Tea Brack made from the recipe at King Arthur Flour, here. The only changes I made to the recipe were to add lemon zest from one lemon and use Jack Daniels Tennessee Apple Whiskey instead of Irish Whiskey. It’s delicious and a wonderful addition to your afternoon tea. The Harney & Sons Paris Tea fromContinue reading “Need a tea time treat? Try this…”
Author Archives: Robin Henry
The Regency Years by Robert Morrison
The full title is The Regency Years: during which Jane Austen writes, Napoleon fights, Byron makes love, and Britain becomes modern. Morrison’s book is highly readable and engaging, while maintaining a level of scholarly rigor not often seen in works marketed to a lay audience. For those interested, there is a wealth of endnotes andContinue reading “The Regency Years by Robert Morrison”
Austen in Austin
Yesterday, we had our regional Jane Austen Society of North America regional meeting–it was a great way to start off the year. We heard a wonderful talk by the president of JASNA entitled, “Jane Austen, Working Woman,” followed by a visit to the Harry Ransom Center to view the “Austen in Austin” exhibit, a partContinue reading “Austen in Austin”
New Year, New Look…
Last year I began the Year of Reading Dangerously to celebrate the theme of the 2019 JASNA Annual General Meeting, which was focused on Northanger Abbey. It was great fun and I plan to continue reading and commenting on more Gothic fiction this year. However, it is a new year, and I have decided toContinue reading “New Year, New Look…”
The Secrets We Kept by Lara Prescott
First, a Shout-out to a local Austin writer–yay! This novel combines a few of my favorite things: spies, intrigue, and literature, oh my! I am sure other reviewers have pointed this out, but I would also like to make sure everyone notes the irony of the author’s first name being the name of the mainContinue reading “The Secrets We Kept by Lara Prescott”
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
Once again I will be out of sync with the consensus. I really hated this book, in fact, I was angry when I finished it because I felt like I had wasted my time. I read it because my book group was reading it and because several people had told me it was wonderful–it alsoContinue reading “Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens”
Book Discussion: Golden Hill by Frances Spufford
Golden HIll is an interesting niche novel, for those who enjoy older forms of writing, including a self-conscious, slightly intrusive narrator. While I enjoyed the writing immensely, I will have to confess that I found the plot a little lacking. The book is set in 1746 New York. Richard Smith arrives from London mysteriously bearingContinue reading “Book Discussion: Golden Hill by Frances Spufford”
Book Discussion: The Testaments by Margaret Atwood
Full disclosure. I am a HUGE fan of Atwood in general and The Handmaid’s Tale specifically, so keep in mind that my comments regarding this work are not unbiased. First, I love the format. The alternating viewpoints give a full picture of what is happening in Gilead and outside of it, but interestingly, the firstContinue reading “Book Discussion: The Testaments by Margaret Atwood”
The Mysteries of Udolpho, the final chapters…
Dear Reader, I do apologize for taking so long to finish up with Mrs. Radcliffe’s enormous tome. My goal was to finish it before the JASNA AGM, and I did, but just the day before on the plane, so it was only by a hair’s breadth. Then the splendour of the AGM temporarily stalled myContinue reading “The Mysteries of Udolpho, the final chapters…”
Book Discussion: The Last Book Party by Karen Dukess
I got this book as an e-galley and I was really looking forward to it. It had rave reviews and the pre-pub buzz was great. Unfortunately, it didn’t live up to the hype. I should have known better, when I saw the protagonist referred to as a female Philip Roth. Full disclosure–though I have triedContinue reading “Book Discussion: The Last Book Party by Karen Dukess”