Author Archives: JBL

“Demon Copperhead” by Barbara Kingsolver

Posted on April 22, 2024 by JBL

Apparently this is a reimagining of David Copperfield but set in Appalachia in the 1980s to early 2000s, but since I haven’t read my Dickens I don’t have anything to say about that. The story is very rich, the voice … Continue reading →

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“Crypt Suzette” by Maya Corrigan

Posted on April 8, 2024 by JBL

I picked this up purely out of admiration for the librarian who put together this display: I mean, just amazing. The genre on Amazon is “cozy culinary mysteries”. There are recipes at the back of the book! A little unclear … Continue reading →

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“To Shape a Dragon’s Breath” by Moniquill Blackgoose

Posted on March 25, 2024 by JBL

Was this book an engaging world-building exercise, narrated from an interesting perspective? Yes, absolutely. (Anequs, the narrator and main character, is a Native inhabitant of what is essentially Nantucket in a steam-punk version of the 19th century in which, among … Continue reading →

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Cherry blossoms

Posted on March 11, 2024 by JBL

I always appreciate these trees in the triangle at M, 21st, and New Hampshire (“Duke Ellington Park”).

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Eastern Europe

Posted on February 26, 2024 by JBL

One of the things I learned when I spent a semester in Hungary is that (some) Hungarians have a little bit of a thing about what the definition of “Eastern Europe” is, and whether it should apply to them. On one … Continue reading →

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“When You Trap A Tiger” by Tae Keller

Posted on February 12, 2024 by JBL

I got this at the same time as Howl’s Moving Castle, for the same child of friends. It is new to me (I mean obviously; published 2020) and I thought it was wonderful. I was struck by the fact that it’s presented … Continue reading →

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“Howl’s Moving Castle” by Diana Wynne Jones

Posted on January 29, 2024 by JBL

Jones died a bit over a decade ago and at the time I wrote that this book stood up well to re-reading as an adult. I just purchased a copy for a friend’s child and I still feel that way. If you … Continue reading →

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Paneer bhurji

Posted on January 15, 2024 by JBL

Paneer is the Indian version of cottage cheese; paneer bhurji (D pronounces the second word like “POOR-jee”, at least to my ear) is a paneer scramble.  The use of turmeric makes the result look a lot like scrambled eggs, but … Continue reading →

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Happy 233 + 239 + 241 + 251 + 257 + 263 + 269 + 271

Posted on January 1, 2024 by JBL

Relevant: Since, according to this 1963 paper of Moser, a random integer can be written as a sum of consecutive primes in ways on average, it is not extremely rare to find years that have exactly one such expression. On … Continue reading →

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“The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao” by Junot Diaz

Posted on December 30, 2023 by JBL

Ok so at some high level I felt exactly the same way about this as about Pachinko: an engrossing multigenerational immigrant story that I really enjoyed. There was a funny moment in the middle where it became very familiar, then not again … Continue reading →

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