I learned about remainders when I was a bookseller for Borders, 20+ years ago. This poem makes it personal.
Remainders are printed books that are no longer selling well, and whose remaining unsold copies are liquidated by the publisher at greatly reduced prices.
Copies of remaindered books may be marked by the publisher, distributor, or bookseller to prevent them from being returned. “Remainder marks” have varied over the years, but today most remainders are marked with a stroke with a felt-tipped marker across the top or bottom of the book’s pages, near the spine.
The book of my enemy has been remaindered And I am pleased. In vast quantities it has been remaindered Like a van-load of counterfeit that has been seized And sits in piles in a police warehouse, My enemy’s much-prized effort sits in piles In the kind of bookshop where remaindering occurs. Great, square stacks of rejected books and, between them, aisles One passes down reflecting on life’s vanities, Pausing to remember all those thoughtful reviews Lavished to no avail upon one’s enemy’s book — For behold, here is that book Among these ranks and banks of duds, These ponderous and seemingly irreducible cairns Of complete stiffs.
The book of my enemy has been remaindered And I rejoice. It has gone with bowed head like a defeated legion Beneath the yoke. What avail him now his awards and prizes, The praise expended upon his meticulous technique, His individual new voice? Knocked into the middle of next week His brainchild now consorts with the bad buys The sinker, clinkers, dogs and dregs, The Edsels of the world of moveable type, The bummers that no amount of hype could shift, The unbudgeable turkeys.
Yea, his slim volume with its understated wrapper Bathes in the blare of the brightly jacketed Hitler’s War Machine, His unmistakably individual new voice Shares the same scrapyart with a forlorn skyscraper Of The Kung-Fu Cookbook, His honesty, proclaimed by himself and believed by others, His renowned abhorrence of all posturing and pretense, Is there with Pertwee’s Promenades and Pierrots– One Hundred Years of Seaside Entertainment, And (oh, this above all) his sensibility, His sensibility and its hair-like filaments, His delicate, quivering sensibility is now as one With Barbara Windsor’s Book of Boobs, A volume graced by the descriptive rubric “My boobs will give everyone hours of fun”.
Soon now a book of mine could be remaindered also, Though not to the monumental extent In which the chastisement of remaindering has been meted out To the book of my enemy, Since in the case of my own book it will be due To a miscalculated print run, a marketing error– Nothing to do with merit. But just supposing that such an event should hold Some slight element of sadness, it will be offset By the memory of this sweet moment. Chill the champagne and polish the crystal goblets! The book of my enemy has been remaindered And I am glad.
Comments Off on The Book of My Enemy Has Been Remaindered | Ramblings | Permalink Posted by Stacy Alesi
A couple of weeks ago, the New York Times notified me that it was stopping its Virus newsletter. Things had normalized, more or less. Jonathan Wolfe said,
The acute phase of the pandemic has faded in much of the world, and many of us have tried to pick up the pieces and move on. We promise to return to your inbox if the pandemic takes a sharp turn. But, for now, this is goodbye.
Wolfe, J. (2023, January 25). A farewell, for now. New York Times.
On June 1st, 2021 I transitioned my Coronavirus Diary to Cerebration. What can I say, I truly am the eternal optimist. That spring had been good, the virus seemed to be abating. But boy, was I wrong! It came roaring back that fall and I switched it back. But now it seems like the time has finally come to put it to rest. I mean, if it’s good enough for the NYT, it’s good enough for me. So my ramblings on the first of the month will now be called the BookBitch Diary. Welcome!
In 2022 Brooklyn Public Library’s Books Unbanned Team began providing free ebook access to teens and young adults nationwide, defying rising book challenges across the country
Exclusive: tech firm quietly launches new audiobook catalogue narrated by AI – but move expected to spark backlash
Food News
Have you seen The Menu? It’s a shocker! I was a little hesitant to watch it since it’s been classified in some places as horror, but I think it is more suspense/thriller than horror and I really enjoyed it. You can stream it on HBO Max if you are a subscriber, or rent/buy it from most streaming apps like Apple TV or Amazon Prime. Highly recommend!
Other News
Alec Baldwin was recently charged with involuntary manslaughter in the shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. It seemed so improbable to me that an actor handed a prop would be held liable, yet here we are. Farhad Manjoo wrote an opinion piece that I thought was compelling and important, so I’m sharing it here. It boils down to this: always ask for a lawyer, and do not talk to the police under any circumstances.
As always, thanks for reading, and stay safe.
Thanks to The New York Times for allowing me to “gift” my readers with free access to these articles, a lovely perk for subscribers.
Comments Off on BookBitch Diary: February 1, 2023 | Ramblings | Permalink Posted by Stacy Alesi
This is my standard pizza sauce recipe, good with any kind of pizza, even English Muffin pizza, and it’s my beautiful grandson Jonah-approved!
