Remember the part in Jane Eyre (spoiler) when Jane and Mr. Rochester get married?
“Reader, I married him. A quiet wedding we had: he and I, the parson and clerk, were alone present.”
Kudos to Jane for keeping the wedding simple. I, however, am a sucker for wedding traditions. I just love them. Go figure. I wore a full-on ballgown and put my husband in tails for our wedding.
See? All about that tulle + lace.
“I like horses,” said I, lungs tight with feeling. “I always have done.” “Do you like dreadfully drafty English country houses?” “I did not always, but I have grown to.” “What about curry?” “Everyone likes curry, sir.” I concur with Jane. Everyone likes curry! For a Jane Steel book review, click here.
“I liked hearing her earnest chatter, I liked the bizarre dishes served alongside our tea–buttered sandwiches, yes, but also a curry-scented bread which drove memories of Aunt Patience’s arrogant tiered refreshments straight from my mind.” For a Jane Steele inspired curry recipe, click here. 4/5 stars
Ezra Mason: Yeah. So all hell breaks loose, and Kady is yelling at me and I’m yelling back. All this stuff that’d been building up for the last year and boiling just under the skin. Like, I loved her. I love her. But she had this way of just . . . It was so stupid. The world is ending all around us and we’re screaming about college applications and commitment and
$%!*&. I mean, can you believe that?Interviewer: You’re seventeen, right?
Ezra Mason: Almost eighteen.
Interviewer: Then yes, I believe it.
Ezra Mason: Cold, chum. Real cold.
For an Illuminae-cover inspired Coconut Cream Fruit Tart recipe, click here.
5/5 stars
I loved Illuminae so much (in case you didn’t pick that up from my review), that despite there being rare mentions of food, I wanted to feature it. I chose a summery-fresh fruit tart inspired by the book’s cover. I used a combination of strawberries, raspberries, clementines, and mango. There’s a lot of flexibility here and you can use any of your favorite fruits.
“By morning, Lorelai was strong enough to get up and eat breakfast without help. Gabril boiled a small pot of beans and sliced the last of the apples they’d stolen from the queen’s garrison. She ate the beans but ignored the apples.”
I sided with Lorelai and forwent the obvious choice of an apple dish to coincide with this Snow White re-telling by C.J. Redwine. I got so tired of hearing about the gross beans Lorelai and company were dining on every meal.
“Lorelai shoved a spoonful of beans into her mouth. They were hot and tasteless.”
I submit that with a bit of foraging, Gabriel really could have elevated those beans to a fresh, crunchy, delectable meal.
For my review of The Shadow Queen, click here.
“The faint aroma of apples filled the air, and the lingering stain of rot smeared the teeth of those who smiled at Irina.”
The apples in this book never sounded appealing. For a non-apple recipe that Loralei and company could have taken on the road, click here.
3/5 stars
A Snow White re-telling with a few twists, though it stays fairly close to the classic. After the Evil Queen overtakes her kingdom, Princess Loralei becomes a fugitive determined to win back her crown.
I liked this book more than I expected to. It was an entertaining, quick read. I did dock it a few stars for gaps in the plot, a deus ex machine, if you will…. …though I suppose anyone being saved from death by true love’s kiss is a deus ex machina? Mostly, I was disappointed with the Evil Queen’s characterization. The effort was there, but no follow through.
“Entering the recommended cafe, Maisie took a seat. When the young waitress approached, she ordered a coffee with hot milk and some apple strudel. She was very hungry. Soon the waitress returned to the table, using the palm of her free hand to smooth out the white embroiled tablecloth.”
Click here for my review of Jacqueline Winspear’s Journey to Munich.
The desk clerk took Maisie’s Baedecker guide, opened the map inside, and lifted his pencil. “May I?”
“Of course,” said Maisie. “I need to know where I’m going.”
Flourishing the pencil, the clerk marked the place where Maisie could board a tram and the point at which she should step off. He told her where to walk, and made a note in the margin of his favorite coffeehouse, where he informed her that she could buy a slice of the very best apple strudel. Maisie thanked the man and set off.
For a Maisie-inspired apple strudel recipe, click here.
5/5 stars
“What are you doing?” Emma asked.
“Ordering pizza from Nightshade’s,” said Malcom. “There’s an app.”
“A what?” said Dru.
“Nightshade?” Livvy turned around. “The vampire?”
“He owns a pizza place. The sauce is divine,” Malcolm said, kissing his own fingers.
“Aren’t you worried what’s in it?” said Livvy.
Click here for my review of Cassandra Clare’s latest installment in the Shadowhunter saga, Lady Midnight.
Did anyone else notice how many times the Blackthorns ordered Nightshade pizza? Was anyone else craving pizza with an out-of-this-world sauce? You will suspect addictive demon powders have been slipped into this sauce.
The Novel Bakery 