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“Things Every Southern Woman Should Know How to Make”

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Alice clicked on the headline, mildly curious about what yet another stranger thought should be in her kitchen repertoire. Pictures of China plates mounded with crispy fried chicken, greens, cobbler, and a pile of biscuits a mile high flooded the screen, all set off with a pitcher of sweet tea beaded with condensation. The table was set; an apron draped off to the side next to a box labeled “Gramma’s Recipes” in fine calligraphy. She closed the browser and put away her tablet. She was born a Georgia peach, but she couldn’t make a cobbler to save her life. Did that mean she wasn’t southern? Or maybe just not “Southern.” For Alice, there was no recipe box full of family traditions. Her younger years were filled with rental homes in different states and her father’s voice coaxing her toward a text book rather than a cookbook. Metalworking and fabrication held more interest than learning to flambé or sauté. Did it make her less of a woman that her cooking skills consisted of fresh salads...
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Book Recs: A BLADE SO BLACK by L.L. McKinney

Alison “Alice” Kingston suffers the worst night of her life when her father dies. Overcome with grief, she flees into the dark, and trips down the rabbit hole. Only, the rabbit hole doesn’t take her to a brightly colored world filled with odd wonders and a disappearing cat; it instead threatens her with a monster—a Nightmare—and introduces her to Addison Hatta, who recruits her to fight the Nightmares plaguing Wonderland and encroaching on the human world. A BLADE SO BLACK is a magnificent twist on Alice in Wonderland , where Alice is a dual-blade wielding Dreamwalker badass backed up by her mentor, the mysterious Addison Hatta and the sleepy-eyed Maddie, a Poet who keeps them going with her potions. She’s got a healthy fear of her mom, who worries about her and wants her to stay safe in a world that’s not always safe for a black girl going about her business. I really like Alice and her friends. Even though she was a skilled fighter, she didn’t come out on top in every battle,...
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Comic Rec: UNSOUNDED by Ashley Cope

I may sound like a broken record, but if you haven't read UNSOUNDED by Ashley Cope, and you like twisted tales of undead wizards and cocky sneak-thieves with tails, you really should. This is an ongoing comic, and the author is 66 pages into chapter 14. It's beautifully drawn and intricately woven for a tight storyline that never fails to surprise you. The characters are wonderfully flawed, messy, and true to character throughout the story, and it's amazing to watch them grow as they face their prejudices and fears. The magic system is well-grounded and the world's history tied to it. Ashley Cope has successfully Kickstarted three volumes of UNSOUNDED at the demands of her fans, and she offers them for sale on her website with a few other items. BUT! You can read the story and enjoy the artwork for free right here!  http://www.casualvillain.com/Unsounded/comic/ch01/ch01_01.html So, check out UNSOUNDED and follow along as Duane, the formerly alive scribe, travels w...
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Ramblings of a Gamer: Drakengard

Hey folks! Today I'm hopping into the game time machine! (cue flashy lights and eerie noises) I dove into gaming late. My brother played everything, but nothing really caught my attention until some high school friends of mine shoved Final Fantasy VII into my hands, and then I was hooked. So, for the longest, FF games were my go-to, and from there it was Square and later, Square-Enix. DRAKENGARD was one of the first non-FF games I played. I was drawn to the gorgeous artwork and movie clips and it had dragons! And it was by Square-Enix, so I felt confident that I would love it. And I did love it, but it was so very different from the worlds I was used to. The game was an action-RPG, where I was used to turn-based RPGs, but I caught on quick enough. I honestly loved the weapon wheel and the ability to change weapons on the fly. My favorite weapons were the pole-arms, and that running dash that sent my enemies flying was the best. With the help of free expeditions, my body c...
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Happy Independence Day!  When you're celebrating the birth of the nation, mind your fingers, keep your fireworks on a level surface, and clear the area before detonation!  We'll see you next week! 
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Ramblings of a Gamer: Detroit: Become Human or an Interactive Choose-Your-Own-Adventure

If you're looking for a game with a lot of action, then this is not the game for you. However, if you're looking for a game that challenges the way you think and every decision affects the outcome of the story, look no further! DETROIT: BECOME HUMAN lets you play as three different android characters in a not-so-distant future full of rising tensions between humans and the androids who serve them. As you play, a timeline is created for each character based on the decisions you make for them, which is cool because you can see how one simple choice bends the future in several different ways. I've only completed a single playthrough so far, and while I was mostly satisfied with the outcome, I have a couple characters that I would like to improve their futures. A single playthrough doesn't take too long, but the replay value promises to give me my money's worth--which, by the way, was a bargain in the Quantic Dream collection with HEAVY RAIN and BEYOND: TWO SOULS. T...
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WEBTOON: Lots to Read, Lots to Love

Hey all, I'm breaking from our regularly scheduled book rec because I'm behind on my TBR pile. (Sorry, delicious books. I will get to you shortly!) Today, I want to share with you the invaluable wonder of the WEBTOON, and all the excellent comics to be found there. It's a free app with hundreds of comics in just about every genre you can think of. Sometimes translations are hinky, but I've found a lot of real gems here. Some of my favorites are: SWEET HOME by Carnby Kim and Youngchan Hwang. If you like horror, this one's for you. A young man moves into an apartment building after the death of his family, and a strange sickness turns people into powerful monsters. The story and art are both amazing. LET'S PLAY by Mongie. Game designer, Sam, is devastated when her puzzle game Ruminate gets trashed by vlogger, Marshall Law, and his rabid fans downvote her into oblivion. And then Sam meets her new neighbor...Marshall, who has no clue he's destroyed her...
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Ramblings of a Gamer: FFVII Remake First Thoughts

When the Final Fantasy VII: Remake was first announced, I expressed my excitement and fears for the new rendition of the game that turned me into a gamer. Years passed, and it looked like the remake might go the way of Versus:XIII, but once again, Square-Enix has announced the Final Fantasy VII: Remake--this time with a release date! The game is supposed to release on 3/3/20, and the footage they've released looks promising. The character designs are top-notch, the secondary characters appear to have been given more a role in the story, and the game-play looks great. Reports of those who played the demo say it plays great, too. I hope those of us who weren't at E3 get a chance to play a demo between now and March, but I can live without it as long as the game gets the attention it needs to be the best version it can be. The first installment centers on Midgar, which hopefully means that the story has been fleshed out. I'm eager to stroll through the sectors and see what...
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