Fic Rig (Reviewing "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children")

Started and finished in a handful of hours this afternoon/evening, "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" by Ransom Riggs was a particularly pleasant read.

In this novel, the gruesome death of sixteen-year-old Jacob's grandfather sends Jacob on a journey to a remote island off the Welsh coast, where he discovers that the stories his grandfather told him of his childhood are more than the mere fairy tales that Jacob had thought them to be. Using a strange and bizarre collection of vintage photographs from the personal archives of collectors, Riggs tells an spell-binding, haunting story using first-person narration, allowing reader's to unravel the mystery of Miss Peregrine and what makes her charges so peculiar alongside Jacob. Riggs blends together elements of time travel, mutant powers, and the quick action and plot twists of a thriller to create a truly delightful novel that will keep readers on the edge of their seats.

Five Defects (extremely nitpicky)

1. I wanted MORE description in some places, but this is probably because I like flowery writing and Riggs doesn't use excessively floral language or sentence structure.
2. The photos, while connected strongly throughout most of the book, sometimes seem superfluous.
3. With so many kids in Miss Peregrine's Home, I wanted more background for some of the kids beyond a statement of their powers.
4. Why do Jacob's parents exist? They play very narrow roles in the novel and seem very flat. Mom barely exists at all. And what was the point of making him the future heir of the Smart Aid empire? Some parts of the back story for Jacob aren't really important at all.
5. WHY IS THERE NOT ANOTHER BOOK, YET!?! Correction - there is another book! Why do I not have it yet!?

Five Delights

1. I love the X-Men/superpower feeling of this book without actually making it a superhero novel. It feels fairy tale like, but definitely has a "superpowers" vibe.
2. The novel keeps you guessing enough that even I didn't completely figure out who the bad guy was going to be!
3. The most gentle, non-obtrusive magical time travel ever! Cleverly hidden worlds make me very pleased.
4. The photographs are creepy in just the right way to add to the story.
5. I love any novel that has some sort of historical setting. This meets both the needs of readers who want something modern and something historical. I want to know more about the other Homes for Peculiar Children mentioned in the book. I want to know what happens beyond this novel! So excited to read the next book!

Fic Cla (Reviewing "Clockwork Angel")

It has been a spectacularly long time since I've read anything but children's books, but getting ready for a teaching placement this fall at a local high school, I'm back in the world of reading YA literature.

My first novel as I dive back into the world of YA lit is "Clockwork Angel" by Cassandra Clare. The first book in Clare's "The Infernal Devices" series and prequel to her "Mortal Instruments" series, the book was a fantastic, beautifully sculpted read. This book threw together some of my favorite things in any novel: Victorian England, the supernatural, a tiny romance side plot (love triangle?), and a smattering of steam punk sensibilities.

I think the thing that pleasantly surprised me about Clare's novel was that even with a female protagonist, it was romance light and extremely action heavy (blood, guts, slaying, etc). Tessa Gray, our female protagonist, finds herself in dire peril (kidnapped, held prisoner, and "tortured") within the first few chapters of the novel, and the action doesn't let up after that. How could I possibly say no to a book that opens with the line "the demon exploded in a shower of ichor and guts"?

If you want a synopsis of the book, you can go read the summary and review provided by Amazon by clicking the link above. I don't want to go into the details here. There is far too much awesome in this book for me to even being writing a decent short summary. I'm just going to include my Bottom 5/Top 5 list below.

Five Defects

1. Sometimes the plot moved SO much, I felt a little disoriented if I wasn't close reading.
2. This book starts with a prologue. It really didn't need one... even though it did have an AWESOME opening line.
3. The character of Jessamine. I never did like a stuck up rich girl. I'm hoping there is more character development for this poor girl in future books.
4. How very many times Will's looks were mentioned in the book. I get it. He's pretty.
5. WHY DO YOU END LIKE THAT!? You answer none of my questions book!

Five Delights

1. Poetry and literature integration throughout the novel is fantastic. I love that Tessa, Will, and the other characters often quote poetry or prose that fits the moment. I also love that each chapter begins with pieces of poetry that are by and large taken from poetry the characters would have read and been familiar with.
2. I think it might be shaping up to be a Team Will or Team Jem decision. I don't know how I feel about this, but I know that I like it. Who's side are you on?
3. Beautiful, descriptive prose that doesn't get too flowery or long winded. I love that Clare is just as likely to write about the blood and battle as she is about Tessa's feelings and thoughts. I have no problems imagining this world in gritty, glorious detail.
4. A female protagonist who OBVIOUSLY changes in the book and learns how to make decisions for herself by the end. Yes, some of her decisions are based on "female propriety" and "pretty boys", but generally, I'm not annoyed by Tessa at all. She's hardly what I would call wishy-washy.
5. I cannot wait to read the next one! If all my questions are left unanswered by future books, though, I will probably start to hate this series... but the ending definitely makes me want to read the next book.

745.92 (Floral Arts)

The photo above represents what we learned in Wilton III this week - how to make gum paste carnations, roses, and calla lilies.  By far my favorite are carnations, although they're the most tedious to make. I'm not fond of the calla lily, so I didn't make more than one. I think that each of the flowers has a charm to them and that they make ordinary cupcakes something fantastic.

I've also been practicing with my camera and photo light box recently and I'm getting better at the photo taking. I really do love the way the gum paste carnations look - they seem so life like! I broke my veining tool making them, though. I'll need to buy a new one before class on Friday.

The cupcakes pictured are lemon cake with raspberry filling and a raspberry buttercream. I'm sure they'll be much appreciated at work tomorrow morning.

