books speaks to us on an “I-can-still-get-married-and-have-babies-while-digging-in-the-dirt-for-artifacts-and-read-a-book” level.

The writing style is that of a biographical field guide with an introduction to the main character and HER presentation to society then subsequently the study of dragons. Charming, well written, with a good hidden mystery theme, it describes this fictional world with subtle differences in technology and innovation. She’s cheeky without being corny, while giving good descriptions about what the lead character is thinking without making us over think the other players.

Here’s the fun part - it’s feminism without being too butch. I’m constantly cheering her perseverance vs placating behavior, applied when it should be. Its an interesting look at finding the right partner who will say “no, you’re not dirtying your hands with hauling water” yet “darling I love you, of course you can dissect a dragon” and meaning both. Not pretentious, not flowery, but concise and with pictures drawn with a field-guide-likeness.

Highly recommended for the studious romantic female or adventurous male with a soft spot for Victorian era females.

I promise the books get dirtier from here 😉