I mentioned I’d have a few posts about holiday baking. But this is what I wanted to share first. This Sicilian style sheet pan pizza is the best pizza I’ve ever made. I used jarred pizza sauce, diced mozzarella cheese, grated Gran Padano cheese ( I would usually have Asiago or a Parmesan) and added chopped grape tomatoes, yellow bell peppers and sliced Kalamata olives. The recipe is from Alexandra Cooks, here. This is a thicker crust than a Grandma pizza, more like focaccia with toppings. I used half all-purpose flour and half bread flour, but only let it rise, alternately on the counter and in the fridge, for most of one day instead of the overnight fridge rise recommended. The crust is baked for about 10 minutes before the sauce, cheese, and toppings are added. It was delicious hot, and leftover. I put my sheet pan on a pre-heated round pizza stone, but that’s optional. I also just preheated my over to 485, then lowered the temp to 475 before the crust was finished baking solo.
Small Things Considered: Why There is No Perfect Design by Henry Petroski
Small Things Considered
I enjoyed this discussion of the design of everyday objects and why there are minor drawbacks to so many products, from cupholders to toothbrushes.
Why are the numbers arranged differently on phones and calculators or computer keypads? Why were toothbrushes made that didn’t fit into traditional toothbrush holders? Who decides the height and location of doorknobs and light switches? The history and design of many other products are considered, including paper bags, paper cups, filtered water pitchers, WD-40 and duct tape, desk chairs, supermarket layouts, and toll transponders. This book was published in 2003, so a few things are more nostalgic than current, but still interesting reading. The author has written many books, including a microhistory of the pencil, and was a professor of engineering and history.
I am including a longer quotation from pages 77-78, which you may find interesting, and I thought was very funny, for reasons I’ll share after the passage.
“Arranging everything in the [car] trunk efficiently is always a challenge, but one that I enjoy. Perhaps all engineers delight in the challenge of packing a car trunk. A woman once told me about growing up in a family of five children: her engineer father may have taken the challenge to extremes. On vacations, each child was responsible for packing his or her own luggage, but only the father was allowed to put the bags in the trunk. Before setting out in a trip he would pack and unpack and repack the space until everything fit to his satisfaction. The bags were then tagged to identify their place. Each morning, the children were responsible for carrying their own luggage to the car and placing it on the ground, arranged according to its place in the trunk. The father would then pack the car for the day. I don’t recall being so obsessive on family vacations, but my wife and children may remember differently.”
My own father, also an engineer, wasn’t that organized or methodical, but he certainly was interested in fitting everything in or on top of the car for family camping trips.
I’ve also enjoyed reading The House with Sixteen Handmade Doors by the author, and will probably read more. He makes ordinary topics and objects quite interesting to read about.
Let it Crow! Let It Crow! Let It Crow! by Donna Andrews and The Twelve Topsy-Turvy, Very Merry Days of Christmas by James Patterson and Tad Safran
These two authors are seldom reviewed together, one writing humorous cozy mysteries, and the other a bestselling thriller writer. But both have entertaining holiday novels that I enjoyed reading this fall. While I do not have winter holiday decorations up yet, I am enjoying holiday reads and planning my winter holiday baking.
In Let It Crow!… amateur sleuth Meg Langslow is a blacksmith who doesn’t get to spend as much time at her craft as she’d like, because she’s raising twin boys with her husband Michael, has another part-time job, and, of course sleuthing. But when her mentor Faulk is injured, Meg is needed to replace him in a weaponsmithing competition that’s being filmed on the grounds of a nearby estate. She’s the only woman competitor in the Blades of Glory tent. It’s holiday time, and her mother is helping decorate the estate house, or castle, in red, gold, silver, and black, and Michael and the boys can stay with her on site. There is plenty of holiday cheer including sledding, wonderful food, and an amazing assortment of gingerbread houses, but there seems to be a practical joker in the blacksmithing tent, as Meg has found the temperature on her forge turned up and down a couple of times. There is plenty of humor, especially when night owl Meg must be on camera bright and early. And yes, there are crows, who end up providing some clues when there’s a crime to be solved. I’m a fan of the Meg Langslow books, but often wished for more blacksmithing scenes, and enjoyed reading about Meg creating a knife and a sword for the first episode.
