As Yet Untitled

With Valentine’s Day behind us, along with the controversial release of the 50 Shades of Grey movie (though we may not have recovered from either one emotionally), discussions about the quality of the source material for the salacious film have abounded. The 50 Shades series has been widely panned as poorly written tripe, unworthy of consideration from “real” readers. But is this fair? Certainly  it seems fine to denigrate what is literally ( literally ) sado-sexual Twilight fan fiction , but from a purely grammatical standpoint, this might not be totally deserved.(Although from a storytelling/character development standpoint, well, again, it's Twilight fan fiction .) This cat is horrified at your taste in literature. But in the interest of fair play, the good folks at Grammarly have once again performed amazingly thorough research into the subject, and have provided this handy infographic to make all the stats easy for us to see. And the verdict is thi...

It's the latest coffee craze! Adding butter to your coffee is the new, kind of controversial, hot trend, and is supposed to have amazing benefits, not least of which is a huge boost in energy above and beyond what simple coffee on its own can do. Personally, I was skeptical at first, but then my sister was like, "Dude, this stuff is legit" (because that's how she talks all the time), and so instead of trying it myself, I drafted her to tell us all about adding butter to coffee. So here it is! My sister, Brett Knapp, ladies and gentlemen... For those of you who know me, I can barely form a sentence until I’ve had my morning coffee. When asked how I like my coffee, I respond with “Beyoncé colored” (I believe if I drink Beyoncé coffee I can channel her throughout the day), which basically means a bunch of Coffeemate. I have always wanted to cut back on the creamer in order to be healthier, but couldn’t quite bring myself to enjoy the taste of black coffee. ...

Sorry guys, it's coffee time again. Well, sort of. Some people are too hardcore for coffee. Or else coffee is too hardcore for them. The high levels of caffeine and bitterness of roasted coffee beans can be too much for people.  But you still need a pick-me-up amirite? So there's this thing called Choffy . It's pure cacao (that's chocolate) that you brew in a French press just like coffee. It is supposed to be healthier and easier on the system and yet deliver a caffeine kick so potent that it rivals coffee in its ability to get you on your feet and moving. Naturally, I received a bag of the stuff for Valentine's day. First of all, it brews like a dream. It smells heavenly the moment you open the bag, and the second the boiling water hits the grounds it turns deep chocolatey brown. And smells so good. Caveat: It did gum up the strainer in my French press just a little. The grounds were a little coarser than how I grind my coffee, and I am guessing tha...

First, a disclaimer: I really enjoy retellings of old fairy tales, so I was predisposed to enjoy this book. I have done my best to be objective, but I thought you should know that.  What might have seemed contrived or even trite in this era of constant reboots turned out instead to be surprisingly refreshing and undeniably engaging in Genevieve Valentine's Girls at the Kingfisher Club . Valentine captures the panache of prohibition-era New York while maintaining a pure, genuine tone for her twelve heroines--all of whom are completely themselves. This retelling of the classic fairy tale, The Twelve Dancing Princesses is gripping, lavish, and heartfelt--to the point that I had a very hard time putting it down, and an even harder time accepting that I had finished reading it. Girls at the Kingfisher Club tells the story of twelve sisters, all disappointments to their father, a nouveau-riche businessman who needs a son to inherit his empire. So he locks them all upstairs in the...

I guess it's no secret that I'm a bit of a coffee person. Although I would not say I am a coffee snob (because really, how snobby can you be when you add both cream and sugar to your coffee every morning), I do prefer dark roast coffee brewed very strong and I do notice a difference in how my coffee tastes depending on: A. Whether it was pre-ground B. What brand it is and C. The venue for brewing the coffee. And that is what I want to address with you. I do not own a drip coffee maker. For years I used only my French press (which I still love), because the hubs does not like coffee, so I just make it for myself. But after I had a kid, mom started coming to visit, and between the two of us, a French press just isn't enough. So she brought over her old percolator. And I feel deeply in love. If only this were scratch 'n' sniff! This percolator is old. The power cord has electrical tape on it, because wires were starting to be exposed. It makes a frightening b...

AND THE WINNER IS: Laura Harris! Please email mkdupre@gmail.com to collect your book! Not long ago, I wrote a review of a book called Wolves and Men .Well, now I am very excited to announce that I have been given permission to give away a copy of this super cool novel to one lucky winner! Here is a brief summary of what the book is about: The wickedness of men knows no bounds. It does not stop to consider the lives it destroys; does not feel the pain it inflicts; nor hesitates where it devours. Its appetite is destruction, and its darkness infects wherever it wounds. It prowls through night and day, seeking the weak, the innocent, and the pure. Where it finds beauty, it mars; where it sees life, it poisons; and where there is light, darkness will fall. Charlotte Benson is no stranger to the evils of men. Plagued by terrible dreams of her past, she seeks respite in the Ouachita Mountains, at a peaceful wildlife refuge called Willow's Bend in far eastern Oklaho...

I don’t know if you know this, but the American Dream is changing. Instead of climbing the corporate ladder and waiting years for the authority and freedom that comes with a head honcho position at the firm, millions (seriously, millions) of Americans are choosing to skip the headache and just work for themselves. God bless technology! Freelancing is so hot right now. What many entrepreneurial-minded individuals often don’t realize, however, is that every company relies on its reputation to do business. And that when you work for yourself, your individual reputation is the reputation of the company. And when that is the case, particularly in a world where most communication is done through email, text, and social media, one’s ability to present a professional, grammatically correct face is vital to making a living. Which is why I’m frequently shocked (and appalled!) by the number of professionals out there who are so savvy in their trade and so incompetent in their phras...