28 oz can whole Roma tomatoes, preferably packed in puree*
2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
pinch oregano
few basil leaves, rolled up and sliced thinly or torn
salt & pepper
Heat olive oil on medium in a saucepan. Toss in garlic for about 30 seconds – you should smell it but it shouldn’t brown. Add the entire can of tomatoes with the puree or juice into the garlic, then add the oregano and basil. Season with salt & pepper to taste. Sometimes I throw in a pinch of dried red chili pepper if you want a bit of heat. Cook for about 10-15 minutes, just to meld flavors. Use an immersion blender to puree the sauce, but if you don’t have one, you can dump the sauce into a food processor or blender. Pizza sauce is usually fairly smooth rather than chunky, but you do you – enjoy!
*My favorite canned tomatoes are Nina, which Costco sells in a three pack. Other brands I like are Cento, Tutorosso, and Redpack. And if you want to spring for it, San Marzano tomatoes are beautiful but pricy, so make sure it says D.O.P. on the can or you are paying extra for no reason.
Wishing you all a very happy, healthy new year filled with love, joy, success, and good books!
As always, thanks for reading and stay safe.
*Thanks to The New York Times and The Washington Post for allowing me to “gift” my readers with free access to these articles, a lovely perk for subscribers.
Comments Off on Coronavirus Diary: January 1, 2023 | Ramblings | Permalink Posted by Stacy Alesi
Don’t know if you can tell but that Santa hat is courtesy of Maker’s Mark!
I am hard at work putting the finishing touches on my favorite books of the year list. I hope to have it posted in the next couple of days, hopefully before New Year’s!
My son, daughter-in-law, and grandson are due in this afternoon from New York. They had to cancel last year due to an upsurge in Covid cases, but this year they all had Covid a month or two ago, so that is no longer an issue (for now!)
Jonah is on his way to see Nana, Papa, & Auntie Auntie!
I’ll be posting next week my personal best books of the year list. Once again I thank you for your patience; I am visually impaired which has slowed down my reading and reviewing considerably.
I wish all who celebrate a very Merry Christmas! Happy Hanukkah! Happy Kwanza!
This is the time of year when I thank you all, my readers, for your support and your comments and emails. I don’t take a single one of you for granted! I appreciate your telling your family and friends about the site, and I hope you all have found great reads! I’m working on my favorite reads of the year and should have that posted shortly.
Whatever you celebrate, I hope you get to share it with family and friends. And I wish you every happiness for the coming year!
As always, thanks for reading and stay safe.
Comments Off on Coronavirus Diary: December 1, 2022 | Ramblings | Permalink Posted by Stacy Alesi
I am fully boosted, got my flu shot, and yet I was sick as a dog last week with terrible sinusitis. Every time I get sick, it hits my sinuses, and usually a few days of allergy meds, decongestants, sinus rinse (AKA what feels like waterboarding!) and Excedrin every six hours gets me through it. But this time instead of clearing up, a new symptom appeared – terrible dizziness, and at times, bed spins (which I haven’t had since my college drinking days and DID NOT MISS AT ALL!) If I turned my head too fast, well, let’s just say it wasn’t pretty. At one point, I heard what sounded like sloshing in my ear but then that went away. I was waking up during the night when I rolled over, which caused me to feel like the bed was spinning, which would cause me to wake up, curse, and grab onto the bed and/or my husband so I would stay grounded. No one got good sleep. I had some Amoxicillin in the house so I took that for a few days, and it didn’t seem to help much. Then I started getting worse again six days into this thing. I finally went to the doctor, and she prescribed a Z-pack (antibiotics) and a Medrol pack (steroids,) and 48 hours later I felt human again. The miracle of drugs! I also did a couple of Covid tests, just in case, but luckily they were negative.
