Old Firehouse Books suggests fantasy, food and sci-fi
The staff from Old Firehouse Books in Fort Collins recommends the tale of an uncommon arranged marriage, a super useful cookbook and a 22nd-century saga.
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Each week as part of SunLit — The Sun’s literature section — we feature staff recommendations from book stores across Colorado. This week, the staff from Old Firehouse Books in Fort Collins recommends the tale of an uncommon arranged marriage, a super useful cookbook and a 22nd-century saga.
The Serpent and the Wolf
By Rebecca Robinson
S&S/Saga Press
$28.99
November 2024
Purchase
From the publisher: All her life, Vaasa Kozár has been sharpened into a blade.
After losing her mother—her only remaining parent—to a mysterious dark magic that has since awakened within her, Vaasa is certain death looms. So is her merciless brother, who aims to eliminate Vaasa as a threat to his crown. In one last political scheme, he marries her off to Reid of Mireh, a ruthless foreign ruler, in hopes that he can use her death as a rallying cry to finally invade Reid’s nation. All Vaasa has to do is die.
But she is desperate to live. Vaasa enters her new marriage with every intent to escape it, wielding the hard-won political prowess and combat abilities her late father instilled in her. But to her surprise, Reid offers her a deal: help him win the votes to rise in power, and she can walk free. In exchange, he will share his knowledge about the dark magic running through her veins—and help keep it at bay.
From Teresa Steele, staff: I am calling it now, this is going to be the next big romantasy book this year and I am here for it. Vaasa & Reid’s story sucked me in, kept me reading and then spit me out, in the fetal position because that ending killed me (in both good and bad ways, not the most patient person in the world to say the least and now I have to wait to see what happens next, ugh). Robinson writes so damn deliciously — this world she has created; how magic is created, how the government works (yes I know that sounds ridiculous, just trust me on this) but most of all how Reid and Vaasa take a fake marriage and see how it flourishes with just the right amount of chemistry and bam! My new favorite couple is entering the chat.
That Sounds So Good
By Carla Lalli Music
Clarkson Potter
$35
October 2021
Purchase
From the publisher: Great food is an achievable part of every day, no matter how busy you are; the key is to have go-to recipes for every situation and for whatever you have on hand. The recipes in “That Sounds So Good” are split between weekday and weekend cooking. When time is short, turn to quick stovetop suppers, one-pot meals, and dinner salads. And for the weekend, lean into lazy lunches, simmered stews, and hands-off roasts.
Carla’s dishes are as inviting and get-your-attention-good as ever. All the recipes—such as Fat Noodles with Pan-Roasted Mushrooms and Crushed Herb Sauce or Chicken Legs with Warm Spices—come with multiple ingredient swaps and suggestions, so you can make each one your own.
From Revati Kilaparti, staff: Although this one is a few years old, I love diving into it for the season. It’s full of warming recipes like Eggplant Parmigiana and Black Bean Soup with Topper Whoppers. All the recipes come with optional twists or substitutions. The beautiful pictures will help inspire you to dive in and if that’s not enough, hop online and watch Carla make some of the delicious food from the book!
To Be Taught, If Fortunate
By Becky Chambers
Harper Voyager
$17.99
September 2019
Purchase
From the publisher: At the turn of the 22nd century, scientists make a breakthrough in human spaceflight. Through a revolutionary method known as somaforming, astronauts can survive in hostile environments off Earth using synthetic biological supplementations. They can produce antifreeze in subzero temperatures, absorb radiation and convert it for food, and conveniently adjust to the pull of different gravitational forces. With the fragility of the body no longer a limiting factor, human beings are at last able to journey to neighboring exoplanets long known to harbor life.
A team of these explorers, Ariadne O’Neill and her three crewmates, are hard at work in a planetary system 15 light-years from Sol, on a mission to ecologically survey four habitable worlds. But as Ariadne shifts through both form and time, the culture back on Earth has also been transformed. Faced with the possibility of returning to a planet that has forgotten those who have left, Ariadne begins to chronicle the story of the wonders and dangers of her mission, in the hope that someone back home might still be listening.
From Simon Kerr, staff: Winter is cold, and you know what else is cold? The vacuum of space! As holiday times approach, I continue to think of nothing but hopepunk space novellas. “To Be Taught, If Fortunate” follows four astronauts who study exoplanets. Each planet has unique biomes, flora, and fauna, some unbelievably beautiful and some chilling in darker ways. Come for the casual queer representation and stay for the exquisite scenery.
THIS WEEK’S BOOK RECS COME FROM:
Old Firehouse Books
232 Walnut St., Fort Collins
As part of The Colorado Sun’s literature section — SunLit — we’re featuring staff picks from book stores across the state. Read more.
