Tooth and Talon by Alex Hernandez Review

Tooth and Talon by Alex Hernandez 3/5 Stars 308 pages
Published July 17th 2017 by EDGE Science Fiction and Fantasy Publishing

In a world full of genetically modified humans and space ships, fifty eight year old Oya is going to live forever. Or, maybe not. Earth is almost abandoned, and our solar system is just the tip of the iceberg in this new world. Mars is inhabited by Raptors, more commonly referred to as Harpies; people that have altered themselves to have wings and talons.

 

The beginning of the book shows Oya visiting her one hundred and eighty five year old grandmother on her little island, still living on Earth. Everyone around her has evacuated, but she refuses to give up home that she can return it to it’s former glory. Oya is worried about her, but she seems fine for the most part. Her grandmother turns out to be probably my favourite character in the book, because she just believes in herself and the world so much that she’s almost able to will what she wants into existence, and I want to be like that.

 

The story itself is exciting, but a little hard to follow. For some reason I felt like I was missing something, like another book beforehand that more thoroughly explained terms, and appearances of things in the story. The third person viewpoint doesn’t bother me, and it’s jumps right into the action, but I get a little lost trying to follow the actual story. I just can’t imagine what’s happening with the characters because I can’t imagine them in general, and there’s a lot of words that I don’t know, that aren’t explained. Overall, though I did enjoy the story and think it was really unique and interesting. I think it has the potential to have a lot of fans.

 

If you’re looking for something futuristic and somewhat alien, than this is the book for you. It’s available here, and here’s a link to the author’s Twitter, if you’d like to keep up with them.

Thanks for reading!

October 2018 Favourites

Hey! Hope everyone’s doing well. How was your Halloween?

I know I always say this, but I really read a ton of good books in October. I also took kind of a long break from books without meaning to, but that’s beside the point. Here’s a list of my most favourite books of the month, in no particular order.

 

1. Defying Limits: Lessons from the Edge of the Universe by Dave Williams

This is a non-fiction book, following the life of Dr. Dave Williams, who began his career as an emergency room doctor, and turned it around completely to become an astronaut and pilot. It’s an inspirational and heartwarming book, showing not only his work life but also his home life. In Defying Limits, Dave shares the events that have defined his life, showing us that whether we’re gravity-defying astronauts or earth-bound terrestrials, we can all live an infinite, fulfilled life by relishing the value and importance of each moment. The greatest fear that we all face is not the fear of dying, but the fear of never having lived. Each of us is greater than we believe. And, together, we can exceed our limits to soar farther and higher than we ever imagined. Here’s my full review, and here’s a link to the book itself.

 

2. Cooking with Scraps: Turn Your Peels, Cores, Rinds, and Stems into Delicious Meals by Lindsay-Jean Hard

Also a non-fiction book, this one is a little different. If you’re looking for recipes to lower the amount of food waste you make, this is the book for you. In 85 innovative recipes, Lindsay-Jean Hard—who writes the “Cooking with Scraps” column for Food52—shows just how delicious and surprising the all-too-often-discarded parts of food can be, transforming what might be considered trash into culinary treasure.
Here’s how to put those seeds, stems, tops, rinds to good use for more delicious (and more frugal) cooking: Carrot greens—bright, fresh, and packed with flavor—make a zesty pesto. Water from canned beans behaves just like egg whites, perfect for vegan mayonnaise that even non-vegans will love. And serve broccoli stems olive-oil poached on lemony ricotta toast. It’s pure food genius, all the while critically reducing waste one dish at a time. Here’s my full review, and here’s where you can get the book.

 

 3. House of Falling Embers by Krystal Jane Ruin

Once upon a time there was a witch. She was a kind witch, but that didn’t matter. The people were afraid, and fear often turns to hatred.

When Artemis was thirteen, her best friend Aris was swallowed by the crumbling house they found in the woods. Like a coward, she abandoned him to the horror within.

She moved away. She tried to forget. But when she finds herself back in her old neighborhood after college, the ghosts—and her guilt—are waiting. A charred figure stalks her dreams, and someone, or something, haunts her from the trees.

Going back into the woods might be the only way to save her sanity.

Because nine years later, the house is still there. Still waiting. Still restless.

Here’s my full review, and here’s where you can get the book.