All that said, there is always more to worry about:
A BON APPETIT BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR! (preorder; available Nov. 15)
“For her third cookbook, Perelman has taken the wisdom she has accumulated in the 16 years since she created Smitten Kitchen and funneled it into “keepers,” i.e., recipes deserving of a place in her “forever files” and yours. That means, for example, a towering broccoli cheddar quiche baked in a springform pan, deli pickle potato salad that makes smart use of both pickles and brine, and chocolate peanut butter cup cookies that I can personally attest merit the “keeper” designation. Perelman, as is her wont, employs her trademark warmth and humor as she shepherds you from breakfast to dessert and beyond, making this both a fun and practical read.” –Rebecca Flint Marx, Eater
“Recipes become regulars when they’re fast, reliable, and deliciously worth the effort. In her third book, Smitten Kitchen founder Deb Perelman offers 100 recipes for oft-requested favorites like a fuss-free lemon poppy seed cake and “an epic quiche” sure to become some of the last you’ll ever need to learn.” –Jacqueline Raposo, Epicurious
“Every cookbook creator makes a dish again and again so that we don’t have to, and Perelman ( Smitten Kitchen Every Day, 2017) just seems to have more fun doing so. With us strangers in mind…she shares recipes that withstand the most important test: folks will actually want to make and eat them over and over. For breakfast, a bodega-style fried-egg sandwich can be yours in three minutes, and a salad-topped frittata cooks entirely in the oven. Vegetables get their own chapters, organized by size…Meat dishes are balanced and homey, like a skillet-chicken parmesan that promises crispiness and sauciness and fail-safe, 10-ingredient pulled pork. Repeat-worthy cookies and unfussy cakes fill out the sweets chapter before Perelman invites readers to host more parties with a tight edit of crowd-pleasing drinks (alcoholic and non) and snacks. There’s a reason readers are still smitten, and this ode to “Weeknight Greatness” confirms it.” –Annie Bostrom, Booklist (starred review)
“In her third cookbook, Perelman returns with a gathering of the best versions of her key dishes—recipes that she has tested, trialed, and tweaked until they became what she wants her kids and readers to learn by heart and cook with delight…The book is a joy to read, with Perelman’s confiding, cheering voice showcased in short prefaces and recipe notes. She writes as if she were dashing off a recipe on a napkin for her best friend, while at the same time telling them what to do to really make it work. It is pure pleasure. The book covers breakfasts (which Perelman says are good at any time of day), salads, soups, vegetables, meats, sweets, and even a few drinks. Vegetarians and gluten-free eaters will find plenty of options and can adapt many of the other recipes…Essential for all collections. The cookbook, like the recipes it shares, is a keeper.” –Neal Wyatt, Library Journal (starred review)
America’s favorite home cook presents delicious, crowd-pleasing, go-to recipes that you’ll want to make over and over again! (available now)
Coming out of the pandemic with a renewed appreciation for dishes that can be frozen and prepped in advance as well as simply assembled, cookbook doyenne Garten (Modern Comfort Food) serves up a delicious, no-nonsense collection of weeknight recipes that are “simple to follow and work every time.” Those features—plus a “rethink” about leftovers (she never liked them) and what constitutes a worthy meal—are amply celebrated throughout. Boards composed of store-bought and homemade items—such as balsamic-roasted baby peppers with Italian cheeses, cured meats, and breadsticks, and a dessert board with small tarts, fresh and dried fruit, chocolate bark, and slices of pound cake—are her new go-to, she writes, because “cooking fatigue is a real thing, even for me.” For a fresh and flavorful twist, the author applies cacio e pepe treatment to scrambled eggs and roasted asparagus, while hot dogs are wrapped in mustard-swiped puff pastry. Garten also draws on the wisdom of other accomplished cooks with such dishes as a potato salad à la Julia Child; a one-pot chicken with orzo from Nigella Lawson; and molasses baked beans and dark chocolate tart from Erin French of the Lost Kitchen in Maine. Practical and practically faultless, this is a real treat. (Oct.)Publishers Weekly
Kitchen maven Garten (Modern Comfort Food) returns with a cookbook born of the pandemic. These recipes are low stress, comforting, and, of course, delicious. Garten believes an invitation to dinner is an expression of love, but unlike her past lavish dinners, the pandemic helped her discover that simple can be just right. Garten offers creative ways to re-create leftovers into new and exciting dishes and encourages challenging oneself to make a meal with whatever is on hand. Hotdogs in pastry were the result of her own success at making do; the recipe became a keeper even after grocery shopping became routine again. Simple can yield sophisticated flavors too, with recipes like caramelized butternut squash with burrata. Garten’s helpful notations, such as “make ahead” and “two-fer” (make into two different meals), guide readers. She also includes other useful tips (store roasted vegetables in a plastic bag with a damp paper towel to keep them crisp). Each recipe receives one photo on the adjacent page, and several full-page spreads add to the enticement. VERDICT Another pleaser from Garten; sure to be in demand.—P.J. Gardiner, Library Journal
Wishing you all a very Happy Thanksgiving!
As always, thanks for reading and stay safe.
*Thanks to The New York Times for allowing me to “gift” my readers with free access to these articles, a lovely perk for subscribers.
Comments Off on Coronavirus Diary: November 1, 2022 | Ramblings | Permalink Posted by Stacy Alesi
My grandson’s nanny returned from vacation and she and her husband ended up with Covid. As soon as her husband tested positive, she went home but despite her masking, my grandson caught it anyway. Luckily, he already had his first two vaccines or I would have been panicky. He had a bit of a runny nose for a day or so and that was it. Then my daughter-in-law tested positive – again. She had it once before. She didn’t really have any symptoms though. On the other hand, my son had a terrible sore throat and fever and he didn’t test positive until a few days later. So in my family at least, the pandemic ain’t over!
