Review: All Things Bright and Strange

All Things Bright and Strange
James Markert

Paperback: 336 pages

Publisher: Thomas Nelson (January 30, 2018)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0718090284

ISBN-13: 978-0718090289

I generally don't like Christian speculative fiction -- yep, even though I write books in that genre. But this book was a pleasant surprise. It's not imitative -- written in the Left Behind, Narnia, or Divergence mode-- as so many Christian specfic books are.

The characters are not cookie-cutter and do not speak in on-the-nose preachiness. There is no undercurrent of a woman looking for her Boaz or a Hosea type. This is a good book. It's not perfect but what book is?

 I'll write a longer review of this on the christian fiction review blog where I'll go deeper in depth into the characters and discuss how challenging it might be to the "typical" Christian reader, and my ideas about how it succeeds or fails.

And yes, there is such a thing as a typical Christian reader. So there might be issues about whether the story is truly Christian or not. Christians come in all sizes and shapes, and the question of hell and who gets saved is iffy. I tend to avoid putting people in hell but i do believe in a hell. Some Christians don't believe in hell. Upshot? Depending on how you have built your Christian foundations, this book might be offensive...or not.  The type of Christian who thinks anything supernatural is demonic or weird and "unChristian" will have a problem with this book. Racist Christians who don't like to be stressed about race issues will have a problem with this book. It deals with someone who is not in love with his life and is pondering suicide, stuff that some Christians often don't want to deal with. It has its tropes and for the most part they work. The author is trying to walk the fine line of writing a book for a particular audience and at the same time trying to write a book that will challenge that audience. 

I received this book free in exchange for a fair and honest review. 

Review: Vegan comfort classics -- 101 recipes to feed your face

Hot for Food
Vegan comfort classics -- 101 recipes to feed your face

• Print Length: 240 pages
• Publisher: Ten Speed Press (February 27, 2018)
• Publication Date: February 27, 2018
• Sold by: Random House LLC

First off, we have to get our definitions straight. Vegan means no animal products. Even eggs, milk, cheeses, etc. I guess vegans eat honey but I'm not sure.

Speaking of honey, we get to the second point. Vegan doesn't necessarily mean healthy, sugar-free, non-GMO, or non-refined.

Once you understand those two points, you can really enjoy this book.

The chapters are:
Hey, hot for food fam
Badass brunches
Finger foods
Veggie sides & big salads
Hearty soups
Stacked sandwiches
Oodles of noodles
The main event
Sweet things
Get savory
Acknowledgments
Index

The recipes are written clearly and the photos of the dishes are tempting.

What all these recipes have in common is tasty home-spun meals. For those who miss non-vegan foods and who can't tweak the recipes, this is a good book. There are tofu, miso, etc in some of these dishes but often there are workarounds such as almond bacon and an exotic fruit or two like jackfruit but it's basic Americana stuff all put in one book. You don't have to be a committed vegan to cook these recipes but once you get a knack for substitution, you'll be eating vegan without too much trouble. The sauce/dressing/aioli section and the various ways of making fake bacon are the best parts of the book, especially because those sections are helpful to folks who don't know their way around a health food store.

I received this book free in exchange for a fair and honest review.  

Review: Sweet Potato Soul

Sweet Potato Soul: 100 Easy Vegan Recipes for the Southern Flavors of Smoke, Sugar, Spice, and Soul 

By Jenne-Claiborne

Paperback: 224 pages

Publisher: Harmony (February 6, 2018)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0451498895

ISBN-13: 978-0451498892

In an Introduction which details the author's background, and a description of Southern food,  we are given short but informative subsections such as 

Five Healthy Food Rules I Live By

What To Expect From This Book

Tools to Stock Your Soul Kitchen

Southern Pantry Staples

Varieties of Sweet Potatoes 

How to Slice Sweet Potatoes

Greens

Creole Seasoning

Flours Sweeteners

After that, we have the recipes which are listed in the following categories:

Breakfast

Salads and Soups

Greens and Sides

Mains

Sweets and Drinks

Pantry staples & Sauces

Then Acknowledgments

and

Index

Each recipe section takes one page and lists ingredients, cooking directions, and a homey or helpful blurb

Okay, i loved this book! I'm not even from the south. With only a few exceptions (purple sweet potatoes, coconut sugar, miso, tamari, dulse, nori, flaxseed meal, etc), the ingredients are easily-found especially if you live in or near a large city. Happily most of the recipes use regular items.

The dishes are sometimes veganized versions of old favorites such as sweet potato hummus, stalwarts such as pecan pie, and fusions such as Cajun Blackened Tofu Sandwich, cream cheese pound cake (made with soy milk) or Spicy fried cauliflower "chicken.". 

This is a book for folks who want that down home cooking while eating vegan. You shouldn't have to give up on your culture to eat vegan. The book is vegan. It is not gluten-free cooking or even healthy non-sugar cooking. 

Highly Recommended. I got this book free in exchange for a fair and honest review.