In the Twelve Days… Henry, Will and Ella Sullivan haven’t celebrated Christmas in five years, since Will and Ella’s mother Katie died. Henry is a history professor at Columbia, just going through the motions of teaching, and drinking a bit too much. Will, 14, has joined up with a group of older teens who shoplift and play pranks while Ella, 12, is a very quiet germaphobe whose only joy is painting landscapes and scenery for a school musical. Will and Ella combine to create a dating profile for Will, as they’d really like to celebrate Christmas again (including presents). Ms. Truelove responds, and begins sending them all the traditional twelve days of Christmas presents. Mayhem results in their Harlem townhouse with a neglected walled garden. Marian, a city animal protection worker, is often there to help with issues related to feeding and caring for the partridge, hens, calling birds, geese, and so on. Henry’s job at Columbia is in jeopardy and the house is a wreck, but the food from all the eggs and milk is incredible. A funny and poignant holiday read.
I have enjoyed this long series of British historical mysteries featuring author Jane Austen as an amateur sleuth, beginning with Jane and the Unpleasantness at Scargrave Manor. Jane and her sister Cassandra exchanged many, many letters over the years and the outlines of Jane’s life and writings are known, giving author Stephanie Barron many real-life settings for her mysteries.
Jane fans know that the author died fairly young, and she is in decline during this mystery, but I still found it a clever, enjoyable read. Visiting her friend Elizabeth Heathcote at Winchester, Jane’s support is needed when Elizabeth’s stammering son, William, becomes a suspect in a crime at his all-male boarding school, Winchester College. Jane’s nephew, Edward, recently graduated from Winchester College and is a great help in her quest to clear William’s name. William won’t give an alibi for the time of the crime, but wasn’t at the school. Jane, naturally, finds out what happened, and especially why.
Despite having discomfort and needing to rest more, Jane’s brain and her pen are as active as ever. There is also definite hope for some new treatments. This is indeed the final mystery in the Jane Austen series, but new readers have many to enjoy, including a holiday title: Jane and the Twelve Days of Christmas.
Future blog posts will include a couple of holiday reads, a teen fantasy novel, a new mystery by Richard Osman, and two books by engineer/historian Henry Petroski, best known for his microhistory of the pencil. More nature and baking photos are also expected, plus another appearance from Little Bear.
Real life adventure and popular science combine in this thrilling, controversial book. First, in 2008, paleoanthropologist Lee Berger was out hiking with his dog and his son Matthew, 9. He was looking for potential sites to excavate, when Matthew found a fossil, which turned out to be a new species of hominin, Australopithecus Sediba, dated to about 1.9 million years old.
Then, in 2013, three cavers exploring for Lee Berger found a very deep and all but inaccessible cave, later called the Dinaledi Chamber, where they took photos of what appeared to be hominin bones. Berger quickly organized a three-week excavation, advertising for slender paleoanthropologists who weren’t claustrophobic. I have been on guided walks in several caves, but I’ve never gone spelunking or caving, where you need a headlamp and the ability to crawl, climb and rappel through very tight passages. The Dinaledi Chamber was extremely hard to access, with a tight squeeze through one tunnel, a climb into another, and finally a twelve-meter chute to climb down, through which most climbers would get stuck. Then they went through another chamber and finally into the magnificent Dinaledi Chamber, with beautiful flowstone above, and fossils almost everywhere below. The fossilized bones of at least 15 individuals were found, and over 1000 bones.
As the fossilized bones were revealed, carried out to the surface and analyzed, they found they had discovered a new species, named Homo Naledi, later estimated to be 250,000 to 350,000 years old. The brain was very small, and the shoulders and upper arms were like a climber, but the wrists, fingertips, and feet were much less primitive, not unlike our own. Also, their teeth and the hardened calculus around them indicate that they ate some plants. They were probably about 5 feet tall, with long arms, and walked upright. The exciting part is that Berger and his team, including co-author John Hawks, found some evidence of fire, graves, art and possibly tools.
