I woke up this morning with a total ladyboner for life. I mean, It’s NOT going to be 90+degrees fahrenheit, my kids’s fevers broke, I had JUSTENOUGH soy milk for my coffee, and I haves new audiobook to listen to. (written like a Boov, because I don’t fucking have to watch Home today, because I’m getting out of the fucking house and off the sofa like my ass is on fire.)
Frank gets my enthusiasm. My “spark.”
I will lift heavy things. I will drink iced coffee served to me by a stranger. I will smile at random passersby in the least creepy (possibly most creepy) manner, ever.
I was also excited because it is THIS DAY!!!!
YAYYAYAYA!!
In honor of the removal of my atrabilious mood, I’m doing one of my FAVORITES!!
OH, Wentworth. Wenty. My love. You are right on time for this blogger. Right.On.Time.
I sort of just want to write: READ AUSTEN. READ ALL OF IT. IT’S MORDANT SATIRE!! MAKING FUN OF THE 1% SINCE THE REGENCY ERA. I will not. At least again. Instead, I will tell you why you need to read…
I don’t even need to link it. Buy it anywhere. Get it from the library. Barnes and Noble. ANY BOOKSTORE EVER.
But, why, why should you read this juicy little gem of feminist awesome?
A: because, feminism.
B: Because Jane Austen wrote books nigh on 200 years ago, and she thumbed her nose at all of the things of which she was born into. She understood that the trappings of wealth and common practices surrounding the commodification of a woman’s maidenhood was an absurdity that should be skewered. She also understood that finding a connection with another person on a level beyond that of “he’ll keep me in satin dresses” is the key to actual happiness. That it is our personalities and inclinations which make us a match for someone else, not our pursestrings.
The love between Captain Wentworth and Anne Elliot in Persuasion is the most beautiful “second chance” romance of its kind. Here he is, a seaman in the Queen’s navy, and she, a well-bred blue blood, yet they love each other fiercely. However, Anne is young–nineteen–and impressionable, and breaks off their relationship believing she needs to make a more advantageous match when she is advised to do so.
You can see where this is going.
WENTY STILL LOVES HER. SHE STILL LOVES HIM. IT’S NOT ALL ABOUT THE BENJAMINS (OR WHICHEVER MONARCH APPEARED ON THE POUND IN 1817.)
Oh man.
square in the feels.
It’s ABSOFUCKINGLUTELY A FIVE-STAR READ. Like, five-star first gear. no pages yet colored on or torn out. Brand new.
Whatever do I dare pair with this?!?!?!
It’s also regency(ish). But it’s MODERN! Just a few years old.
The Blurb:
First love is like the measles—a hot rash one is stronger for surviving.
Good English families all have a house in the country with a deer park, a trout stream, and an army of gardeners. They should have a son and if it can be managed, he should be handsome. Cleverness isn’t important. Daughters in limited quantities are fine so long as they are pretty. Bastards are inconvenient and best ignored. It’s not a big problem, unless you are one.
Unfortunately, Sophy is.
Sick of her outcast role, she escapes her father’s house, only to fall from her horse during a spring storm. Injured, soaked, and shivering, she stumbles to a stranger’s door—Tom, a blunt edged merchant from a family of vulgar upstarts. Mistaking Sophy for the genuine article, he takes her in.
Sophy can’t resist twisting the truth. Soon she’s caught in her own snare—and it might just be a noose.
Why I loved it.
I really thought this book would just be an “ok” way to spend an afternoon. I was content to sit and read it much like one is content to watch a Full House marathon on TBS, or a t-ball tourney. That is to say–I was very “meh” about it.
Until I began reading.
All at once I was knocked sideways by the particular care taken to the dialogue, and the challenging nature of the prose. Who is this Jaima Fixen broad, and why have I never heard of her?!!? The book’s editing is flawless, the story composed delicately and precisely, and the romance is a steady, slow, growing burn. I liken it very much to Austen or Bronte, insomuch as it’s not “guy and girl or possibly two or more guys and a girl start banging it out halfway through the book, someone is an asshole, but don’t worry–they’ll get over it in time for a HEA.” It’s more “Let us slowly but confidently mark time and reason, building suspense and hope for a seemingly impossible couple to defy the odds and become a pair.”
In fact…GASP(!!!) No one bangs anyone in this book. It’s like a professional kitchen it is so clean. But it doesn’t suffer for a lack of sexual interludes. If anything, it makes the small gestures of affection between the two MCs even more fraught with tension and fragility, like Piastro Oliv strings for a violin, the sound or feel is bright and rich, full of precious things, but it’s so tenuous at first, difficult to play, until one masters their instrument.
The conclusion is all the more satisfying for the difficulty in reaching it.
Four Stars. (one star removed because I couldn’t easily place the time until it was spelled out.)
So, what would I make to go with these books?
NOTHING. IT’S REGENCY ERA BRITTANIA. EW.
So I made toasted pasta. Austen and the like are ALWAYS EATING TOAST. But seriously, you don’t need a recipe for that. But toasted pasta? It’s one of those easy, delicious, and unexpected things–much like Fairchild.
I implore you to make this with whole wheat pasta. The flavors are nuttier and bolder than with white flour or semolina pasta, not to mention the protein and fiber content. The recipe calls for Earth Balance buttery spread, but you know by now from reading my blog, you could use traditional butter. A good improvement on this dish, albeit an expensive one is to use truffle butter. If you do so, eliminate the red pepper flakes. You can also add grated parm, bottarga, or even feta or goat cheese atop this delight.
Toasted Pasta Aglio e Olio
Book Review: Persuasion v. Fairchild. Recipe: Delicious toasted pasta aglio e oglio. #amreading…
Toasted Pasta Aglio E Oglio
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 20-25 minutes
Keywords: appetizer entree side snack vegan vegetarian nut-free soy-free
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Ingredients (serves 4)
- 8 oz whole wheat thin spaghetti
- 2 tbsp evoo
- 1 tbsp butter or earth balance buttery spread
- 1 tbsp chopped garlic
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp cracked red pepper
- fresh black pepper to taste
- vegetable or chicken stock, depending on dryness of pasta between 2 and four cups.
Instructions
in a DRY skillet on medium-high, break the DRY pasta in half and toast it until most are a rich, golden brown
reduce heat to medium
add the oil and garlic on medium heat until garlic is translucent.
toss pasta
add a cup of the stock and stir until stock is absorbed
add salt and another 1/2 cup of stock until that is absorbed
continue until pasta is al dente
finish with butter, pepper, and red pepper flake.
serve IMMEDIATELY.
nathangibson01 