I got my flu shot as there is apparently a bad flu going around the dorms at the college where I work. I’ve heard conflicting information on when to get the new Covid booster, anywhere from 3 to 6 months after the last booster or after you had Covid. Since I’ve had pretty bad reactions to most (ok, only to the first three Moderna vaccines) I didn’t want to do the flu-Covid combo vaccine special. I was going to New York for Rosh Hashanah and didn’t want to take a chance on having a reaction that would prevent me from going. October will be six months from my last booster so I’ll be making an appointment for next week, after Yom Kippur.
Hurricane Ian
I have lived in southeast Florida for about forty years, and have lived through my share of hurricanes. I was in NY and heading home the day before the storm was supposed to hit. I was very nervous about flying into a possible storm but thank you, JetBlue; they got me home safely with minimal turbulence. Then the storm took a turn west, and we were out of the “cone”. We were still under a Tropical Storm Warning though, and the lightning was unending and spectacular.
My nephew and his family live in Cape Coral, and my sister-in-law & brother-in-law live just outside Tampa, and one of my co-workers recently moved to Ft. Meyers, so we were worried about them as they didn’t evacuate. Cape Coral and Ft. Meyers took a direct hit, but while they have considerable damage to their homes, no power or water, they are all safe. So far 21 people have died and that number is sure to go up. The storm took a turn back east towards Orlando, then back over the Atlantic, and landed in South Caroline as a Cat 1 storm. More devastation. So far, it looks like the barrier islands off the west coast of Florida took it the worst, with the bridge to Sanibel Island destroyed in three places. They had to get people off the island via helicopter or boat. https://www.wfla.com/news/florida/watch-helicopter-captures-rescue-from-floodwaters-in-orlando-after-hurricane-ian/
I was surprised that the Florida governor was asking for Federal aid. He voted against sending aid to NY after Hurricane Sandy. Guess when it’s in his backyard it’s a different story, so after threatening to send more Texas immigrants to Joe Biden’s house in Delaware, DeSantis did ask him for money. Florida is going to need all the federal dollars we can get; turns out most people on the west coast didn’t have flood insurance. DeSantis, Once a ‘No’ on Storm Aid, Petitions a President He’s Bashed
I was not surprised to learn that Chef World Central Kitchen was serving thousands of people the day after the storm. That’s where I sent my donation. https://wck.org/
I was delighted to see this article celebrating the 75th anniversary of this beloved children’s book. My son insisted we read Goodnight Moon every night for at least two years, and my daughter loved it as well although she liked variety in her nightly bedtime stories. Several years ago, I was invited to speak to the Rhode Island Library Association. I extended my stay for a few days as I’d never been there before. My husband joined me and we visited the Rhode Island School of Design – they had an exhibit on Clement Hurd, the illustrator of Goodnight Moon, and several other children’s books. They recreated a life-size “great green room” and we got to sit in the grandma’s rocking chair. They also had many of the earlier drawings from this book and others, the rough drafts up to the finished pages. It was a nostalgic, enchanting exhibit and I loved it, especially as my children were pretty much adults by then.
Voters Oppose Book Bans in Libraries
Polling Shows Voters Oppose Efforts to Remove Books from Libraries and Have Confidence in Libraries to Make Good Decisions About Their Collections
The Washington Post had discontinued their book section several years ago, but I’m so happy they are bringing it back! There are a few articles about their history and what’s changed. Fun reading! (for me at least, and maybe for you?)
The Washington Post’s books section starts its new chapter, in print every Sunday and with a refurbished and revitalized presence online https://wapo.st/3SamqgL
Book World began on Watergate’s heels: A look back at the early days: Michael Dirda recalls a time of typewriters and landlines, of putting together a section that captures the joy of literature and the love of reading https://wapo.st/3DOAEj7
Food News
French Toast, part of my “soft food” rotation (my husband had his second gum surgery yesterday,) became part of my daughter’s final in her Photojournalism class. It is a recipe I mostly made up in my head, so I had to guesstimate the amounts of ingredients. She photographed the process from beginning to end, and her photos made me look like a food star! French toast anyone?
Challah French Toast
Ingredients
1 lb. loaf Challah bread, unsliced
½ cup milk
½ cup cream (or 1 cup half & half!)
Zest from one small orange
Zest from one small lemon
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon sea salt
4 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
1 tsp. vanilla
Unsalted butter
warm maple syrup & fruit, for serving
Directions
Slice challah about 1″ thick and lay out on a sheet pan without overlapping. Leave out for several hours (overnight is best) or if you don’t have time, bake on a foil-lined sheet pan in a 250 degree oven for about ten minutes. You just want the bread to dry out a bit.
Leave oven on and arrange bread slices in a 13- x 9-inch baking dish. Put the foil-lined sheet pan back in the oven.
Whisk together milk, cream, orange zest, lemon zest, cinnamon, salt, eggs, and egg yolks in a bowl until completely combined. Pour egg mixture over the bread. Let stand for a couple of minutes; turn bread slices, and let stand until egg mixture is absorbed, about 4 minutes altogether.
