Food is a big part of my life - I studied it, I teach it and, of course, I eat it (sometimes way too much of it). So consider this a weekly share of a salad (or soup or ... something healthy) that I'm loving at the moment - plus the book that currently has me hostage.

Cinnamon Raisin Bagel With Apple Butter {Eating} And Who Fears Death {Reading}

Consuming: Breakfast one day this week was a Cinnamon Raisin Bagel With Apple Butter. My family seems to think cream cheese is the only thing you can put atop bagels - but they're the ones who're missing out! When I'm having a bit of a sweet tooth attack, I pull out the apple butter (Musselmann's brand). Deliciousness!!!

Reading: Who Fears Death, Nnedi Okorofar. The first book I read of hers was Akata Witch - Okorafor is a master at creating a unique, vibrant magical world (see my discussion). When I saw that Who Fears Death won the Carl Brandon Kindred Award this year (for books published in 2010), plus the World Fantasy Award for Best Novel last year (2011) - well, I HAD to read it too. And so far, it's deep & complex with VIVID descriptions & imagery - everything I expected.

I'll be discussing Who Fears Death the week of September 23-29, 2012, which is when A More Diverse Universe Blog Tour will occur. This event celebrates speculative fiction authors of color - and I'm really excited to see what books others are reading, and get some good recommendations.

Thinking: More September blog events -

• Book Blogger Appreciation Week, Sept.10-14. Look out for an interview with one of my favorite bookish bloggahs!
  
• Bloggiesta Weekend, Sep 28-30, 2012. I love the mini-challenges created to help us improve our blogs.
  
• R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril (RIP) VII hosted by Stainless Steel Droppings, Sep. 1 - Oct. 31, 2012 It's all about reading mystery, suspense, thrillers, dark fantasy, gothic, horror or supernatural books. I'm jumping in at the Peril the Fourth level.
  

September Library Loot

Let the Right One In, John Ajvide Lindqvist, Ebba Segerberg (Translator). It is autumn 1981 when the inconceivable comes to Blackeberg, a suburb in Sweden. The body of a teenage boy is found, emptied of blood, the murder rumored to be part of a ritual killing. Twelve-year-old Oskar is personally hoping that revenge has come at long last - revenge for the bullying he endures at school, day after day. But the murder is not the most important thing on his mind. A new girl has moved in next door---a girl who has never seen a Rubik's Cube before, but who can solve it at once. There is something wrong with her, though, something odd. And she only comes out at night. (Amazon| Goodreads)

The Countess, Rebecca Johns. In 1611, Countess Erzsébet Báthory, a powerful Hungarian noblewoman, stood helpless as masons walled her inside her castle tower, dooming her to spend her final years in solitary confinement. Her crime - the gruesome murders of dozens of female servants, mostly young girls tortured to death for displeasing their ruthless mistress. Her opponents painted her as a bloodthirsty škrata. But, writing to her only son - a final reckoning from his mother in an attempt to reveal the truth behind her downfall, the countess tells her story in her own words. (Amazon| Goodreads)

- Linked to Library Loot @ The Adventures of an Intrepid Reader & The Captive Reader. And Stacking the Shelves @ Tynga's Reviews.