Christmas glee, part I

I've been on the hunt for a miniature Nativity set for a while now. The problem is . . . the human figures in most Nativity scenes have given me a mild case of the creeps since I was a little kid. I don't mean baby Jesus, of course. I'm just more interested in the Nativity animals than the people. Perhaps C.S. Lewis would have understood?

Last week I found my dream Nativity scene in the little gift shop at Local in Norman. This "Gentle Friends" Nativity set came in a round wood box and contained the most delightful creatures! Of course they're not necessarily historically accurate, but they fill me with glee nonetheless.


Here you see a very bold-eyed cow along with the donkey and sheep.


We get a bit more fanciful with a goat (?), a pair of fowl (is one of them a rooster?), and, of course, a cat. NOT A DOG, FOLKS! A MAJESTIC GINGER CAT!


And here they gather in the hay to wonder at the new born king.

I called Local to see where they obtained this set, hoping to share that information with you, gentle reader. The only thing they could tell me is they bought their sets back in the spring from Portico Collections as part of some trade show in Dallas, TX. I can't seem to find any details about who actually makes the "Gentle Friends Nativity Set" (please don't let it be desperate third world children!). Google turned up a photo on Pinterest, but that's about all I could find.

Do you have a treasured Nativity set?

Just for fun: The Worst and Weirdest Nativity Sets. (Zombie Nativity???)

[Cross-posted at Livejournal]

November tea and a book: The Signature of All Things

I first saw The Signature of All Things recommended at the blog of Stephanie Burgis, and knowing how much Steph and I have in common when it comes to fiction preferences, I figured it would be just my cup of tea. Prior to this, I'd never read a book by Elizabeth Gilbert, who (as you probably know) shot to fame with her memoir, Eat, Pray, Love. I became a fan of Elizabeth Gilbert the person, however, when I saw her Ted Talk on creative genius. And when I learned that the heroine of this novel is a botanist in the Victorian era, I was eager to dive in.

What an odyssey! All I wanted to do all day was read Alma's story, which is not to say I found the book perfect, but it certainly was wildly absorbing and thought-provoking. (And since I tend to recommend children's books on this blog, I want to be sure you know this is an adult story, probably suitable for older teens and up.)

If you'd like a little more context, please watch this three minute book trailer. I love it particularly because Gilbert admits to searching out an actual house in Philadelphia to be White Acre (the grand house where Alma Whittaker grows up), because she likes to "go out and roll around in the world" she's inventing. I certainly can identify with that!



And now for tea . . .

This month I chose the Almond Oolong from Adagio. I don't drink Oolong that often, but I wanted to feature something a little different, and its delicacy and fruity/nutty flavor paired nicely with a sweet treat.


That red blob, a frosted sugar cookie, is supposed to look like an autumnal maple leaf, but oh well! My tummy was pleased. You can find the recipe here. And be sure to use almond and vanilla extract in your frosting. :)

To conclude, I'll link you to this List of Thanksgiving novels from psychologytoday.com. I attempted The Ghost at the Table (too dreary) and finished A Patchwork Planet (nice). Would you second any of the other recommendations on the list? If so, please let me know!

Happy Thanksgiving!

[Cross-posted at Livejournal]

Con fun -- The Walking Dead edition

This past weekend I attended Wizard World Tulsa Comic Con with Tara Hudson. We went for Norman Reedus (Daryl from The Walking Dead) but got so much more than we bargained for!

First, some context -- I can't handle the big cons anymore. I get too panicked, claustrophobic, and angry. But since this one was entirely contained within the Cox Convention Center, I hoped it would be more manageable. As it turned out, the Tulsa Comic Con far exceeded my expectations.


Our first adventure was the photo op with Norman Reedus. The wait wasn't too long, and once he arrived they moved people through pretty quickly. Clearly, I was delighted to meet him! (I just WISH I'd thought to put on my sunglasses and mug at the camera along with him.) Later we stood in line for his signature for a loooong time, but I couldn't really begrudge the wait because he was taking great pains to shake hands and chat with each person who came through. I was pleasantly surprised by his patience and consideration. (Random aside: when looking for a Tulsa Comic Con graphic I found this photo -- how adorable is that?)