Heat a large nonstick griddle over medium heat. Melt about a tablespoon of butter in the griddle, then brush butter over entire surface. Arrange as many bread slices as will fit comfortably on the griddle, then cook until golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes on each side. As slices are finished, put them on the sheet pan in the oven to keep warm. Repeat with remaining bread.
Top French Toast with warm maple syrup and sliced fruit (I like berries & bananas, but Trader Joe’s frozen berry mixture or berries & cherry mixture are great; I keep bags of those on hand.) And don’t forget the side of bacon! Or breakfast sausage, if you prefer. We really like Morning Star Farms vegan breakfast sausage, too.
As always, thanks for reading and stay safe.
*Thanks to The New York Times and The Washington Post for allowing me to “gift” my readers with free access to these articles, a lovely perk for subscribers.
Comments Off on Coronavirus Diary: October 1, 2022 | Ramblings | Permalink Posted by Stacy Alesi
School is in session and the Coronavirus is making itself known. I am in the process of hiring student workers for the library, and one of my new hires had to miss the first week of school as she contracted Covid. I’m sure she won’t be the last.
The new vaccine that is supposed to target the BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron subvariants which are plaguing the nation right now should be ready after Labor Day. But there is definite vaccine burnout and apparently, funding issues. I get it; I’ve had the two vaccines and two boosters, but I also get a flu shot every year so I’m just adding this to my to-do list.
I have two friends, one in Florida and one in Pennsylvania, who have sworn they never had Covid. They had family members who did have it and they tested daily but never had a positive test. That said, there is a blood test that some doctors are now giving that can show whether you’ve been vaccinated and whether or not you’ve had the actual disease. And both of these friends were shocked to find they tested positive for having had Covid. Completely asymptomatic and no positive tests. I’m not even sure what to think about this.
NYC library: Youths read banned books online free: The Brooklyn Public Library offers a free library card to anyone in the U.S. aged 13 to 21 who wants to check out and read books digitally in response to the nationwide wave of book censorship and restrictions. Free Books Unbanned Brooklyn Library Card
Food News
We all fall into food ruts. I love to cook, but at the end of the day, I’m not often inspired to try something new. I’m more inclined to go with what is easy and what I know works for my family. But my husband is going through some dental issues that are going to take about a year to resolve, and for some of that time, he needs to eat soft. His dietary restrictions for dental work so far include no biting anything – he has to cut everything up to eat. Not that big an issue, but chewing is also iffy at the moment. I made a Caprese salad thinking tomatoes and fresh mozzarella are soft, but he had trouble with the basil. He usually eats a big salad every night but that was out until he healed a bit; now I make him chopped salad and that is working out for him.
Big Lasagna
In addition to his dental issues, he is also diabetic which imposes other dietary restrictions. He is managing with as little frustration as possible, but I’ve had to change up what I make for dinner. He rarely eats refined carbs; as most people know by now, carbs, especially refined carbs, turn into sugar – not good for diabetics. Yes, he could eat a lot of beans as they are soft, but not really his favorite. I want him to enjoy his dinners, not suffer through them. I’ve been making soups – thank goodness for the Instant Pot! I made split pea and barley soup, which took about 20 minutes total. Same with lentil soup. I made Samin Nosrat’s Big Lasagna – it took most of the day on Sunday (and I purchased fresh lasagna sheets!) but we’ll get at least two dinners out of it and my family loves it. Eggplant parm and meatballs with small pasta (spaghetti is too difficult for him right now) are in the rotation, as is what we call breakfast for dinner – pancakes, waffles, eggs, omelets, frittatas. I should really try shakshuka now, too. And I’m finally going to try Smitten Kitchen’s Pizza Beans! I bought him some sugar-free Klondike bars – it’s a treat and the man is in need of treats. And sugar-free puddings and Jello and yogurt. Chobani Zero Sugar is pretty good, especially if you mix in some fresh fruit.
And this too shall pass…
From the Archives
From BookBitch.com. March 31, 2001 via the Wayback Machine; then again on the BookBitchBlog in 2006. Twenty-plus years later, it still holds up!
America’s Hidden Problem: Literature Abuse by Michael McGrorty
Once a relatively rare disorder, Literature Abuse, or LA, has risen to new levels due to the accessibility of higher education and increased college enrollment since the end of the Second World War. The number of literature abusers is currently at record levels.
Social Costs of Literary Abuse
Abusers become withdrawn, uninterested in society or normal relationships. They fantasize, creating alternative worlds to occupy, to the neglect of friends and family. In severe cases they develop bad posture from reading in awkward positions or carrying heavy book bags. In the worst instances, they become cranky reference librarians in small towns.
Excessive reading during pregnancy is perhaps the number one cause of moral deformity among the children of English professors, teachers of English and creative writing. Known as Fetal Fiction Syndrome, this disease also leaves its victims prone to a lifetime of nearsightedness, daydreaming and emotional instability.
