Jessica Carbert

NovelTEA: Nightwing Volume 2: Night of the Owls + Love Potion Number 9

By Jessica Roth February 14, 2020

I don’t think I’ve ever finished a series I started to review for Sartorial Geek and, with 2020 being a clean slate, I decided maybe that should be changed (also: we all know comics go out-of-print after a certain number of years, so this is my way of trying to finish all the series I’ve gotten into). I sort of gave up on most of the series I’ve previously discussed— except for the New 52 Nightwing (I know, I know, everyone tells me I can skip it and just get into Grayson, so I thought I’d give the second volume a try before I made a judgement). So, here we go with Nightwing Volume 2: Night of the Owls.

NovelTEA: Seven Days of Us + Jalapeno Chicken Wraps

By Jessica Roth February 9, 2020

2020 has started, and I’m so excited to sink my teeth into the opportunities (and the books!) this year has to offer. While traveling over the Christmas 2019 season, I forgot my reading material at home, but I’m very fortunate that my family members always buy me books as presents (’twas the season to overstuff my bookshelves and beam with fanatical pride as they groan under the weight of my intellectual wallpaper). One of the books I was given was Seven Days of Us by Francesca Hornak. Initially I thought it was just going to be this adorably cloying novel about a dysfunctional family, maybe with a snarky bite. I was proven correct in the best way.

Leveling Up like Bethany Walker: How to be a Better Friend

By Jessica Roth January 17, 2020

If you’d told me back in 2017 that Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle would crack my top three list of movies that year, I’d have promptly spat my movie theatre popcorn in your face due to uncontrollable laughter. I truly wasn’t expecting much from the reboot of the beloved Robin Williams film, but it ticked so many of my boxes without even trying.

NOVELTEA: Nightwing Volume 1 + Banana Nut Oatmeal

By Jessica Roth December 8, 2019

The season of giving is upon us! No matter what holiday you celebrate, December is the perfect month to cuddle up by the fire with a full mug of cocoa and a good book. If you’re too busy to read a traditionally-published novel, you can always veer into comics and graphic novel territory: they’re fast, they’re gorgeous, and they’re so easy to get lost in, you won’t even notice the passage of time as you dive into the script and wonderful art.

NovelTEA: Before I Go To Sleep + Sticky Honey Garlic Butter Shrimp

By Jessica Roth November 3, 2019

Sometimes I’m all about buying new books with reckless abandon. Other times, ShopDisney has wicked seasonal sales, and I have to make a choice: a stack of new books or a bag full of sweet Disney merch. When I choose the latter, I actually have to read those aforementioned books, instead of just hoarding them like it’s my day job.

Which brings us to the subject of this column: S.J. Watson’s Before I Go To Sleep, a backlist novel I’ve been meaning to read for an embarrassing amount of time.

NovelTEA: Effigy + Spinach-Banana Smoothie

By Jessica Roth July 28, 2019

One of the cool things about having a seemingly never-ending TBR (to-be-read) pile is that you never actually run out of things to read. Sometimes you even forget you own books, and rediscovering them can be like buying them all over again (while keeping your wallet firmly closed). Add in a spinach and banana power smoothie (it’s good, I promise!) and a day spent by the pool reading Tim Seeley’s Vertigo series Effigy, and you’ve got yourself the makings of a NovelTEA column.

NovelTEA: Born in Fire + Baked Chicken Meatballs

By Jessica Roth July 21, 2019

Urban fantasy is one of those genres that you either passionately hate or absolutely love; it seems there’s no in-between, especially when you’re looking at independently-published urban fantasy. If you’re in the camp of loving indie urban fantasy, though, you’ll be delighted by USA Today bestselling author K.F. Breene’s book, Born in Fire. Gather ‘round for a full cup of tea and some delicious baked chicken meatballs (if baked chicken meatballs are your thing. I feel like only some people can make chicken meatballs well? You’ll have to try them and tell me if they were good or not):

NovelTEA: The Perfect Stranger + Roasted Eggplant Dip

By Jessica Roth July 14, 2019

Summer is thriller season (also: cheesy romance season, but given my habit of stockpiling thrillers and the scant handful of romance novels I actually own, we’ll have to go with thriller season). It’s the perfect time to revisit Veronica Mars in the comfort of your air-conditioned home, or pack a suspenseful read into your beach bag and try to figure out if the butler did it while you soak up some sun. This week’s NovelTEA features The Perfect Stranger by Megan Miranda, with a side of roasted eggplant dip, a practically perfect pairing:

NovelTEA: Winter Song + Mini Peach Tarts

By Jessica Roth July 7, 2019

Don’t you just love a cozy fantasy novel? The perfect read to accompany you through torrential summer downpours or bitter winter blizzards, it’s just a year-round sort of gem. This week, we’re serving up the recipe for mini peach tarts and a quick review of S. Jae Jones’s debut YA (teetering on the cusp of being a new adult) novel Wintersong, so hurry to the table, before the tea gets cold:

NovelTea: Unfollow + Raspberry Brownies for Two

By Jessica Roth February 20, 2019

Officially: the snow is driving me bonkers. But on the bright side, the slippery sidewalks, icy roads and frigid temperatures have given me more than enough cause to kick back with a book series. Unfollow by Rob Williams and Mike Dowling, a long-completed Vertigo title, is the one I picked.