Shane is one of my favorites from TWD -- I do have a soft spot for the bad boys -- so I was pleased to discover that Jon Bernthal, who often seems to play dark/devious/tormented characters, is very charming and easygoing in real life.

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Michael Rooker (Merle in TWD, Yondu in Guardians of the Galaxy, etc.) was a hoot. Very friendly and chatty. Sweet with little kids and, um . . . fiesty with the ladies!

[Another random aside: in the above photo you can see my orthopedic boot. I fell back in September -- was in a hurry, not paying attention, and the toe of my wedge heel got caught in a clump of grass. Down went Sonia! Anyway, I was sure it was a sprain. When it didn't seem to be getting better, I got an x-ray at Urgent Care. No fracture. But the pain just kept plaguing me. So I got an MRI and they found a nondisplaced fracture along with bruising and a sprained ligament. Hence the boot. It was a challenge to get around the con, but Tara was very patient with me, and all the guests kindly asked about it. Tara and I decided that next year we should each have some sort of injury AND carry a baby/toddler dressed in a hand-sewn costume. Then we'd get ALL THE ATTENTION. Heh.]


One of my favorite moments was meeting Scott Wilson (Hershel). He's just as warm and fatherly in real life as on the show. He gave each of us a hug and after the photo he reminded me how to properly use my crutch. (He should know, right?)


We capped off the day with a visit to rising star Jerry Bennett, who gives so much to Oklahoma SCBWI and is an amazing artist. He even gets quoted in this NPR feature about the con. Yay!

We only attended on Sunday -- not the craziest day, I'm sure -- but things still got pretty busy. The staff, however, were patient and cheerful, the attendees polite, and the guests exceptionally gracious. It was Tara's first con, and I think she had a blast. We're definitely on board for next year!

[Cross-posted at Livejournal]

October tea and a book: The Crowfield Curse

Early this month I listened to Ric Jerrom's exquisite voice performance of Pat Walsh's The Crowfield Curse while driving home from Iowa, and nothing I've read since has topped it. Though it's not a horror story, it does offer chills and thrills fitting for Halloween.

The story revolves around fourteen-year-old Will, an orphan taken in (and put to work) by the monks of Crowfield Abbey. One day when collecting wood in the forest, he encounters a creature caught in a trap. When the creature speaks to him, Will knows he's stumbled upon something strange and magical. He frees the hob and soon enough is thrust into a gripping conflict involving a leper on a quest, a war between Fey kingdoms, and a faith-related mystery.

I loved so many things about this novel: the insider's look at life in a medieval Benedictine abbey, the encounters with magical beings, the eerie perils of Whistling Hollow, and, most of all, the truth behind the aforementioned mystery. You guys! There is a scene in this book, a scene of awe and transcendence, that had me in tears. All I can say is if you have even a passing interest in medieval England, and are open to mysteries with fantasy and supernatural elements, this would be a great read for you.

I didn't know much about the book before I listened -- it was recommended to me by the analytics of Audible.com -- so I won't give more details. I'd love for you to be as pleasantly surprised as I was! However, if you need a little more info before leaping in, I very much appreciated this review from Amazon (though for some reason it misidentifies the setting as seventeenth century). Just so you know, I loved the audio so much that I purchased the hardcover copy. And I look forward to seeing Will again in The Crowfield Demon.

Check out the cool trailer:



And now for tea!

I suppose if I were being true to the book, I'd have a tea of rancid lard on bread with a cup of ale to wash it down. (!!!) I decided instead to make something sweet and spicy. In fact, I experimented with a flourless recipe that might appeal to my paleo friends! Keep in mind that I'm not an old hand at baking with almond butter and ground flaxseed, and thus these Flourless Pumpkin Pie Muffins were not exactly a breeze for me to make. (My blender was NOT happy.) As you might imagine, the muffins do not rise to fluffy heights, and I think I added too many chocolate chips. (Is this possible? Apparently, yes.) But overall I was pleased with the results.