Heredity
It has been established that heredity plays a considerable role in determining whether a person will become an abuser of literature. Most abusers have at least one parent who abused literature, often beginning at an early age and progressing into adulthood. Many spouses of an abuser become abusers themselves.
Other Predisposing Factors
Fathers or mothers who are English teachers, professors, or heavy fiction readers; parents who do not encourage children to play games, participate in healthy sports, or watch television in the evening.
Prevention
Pre-marital screening and counseling, referral to adoption agencies in order to break the chain of abuse. English teachers in particular should seek partners active in other fields. Children should be encouraged to seek physical activity, and to avoid isolation and morbid introspection.
Self-Test for Literature Abusers
How many of these apply to you?
1. I have read fiction when I was depressed, or to cheer myself up. 2. I have gone on reading binges of an entire book or more in a day. 3. I read rapidly, often ‘gulping’ chapters. 4. I have sometimes read early in the morning, or before work. 5. I have hidden books in different places to sneak a chapter without being seen. 6. Sometimes I avoid friends or family obligations in order to read novels. 7. Sometimes I re-write film or television dialog as the characters speak. 8. I am unable to enjoy myself with others unless there is a book nearby. 9. At a party, I will often slip off unnoticed to read. 10. Reading has made me seek haunts and companions which I would otherwise avoid. 11. I have neglected personal hygiene or household chores until I had finished a novel. 12. I have spent money meant for necessities on books instead. 13. I have attempted to check out more library books than permitted. 14. Most of my friends are heavy fiction readers. 15. I have sometimes passed out from a night of heavy reading. 16. I have suffered ‘blackouts’ or memory loss from a bout of reading. 17. I have wept, become angry or irrational because of something I read. 18. I have sometimes wished I did not read so much. 19. Sometimes I think my fiction reading is out of control.
If you answered ‘yes’ to three or more of these questions, you may be a literature abuser. Affirmative responses to five or more indicates a serious problem.
Decline and Fall: The English Major
Within the sordid world of literature abuse, the lowest circle belongs to those sufferers who have thrown their lives and hopes away to study literature in our colleges. Parents should look for signs that their children are taking the wrong path-don’t expect your teenager to approach you and say, ‘I can’t stop reading Spencer.’ By the time you visit her dorm room and find the secret stash of the Paris Review, it may already be too late.
What to do if you suspect your child is becoming an English major:
1. Talk to your child in a loving way. Show your concern. Let her know you won’t abandon her — but that you aren’t spending a hundred grand to put her through Stanford so she can clerk at Borders, either. But remember that she may not be able to make a decision without help; perhaps she has just finished Madame Bovary and is dying of arsenic poisoning.
2. Face the issue: Tell her what you know, and how: ‘I found this book in your purse. How long has this been going on?’ Ask the hard question–Who is this Count Vronsky?’
3. Show her another way. Move the television set into her room. Praise her brother, the engineer. Introduce her to frat boys.
4. Do what you have to do. Tear up her library card. Make her stop signing her letters as ‘Emma.’ Force her to take a math class, or minor in Spanish. Transfer her to a college in Alabama.
You may be dealing with a life-threatening problem if one or more of the following applies: * She can tell you how and when Thomas Chatterton died. * She names one or more of her cats after a Romantic poet. * Next to her bed is a picture of: Lord Byron, Virginia Woolf, Faulkner, or any scene from the Lake District.
Most important, remember, you are not alone. To seek help for yourself or someone you love, contact the nearest chapter of the American Literature Abuse Society, or look under ALAS in your telephone directory.
As always, thanks for reading and stay safe.
*Thanks to The New York Times and The Washington Post for allowing me to “gift” my readers with free access to these articles, a lovely perk for subscribers.
The new coronavirus subvariant is the most contagious yet, making me feel more vulnerable than ever. School starts up in a few weeks, bringing students to campus from all over these not-so-United States and about 100 countries. Lynn University, where I am a librarian, is proud of their international students making up 17-20% of the student population, and the remarkable diversity of the campus, as am I. But with masks optional pretty much everywhere, it’s not looking good for a Covid-free semester. I’m hoping the new B.A.5 booster is ready this fall.
Book News
One of my favorite books is Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens, and I am not alone. It was on my Best Books of 2018 list and has been on the bestseller list for three+ years. If you haven’t read it yet, please do: https://amzn.to/3uRD6QK Reese Witherspoon produced the film that opened in July, but it is being overshadowed by the back story.
This is so cool! Some of the world’s most celebrated authors have written manuscripts that won’t be published for a century – why? Richard Fisher visits the Future Library in Oslo to find out. The Norwegian library with unreadable books
Do you sous vide? I do, and highly recommend! The French phrase literally means “under vacuum,” which refers to a vacuum sealed bag. The cooking itself is basically under water with an “Immersion Circulator.”