641.86539071 (Cake Decoration, Education)

I started the Wilton III course this Friday. While most of class was pretty boring (rehashing gum paste and fondant use and doing a LOT of prep work for gum paste flowers), I did learn one useful skill that I immediately put to use: bow making.

50/50 Fondant and Gum Paste Bow on Buttercream Ruffle Cake

This was also my first attempt at the ruffle technique for frosting a cake and I have to say that I'm pretty happy. Much like the rosette technique though, it takes about 1-1/2 recipes of butter cream to complete it. This cake is HEAVY. The bow I made isn't the typical bow for a Wilton class, either. It's thinner, one less layer of loops, and is wavy edged. I hated the bow I made in class, so I decided that I'd try again to make something I liked. I'm happy with this one.

Coming Soon...

I'm starting Wilton III on Friday this week. Look out world - there are some fondant and flowers coming your way!

306.8742 (Father-child relationship)

While I didn't get to spend Father's Day with my Popsi-Cola yesterday, I did make some cupcakes for the party at my Aunt Jan's and Uncle Gary's in honor of my Pop's Pop (my Grandpa) and got to test my homemade lighting rig for the first time.

Check out that photo! Not even edited! Following the "How to Make an Inexpensive Light Tent - DIY" tutorial written by Darren Rowse on the Digital Photography School blog, I made my own lighting rig using an old U-Haul box, white tissue paper, packing tape, and some leftover scrapbook paper. It looks something like this:

Lighting rig all set up.

The lamps are  from the local Wal-Mart (about $5 a piece) and I'm using daylight florescent bulbs/lamps in both. The rig is small enough that the box stores in a closet and the lamps just hang out in my kitchen until I need them again.

Lamps chillin' out of the way on the counter.

The cupcakes are simple white cake (with yolks in... I was lazy) with fresh raspberry butter cream frosting (we had leftover raspberries in the fridge). The design is just a simple rosette on top. So to conclude this post, a few more cupcake photos and some pictures of me and my Pops. What can I say, I'm a daddy's girl at heart.

Mmmm... raspberry butter cream!

Yes, two liners. It stops any oily marks from the cake and make it more delicate.

It takes quite a man to be a good father. I'm pretty sure that I've got one of the best!

613 (Personal health and safety) - An "Oh Shit! Kit"

What is an "Oh Shit! Kit" you may ask? Basically, it's just a small package of all those things that you might need at an event that you are going to, namely weddings, but just everyday preparedness, too!

I have a small "Oh Shit! Kit" that goes in my purse along side my wallet and beauty products. This kit looks like this:

And it holds the following products:

• Hand sanitizer
• Tide-to-go mini stick
• Mini floss (free from dentist appt.)
• Band Aides (finger, knuckle, and regular fabric ones)
• Hand wipes (these happen to be from a "wash your sins away" gag gift)
• Pain pills, allergy pills, and Tums in a small Altoids container
• Mint breath spray
• Alcohol wipes
• Jolly ranchers
• Throat lozenges (cough drops)
• Mini sewing kit (with two needles, thread, two buttons, two safety pins, and a small scissors)
• Mini nail kit (nail clippers, file, cuticle scissors)

All of these things fit in the small American Red Cross pouch. I also have a mouth-to-mouth shield attached to my key ring (it folds up into a little pouch) and my regular cosmetics (chapstick, lipstick, etc.) in my purse pockets alongside my cell phone.

Small "Oh Shit!" Kit Contents

My large "Oh Shit! Kit" that I take to weddings and on long weekends/camping/etc. fits inside a medium sized cosmetic bag (with the internal, clear zippered pockets) and looks more like this:

Large "Oh Shit!" Kit Contents

It has a longer list of things included by far and is still being added to on a regular basis as I find new items that I think should be added. The larger kit includes:

• Instant ice pack
• Throat lozenges
• Wet wipes (good for more than just babies' bottoms)
• Static guard
• A mini lint roller
• Sewing kit
• Tide-to-go stick
• Alcohol wipes
• Gauze
• A larger assortment of pills (pain, Tums, cold and sinus, allergy)
• Neo-to-Go spray (well, the cheap target version that works just as well)
• Double sided fashion tape
• Safety Pins
• Larger scissors
• Q-Tips
• Tampons
• Blister Band Aids
• Assorted fabric Band Aids
• Clear medical tape
• Pens
• Floss
• Whips (4 little throw away tooth brushes that have picks on the end)
• Carmex stick
• Tape measure
• Paper clips
• Mini manicure set
• Lavender scented hand lotion
• Mint breath spray
• Jolly ranchers

Why carry all of this stuff, you might ask? Because I've needed it before and not had it! Some of the most common problems I run into at weddings or large group events? A bride who wants hand lotion or a breath mint, groomsmen who rip their hems, a bridesmaid who forgot their chapstick or breaks a nail (or whose shoes are killing her feet and causing blisters... I've had that one happen myself), or a various number of small cuts and scrapes happen throughout the day. I always feel like an assortment of over-the-counter drugs are a good way to go, too - you never know when someone in the crowd will get a headache or be sneezing uncontrollably from seasonal allergies. The jolly ranchers? I know an awful lot of people who are diabetic and a piece of hard candy can fix a lot of sugar/insulin issues. 

Does this make me "mom" among my friends? Yes, yes it does. While that can be annoying, it's also good to know that everyone in the crowd is taken care of. Anything else you think should go in my "Oh Shit! Kits"? Leave a comment below!