The muffins were even better the second day, and though I have three pictured here, just one satisfies my sweet tooth quite nicely. The tea is a fair trade Assam I purchased at the Co-op in Waterloo, Iowa.


The cup came from Waterloo, too! It belonged to my ex-stepmother Rosemary, but I fell so deeply in love with it during my visit that she secretly stashed it in my bag before I hit the road back to Oklahoma. Thanks, Rosemary! The cup's concept could make for a great costume, eh? (Well, maybe for a grad school Halloween party.)

[Cross-posted at Livejournal]

Creepy Film Roundup for Halloween 2014

It's that time of year when I have a special craving for ghostly films -- thought I'd share the results of my recent binge-watch in case you were looking for a spooky flick for your Halloween festivities!


The Quiet Ones (2013)
When I first heard about this film, I thought it was tailor-made for me. Paranormal investigators working at Oxford University in the early 70s? How could it fail to entertain? Well . . . first of all, the characters spent about 10 minutes at Oxford before secluding themselves in a bland old house in the country. And though Jared Harris (as the chief academic) is one of my favorite actors, I never really understood his character's goals or motivation. Furthermore, Sam Claflin (who was so engaging in Catching Fire) practically sleepwalks through this film. There were a few interesting moments, but overall I was deeply disappointed. I just wish they'd stuck closer to their purported source material: The Philip Experiment. (And BOO on the filmmakers for using fake photos in the closing credits to represent the real people who "inspired" this film.)


Mama (2013)
I'd read mixed reviews of this one, and now I understand why it might not work for some folks. This film takes risks--particularly with its representation of the paranormal presence--and the risks don't always pay off. But I prefer a film that tries something different and partly fails to one that follows a tired old formula. In particular, I appreciated how this script explored the poignancy, fierceness, and even horror of the maternal instinct. I actually cared about the characters, and this fostered the slow build of dread as they fell deeper into peril. There's more than a little hokeyness to be sure, and the male characters are pretty useless, but Jessica Chastain is fabulous, as are the girls who play her "adoptive" nieces. The ending made me cry.


Stoker (2013)
A grieving daughter meets her uncle for the first time at her father's funeral and is alternately intrigued and repelled by his behavior. This film leans more toward suspense than supernatural horror, but the characters are metaphorically haunted in interesting ways. I'm not certain the plot holds together, but I don't really care because this isn't a plot-driven movie. It's gorgeously filmed and, best of all, gloriously Gothic. (One of my favorite scenes involves Mia Wasikowska's character obsessing over a Victorian guide to funerals and mourning.) If you don't like dark and twisted, this is NOT the film for you.

(BTW, I am soooo looking forward to director Park Chan-wook's next project, an adaptation of Sarah Waters' Fingersmith set in early 20th century, Japanese-occupied Korea. Sounds like a winner to me!)


Lake Mungo (2008)
An Australian "mockumentary" about a family who might be haunted by their recently drowned daughter. This one won't make you jump out of your seat like The Blair Witch Project or Paranormal Activity, and that's because it prioritizes emotional depth over shock value. Certainly there are creepy moments, but mostly I appreciated this spooky mystery for drawing me into the longing and vulnerability of its grieving characters.

If you have any suggestions for creepy/ghostly films, do please leave me a note in the comments!

Last year's Halloween recommendations (all in one post): The Changeling, El Orfanato (The Orphanage), Below, and Janghwa, Hongryeon (A Tale of Two Sisters)

2012 recommendations: The Pact and The Awakening. Also (each a separate post) Dead of Night, The Uninvited, The Innocents, and The Haunting.

And finally, I like this list of 40 Scariest Ghost Movies.

[Cross-posted at Livejournal]