February 7, 2011

The Australian Book of True Crime by Larry Writer

E-Book
Murdoch Books UK Limited
Copyright 2008

This is a compilation of true crimes that were committed in Australia. There are 21 cases in this book and they vary in time committed and type of crime. One was a couple I had read about before: Catherine and David Birnie; but most I had never heard of. They range from kidnapping, murder, rape, serial murder mass murder, there is an account of two ladies (using the word loosely The Law of the Razer, 1920s-1930s) that ran rival gangs. The first kidnapping of a child for ransom. Some are just a single crime, or in the case of a serial murderer, the murders committed and some are the life story of a career criminal (Gone to Gowings, 1940s-1980s).

Since this are in effect ‘short stories’, there is not a lot of excessive detail. All the necessary details of the crime committed are there, along with what happened to the perpetrator. And how he behaved in prison. I was not left with unanswered questions about these crimes, unless the author himself couldn’t find an answer and in that case he told us.

If you like reading quick accounts of crimes with all the details encapsulated for you, I would recommend this book. Another reason I like reading compilations is it is easy to put it down and pick it up later.

Posted by on February 7, 2011 in 2011, Historical True Crime, Non-Fiction, True Crime and tagged , , , , , , , , , , .

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February 7, 2011

Ever have African food?

Nomad Restaurant
78 2nd Avenue
New York, NY 10003
(212) 253-5410 ~ Link

This restaurant advertises Northern African food, think Morocco. A very crowded dining area, its like they crammed as many tables in as they could fit, with barely enough room to fit in between them. Gold was a prominent color, gold padded seats with the backs like lattice work, painted gold. Little statuettes with tile on them, tile on the table. The water bottles were square, rather a nice touch, the service was pretty good. I thought our waiter was this quiet nice looking young black man, instead it turned out to be a tall rather thin guy, that looked a little like a Disney villain.

Kasey said she wanted to try hummus, she had always been afraid to but since I liked it she wanted to get the Nomad Trio Dips, crispy pita with 3 dips, hummus, cucumber yogurt and bissara (fava beans). She liked the hummus (we now have some in our refrigerator) and the cucumber yogurt, she didn’t give an opinion on the bissara. I only liked the hummus, cucumbers are yucky and I’m not crazy about fava beans. Kasey had another appetizer as her meal, Chicken Briwats (fillo pastry stuffed with chicken and almonds). She couldn’t get over the flavor, she couldn’t describe it but they disappeared rather quickly. I got the Black Vegetable Burger (eggplant, portabella mushrooms, beluga lentils, black beans, coriander and cumin), served with fries and salad. I didn’t eat the salad as it had some kind of dressing on it, the greens looked fresh though, and I forgot to ask about sauce on the burger, which there was, which meant I had to get rid of the top bun, tomato and onion. The lettuce was rather limp. The bun looked more like one of those sandwich rounds then a regular bun. Anyway, I ended up eating the burger off the bottom of the bun with my fork, and it kept falling apart. The flavor was good, all I could really taste was black beans. Overall, it was a new experience and not unpleasant. Bottom line if you’re in the East Village and want dinner, check it out.

Reservations are encouraged but not necessary. Appetizer and dinner for two, no dessert, no drinks between $30 and $40.

From BigBooks.com:

At Nomad you’ll feel the charm of the Mediterranean Cuisine and the North African desert. The fire of the people, the warmth of the hues and the passion in the cooking.Fittings and ambiance are a combination of the artwork of Alex Weiss’ wall paint sceneries, imported artwork from Morocco, and the carved Iron work of the Steal Neal creating an authentic outpost of North Africa in the heart of the East Village in NYC.You’ll be surrounded by ochre walls, Berber pottery and hand carved wooden screens while relaxing in Berber script, candlelight, and nomadic tunes.

Posted by on February 7, 2011 in Manhattan and tagged , , , , .

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February 6, 2011

New E-Books I have

I got a coupon for Barnes and Noble, $20 worth of books for $5

Witch The True Story of Las Vegas’ Most Notorious Female Killer by Glenn Puit

Anyone You Want Me to Be A True Story of Sex and Death on the Internet by John Douglas

Inside the Mind of BTK by John E. Douglas

I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced by Nujood Ali

Posted by on February 6, 2011 in Acquisitions, Memoir, True Crime and tagged , , .

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January 30, 2011

Lunch and a massage

Ashton’s Alley
215 E. 50th St. (btw 2nd & 3rd)
New York, NY
Tel: 347.292.9919; Link

Ashton’s Alley is on 50th Street, it has a big sign in red letters so it’s easy to spot. It is very nice inside, dark wood but nicely lit so you can see where you are going and read the menu. The bar is on the left as you come in the door and the bartender was cute, (he flirted with me, any guy who flirts with me gets a ‘cute’ mention in my blog, it’s a rule 😉 ) It looked very elegant but not fancy, the menu was burgers and pasta! It is listed as American fare. Kasey got a burger, no bun, it had fries (the really thick kind), cole-slaw, a pickle and filled her up. I had Pasta with tomatoes, red peppers and arugula in olive oil with garlic (see picture). They also had fresh pepper and Parmesan to sprinkle on it. It was very pretty to look at and very tasty. I love this trend with the square dishes, I think they look very classy. The pasta was al dente. The service was friendly and fast but not rushed. Lunch entrées were between $10-$15.

