Author: Erica Ezeifedi

It’s settling into colder temperatures in many places, which means this Moroccan staple will come in clutch for many. I love this tomato-based lentil and chickpea soup — which can be vegetarian/vegan or not if you like. Follow Taste of Maroc’s recipe to find out how to make it.

I’ll start with the book itself in case many aren’t familiar, but I have to warn you that I haven’t actually read Akira. Yet. But since watching the movie this past weekend, I am definitely interested. Although the movie was long for an anime, there inevitably were details left out. This follows Tetsuo and Kaneda, two teen boys who are friends and part of a motorcycle gang in Neo Tokyo. They battle other street gangs, occasionally go to a derelict alternative high school, and do all matter of inappropriate activity all while protests and unrest seems to be amping up in the city. Once Tetsuo’s and Kaneda’s gang crosses paths with a boy with psychic powers, their lives change forever. Tetsuo gets taken away and when he’s seen next, he also has psychic powers. Powers that he can’t control. Then there’s the seemingly mythological Akira, who may have caused WWIII and Tokyo’s annihilation years past.

In this version of Japan, human existence and machine existence have intersected. Humans are regularly upgraded with machine parts, and machines with human parts. It’s in this world that Major Motoko Kusanagi is tasked with tracking down the worst kinds of cybercriminals. One in particular, known as the Puppeteer, exploits the human/machine interface by hacking it in order to control people’s bodies. Chasing down this master hacker leads her down a path that shows her a whole new world.

Soo, another confession: I’ve watched several seasons of the show this series was adapted into, but haven’t read one book. Clearly I am slacking! Here, humans have colonized planetary bodies within the solar system. One day Jim Holden’s ice miner team finds an abandoned ship, the Scopuli, and a secret that they could have lived without. Elsewhere, Detective Miller searches for a billionaire’s missing daughter. Eventually, Miller and Holden cross paths and they realize that the missing girl may explain what’s gone wrong.

While I like watching superhero movies, I’ve never been much of one to read comics centered around them. They are just not really my cup of tea. Until now! Sojourner Mullein is a new Green Lantern and protects City Enduring. Her job has been fairly easy as the massive city has known peace for the last 500 years, which it attained by removing its citizens’ ability to feel. Violent crime has been nonexistent ever since. But then a brutal murder breaks this artificially gained era of peace and Sojourner must solve the crime and bring back peace.

Lemme tell you about the amazing eggplant empanadas I had. They were so unexpectedly good! This page has other recipes for more vegetarian Argentinian empanadas, which all sound good, but I chose this one in particular because the chimichurri looked perfect. So, so good.

Now for some nonfiction.

Washuta grew up surrounded by appropriations of her Indigenous spirituality in the form of things like “witch kits” full of sage and other trendy items. Once she experiences addiction, PTSD, abuse, and a psychiatric misdiagnosis, she undergoes a healing process that involves realizing the power of her ancestors. This collection of essays is about her journey, and is full of thoughts on colonization, love, and pop culture.

This just came out and is about iconic magical women and nonbinary people throughout U.S. history. The blurb mentions it covers all matter of witchery, “from Salem to WitchTok,” and everyone from voodoo queen Marie Laveau to Elvira. It also gets into the politics and differences in culture between occult practitioners.

Funnily enough, when I try to find nonfiction books on hoodoo, they are usually overly dry looking or written exclusively by white people. There’s nothing inherently wrong with either, but I do think books on a Black spiritual practice should have a few more written by the people from the actual culture. That’s partially why Mojo Workin’ by Hazzard-Donald is so good. It’s engaging and has that extra spark that comes from someone writing about their own culture. And the author’s tracing of hoodoo from traditional African religions to modern-day Black church practices is interesting to say the least.

Chollet, a celebrated French feminist writer, looks at the history of witches and what they have represented according to society. She identifies three main types of women who were at risk for being labeled a witch, a label that basically meant the inverse of gender norms and ostracization. This has the added bonus of having a forward from Carmen Maria Machado.

Phoooo

I don’t know if I’ve shared this with you all before, but I love soup. I actually love it all times of year (even summer!), but I’ve waited to share soupy things with y’all since I know some people don’t like the idea of sipping on hot broth while it’s 90 degrees outside. I came across this recipe for pho using a left over rotisserie chicken that looks super simple but delicious (I mean, I def don’t have a spice bag, but I can make some arrangements). Naturally, I thought to include a vegetarian option as well. Don’t forget the bean sprouts and hoison!

Now for books! (heh)

This retelling of Frankenstein sees the monster dead set on revenge against the humans that rejected him. To achieve his goal of destroying humanity, he enlists the help of Dr. Baker, who is part of the Frankenstein family and who recently lost her teenage son to police violence.

Shammas just won a Harvey Award for her YA graphic novel Squire. In the newly released Where Black Stars Rise, Dr. Amal Robardin, a Lebanese therapist in training, feels like she isn’t equipped to help her first client, a lady named Yasmin with schizophrenia who claims to be visited at night by an evil spirit. The reality of the malevolent spirit becomes apparent and when Yasmin’s obsession with the classic horror The King in Yellow by Robert Chambers leads to her disappearance, it’s Dr. Robardin who slips through dimensions to save her. Hopefully they can both make it out of the realm of The King of Yellow in time.

Elena Abbott is a chain-smoking journalist in 1970s Detroit who has lost her husband. When she starts investigating a set of gruesome murders the police are curiously ignoring, she realizes the occult forces involved are the same ones that were involved with her husband’s death. As she searches for truth, she has to fight systemic barriers as well as magic and monsters.

The premise of this reminds me a bit of Lovecraft Country (the show since I’ve never read the book). It’s about the Sangerye family who can cure the most tainted souls consumed by racial hatred who turn into jinroo monsters. In fighting against this deep evil, the family has lost a lot, and with this new breed of monster out, there’s the question of whether they can protect humanity any more.