Several years ago, my husband became interested in this cooking method that many restaurants use, but the machines were very expensive. When I started working at Lynn University, one of my co-workers was also a fan and had been using one for a while. Over the years, they’ve become much more affordable, and a few years ago, we finally purchased the Anova on a Black Friday sale or something; we paid about $75 or so. I didn’t purchase a specific container for it, although they are available and sometimes sold as kits. I have a tiny kitchen so I try to avoid any purchases that only have one use. The sous vide machine itself is fairly small, and I use it with my largest stockpot, about 16 quarts. It works amazingly well! I have made steaks, roasts, ham, and fish in there and every single time the food comes out perfect. It’s like having a secret weapon!
If you’ve ever splurged on something like a standing rib roast and then overcooked it (yes, I did that more than once!) you will begin to appreciate the way this works. It is pretty much impossible to overcook anything with sous vide cooking. There are tons of videos on YouTube, and Serious Eats has a beginner’s guide that I found very helpful.
It’s fairly straightforward. You put the machine in a large container of water, seal whatever you’re cooking in a Ziploc or “seal-a-meal” vacuum type bag, set the temperature to the ideal temp for your steak (or whatever), then set the timer (lots of charts with timing available online,) cover the pot or container, and wait. The most work for me is filling the damn pot! When the time is up, your food is at the proper temperature but be forewarned; it will not look very good. You still need to “finish,”, especially meat. You can grill as we did here, sear it in a cast iron pan, or broil it in the oven. Fish you can get away with not doing anything else. We made a Tomahawk-type steak and took some pictures – if you like your meat more well done, you just set the temperature to that. I used 125° for rare, and the internet told me to count on about an hour per inch of meat, so this took about 3 hours, completely unattended.
Personal News
Today is my mother’s birthday, so please indulge me. She would have been 88, but I lost her fourteen years ago, way too young. She had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and a bout of throat cancer from over 40 years of smoking, and rheumatoid arthritis, both of which made her day-to-day life very difficult. It was years of her going downhill, and it was so hard watching her fade away, losing her joy in life. Eventually, she needed oxygen all the time and had one of those little tanks on wheels so she could leave the house. And my (step)dad made sure he always had a wheelchair at the ready for her, as much as she hated it, as it became a necessity. My brother stepped in to help so my dad could retire, and honestly, I don’t know what would have happened if he hadn’t (Alan, you’re the best!) With all that, she rarely left home, although she insisted on coming to my son’s college graduation, and she kvelled that whole weekend. The last picture I have of the two of them together was from that trip.
Towards the end, her only happiness was her husband and her family, especially her grandchildren. In fact, her last few weeks alive I attribute to my son, Daniel. He lived a few hours away, and I swear she waited for him to come home for a visit. He spent much of the weekend with her, he went home, and she died a few days later.
I saw her the day before she passed, two days before Valentine’s Day. I was at work in the library when my dad came in. My mother was too weak to walk into the library so she waited in the car. I went out there to say hello and she gave me a small, heart-shaped box of chocolates for my daughter, Ariel, who was going to save it for Valentine’s Day. Except she lost her Nana the next day, and that box sat on the kitchen counter under a little shelf that held the phone (remember when we had house phones and cell phones?) for a year, then she threw out the chocolates and kept the box.
My husband was away when she passed, on a multi-day hike out in the Everglades. When he got out of the woods and was ready to head home, he called me at work to let me know he was on his way. But I wasn’t at work and he immediately knew something must have happened – I never missed a day. He got hold of me at home but he was driving, still an hour or so away and I didn’t want to tell him while he was driving. I begged him to call me back when he stopped for gas or coffee or whatever, but he insisted. My husband, who I had only seen cry once in over thirty years together, when our son was born, started crying. No mother-in-law jokes here, as big a pain in the butt as my mother could be, they had a very special relationship – better than I had with my mother, to be honest.
Today I think about my mother and the legacy she left of putting those you love first, always. I always thought that when you lose a parent, you will miss them the most when something bad happens. For me, at least, I miss her the most when something good happens.
When my son got married a few years ago, I thought about her and my dad a lot. I knew that this would have been such a happy time for them. I knew they would have loved my daughter-in-law and her family. I knew they would have been beyond proud of Daniel. They were on my mind a lot, and the night before the wedding, we were on our way to the welcome dinner (instead of a rehearsal dinner) for all the guests, we passed this sign. I was so shocked I made my husband pull in so I could take this picture. She was my mom, but she was Daniel & Ariel’s Nana. Talk about signs – this was a literal sign, and it comforted me enormously. I knew she would be there for him and for all of us, as she always was.
In other personal news…
We lost my mother-in-law on Saturday. She was 96 years old, just a few weeks shy of her 97th birthday. She was a remarkable woman, the eldest of six children and she outlived them all. She had a long and healthy life, until just a few months ago. She was blessed with five great-grandchildren, and she got to meet her youngest in late April. Marie was a good mother-in-law; she never interfered, always had my back, and was always there for us when we needed her.