Graceful Services
1095 2nd Ave (btw 57th and 58th)
New York, NY
Tel: (212) 593-9904; Link

After lunch we went for our massage. This place is on 2nd Avenue, the second floor and was very small. The door to the street was locked, you had to push a button and then open the door, but it wouldn’t. Fortunately someone was leaving so we were able to get in. The place is very small, there is no sauna or steam room at this location. No locker room for changing either, we were just shown into a room with a massage table/bed with a plastic bucket for clothes, and a hanger on the wall for coats, in fact there was a curtain dividing the room so two people could get massages at the same time in the same room. No wonder they were able to get me in on such short notice. Anyway, despite the spartan-like conditions, the massage was good, when the massage was over she brought in hot towels for my back and legs, they were kind of a shock at first since I wasn’t expecting them, but they felt good. I can actually move my head now, but I think my back is bruised. Kasey liked her massage, but she prefers a spa with more amenities, a steam room, a place to sit and relax after. She will definitely like Okeanos which is next on our list.

We had Groupons for both of these places, and I don’t remember how much the massage was.

Posted by on January 30, 2011 in Manhattan and tagged , , , , .

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January 28, 2011

Extras (Uglies Series #4) by Scott Westerfeld

Pub. Date: October 2007
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing

 
Prettytime is over, ended by the thought rain and Tally Youngblood. Extra’s is the story of what comes after. It is Aya Fuse’s story.

The society is ruled by popularity, whoever is the most popular get the best stuff. The other way to get stuff is by merits, doing good things, getting good grades in school etc. Aya is a kicker, trying to increase her ‘facerank’ by ‘kicking’ the best story. She has a semi-sentient hovercam named Moogle that records everything she does and sees. In trying to get a story of a group of girls who avoid popularity, she stumbles on a secret society, the resulting popularity she attains from kicking this story leads to attention from some unusual surge-monkeys and Tally Youngblood. The ending shows that things are not always as the seem to be, one shouldn’t jump to conclusions and you can’t always believe everything you read or see in the media.

Extra’s is a cautionary tale without being preachy. Taking things to an extreme level, makes you think about how your actions affect the world around you. Once again a serious subject is woven into a story that is both entertaining and thought-provoking.

Posted by on January 28, 2011 in 2011, Fantasy, Science Fiction, YA Fiction and tagged , , , , , .

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January 28, 2011

From Fiona

How often do you slip through your days without listening to the blackbird warbling his song, noticing the curl on your little girl’s forehead, or savouring every single sip of your cappuccino?

Throughout January, more than 350 people across the world have been taking part in our river of stones. They’ve been pausing every day to notice one thing properly, and then writing it down.

They’re not going to stop at the end of January. If you’re a ‘writer’ or not, you can join us too. We have a new all-singing all-dancingcommunity forum where people are eating virtual cake, having a chin-wag and supporting each other, and there’s a new website beautifully designed by Kaspa. It’s my offering to you. I truly hope it might help you to slow down, just a teensy bit.

As a celebration I’m giving away three copies of my book ‘A Year of Questions‘. All you have to do to be in with a chance is reply to this email with ‘book’ at the title before the 14th of February. I’ll post them wherever you are in the world, with a little thank you note. The book might be your Valentine.

There’s been a lot of change for me over the past year – new fiancé, new town, new view from my office window (of the rolling Malvern hills). And now a new focus and direction for my offering to the world.

I’d love you to help me get the word out about this new offering. If you could forward this email to a few friends (by using the link at the bottom or just forwarding it), or mention it on your blog, it would make me very happy.

I’d like to finish by saying a very heartfelt thank you, to you. For listening, for being there, for spending some time with my words in a world full to the brim of distractions and things to do. Let’s find a quieter space together, where we can really see. Gratitude bow. _/ _

Warmest, Fiona

Read more about my offering at Writing Our Way Home. Come and check out our community forum, and visit the Writing Our Way Home blog. You can now buy a PDF of my novel A Year of Questions.

Posted by on January 28, 2011 in Uncategorized.

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January 27, 2011

Inception

Director: Christopher Nolan
Writer: Christopher Nolan
Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Ellen Page

Golden Globe Nominee for: Best Picture – Drama, Best Director – Christopher Nolan, Best Screenplay – Christopher Nolan, Best Original Score

Oscar (Academy Award) Nominations: Best Picture, Original Screenplay, Art Direction, Cinematography, Music (Original Score), Sound Editing, Sound Mixing, Visual Effects

Storyline
Dom Cobb is a skilled thief, the absolute best in the dangerous art of extraction, stealing valuable secrets from deep within the subconscious during the dream state, when the mind is at its most vulnerable. Cobb’s rare ability has made him a coveted player in this treacherous new world of corporate espionage, but it has also made him an international fugitive and cost him everything he has ever loved. Now Cobb is being offered a chance at redemption. One last job could give him his life back but only if he can accomplish the impossible-inception. Instead of the perfect heist, Cobb and his team of specialists have to pull off the reverse: their task is not to steal an idea but to plant one. If they succeed, it could be the perfect crime. But no amount of careful planning or expertise can prepare the team for the dangerous enemy that seems to predict their every move. An enemy that only Cobb could have seen coming. Written by Warner Bros. Pictures

It starts as a dream, then another dream, then a dream within a dream and you have no idea what is real and what is a dream. For the first 10-15 minutes of this film I was confused, then the story starts to fall into place as everyone wakes up and you understand what you have just seen is a dream. It’s not really that hard the rest of the time to tell the dreams from waking, as long as you are paying attention.