 

4. Hillbilly, Volume 1 by Eric Powell

This is such an interesting comic. Following a boy born with no eyes, it shows him as he transitions from a sweet innocent young boy, into a hardened witch killer of a man. After he is tricked by a witch who kills his mother, he’s determined to get rid of any witch and monster he comes across, with a huge knife. Not only is this book completely different compared to any other comic I’ve read, but the story is just so easy to get into that once you start it you really can’t put it down. Here’s my full review, and here’s where you can get a copy for yourself.

 

And last but not least,

5. The Edible Cookie Dough Cookbook: 75 Recipes for Incredibly Delectable Doughs You Can Eat Right Off the Spoon by Olivia Hops

Another recipe book! This one is a lot different than cooking with scraps, however. Inside this book are seventy five ready to eat recipes for making your own most vegan, shelf stable cookie dough. With a little bit of work, you can turn sugar, butter and flour, into almost any kind of cookie dough you can think of. Though the texture might be different than you’re used to, the flavour completely makes up for it. Here’s my full review, and here’s where you can get yourself a copy.

 

Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed reading about my favourites for the month. I’m excited to see what comes up next month! Let me know if you’ve read any of these, and what you think of the books in this list.

 

Cooking with Scraps: Turn Your Peels, Cores, Rinds, and Stems into Delicious Meals by Lindsay-Jean Hard Review

Cooking with Scraps: Turn Your Peels, Cores, Rinds, and Stems into Delicious Meals by Lindsay-Jean Hard 5/5 Stars 216 pages
Published October 30th 2018 by Workman Publishing Company

If you’re like me and wondering how to be more eco friendly and less wasteful in life, then this book is for both of us. When I saw it, I thought, wow what an interesting recipe book. Inside, however, is so much more. Between the colourful and crystal clear pictures, and the imaginative recipes, are heartwarming family stories. This book is an absolute joy to read, and I really felt good when I was finished. I can’t wait to try out some of the recipes.

 

This book just seems like such a good idea, I couldn’t pass it up. It teaches you not only what ingredients are important for each of the recipes, but also how to store your food longer, and how to compost, which let’s admit, I had no clue about starting. It has some really interesting tips in it that I’d love to try out for myself, for instance, did you know that celery stays fresh longer when stored in aluminum foil, and while the foil itself isn’t eco friendly, you can get many uses out of it before recycling it? Also, that onions are best stored tied up in the legs of pantyhose hanging in a dark closet?

 

Overall I really enjoyed reading this book, and the recipes while a little strange are really interesting and look delicious in the pictures. I’m excited to try some of them out, some that really seemed to jump out to me were banana peel cake with peanut butter frosting, bacon tomato jam, and tomato skin salt, which is crazy to me because I didn’t know making your own flavoured salt was a thing people do. It sounds awesome. This book really got me hooked from the moment I saw it, and the cover, like the book, is really simplistic and beautiful. I hope that the author writes more books like this. The book is available here.

 

Thanks for reading!

The Sustainable Home: An Inspirational Guide to Maintaining a Sustainable Household by Christine Liu Review

The Sustainable Home: An Inspirational Guide to Maintaining a Sustainable Household by Christine Liu 5/5 Stars 160 pages
Published October 16th 2018 by White Lion Publishing

If you love learning about being more eco friendly and less wasteful, then this is the book for you. Every page of this book was interesting, and I really feel like I learned something. Did you know that for every pound of product created, seven pounds is wasted worldwide? That’s just one of the things I’ve learned, and that’s really something that will stick with me. Even just buying second hand furniture helps.

Even if it’s just composting or turning off your electronics when you’re not using them, every little bit helps in term of helping the planet. So many things are created to break easily, and they always end up just sitting in the landfill for hundreds of years while they slowly decompose. I want to do all I can to help the environment, so when I see books like these, on this kind of topic, I always want to read them. This one doesn’t read like a textbook, and I really feel like I learned something after finishing it.

Not only does it touch on topics like other solutions for power, it gives you easy steps to become a minimalist, how to save money and which things to unplug when you’re not using them, and how to also feel better while at the still time saving money. Ever think about wanting a garden, or growing herbs for your kitchen, or even just having houseplants? This book has everything. Recipes for eco friendly and meat free food, and I can’t wait to try them.

Deforestation is the second leading cause of climate change, and nearly thirty percent of all furniture going into landfills are still usable. This is a book I think everyone should read, it’s interesting, it’s informative, and it’s really just a good book all around. The pictures are really clear and easy to follow, and I’m glad I read it. Everyone is responsible for this planet, and it’s about time we do something to change where we’re headed. It’s not going to be long until we do irreversible damage to the planet. The book is available here.

 

Thanks for reading!