Nonfiction and Nonsense

  • Magic Study by Maria V. Snyder – Chapters 15-35

    Life in Sitia is far more exciting than life in Ixia, and a lot of it has to do with magic. Yelena continues to come into her powers, yes powers, as she keeps discovering new abilities day by day. We learn about the many different magical skills that exist, the types of students that are…

  • The Third Plate: Field Notes on the Future of Food by Dan Barber – Part 3

    The third part in The Third Plate is about the sea. The all important topic of the declining populations of various fish in the oceans is discussed throughout. We learn that ultimately, the reason that the sea is being emptied of fish is because of chefs, not because of fishermen. Chefs decide what people eat…

  • Magic Study by Maria V. Snyder – Chapters 1-14

    The sequel to Poison Study, Magic Study takes us south to Sitia, the country where Yelena was born, a member of the Zaltana clan, she was tragically kidnapped at the age of six. Yelena, and the other stolen children that were recovered from General Brazells castle, travel through the eleven territories with Irys, who helps…

  • The Third Plate: Field Notes on the Future of Food by Dan Barber – Part 2

    Part 2 of the book focuses on land, particularly the food we eat that walks on it. The main focus of this section is to show us the importance of small farms and farming communities, places where people live mostly off of what they can grow and the natural resources surrounding them. This is the…

  • Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder – Chapters 17-32 and final thoughts

    The second half of Poison Study is full of a lot of action, a lot more than the first half. If you got started on the book, you will have learned that the Commander has an extreme dislike of magicians. You do find out why, and the reason is much more than just being the…