Book review: Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

My second read of 2022 which I finished in a matter of few days. I find good fiction very hard to resist.

Where the Crawdads Sing is a 2018 novel by American author and retired wildlife biologist, Delia Owens. It is a tender coming-of-age story set in the 50s and 60s of a girl who grows up in the remote wetlands of North Carolina.

Delia Owens debut novel has topped The New York Times Fiction Best Sellers of 2019 and The New York Times Fiction Best Sellers of 2020 for a combined 32 non-consecutive weeks. The book was selected for Reese Witherspoon's Book Club and for Barnes & Noble's Best Books of 2018. By December 2019, the book had sold over 4.5 million copies, and it sold more print copies in 2019 than any other adult title, fiction or non-fiction. 

The book has been adapted to film with Fox 2000 owning the film rights. The film had been produced by Reese Witherspoon with Daisy Edgar-Jones playing the role of the main protagonist. The film is slated to release in July 2022. 

***Plot***

Catherine Danielle Clark aka “Kya” Clark grows up in a rundown shack surrounded by marshes and swamps near the fictional town of Barkley Cove in North Carolina. 

Kya is abandoned by her mother as a 6-year old child. Unable to bear the abuse by their alcoholic and unemployed father, her older siblings soon follow suit. Not able to depend on a (mostly) absentee and neglectful father, little Kya is forced to fend for herself. A few years down the line, even her father leaves her for good.

Kya then embarks on a journey in self-reliance where she learns how to grow fresh produce and trade fresh mussels and smoked-fish for money and gas from Jumpin', a black man who owns a gasoline station for boats. She successfully evades attempts by truant officers and others to integrate her into a “normal” life. Utterly alone and ostracized by members of the community as a feral and reclusive “marsh girl”, Kya has only the local wildlife to keep her company. With no caregiver or formal education, she is nurtured, protected and schooled by Mother Nature. Studying the behaviors of marsh creatures, collecting shells and bird feathers becomes her main pastime. She forms a sole friendship with Tate, one of her brother’s friends who teaches her how to read and write, kindling a love of books and poetry but even that association is short-lived when Tate moves on to greener pastures. 

As an adult, Kya enters into a discrete and complicated relationship with Chase Andrews, the town's golden boy. But when Chase shows up dead under mysterious circumstances, questions are raised and old prejudices are ignited. The story then enters the realm of a whodunnit. 

What happens to Kya and how her story ends forms the remainder of the novel. 

Baker's Corner: Broccoli-Cheddar Mini Quiche

I've been stuck at home with way too much time on my hands which is the reason this blog post came about. If that sounds like a good thing....erm, well....not exactly 😐

You see, the thing is, every single member of my household tested positive for Covid-19 last week. I guess it isn't surprising consider how cases in Singapore have been soaring since Chinese New Year. 

It started with my older twin, who most likely got it from school (the two consecutive Health Risk Warnings were clue enough) and after that it was just a domino effect. We had successfully dodged the damn virus since January 2020 but finally our luck ran out.

But you know what? Looking at the bright side, with us adults receiving booster shots not too long ago and the twins being doubly vaccinated slightly over two weeks ago, I'd say (as crazy as it sounds) if there was ever a "good" time for us to contract it then it would be now. The proof was the fact that flu-like symptoms suddenly appeared and then disappeared within a 72-hour window and we were mostly feeling fine after that. It took two to three additional days for all of us to test negative after which we were able to end our isolation. My home currently smells of a mixture of antiseptic, Febreze and fresh laundry!

Yet, despite having mild symptoms, it isn't fun to be sick. It is boring (especially for the children) to be stuck indoors all day. I felt guilty having abandoned my colleague with the experiments we had jointly planned to do in the lab during my isolation. I had made special plans for my husband's birthday which I had to postpone and that was a total bummer (for me; he doesn't seem to care 😂). I felt my insomnia rear its ugly head after being under control for two years. But I'm grateful that we were united in our fight against Covid-19, we suffered only minimally and with a natural immunity boost, I know that we have emerged stronger. I'm glad that it is over and can only hope that we don't have to go through it ever again *fingers crossed*

Coming back to this post, this is a recipe that I've been meaning to publish for quite a while since I've been asked for the recipe many times on social media. You may be aware that I have the recipe for Cheesy Mushroom Quiche on my blog. I make this 12-inch large quiche with salad for brunch on weekends and it is a good recipe. But the mini version is a much more recent development which came about when I was on the lookout for quick lunch box recipes for my seven-year old twins. 

