Book Tuesday: Winterspell

December 16, 2014 by ·

18475593[1]

Title: Winterspell
Author: Claire Legrand
Genre: YA, Fantasy
Publisher: Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: September 30, 2014
Pages: 464
Buy:Amazon

The clock chimes midnight, a curse breaks, and a girl meets a prince . . . but what follows is not all sweetness and sugarplums.

New York City, 1899. Clara Stole, the mayor’s ever-proper daughter, leads a double life. Since her mother’s murder, she has secretly trained in self-defense with the mysterious Drosselmeyer.

Then, on Christmas Eve, disaster strikes.

Her home is destroyed, her father abducted–by beings distinctly not human. To find him, Clara journeys to the war-ravaged land of Cane. Her only companion is the dethroned prince Nicholas, bound by a wicked curse. If they’re to survive, Clara has no choice but to trust him, but his haunted eyes burn with secrets–and a need she can’t define. With the dangerous, seductive faery queen Anise hunting them, Clara soon realizes she won’t leave Cane unscathed–if she leaves at all.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Book Tuesday · Tagged With: , , ,

Book Tuesday: The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms

December 9, 2014 by ·

6437061[1]

Title: The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms (The Inheritance Trilogy #1)
Author: N.K. Jemisin
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Hachette Book Group Orbit
Publication Date: January 1, 2010
Pages: 427
Buy:Amazon

Yeine Darr is an outcast from the barbarian north. But when her mother dies under mysterious circumstances, she is summoned to the majestic city of Sky. There, to her shock, Yeine is named an heiress to the king. But the throne of the Hundred Thousand Kingdoms is not easily won, and Yeine is thrust into a vicious power struggle.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Book Tuesday · Tagged With: , , , ,

Butternut Squash with Maple Syrup and Cinnamon

December 4, 2014 by ·

An indulgent side dish without being so indulgent on the waistline 😉

P1010785

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Nom Nom · Tagged With: ,

Book Tuesday: Shadow and Bone

December 2, 2014 by ·

10194157[1]

Title: Shadow and Bone (The Grisha #1)
Author: Leigh Bardugo
Genre: Fantasy, YA
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.
Publication Date: June 5, 2012
Pages:358
Buy: Amazon

Surrounded by enemies, the once-great nation of Ravka has been torn in two by the Shadow Fold, a swath of near impenetrable darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh. Now its fate may rest on the shoulders of one lonely refugee.

Alina Starkov has never been good at anything. But when her regiment is attacked on the Fold and her best friend is brutally injured, Alina reveals a dormant power that saves his life—a power that could be the key to setting her war-ravaged country free. Wrenched from everything she knows, Alina is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling.

Yet nothing in this lavish world is what it seems. With darkness looming and an entire kingdom depending on her untamed power, Alina will have to confront the secrets of the Grisha . . . and the secrets of her heart.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Book Tuesday · Tagged With: , , , ,

Holiday Gift Guide

November 28, 2014 by ·

gif-santa-claus-basketball-gift-268407[1]

We must prepare.

Being that it is the day after Thanksgiving aka Black Friday, I thought it would be appropriate to post my holiday gift guide in case you’re looking for some gift ideas!  A lot of these are on sale this weekend so grab them before they go! [Read more…]

Filed Under: Life · Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Mark’s (Crack) Dip

November 26, 2014 by ·

This recipe should come with a warning:

WARNING: After consuming one bite of this dip, you will find it hard to stop.

This is my friend Mark’s recipe, who in turn got it from his friend.  The bro and I first encountered this dip at Mark’s apartment for his birthday.  The second we tried it we were like, “What is this?!”  Then proceeded to stay around the dip for the remainder of the evening, gorging ourselves.  Don’t judge.  I’d like to see you resist after you try it.  Go on. I dare you.

P1010773

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Nom Nom · Tagged With: , , , ,

Book Tuesday: Chantress

November 25, 2014 by ·

13721337[1]

Title: Chantress (Chantress Trilogy #1)
Author: Amy Butler Greenfield
Genre: Fantasy, YA
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry
Publication Date: May 7, 2013
Pages: 324
Buy:Amazon

“Sing, and the darkness will find you.”

This warning has haunted fifteen-year-old Lucy ever since she was eight and shipwrecked on a lonely island. Lucy’s guardian, Norrie, has lots of rules, but the most important is that Lucy must never sing. Not ever. Now it is 1667, Lucy is fifteen, and on All Hallows’ Eve, Lucy hears a tantalizing melody on the wind. She can’t help but sing—and she is swept into darkness.

When she awakes in England, Lucy hears powerful men discussing Chantresses—women who can sing magic into the world. They are hunting her, but she escapes and finds sanctuary with the Invisible College, an organization plotting to overthrow the nefarious Lord Protector. The only person powerful enough to bring about his downfall is a Chantress. And Lucy is the last one in England.

Lucy struggles to master the song-spells and harness her power, but the Lord Protector is moving quickly. And her feelings for Nat, an Invisible College apprentice and scientist who deeply distrusts her magic, only add to her confusion…

Time is running out, and the fate of England hangs in the balance in this entrancing novel that is atmospheric and lyrical, dangerous and romantic.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Book Tuesday · Tagged With: , , ,

Maple Pumpkin Cheesecake with Pecan Streusel Topping

November 21, 2014 by ·

I know, I know.  The title itself is enough to put you in a sugar-induced holiday coma, but you seriously need to try this recipe out.  Everybody will be raving about it!  Also, have I ever steered you wrong??

The bro and our friend Jess usually do a Cheesecake Factory trip around this time of year to sample their pumpkin cheesecake.  Actually, it’s one of three that we try.  We order a bland-like one (i.e. Pumpkin), an over the top one (snickers or peanut butter cup), and an in between one (like the red velvet–yes, I know it’s really not an in between one, none of them are); we split the three of them and are usually suffering the effects of high sugar levels and guilt for the rest of the night.  That doesn’t stop us from doing it every year however…

I decided to make my own cheesecake for once.  I’ve never done it before and I was always a bit intimidated.  What if it cracks?  My solution to this: “Put a streusel topping on it so nobody will see!”

Genius.

Oh did I mention delicious as well? Yea.  It’s pretty darn good.

P1010752 [Read more…]

Filed Under: Nom Nom ·

On Composing: A Guest Post

November 20, 2014 by ·

I’m so excited to introduce my guest blogger! I’ve known him his entire life and I might have sat on his head at one point when he annoyed me (granted, I was three at the time and he deserved it)–my little bro, Robby!  People have been asking us questions about writing and composing; the latter I don’t have much experience on since Robby came up with all the tunes, I just co-wrote the lyrics.  I thought I’d invite him on to share his process with you all!

1558565_10100334794002179_614801170_n[1]

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Writing · Tagged With: , , , ,

Book Tuesday: Mortal Heart

November 18, 2014 by ·

20522640[1]

Title: Mortal Heart (His Fair Assassin #3)
Author: Robin LaFevers
Genre: YA, Fantasy
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: November 4, 2014
Pages: 444
Buy:Amazon

Annith has watched her gifted sisters at the convent come and go, carrying out their dark dealings in the name of St. Mortain, patiently awaiting her own turn to serve Death. But her worst fears are realized when she discovers she is being groomed by the abbess as a Seeress, to be forever sequestered in the rock and stone womb of the convent. Feeling sorely betrayed, Annith decides to strike out on her own.

She has spent her whole life training to be an assassin. Just because the convent has changed its mind doesn’t mean she has…

 

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Book Tuesday · Tagged With: , , , ,
« Previous Page
Next Page »