Melissa Gilbert, the actress who played Laura Ingalls on the television series ‘Little House on the Prairie,’ will be in Iowa City on Tuesday, Sept. 16 to celebrate the release of her new cookbook, which launches in bookstores that same day. She will be speaking at the Iowa City Public Library at 7 p.m., an event co-sponsored by Prairie Lights. In her book, ‘My Prairie Cookbook: Memories and Frontier Food from My Little House to Yours,’ she shares her own favorite family recipes in addition to anecdotes and photos of memorabilia about the series.
Melody Dworak
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Book Plug: Stories of true crime
Blood Will Out: The True Story of a Murder, a Mystery, and a Masquerade By Walter Kirn The True American: Murder and Mercy in Texas By Anand Giridharadas HBO’s latest hit, True Detective, shows just how far the detective story has come. Edgar Allen Poe’s The Murders at the Rue Morgue launched the genre’s formulaic […]
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Book Review: Rebecca Rotert’s ‘Last Night at the Blue Angel’
Rebecca Rotert’s debut novel, ‘Last Night at the Blue Angel’, is a literary page-turner with lovely prose and heart-wrenching relationships. It presents a singer on the brink of something big — be it fame, self-destruction or both. The singer’s name is Naomi, dysfunctional mother to Sophia, whose own name comes from a story of love and loss.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Book Plug: Mortom by Erik Therme
The internet may have democratized publishing, but not everyone has something to write. Iowa City native Erik Therme did, and he self-published his first novel, Mortom, in February. Mortom unravels the story of Andy Crowl, an oddly chosen heir and cousin to a recently-deceased loner, playing “the game” his cousin set up for him. A […]
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Book Plug: Boy, Snow, Bird by Helen Oyeyemi
Boy, Snow, Bird By Helen Oyeyemi Helen Oyeyemi wins this month’s award for “book I’m most curious about.” Her newest novel, Boy, Snow, Bird takes inspiration from Snow White and wicked stepmothers in order to launch a complex discussion about race, identity, beauty and suffering. The setting is 1950s New England. The title comes from […]
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Book Plug: B.J. Novak’s literary debut
In February, B.J. Novak made his literary fiction debut with One More Thing: Stories and Other Stories, a collection of 64 darkly comic vignettes. Novak is most well known for his work as a writer, actor and producer of NBC’s The Office. His comedy writing chops shine bright as short fiction. One More Thing shares […]
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A – List: Culinary Ride – Sunday, Sept. 16
Culinary Ride – Sunday, Sept. 16, 8 a.m. If RAGBRAI is the established mid-summer bicycle event of Iowa–the mature elder–the Culinary Ride is the baby brother trailing along at summer’s end. The Culinary Ride pairs long-distance cycling with locavore ethics for a pleasant way to enjoy a Sunday. For those who register, Sunday, Sept. 16 […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Online Together
“There’s some wack shit floating round about social media making us lonely & isolated. Can’t make us what we already are,” tweeted @srharris19 on July 4. As internet giant Google rolls out its new social network, Google+, we’re given the opportunity to reinvent our strategy for using social media. Now is the perfect time to […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Crazy Ates
I ate peppers, I ate celery, I ate arugula… I made this dish one night after a day of ranting to myself that A) how the hell am I supposed to get the recommended 9 servings a day of fruits and vegetables and B) what can I do to make celery actually taste *good*? My […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Vegetable Geeks: Rhapsody in Greens and Reds and Yellows
Hi there! Welcome to the first blog post by vegetable geeks Melody and Theresa. We are both vegetable-loving Iowa City folks who enjoy cooking and baking for the pleasure of both the soul and the tongue. We’re embarking on a three-month project to document our joie de vivre de cooking, and inviting whomever cares to […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Zombie-flections
Seeing Zombieland last Friday was quite the treat. Jessie Eisenberg ‘s Michael Cera impression was spot on, so there were many moments to entertain my twenty-something female disposition. Regardless of that lovable effeminate geek-boy finding love theme that has been hot these past few years, zombies were still the star attraction of the film. They […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Vines of the Times
When considering the alcoholic beverage of choice for the evening here in Iowa City, only the hardcore eco-warriors factor in environmental sustainability. The hardcore are not surprised that wine shipped to the Midwest creates a smaller carbon footprint when it comes from Napa Valley than when it comes from Bordeaux. Nor are they surprised that […]