About half way through the movie I had it figured out. I can’t really say what I figured out, because that would be a spoiler, but then I had to watch the rest of the movie to see if I was right. This movie has a solid story line, fantastic visual special effects, Leonardo DiCaprio [squeee!] (Yes that was me, squealing like a little girl) along with fantastic co-stars including but not limited to Ken Watanabe (The Last Samurai, Memoirs of a Geisha) and Michael Caine (Secondhand Lions, The Cider House Rules and many others, but I saw these two and recommend them). The non-stop action dream scenes were amazing, well acted, well filmed.

In short, I feel this film very deserving of the Oscar nominations and I hope it wins one. I definitely recommend it.

Posted by on January 27, 2011 in Fantasy, Movie, Science Fiction, Thriller and tagged , , , .

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January 24, 2011

Specials (Uglies Series #3) by Scott Westerfeld

Pub. Date: May 2006
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing

Tally met the Specials in the first book of this series. They were described as cruelly beautiful. A beautiful face like a wolf, that strikes fear in the heart of those who see it. Now Tally has become a special, her body has been surgically enhanced into a fighting machine and programmed to keep the uglies subservient and the pretties ‘bubble-headed’. But as usual, there is a voice in her head trying to get her to think about what she is doing.

Once again Tally is being manipulated by those in charge, when Tally realizes this, she also realizes it is up to her to fix things. How she does this makes for an exciting conclusion to this series.

I enjoyed every book in this series and recommend them all. I would suggest they be read in order for maximum enjoyment.

Posted by on January 24, 2011 in 2011, Fantasy, YA Fiction and tagged , , , , , .

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January 24, 2011

Pretties (Uglies Series #2) by Scott Westerfeld

Pub. Date: November 2005
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing

Tally is finally pretty. Her face and body is perfect, her boyfriend is totally hot. All she has to do all day is have a good time. She has all the clothes she wants and she is popular. In short she has everything she wanted. Then she receives a message from her past and remembers there is an ugly side to pretty. But the authorities don’t want anyone finding out what Tally knows and will do whatever they have to to stop her.

This is the second book in this series, continuing the story of Tally Youngblood, we watch people we have already met and are introduced to some new characters. As Tally finds herself once again in a mess and having to think her way out of it. The plot is engaging and the characters are well developed. This book is as good as the first book. A very engaging delightful series.

Posted by on January 24, 2011 in 2011, Fantasy, YA Fiction and tagged , , , , , .

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January 20, 2011

Korean Barbecue

Woo Lae Oak
148 Mercer Street
New York, NY 10012
Phone: (212) 925-8200
Link (Tip: if you don’t like the music that plays on this website, click ‘Audio off’ under the picture.)

Located in SoHo, Woo Lae Oak is a long skinny place, the kitchen does not go on for a mile, but it does take up the left half of the room. On the right there are seats set into the wall and table with a grill, so food can be cooked at your table. Minimal decoration very distinguished looking place. Cloth napkins with dark chop sticks. Fork and spoon were provided on request. We started with an appetizer, O Ree Mari (wrapped cut rolls) pictured here, the dark on the plate is plum sauce, very tasty.

For the entrée Kasey decided to go with some authentic Korean Barbeque and got Dae Ji Bo Sot (spicy pork tenderloin) while I decided to go with the Kal Bi Jim (tender beef short rib simmered in sake ginger soy glaze served off the bone with kabocha squash) picture on the left. For the life of me I don’t know why I ordered that, I don’t like ribs. Maybe I was thinking, its Korean, so maybe it will taste different. Nope. So even though it was very tender and the sauce was good, I didn’t like it, the meat tasted like rib meat. I did snag a piece of Kasey’s pork, it was very good, nicely spiced. The table is set up so you can cook it yourself, but if you are not confident enough to, they will cook it in the kitchen.

Dessert for me was a Jalapeño Daiquiri, jalapeño peppers with lime and rum, nice thing to do to jalapeños, Kasey had coconut ice cream. I can’t tell you if it was good since I am allergic to coconut, but it was served in a bowl made of ice.

It was expensive, however, the traditional rice dishes are about half the price of the meat dishes, which is what we had. (Dinner menu) Dinner for us was around $100, but I had a coupon from Open Table so I only paid half that.

I doubt this is a place we would come back to, mainly because of the price and location, the food and atmosphere and service were excellent.

Posted by on January 20, 2011 in Manhattan, Uncategorized and tagged , , , , .

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