Before Larry and I married, his parents had invited us for dinner. But we had a fight that day, and I didn’t go. When he got there alone, my future MIL called me and asked me what he had done. She made me feel like she was on my side even back then.
When my son was born six weeks early, my husband had to leave on a long business trip, a month in China. It was supposed to be his last trip before the baby was born, but Daniel didn’t get the memo. I was panicky, a new mother home with a two-week-old baby on a heart monitor. I had a few friends, but none who had children, and they all worked. My mom worked, too, but my mother-in-law was retired. She had a lifelong fear of flying and had never flown anywhere, but she got herself on a plane and flew to Dallas. She stayed and helped me with the baby until Larry got home. I am forever grateful to her for that.
Marie was a fantastic cook and generously shared her recipes with me. She was also enormously talented; she knitted, crocheted, quilted, did needlepoint, cross stitch, macrame, ceramics, pretty much any craft you can think of. She also was an incredible seamstress – she made my sister-in-law’s wedding gown and all the bridesmaids’ dresses, too!
One of my favorite stories is when we told her we were naming my daughter, Ariel Marie, after her. She informed us her real name was Maria, but she didn’t like it so she changed it to Marie. We had no idea! But that’s how she was; she kept moving forward and didn’t dwell on life’s challenges or disappointments. When my father-in-law passed away after 60+ years of marriage, my husband took to stopping by to check on her every day after work. A few weeks into his new routine, she informed him that she was too busy for his constant visits and asked him to cut it back to once a week, which he did. He called her every day though.
In 2017, we had a small family reunion. It was the first time this group was together in many, many years and she was so happy. Marie, you will be missed. Rest in peace.
As always, thanks for reading and stay safe.
*Thanks to The New York Times and The Washington Post for allowing me to “gift” my readers with free access to these articles, a lovely perk for subscribers.
So the big Covid news is that vaccines are now available for children under 5, like my grandson. It will lessen the fear of flying for sure. I really don’t know how parents have been able to manage this for the past two+ years, it is just mind boggling to me. Especially for those in the sandwich generation, who are dealing with aging parents AND children. I feel my stress level rising just thinking about it!
With the latest strain, people are being reinfected after already having Covid, and/or after being fully vaxxed and boostered. A couple of my colleagues just had their second go round with Covid, and a couple more were hit by this highly contagious strain even though they were fully vaxxed & boostered. That is about half my department! I feel like it’s coming for me, so I’m masking any time I step out of my office or go into a store.
Before Omicron, reinfections were rare. This latest strain is the most contagious yet. The New York Times explains:
Oh no!
Food News
There are tons of newsletters out there, but I have found a few that are a must read for me. and most of them are free. If you are a NYT Cooking subscriber, they offer some terrific newsletters and I get them all.
Cooking: Feast on recipes, food writing and culinary inspiration from Sam Sifton and NYT Cooking.
Five Weeknight Dishes: Fresh, delicious dinner ideas for busy people, from Emily Weinstein and NYT Cooking.
The Veggie: Tejal Rao shares the most delicious vegetarian recipes for weeknight cooking, packed lunches and dinner parties.
The Washington Post has several newsletters, including a few really good limited series like Voraciously: Plant Powered,12 weeks on “cooking more plant-forward meals,” and Baking Basics, an 8-week guide that “will show you that baking really is a piece of cake.” I like looking at them, and I love how you can scale a recipe up or down, but to be honest, I rarely find myself cooking from them. Not sure if you need to be a subscriber to access.
Eater has several newsletters, and I subscribe to their daily newsletter set in the food world; there’s always something interesting there, like the article I pinned below on romance novels set in the food world. You can also get newsletters for your city, if they have one. Miami is the closest city to me and I rarely go there so I didn’t bother.
Ruth Reichl has a newsletter on Substack that is usually pretty interesting. She pulls a lot from her “archives,” and I like the historical aspect. You can read the latest issue and see if you like it without subscribing.
The Smitten Kitchen offers a weekly digest that is always useful, and more importantly, fun to read. I love Perelman’s voice. You can see a sample before you subscribe.
King Arthur Baking offers a baking newsletter. I think it is weekly, or thereabouts. I also like their blog. Plus if you ever have trouble, you can call, chat, or email for help!
Last but not least, another good baking newsletter is put out by Dorie Greenspan. It’s xoxo Dorie, a twice-weekly newsletter.
Book News
A couple of older articles as well.
Romance Novels Are Increasingly Getting Hot and Heavy in the Kitchen
Finally, a bookstore obviously designed with people like me in mind: Archestratus Books & Foods, in Brooklyn, NY. (For some reason you have to click on “over 18” to access this adult site??? They sell books, and food. So weird!)
As always, thanks for reading and stay safe.
*Thanks to The New York Times for allowing me to “gift” my readers with free access to these articles, a lovely perk for subscribers.
Posted by Stacy Alesi 
Stacy Alesi's BookBitch.com™ 