Bitten by Books
Hello again, dear readers.
I hope fall is treating you well in your part of the country (went from summer to fall in about a day here in Chicagoland). Thank you for joining me for the sixth Vampire Chronicles installment. If you want to catch up you can find parts one, two, three, four, and five here. Of course, this is all to celebrate the much anticipated release of Prince Lestat at the end of this month. We will be celebrating with a fun Halloween giveaway, so make sure to participate.
This week’s topic is New Tales of the Vampires, a spin-off of the classic Vampire Chronicles series, and includes the books Pandora and Vittorio the Vampire.
I will be completely honest and say I was not a huge fan of Pandora. I still loved the writing, but this was a character that just never clicked for me. It really boils down to the fact that Marius is still one of my favorite characters ever, so I was not thrilled with how their relationship ebbed and flowed.
Have there been characters you just have not connected with in an otherwise-loved series? Are there any characters in the Vampire Chronicles that you feel similarly about?
Vittorio the Vampire is a wholly new tale-separate from the other chronicles, and again Anne Rice focuses on Renaissance Italy, angels, and the demons we have come to know in her vampires. I am sad to say that I do not remember much of this book. At this point I was very attached to the main series characters and there was nothing about Vittorio that captured me. Has that ever happened to you? Did any of you really love Vittorio? If so, please tell me what I may have missed.
That is all for this week, folks. Bonus question because it is on my mind-what is your favorite cold weather dish and/or drink? I need ideas…
The Vampire Chronicles in the order they should be read:
Interview with a Vampire
The Vampire Lestat
The Queen of the Damned
The Tale of the Body Thief
Memnoch the Devil
The Vampire Armand
Merrick (Crossover with Mayfair Witches)
Blood and Gold
Blackwood Farm (Crossover with Mayfair Witches)
Blood Canticle (Crossover with Mayfair Witches)
Prince Lestat
The New Tales of the Vampires series in the order they should be read:
Pandora
Vittorio the Vampire
The Lives of the Mayfair Witches series in the order they should be read:
The Witching Hour
Lasher
Taltos
The Vittorio storyline sounds interesting. For cold weather, I always like things like braised meat stews (pork shoulder cooked in milk with garlic and herbs is wonderful and easy, since you don’t even need to brown it first), or a roast chicken. If you’re not a meat-eater, lentil or escarole soup is nice. I love stuffed cabbage rolls, though they are kind of a fussy labor of love. Drink-wise, it’s a mocha or hot chocolate for me!
Hi Trix!
Vittorio was an interesting read- even if it wasn’t my favorite. You should check it out.
That pork shoulder sounds amazing! Do you have a more specific recipe for it, or is it something you just kind of throw it together?
Michael Pollan has one in COOKED, but here’s the one I use. It’s from L’Osteria del Forno in San Francisco, and was published in the San Francisco Chronicle in 1994:
MILANESE BRAISED PORK
Serves 6
A 3-pound boneless pork butt (shoulder) roast (I’ve used bigger, but you might need more milk. If it’s really big, cut it in half and make two)
Salt and pepper
Leaves from four 3-inch sprigs fresh rosemary, or 1 1/2 teaspoons dried rosemary
2 1/2 cups milk (any fat content works, though whole makes the creamiest sauce)
8 to 10 large garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
8 to 10 fresh sage leaves
Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Trim excess fat from the roast and tie the roast if necessary. Wipe the meat dry. Season with salt and pepper and rub with the dried rosemary, if using.
Place the roast in a large, oiled Dutch oven, cover, and bake 2 hours. Remove the meat and skim off the fat from the pan juices. Return the roast to the pan. Pour 1/2 cup of the milk into the pan. Add garlic, sage, and fresh rosemary (if not using dried). Cover and braise until meat is very tender, about 1 hour, turning once or twice (see note). Check occasionally and add a little more milk, if necessary, to keep 1/4 inch of liquid in the pan.
Transfer roast to a warm platter. Add any remaining milk to pan and cook over high heat, stirring until mixture turns light brown and thickens to the consistency of heavy cream (about 1 1/2 cups sauce). (You’ll see some milk curds here and there-that’s normal.) Season to taste with salt and pepper. Carve the roast and spoon some of the cooking juices over each serving.
Note: You may braise the pork up to 2 hours, but you may need more milk-up to 1 quart. The pork will become almost spoon-slice tender.
Hope you enjoy! It’s a definite crowd-pleaser. The leftover meat makes amazing carnitas-style tacos, too…
Thank you! That sounds divine
Gosh… I hate to admit it… but I have not read any of these spin offs. Weird huh? Well, I guess it is time to unearth some old faves, do a re-read marathon and then read the newer ones.
I am not sure if I remember a character that I did not connect with in any series…
Cold weather yummies… now that I can do!
I love casseroles, using my crockpot, and I adore my dutch oven (I have 2 of them). Home made mac and cheese (with 5 + cheeses, black olives, green beans, tomatoes, and a salt and vinegar kettle chip + cheese crust. Soup - I have a chicken, chili, and red quinoa specialty. Cincinnati Chili served every which way. Roasts like pork shoulder with spuds and sweet spuds. Leg of lamb with prune juice and assorted savories. Brisket. Anything with home made gravy. I do a roast chicken with onions, apples, and grape juice that makes a stunning gravy. Mashed spuds and sweet spuds. Want any recipes?
Sometimes I miss spin off stuff too and I have no idea how! Rereads are so fun too!
Ummm, the mac & Cheese sounds amazing & I for sure would love that recipe. I can always use a good mac & cheese. Also the roast chicken. I too love a delicious gravy!
Sorry - I totally missed this… if you PM me on FB I will forward some recipes
Well again so busy with other stuff
We’re up into books that I haven’t read now, but I have encountered a character that I just didn’t care for despite other people’s opinions. I couldn’t stand the main character of those James Patterson books with the winged kids. Her narrative voice was just nails on a chalkboard for me, which floored me. I like a lot of his other works.
And my favorite cold weather drink is wassail.
There are for sure a few other series that I really enjoy but sometimes a main character just annoys me so much! Thankfully, this does not happen often. It is always such a strange experience.
I personally really liked Pandora. I liked Vittorio, too, but not as much. I have had that happen, where I liked a series, but not a character in it. Nothing is springing to mind at the moment, but I know it’s happened.
And for the bonus question, I love mac’n'cheese — it’s one of my ultimate comfort foods. For drinks, hot chocolate, hot apple cider, and chamomile tea.
Really my Pandora issue is all about Marius- that is definetly my personal problem. Obviously it wasn’t enough to turn me off the series and I actually think it is a tribute to an author’s skill when I keep reading, despite not liking a character.
Mac and Cheese is pretty much the best!
When cold weather sets in I tend to do homemade hearty soups, either vegetable or cheesy potato and chili.
I haven’t read this spin off but I do try to read most spin offs of a series I love.
Oh- there are so many series & spin off’s just sitting on my TBR. Is it too much to ask for a week off each month? That would really help me out
Unfortunately I haven’t read these two books, so I have some catching up to do. My favorite cold weather foods are chili, grilled cheese with tomato soup, and mac & cheese. Hot chocolate is my favorite winter beverage.
I love grilled cheese and I am drinking hot chocolate right now!
These were not necessary to read to keep up with the series, but if you have time check them out. They fill in the universe.