Marrow Island

Filed Under: Books Read

Marrow Island

Marrow Island by Alexis M. Smith
Published by Houghton Mifflin on June 7th 2016
Pages: 256
See it @ Goodreads


Synopsis

A new novel from a former bookseller, author of the acclaimedGlaciers," tracks a young woman s return home to investigate a secretive community that has mysteriously rescued an island devastated by natural and chemical disaster and taken hold of one of her oldest friends. Twenty years ago Lucie Bowen left Marrow Island; along with her mother, she fled the aftermath of an earthquake that compromised the local refinery, killing her father and ravaging the island s environment. Now, Lucie s childhood friend Kate is living within a mysterious group called Marrow Colony a community that claims to be ministering to the Earth. There have been remarkable changes to the land at the colony s homestead. Lucie s experience as a journalist tells her there s more to Marrow Colony and their charismatic leader than they want her to know, and that the astonishing success of their environmental remediation has come at great cost to the colonists themselves. As she uncovers their secrets and methods, will Lucie endanger more than their mission? What price will she pay for the truth?In the company of "Station Eleven" and "California, Marrow Island "uses two tense natural disasters to ask tough questions about our choices large and small. A second novel from a bookseller whose sleeper-hit debut was praised by Karen Russell as haunted, joyful, beautiful, it promises to capture and captivate new readers even as it thrills Smith's many existing fans."

Marrow Island is it a mini utopia or is it a dystopia? Ecologically devastated by an earthquake that destroyed an oil refinery years ago; the island is now an ecological commune, run by Sister J. Lucie’s father, who died on the island as a result of the earthquake, has returned to the island some twenty years later to visit a childhood friend. Something strange is going on.

Dark and brooding, Marrow Island, a carefully crafted work that left me wanting. I could not engage with the characters.

About Alexis M. Smith

Alexis-M-Smith

Alexis M. Smith was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest. Her debut novel, GLACIERS, has been translated into Spanish and Italian. It was a finalist for the Ken Kesey Award for Fiction and a World Book Night 2013 selection. MARROW ISLAND is the winner of a Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association Award and a finalist for a Lambda Literary Award.

Alexis attended Mount Holyoke College, Portland State University, and holds an MFA from Goddard College. In 2015 she received a grant from Regional Arts & Culture Council and a fellowship from the Oregon Arts Commission. She has written for Tarpaulin Sky, The Portland Monthly, Bon Appétit, The Portland Review, and in Lilac City Fairy Tales Vol. III. She lives with her wife and son in Portland, Oregon.

Website

The Scholl Case: The Deadly End of a Marriage

Filed Under: Books Read

The Scholl Case: The Deadly End of a Marriage

The Scholl Case: The Deadly End of a Marriage by Anja Reich-Osang, Imogen Taylor
Published by Text Publishing Company on October 3rd 2016
Pages: 213
See it @ Goodreads


Synopsis

'A gripping book about a mysterious murder that delves deeply into the psyches of its protagonists. Anja Reich-Osang’s clear language cuts like a knife, exposing the layers of two lives and one unhappy marriage. A great read!’—Melanie Raabe, author of THE TRAP
In December 2011, a corpse was found in a forest in Ludwigsfelde, a small and peaceful town south of Berlin. The body was hidden between pine trees, covered with leaves. The victim was Brigitte Scholl, sixty-seven, cosmetician and wife of Ludwigsfelde’s former mayor Heinrich Scholl. There were rumours that Brigitte was raped and killed by a serial killer. While the police hunted for the murderer, parents kept their children indoors, and joggers avoided the forest. Three weeks later, the police arrested the victim’s husband.
The residents were shocked. Heinrich Scholl was well-respected in his community, regarded as the most successful mayor of East Germany after the fall of the Berlin Wall. This charming man had it all: a successful career, influential friends and a marriage of almost fifty years. But behind closed doors, it was a very different story. Friends and family were staggered at the picture that emerged during the trial.
In 2012, Heinrich Scholl was pronounced guilty of murder and sentenced to life in prison. To this day, he pleads not guilty. Journalist and author Anja Reich-Osang followed the trial and talked to family, friends and Heinrich Scholl himself. She tells a gripping story about marriage, sex and politics, where nothing is as it seems.
Anja Reich-Osang is a German journalist. She received the German Reporter Award in 2012 and is currently senior editor at Berliner Zeitung.

Book_Related - Henrich-SchollA rather dry, but very readable account of a marriage gone bad. Heinrich and Brigitte married for convenience, it came to a bloody end in December, 2011 after 50 years of marriage. Heinrich, a successful retired Mayor of a small East German city murdered his wife and her dog.

What makes the book interesting is that this marriage began at the same time the Berlin Wall fell, Heinrich took a small East German village and made it a show place. The author gives us an idea of how life was in Germany around that time, but as to really delving into the true character of the Scholl’s the story is a bit weak.

Interview with the author Anja Reich-Osang

Holiday Cheer!

Filed Under: Drinks, Recipes

santa-mug
Every year about this time, I remember fondly of the days when my brother and I would put our Christmas mugs filled with eggnog and cookies out for Santa on Christmas eve. Every Christmas I pull out my little mug and have a mug full of eggnog to honor those long gone days.
Since I am getting about a dozen eggs every two days, I thought it would be fun to make my own eggnog. My first attempt was a total failure. This recipe is not as heavy as store-bought eggnog which I like. Don’t let your milk and egg mixture get too hot.

Ever wonder where eggnog came from? How it came to be?
While culinary historians debate its exact lineage, most agree eggnog originated from the early medieval Britain “posset,” a hot, milky, ale-like drink. By the 13th century, monks were known to drink a posset with eggs and figs. Milk, eggs, and sherry were foods of the wealthy, so eggnog was often used in toasts to prosperity and good health.
Eggnog became tied to the holidays when the drink hopped the pond in the 1700s. American colonies were full of farms—and chickens and cows—and cheaper rum, a soon-signature ingredient. Mexico adopted the very eggnog varietal “rompope,” and Puerto Rico enjoys the “coquito,” which adds coconut milk. The English name’s etymology however remains a mystery. Some say “nog” comes from “noggin,” meaning a wooden cup, or “grog,” a strong beer. By the late 18th century, the combined term “eggnog” stuck.[1. Time magazine,

Print

Egg Nog

Course Drinks
Servings 7 Cups
Author America's Test Kitchen

Ingredients

  • 12 large egg yokes room temperature
  • 1 1/2 cups white sugar
  • 4 1/2 cups whole milk
  • 1 1/2 cups half and half
  • ground nutmeg
  • 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. Using stand mixer fitted with whisk, whip egg yolks on medium-high speed until thickened and pale, about 1 minute. Gradually add sugar and whip until completely dissolved, scraping down bowl as needed, about 2 minutes; reserve.

  2. Heat milk and half-and-half just to simmer in medium saucepan over medium heat. Using stand mixer fitted with whisk, whip reserved yolk-sugar mixture on medium-low speed, gradually adding hot milk mixture until combined, about 2 minutes. Transfer mixture to now-empty pot and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until mixture registers 160 degrees, about 30 seconds.

  3. Off heat, stir in whiskey, 2 teaspoons nutmeg, and vanilla and transfer to large container. Let cool over ice bath, about 10 minutes. Refrigerate until well chilled, about 1½ hours. Season with nutmeg to taste. Serve.