I watched a Nova documentary from 2015, Dawn of Humanity, about the work done up to that time, and read a couple of recent articles about their findings. While National Geographic is firmly backing Berger and his team’s work, other scientists don’t agree with all these findings, particularly that of fire, art, and tool use. It will be interesting to see what else is found in the Rising Star Cave system. One very exciting section details Berger’s quest to enter the cave himself. In his late fifties, he is tall and not slender, but loses about 50 pounds to make the attempt, during which he spots some markings outside the chamber. Does he get down the chute? I’m not saying, but on his way back out of the cave system, he almost gets stuck and was reportedly injured. Also, he deliberately didn’t tell his family about his attempt to enter the Dinaledi Cavern ahead of time. As teens, Matthew Berger and his sister Megan both successfully made the journey.
The finds in the Dinaledi Cavern, however controversial, are remarkable and make for a compelling and fascinating read. For those with Netflix, there’s a new documentary, Unknown: Cave of Bones. For more about paleoanthropology, I enjoyed First Steps: How Upright Walking Made Us Human by Jeremy DeSilva. For real life adventure and caving, there’s Into the Planet: My Life as a Cave Diver by Jill Heinerth.
Kerry, a freelance graphic artist, very reluctantly agrees to spend a month with her brother Murphy in New York City to sell the Christmas trees Murphy and their father Jock grow in the mountains of North Carolina. Jock is recovering from a heart attack, and her mother Birdie, thinks she needs to get out more since her job was eliminated in a corporate merger. A change of scene does sound good, and Kerry has fond memories of past Decembers in New York. But driving her dad’s old Ford truck to New York City while towing a vintage camper has her uneasy, and the camper’s plumbing doesn’t even work.
The Tollivers have been selling Frasier fir trees in Greenwich Village for over 35 years, and local business owners and residents help with setup, electricity, hot coffee, and bathroom breaks. And Murphy’s dog Queenie is a sweetie, though it turns out that Murphy snores, loudly. After the opposite of a meet-cute, Kerry is charmed by local Patrick and his young son Austin. Also welcoming are a mom of toddler twins, a restaurant hostess who gets Murphy to smile, and an older man who brings Queenie treats and gives Kerry advice on improving her sketches for an illustrated winter story she’s making with young Austin.
The hours are long, the weather gets colder, Kerry’s decorated wreaths keep her very busy, and showers and meals are as regular as she’d like. But the hospitality of the neighborhood is awesome, apart from rival Christmas tree sellers. Charming, funny, and heartwarming; a delightful holiday read even on a beautiful fall day.
Tea and Empathy: Tales of Rydding Village, Book 1 by Shanna Swendson
Author Shanna Swendson set out to right a cozy fantasy in a traditional setting, a welcome recent trend. She is best known for her contemporary fantasy series, Enchanted, Inc., mostly set in New York City.
While the story starts with Elwyn at a very low point, wondering if she’ll survive, it ends with her and the village of Rydding starting to thrive. Elwyn is on the run, hungry and weak. She leaves the main road for a lane leading into a forest, where she immediately feels safer, then crosses a stone bridge over a bridge to find a quiet village in the valley. Elwyn finds refuge in a vacant stone cottage with a large overgrown cottage, reminding her of a cottage she once lived in. This cottage turns out to be something magical. Elwyn, who now calls herself Wyn, meets Mair, who trades her goat milk and cheese. Soon Wyn opens a tea chop in the front room of the cottage, and later, reluctantly, does a little healing. A wounded and unconscious man appears in the village, who remembers nothing of his past when he wakes up, but is happy to help Wyn with blending herbs and tea.
Will Wyn be able to stay in the village, or will serious troubles from her recent past find her if she stays in Rydding? A very pleasant read, and I look forward to more cozy fantasy novels in this series.
Murder at Archly Manor, Murder at Blackburn Hall, and The Egyptian Antiquities Murder by Sara Rosett
I’m always looking for new mystery series to read. I enjoy cozy and historical mysteries, and some British police procedurals but have started reading quite a few mystery books that are either too light and fluffy to keep my interest or written to a formula and not distinctive enough to be memorable. Other mysteries are darker than I’m in the mood to read. So, I’m happy to discover the High Society Lady Detective Mysteries by Sara Rosett. I’ve enjoyed her contemporary series featuring Ellie Avery, a military spouse and mother who has become an expert at organizing and moving, and talented at solving mysteries as well. There are already seven titles in this historical series featuring Olive Belgrave, and I was impressed by the first three titles. They are set in London in 1923, and in houses in the English countryside.
