jessica carbert Archives - Sartorial Geek

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):

Holiday Book-Buying Guide: Adult Fiction

By Jessica Roth December 30, 2018

Reading is a far more personal, solitary hobby than, say, playing hockey or gushing over the MCU with your closest friends. Just because you’re a reader, doesn’t mean you’ll automatically devour anything handed to you over the holidays, and just because you prefer fiction over nonfiction (represent!), doesn’t mean you like all types of fiction. If you’re scrambling at the last minute to find a gift for the bookworm in your life, or if you just want to treat your shelf, take a look at our gift guide below:

NovelTEA: Irish Devil + Apple Cinnamon Cupcakes

By Jessica Roth November 18, 2018

Between the stuttery, decade-old dinosaur I’m typing this review out on, and an impending move slated to change my whole entire life as I know it in less than two weeks, my reading time has been slashed by more than half. I haven’t gotten the chance to curl up with a book in awhile, much less browse the Kindle app I have installed on all of my personal tech, as every good bookworm does. But yesterday, I had a little bit of time to myself, and I was feeling lucky, so I bought a random ebook off Amazon: Irish Devil by Donna Fletcher, the first in a historical romance duology.

The first book co-stars the terrifyingly sexy Lord Eric of Shanekill— a bloodthirsty warrior whose reputation precedes him— and the Lady Faith— a beautiful, kind outcast with a gift for medicinal work— okay, you know what, it should actually go like this:

NovelTEA: Claimed by Shadow + Green Goblin Cocktail

By Jessica Roth October 28, 2018

My computer died a glorious, blue-screened death earlier this week, so I apologize for the startling amount of typos you may encounter over the course of this review, because it’s being written on a device that probably should’ve been put out to pasture in 2010. This week’s book is Claimed by Shadow, the second entry in the Cassie Palmer urban fantasy series by Karen Chance. An earlier NovelTEA entry discusses the first book, Touch the Dark, if you want to check it out (seriously check that out because this review will contain spoilers for the first book).

An Interview With Magic At Your Door

By Jessica Roth June 9, 2018

Are you addicted to subscription boxes?

Are you pulled in by the concept of receiving a mystery box of (usually) themed stuff each month that pays tribute to the things you love? Services like this have been around since 2012, when premiere geek box Loot Crate hit the market. Since Loot Crate’s inception, dozens upon dozens of subscription boxes have sprung up to scratch every imaginable itch: from beauty to candy to officially licensed Disney merch.

Record scratch.

Did I just say officially licensed Disney merch?

Why yes, friend, yes I did.

NovelTea: The Zoo by Christopher Wilson + Nutella Stuffed Strawberries

By Jessica Roth June 3, 2018

I’ll admit it: I’m a sucker for subscription boxes. I’m currently subscribed to two of them— and one of them, of course, is Chocolate and Book. This particular, UK-based box, doesn’t get a lot of spotlight. I have no idea why. Because it combines chocolate, a beverage (usually tea or hot chocolate) and a book from an array of genres. I currently have my subscription set to ‘Surprise’. So, I never know what I’m going to get. This month’s surprise selection was Christopher Wilson’s most recent novel in paperback, The Zoo.

NovelTEA: The Leftovers by Tom Perrotta + Hummus Spinach Dip

By Jessica Roth May 27, 2018

This week, something rare happened. I was in the mood to read sci-fi.

Not unheard of, just rare, especially in the warmer months. I can’t be the only seasonal/mood reader, right? Thrillers ring my bell all year ‘round, but fluffy chicklit, contemporaries, and books of that nature dominate my TBR during spring and summer. Historical fiction, sci-fi, and fantasy rule the colder months. But, something even weirder happened.

For the first time in a long time, I didn’t have an array of TBR-provided choices to scratch my sci-fi itch. (In fairness, most of my sci-fi stuff is now consumed in comic format. And in fairness, I’ve read most of it already.) I was digging through one of my four nightstand piles when I found it. (It’s okay, I know you’re not judging me for having four stacks and several shelves’ worth of unread books.) Tom Perrotta’s The Leftovers. I’d meant to read it a long time ago, so I could hop on the HBO show’s bandwagon, but never got around to it. I checked on Goodreads* and found it was categorized as sci-fi and dystopia. (*Cheerfully ignoring the reviews, which ranged from middling to frustrated.)

NovelTEA: NewsPrints by Ru Xu + Unicorn Poop Cookies

By Jessica Roth May 20, 2018

One of the undeniable facts of growing up on a steady diet of Disney movies and Scooby-Doo reruns means that I’m all about bright colours. Yes, even in my 20s. It influences my taste in decor, my choice of fruit and vegetable (the brighter the better), and even the books I’m more likely to pick up, thanks to a psychedelic cover (Edgar Cantero’s Meddling Kids, anyone?) design. I mean, I’ll read pretty much anything, but vibrant covers always catch my eye over the grim, broody ones of yesteryear. This is especially true of comics— and picking up Saint For Rent creator Ru Xu’s all-ages graphic novel, NewsPrints, was just a natural consequence. I mean: have you seen that cover?

NovelTEA: Black Canary and Zatanna: Bloodspell by Paul Dini and Joe Quinones + Oreo Pudding Shots

By Jessica Roth May 13, 2018

Well, I might as well get this out of the way before I get called out in the comments: this week’s NovelTEA features an older book. (It’s new to me!) But, the recipe is still fresh. Pitched in 2005, announced in 2006, and then delayed until 2014, Paul Dini (yes, Harley Quinn’s co-creator) and Joe Quinones’s Black Canary and Zatanna: Bloodspell was a long-awaited project that survived a lot of changes.

Swapped artists was one of them. Originally, husband-and-wife super-team, Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti, were lined up to bring The Fishnets Brigade to life. Eventually, the baton was passed to Quinones.— an editorial mandate— remember The New 52?— and the test of time.

NovelTEA: Then She Was Gone + Garlic-butter Baked Halibut

By Jessica Roth April 29, 2018

Spring is finally in the air! I am so, so excited because after a particularly harsh winter, spring feels like a new beginning. It also means new books, which is always fantastic.

Lisa Jewell is an author I’ve read before. I dipped my toes into the world of adult fiction with her novel The House We Grew Up In, an exploration of the insular nature of families and mental illness. I was really excited to get my hands on her latest novel Then She Was Gone. The cover is absolutely gorgeous, and after a string of rather frustrating thrillers that have made me want to dump the genre altogether, I was really hoping Then She Was Gone would scratch that itch. Plus, NovelTEA being what it is: there’s a delicious (if I do say so myself!) recipe to go along with the book.