Each chapter is themed around some kind of food, and dips in and out of her life as a teenager and housewife. Has some gaps, there's almost no discussion of college for instance, and presents a series of vignettes. Pretty interesting in sections, especially the subtle politics amongst the hierarchy of housewives.

I found myself skipping past the food and recipe bits after a while though. Those got a bit tedious, though I did like the starting chapter on the dialectic of pie.

Overall, good portrait of an intelligent woman struggling with her role as a housewife. Goes well beyond the normal clichés of work/life balance.

What I'm Reading 2
The Commodore by Patrick O'Brian. The 17th Aubrey/Maturin book: he managed 21 before he died.

Liked the last one but loved this one: really cracks on with the plot. Aubrey and Maturin return to home waters after the long voyage to Asia, Australia and Peru that's consumed to last few books. For the first time since his Mauritius Command, Aubrey is given a proper squadron, headed by 74-gun ship of the line the Bellona, along with a promotion. All is not well with rest of the ships though: the frigate Thames is commanded by a spit-and-polish incompetent over-fond of flogging; the Stately (64) by an open sodomite who causes chaos in the ranks by giving preferential treatment to his bed-mates.

Meanwhile, Maturin returns home to find his wife Diana has not exactly adapted to the rigours of motherhood, abandoning the child completely.

So, another very good one. Ought to ration out the last few I suppose.

What I'm Reading 3
Land of the Headless by Adam Roberts is satirical SF, set on a planet where fundamentalists obey the commands of the Bibliqu'ran. The protagonist Jon Cavala is beheaded for adultery at the start of the book. While unpleasant, this isn't fatal: his mind is downloaded to a box at his waist, hooked up to some artificial eyes, and his neck-stump capped with valves to allow him to breathe and eat.

So, it didn't sound too promising, especially after the dull clichéd warmonger generals of Gradisil. Fortunately he largely avoids the lolxtians evangelical atheism stuff: some of the conversations at the end are surprisingly sensitive.

Instead there's a rather good story of a vain and self-centred man gradually softening through a series of harsh experiences, especially as part of the army of the headless.

So, a pretty good book. Might be a little too sadistic for the squeamish.

Web
Lex Luthor tells bedtime stories drawn in the style of Winsor McCay's "Little Nemo". (MeFi).

YouTube. The Amazing Lyrebird of Australia (via B3ta). Slow motion lightning. WTF NSFW music video.

Science. Rational thought not useless after all.

Internet movie firearms database

Economics. US stimulus package didn't work (MR) White House: Oh yes it did.