While on the subject of kids lunch boxes, you can check out many interesting ideas here.

I have been packing these Broccoli-Cheddar Mini Quiches in my daughters lunch boxes for about a year now and they LOVE it. In fact, they love it so much that they asked me to include it in their birthday menu last year (that is a HUGE deal you guys). Broccoli is their favourite vegetable and they both love cheese so that combination was a no-brainer for me. I've tried a few variations with spinach, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes and sweet corn but the feedback I get from them is a frown with an exasperated - "but why didn't you put broccoli in it?" So, that's my reason for firmly sticking with broccoli 😄

Don't like broccoli? Not a problem. These mini quiches are super customizable. You can put in anything that you think will work well. Here are some combinations that I like,

i

💚 Spinach, garlic and mushroom

💚 Olives, sun-dried tomatoes & feta cheese
💚 Bell peppers, red onion and corn

💚 Asparagus and goat's cheese

💚 Cherry tomatoes, fresh mozzarella & basil

More advantages of these bite-sized savoury goodies you ask? I'll give you plenty. These are easy to make, nutritious, satisfying, delicious, economical, can be made ahead of time and freeze well. Are you sold yet?

Try this recipe for Mini Quiches you guys. It is great to pack in lunchboxes, for picnics or to take to a potluck. You can also make them for breakfast, brunch or an evening snack or as a starter/appetizer for a party. They are bound to be a hit with anyone you serve them to. Please don't ask me for egg substitutions in this recipe though. I have never tried it and it is highly unlikely that I will even think of doing so 😛

Colors that Spin! Immersive Art Jamming at Spin Paint House, Singapore

My seven-year old twin daughters love doing art projects. They delve into it at will and enjoy dabbling in different mediums. It is something that I wholeheartedly encourage because it not only spurs creativity but gives our household some much-needed quiet time. They churn out their "masterpieces" at breakneck pace and after keeping a digital record, I have to resort to disposing most of them as discreetly as possible 😛 

In August of 2020, I received a kind invitation from Splat Paint House, a one-of-a-kind splatter paint studio in Singapore. I accepted the invitation and it turned out to be a memorable family experience. Our twins undoubtedly had a blast but for me, the highlight was allowing them to make as much of a mess as they wanted to, without having the dreaded task of clean up afterwards #momwin 🙌

I recently received an invitation to visit their sister concept, Spin Paint House. At this new studio you can spin your way into art. If it sounds like fun, that's because it is 😊

If the concept of Spin Art is new to you (like it was to me), allow me to briefly explain. To create Spin Art, the artist initially drips paint onto a canvas that is secured to a platform that can be rotated at high speed. The artist can then begin to spin the canvas. As the canvas rotates, centrifugal forces draw the wet paint outwards, creating intricate designs. The artist can drip paint of assorted colors in different patterns onto the canvas as it is spinning, thus layering paints on top of each other, creating mesmerising effects. With enough creativity, a spin artist can blend colors together into subtle designs. At any point during this process, the artist can stop the spinning platform to view the canvas. Since the canvas is usually rotating at a high speed, it is difficult if not impossible to view the image on the canvas until the platform has stopped spinning, thus creating an element of surprise during the creation process.

Spin Art has been popularized by famous artists such as Damien Hirst, Swarez and Callen Schaub. 

Spin Paint House offers a space dedicated for artistic expression, for mess and for play. 

There are custom-built tables that allow canvases to be spun using only one's own energy with a hand crank. The adjustable rotations per minute enable the user to vary the speed for amazing diffusion effects or slow it down for a sleek wave from the pendulums and trapezes. The ergonomic tables enable the user to create momentum comfortably, making the experience enjoyable and safe for people of all ages.

I booked a 1.5 hour session on a Saturday morning. The studio is tucked away in an industrial estate of Bedok. We parked a little distance away and spent a few minutes walking around searching for the studio even though it was right there! Just look for this building and you have the location.

The studio is spacious and well ventilated. There are individual booths with spin tables and a O-ring light. Aprons are provided but still there is a washroom where you can wash up at the end of the session.  

The walls are adorned with interesting Spin Art from budding artists. You can take a good look to get some ideas and inspiration.