New Little Box

there on the right. In case you're bored.

More reviews on their way. Typing one handed is slow business.

Wicked Plants by Amy Stewart

* For some reason blogger is not letting me upload the image of the cover. Which sucks because it's a great cover.

   
    Subtitle: “The Weed That Killed Lincoln’s Mother and Other Botanical Atrocities.”   

    Basically, this little green book is a field guide to destructive, dangerous, fatal,  and/or illegal plants. It’s chock full of little gems regarding each entry, like: “Kudzu is a legume; it is related to such useful plants as soybeans, alfalfa, and clover.”  Kudzu is listed as “destructive.” Drive through the South and you’ll see why.

    So - an entire book on ways to off someone in a manner which could look entirely accidental? Wouldn’t you know I’ve got a section on my bookshelf for just such resources.

    If you’re vaguely morbid and also currently going through an “it’s spring! Time to garden!” phase...this book is for you. Even if only to have odd facts to pull out at dinner parties.

    And a Holy Week warning for those of us who have furry loved ones living with us: EVERY part of the lily is fatal to cats. If you decide to decorate, let your kitties know that the flowers aren’t for eating.
   

Not a Book Review

I have another blog (shocking, right?) and today's post is the slideshow of our son's birth. It's safe for work.

http://embrita.blogspot.com/2010/03/follow-this-link.html

Happy Tuesday!

Gods Behaving Badly by Marie Phillips

 

 This is a beach read if I’ve ever encountered one. It’s also good for reading in the bath and while nursing, if it happens to be winter still and you’re not on the beach.

Here’s the basic premise: despite all of the other religions that have come and gone, the real one is that of the Ancient Greeks and a handful of their gods have been displaced from Olympus to a grimy old house in London, where they spend their days being bored, bickering, meddling in each other’s lives, and trying to keep the planet going. The problem is, they can’t have every Tom, Dick, and Mortal knowing about them so they’re relegated to crap jobs like walking dogs (Artemis) and hosting x-rated phone calls (Aphrodite.) They also have lots of sex. Consider yourself warned.

Of course, that would get boring quickly, so Phillips has thrown into some mortals to move the plot along. Alice and Neil find themselves inexplicably intertwined with a love-stuck Apollo (I told you the gods were bored and meddling with each other) and his entire family.

Like I said -this is a beach read so there aren’t any great epiphanies, although Phillips appears to have done her homework and what little there is to fact check is accurate. It’s a fun little romp through what might have been had the Greeks gotten it all right. (And really - who’s to say they didn’t?) I did get little kicks here and there from the lows the gods went to over each other, but Alice’s demureness started to grate after a while. The other little beef I had was that there was a lot of set up and then the thick of the plot felt rushed at the end. I could have used more epilogue, too.

There doesn’t feel like there’s room for a sequel here, but that’s ok. I’ll pick up whatever Phillips publishes next and make sure I have a nice little cocktail to drink while I read it.