..crisp golden cannonballs of carbohydrate. Which is John Baxter’s description of roast potatoes, one of the items he serves up for Christmas dinner at his French in-laws’ house. The main course is a roast suckling pig, which proves to be too long for the oven. He tells his wife to call Jean-Pierre. Why, she says,…
The first afternoon is spent finding the ship, and then finding the lounge and the theater, the two dining rooms (one buffet, one sit-down) and the library. Eventually and inevitably, we end up on stools at the Harbor Bar on the aft deck. About the ship. The S.S. Universe Explorer was launched in 1957, is…
Morning of the day before: 20 ounces unbleached white flour1 teaspoon granulated sugar1 1/2 teaspoons table salt1 scant teaspoon yeast2 cups cold water Stir all ingredients together into a gooey dough. Spray lightly with oil, cover tightly with saran wrap, and let sit overnight on the counter. It will double, if not more. The morning…
Those wonderful folks at Head of Zeus have reissued the Star Svensdotter trilogy in new digital editions featuring eye-popping new cover art. Check ’em out– Excerpt… “You’ve got your martyr’s expression on, Star,” Archy said. “The hell you say.” Then, startled, I said, “How can you tell?” “Didn’t you know?” Archy sounded surprised, but it…
Seriously? Of course there will be spoilers. *** It’s been a long time since I’ve reread The Lord of the Rings first page to last (as opposed to pulling down one volume or another and rereading just my favorite parts, which I do all the time). It remains as compelling and as thrilling and heartbreaking an adventure…
YOU PROBABLY THINK SLED dog racing is THE Alaska sport. You’d be wrong. THE Alaska sport is basketball. Think about it. It’s played indoors. Even most smaller Alaskan villages have their own school, which includes their own gymnasium. The gym is where everything happens in Alaska village life, potlatches, voting, high school proms, earthquake and…
Read more The next game is just a dribble, a bounce pass, a jump shot away
Spoiler free, so fear not. Jessikah was fun to talk to, but then, she’s a librarian, so what else would you expect? Click here to listen. the 23rd Kate Shugak novelpublished April 11, 2023order your signed hardcover hereKindle USKindle UK Excerpt… “She took an associates’ degree in maintenance while she was at it.” “Why didn’t she…
Read more Me on Turn the Page podcast, talking about “Not the Ones Dead”
January 22, 2022 Reread this for the first time in decades. It’s even better than I remembered it, especially the narrator’s editorial asides, among which: …you could tell what a Baggins would say on any question without the bother of asking him. …one morning long ago in the quiet of the world, when there was…
(on the first anniversary of 9/11) I’VE BEEN THINKING A lot about freedom of late, particularly when I went home this year for the Fourth of July. Home is Seldovia, a village of about 500 people on the southern shore of Kachemak Bay, a place of heart-stopping beauty built on the precarious edge of a deep…
the 23rd Kate Shugak novelpublished April 11, 2023order your signed hardcover hereKindle USKindle UK an excerpt… The sign on the wall next to the door was in plain brass letters, Pletnikof Investigations. The door opened into a reception area furnished with seating. Copies of PI Magazine were arranged in a meticulous row on the coffee table.…