Olive is living in a boarding house in London, looking for steady work, when her aunt asks her to investigate the background of her daughter Violet’s fiancé Alfred Eton. With the help of her cousin Gwen (and Gwen’s hand-me-down gowns) and her friend Jasper Rimington, Olive sets out to uncover the mysterious Alfred’s past. An unfortunate accident during a fireworks show has Olive searching for a possible murderer.
The second book, Murder at Blackburn Hall, finds Olive back in London, with most of her sleuthing involving locating missing pets. Then a publisher contacts her to locate a missing mystery author, whose latest manuscript is overdue. The challenge is that no one knows what the author looks like. A body is found on the riverbank near Blackburn Hall, possibly an accidental death. There are a couple of big secrets for Olive, and occasionally Jasper to uncover, when not playing golf or attending formal dinners at the Hall. The setting is described in just enough detail, and I liked that Olive is smart, not unnecessarily putting herself in danger. The Egyptian Antiquities Murder, set at a large town house in London owned by an amateur archaeologist, is atmospheric without being spooky, and the mystery is quite clever. I actually listened to the audiobook of Blackburn Hall, with a very good narration by Elizabeth Klett, before I read the other two books, I look forward to reading the other books in the future.
This book is perfect for readers who enjoy cozy or lighthearted fantasy. Marketed for middle school readers, yet appealing for all ages. Kayla Jones, 14, visits the Minnesota State Fair, an annual tradition, with her adoptive mom Riki and her younger brother, Del. Suddenly they are transported to a stone circle in Zaradwin, where Kayla is called Xavrielina, the new Dark Lady.
Kayla’s tablet computer becomes her talking familiar, the castle has dragon skulls that speak, and Kayla’s aunts may not have her best interests at heart. On the positive side, her cousin and potential rival wants to be a musician while another relative loves to cook.
Kayla, aided by her familiar, her practical and protective mother, her lively younger brother, and the castle librarian, learns what her options are as a Provisional Dark Lady. Exploring the castle, learning a little magic, trying to get back home to Minnesota, and discovering if a Dark Lady really must curse or exile her rivals make for very enjoyable reading. Patricia Wrede co-authored Sorcery & Cecelia: Or The Enchanted Chocolate Pot and other teen fantasy novels as well as the very popular Dealing with Dragons and other Enchanted Forest books. I’m happy to hear that a sequel to The Dark Lord’s Daughter is planned.
Murder Most Royal: Her Majesty the Queen Investigates by SJ Bennett
This is the third mystery by Bennett featuring Queen Elizabeth II, age 90, and her assistant private secretary, Rozie Oshodie. The Queen has solved quite a few mysteries over the years with the assistance of her assistant private secretaries, and has managed to keep her detecting a royal secret. Not even the Queen’s private secretary, Sir Simon, has a clue. Quite a fun premise for a series; I enjoyed The Windsor Knot, set at Windsor Castle and All the Queen’s Men set at Buckingham Palace. In this book, the Queen and her husband Prince Phillip are headed to Norfolk for the winter holidays in 2016, for several weeks at Sandringham House. Both the Queen and her husband are dealing with flu or colds at the beginning of her visit, leaving her more time to sit and think when a hand is found on a nearby beach. Rozie shows the Queen a photo, and she identifies the ring as belonging to the St. Cyr family.
Life at Sandringham House is described with just the right amount of detail, and the Queen and Rozie both narrate chapters. Rozie meets her immediate predecessor, and is introduced, reluctantly, to wild swimming. Some of the St. Cyr family are interested in wilding, returning their estate to a more natural state, but there have been problems with wild boars and beavers. Rozie and the Queen uncover several secrets about the St. Cyr family, both recent and decades old. As the Queen would like, there are lots of dogs and horses in this mystery, even providing a clue or two. A rather twisty plot has all the loose ends solved in the end. Book Four, A Death in Diamonds, will be a prequel set in 1957, much of it on the royal yacht Britannia. Another book set at Balmoral Castle in 2017 is planned. The Queen and Rozie are likeable characters in these mysteries, and the dialogue is nicely written, making for engaging reads. Enjoy!
Book Girl & Little Bear 