Bayou Bytes Blog

Leviathan Wakes  is the first book in The Expanse series. It is also the source material for the TV show, The Expanse . A joint effort between Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck (who have adopted the pen name James S. A. Corey), The Expanse books currently have eight installations. The ninth and final volume is set to come out within the next year. This is the perfect time to jump on board if you haven't read them yet.  Leviathan Wakes  is set in the near future. Humans have colonized portions of the solar system, with bases on the moon, Mars, and in the Asteroid Belt. But after generations in different environments, physiological and cultural differences have become a prominent source of tension. Martians in their harsh environment are a military-based society, relying on strict order to survive on the rough planet. Belters live entirely on atmosphere-less rocks, valuing teamwork and resource rationing. Both see Earthers as spoiled and selfish people who never have to wonder w...

You may know Anne Bonny and Mary Reed, but most female pirates get left out of prominent pirate literature. In Pirate Women,  Laura Sook Duncombe rights that wrong, with stories of the coolest women who sailed the seas.  Duncombe shares stories of who these women were, why they left their homes, and their most impressive deeds. Until reading this, I'm sad to say I had never heard of many of these pirates. But their successes certainly rival those of their male counterparts. Duncombe covers pirates from all over the globe, some of whom lived outside of the traditional Golden Age of Piracy. Each chapter focuses on a different woman, and overall the book is an exciting read.  For readers who have always been fascinated by pirates, this is a fun resource to add to your collection! You can find it at your local library here .  This book is aimed at adults, but if you have a younger reader with a love of pirates, Laura Duncombe also wrote a Young Adult version that covers ...

The full title of this truffle-based true crime exposé is Truffle Underground: A Tale of  Mystery, Mayhem, and Manipulation in the Shadowy Market of the World's Most Expensive Fungus , and it makes the topic of this book pretty clear. Being personally averse to anything resembling a mushroom, I have always avoided truffles. But even I've heard the hype, and heard how expensive they are. So when I saw this book promising to reveal the secrets of the truffle, I needed to know.  Ryan Jacobs was certainly in danger as he investigated the truffle trade. He stumbled upon farmer feuds, sabotage, and all kinds of shady dealings. He also revealed how such a black market could exist in the first place. In short, I learned 1.) truffles are nearly impossible to cultivate, and 2.) once you harvest a truffle, it degrades incredibly fast. If you're lucky enough to grow one, you have to sell it immediately . And from these two truths spring all kinds of plots to steal truffles from other f...

China Miéville is the author to turn to when you tire of formula fiction. His work is often referred to as "weird fiction" or "fantastic fiction" and each story diverges from traditional genres. Embassytown, like so many science fiction stories, introduces a human colony on an alien world in the farthest reaches of known space. The colony shares the planet with the native Ariekei, with whom they maintain a generally stable peace. But the Ariekei are famous for the oddity of their Language, one that requires two mouths to speak at once. Among the humans, only the Ambassadors (pairs of clones that speak with one mind) are able to speak Language. When Avice Benner Cho was young, she was asked to be a simile for the Ariekei. Since the Ariekei cannot lie, they need someone to act out an event before it can be included in Language. Being a part of Language has given Avice some clout off-world, and she spent several years working in space exploration before unexpectedly re...

Written by the iconic actor who played Westley, this behind the scenes account is filled with Elwes' memories of being on the set of The Princess Bride .  As You Wish  looks back at how Elwes got involved in the project, how he met the other actors, the technical aspects of filming, as well as antics on set. The book even includes a section of photos from set. It's a nostalgic and touching account of his experiences, and I would recommend re-watching the movie after  reading this. It was satisfying, and in some cases impressive, to re-watch the scenes Elwes described after reading his tales.  Originally published in 2014, this book is a must-read for Princess Bride fans.