Stephenie Meyer: Twilight

Yes, the debate is here. No, just kidding. There has been written so much about whether to take Twilight seriously that I do not wish to add anything. Except for a review because I promised to mention all the books from my diploma thesis.

It all starts as a nice teenage romance where a mysterious boy meets a mundane (well, that does not sum up the clumsy and retarded protagonist) girl. She finds out he is a sparkly “vegetarian” (since when eating animals is considered vegetarian?!) vampire who will do anything to keep his cool around her. Just imagine walking around your favorite food all day long and not sneaking a bite. And that kinda sounds ok, right? I mean, the topic of star-crossed lovers has ever been popular because getting over the obstacles is the whole point of telling the story.

However, this wounds me really deeply if I think of the target group. It’s obviously for teenagers who are experiencing relationships for the first time and this book which charms them tells them to be ok with crooked behavior. Stalking? No, he just loves you so. Manipulating? He just cares that much. Deciding for you? Isn’t he a sweetheart?!

If I omit the whole 200-year-old vampire going to high school on and on instead of pursuing his dreams of helping humankind (which he boasts about), then the whole book is just wrong. Because this has written horror all over but the ending makes it really confusing.  

The more people read it the more impact it has (duh!) and unfortunately a lot of people seem to love it and just don't see the message it gives. I've read a lot of books with similar topic or similar message to them, however, they will never have such attention since only a few people have actually read them, therefore they are relatively safe. Unfortunately this book has started yet another vampire frenzy and one should approach it carefully. So read it all you will, but don't forget to read it as a horror fiction and not as a romance ;-)=

GENRE: teen romance

FANGS OUT: the cover looks pretty
FANGS RETRACTING: bad role-model for one whole generation
TOTAL SCORE:

Elaine Bergstrom: Blood Alone

I remember liking the first book in the series and I also remember my almost futile hunt for the next one. And maybe this factor, this two-year-long trying to find this book for a reasonable price including shipping, made me more disappointed in the end. Because when you want something so bad and spend so much effort trying to get it, you expect miracles. And you don’t get them.

This story takes place in the WWII Europe (eww, I hate war stories) and is crowded by spies and unlikely allies. I mean, at some point I totally lost who was who and who was bad and who was good and just didn’t enjoy reading it. I liked some aspects, though. For example, there was this super old inhuman reclusive mountain vampire whose story must have been way cooler than that of frantic people running around Europe.

I also had some “The Fountainhead Flashbacks” with the character of a young architect whose buildings were not understood by many. But all these things aside I still can’t shake off the feeling of disappointment. Maybe it really is just this not living up to my expectations, or maybe it just isn’t as good as the previous one.

GENRE: family saga of sorts

FANGS OUT: nice approach to the vampire genealogy
FANGS RETRACTING: this whole spy play isn’t pretty
TOTAL SCORE:

#2

When the evil wind whispers lonely tunes in your ear
and you cannot help but hear,
do not worry, I shall always be near. 

Crunchy waffles

I've gone through a ridiculous number of waffles before finding the perfect batter. Most of the ones I found were too pancake-y (don't get me wrong, pancakes are OK if you want pancakes, but not when you want waffles) and I didn't like them. 

But then, one simple ingredient changed it all and made my waffles crunchy - sparkling water. Doesn't matter if it's mineral or plain, it just must have bubbles in it and that'll do the trick.

 

You'll need (for 8 waffles):

• 125g butter
• 100g brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 250g flour (I made the one in the picture with whole-grain rye but you can have all-purpose if you don't like the taste of other types of flour)
• 100ml milk
• 100ml sparkling water
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• optional: 1 tablespoon of a thing of your choice (I made these with cocoa powder, once did them with shredded coconut, cinnamon is yummy as well,...) 

one little blob goes a long way, trust me

Melt the butter a little and just get all the ingredients together till they make kinda thick batter. 

Then put the batter into your waffle maker (be careful, this thick batter makes it look like you need to put a lot onto the plate in the waffle maker, however, the heat is gonna melt it and it may overflow if you put there too much). 

And then just wait till it's the way you want it. It's up to you to decide how long you let it in the waffle maker. 

Then you are ready to serve it with your favorite toppings. I chose sea buckthorn jam and cream. You add whatever you want. 

Bram Stoker: Dracula

Ha, the dude who became synonym for vampire is here! The count who can shapeshift, who is sly and cunning, who can control people and creep into your room without you even realizing, that’s a vamp. 

I dare you to find at least ten differences between him and the vampires who walk the pages of contemporary fiction. Please, write them down, induce, deduce, analyze, synthesize etc. and come back and comment.

I know, as far as the storyline goes, there are many weak spots. This whole diary/letter (in snobby circles it’s called epistolary) structure makes it slow to read. I mean, the whole correspondence between Lucy and Mina is full of useless crap. Who cares what the ladies think since it brings no new twists to the story (or maybe it does, depending what metaphor you are following with your analysis)?! Mr Dracula himself isn’t the best example of the dominant boyar he boasts to be (given the fact he flees the country instead of fighting back). There are many contradictions in his character but heck, if you have no access to television (like the original readers of this story), you may actually appreciate it all and get spooked, too.  

Stoker even explains all things vampire through the badass character of Van Helsing so that the reader can tell a vampire from a poser who just pretends to be one while sparkling in the sun. 

If you are a thinker than just a consumer you sure will like the typical dilemma of rebelling against our fathers and ladies taking charge of the situation (AKA the new woman is here, so you better watch out!).

One must appreciate the gothic scenery, too. The castles, the old shabby things, the benches under the bright moon... Oh, yes, it can have its appeal even to the contemporary reader. Just sit back, ignore the crap and just marvel at the grotesque yet alluring mood of the centuries past.

GENRE: classic at its best

FANGS OUT: you must bow before the legend
FANGS RETRACTING: from today’s point of view it’s not so hot action-wise
TOTAL SCORE:

Tiramisú with amaretto/coffee flavor

You know nothing about bliss if you have never tasted this traditional Italian dessert. There are many variations of this heavenly food, so I'm going to tell you how I make it.

ingredients: (for filling about 35x15cm pan with two layers)

• 500g  of mascarpone
• 5 tablespoons of sugar
• 5 eggs
• 2 tablespoons of amaretto
• a cup of very strong coffee
• a bag of savoiardi (the number varies according to your pan, so you will find out once you start making it)
• a pinch of salt
• cocoa powder

Take the yolks and sugar and try to whisk them till they create a smooth-ish blend. 

In a separate bowl try to whip the whites with a pinch of salt (the salt makes it much faster and easier to reach desired consistency) until the mixture is no longer liquidy but reamins the way you leave it (soft peaks or something like that). 

In the meantime, you can make your coffee and add amaretto so that it has time to cool before you start dipping your (and lady) fingers into it. 

Then you can add mascarpone to the yolk mixture and later, after it has a decent consistency, sloooooowly whisk in the whites so that it is very light. 

After quickly dipping the savoiardi into the coffee, you can start covering the pan. Once they are everywhere, cover them with the cream. And if you like cocoa a lot, top it with the powder. And basically repeat the process until you are out of all ingedients.

Let it cool in the fridge for a couple of hours and you are ready to satisfy your tastebuds.  Buon appetito! ;-)=