COMIC REVIEW: Godzilla: Heist

GODZILLA: HEIST
by Van Jensen and Kelsey Ramsay
Available January 13

One of my favorite things about Godzilla (and kaiju in general) in modern comics has been reinvention. The best new stories understand that giant monsters are less about their own lore and more about serving as a backdrop for human stories. Godzilla in particular is emblematic of everything from war to environmental issues, depending on who's steering the story. Seeing new stories comprehend this and run with it is super rewarding.

Doubly rewarding if, for instance, the story Godzilla is appearing in is a cool London-based heist.

Godzilla: Heist is exactly what it says on the tin, at least at first. The story follows Jai, who has a very special ability: he knows how to summon Godzilla. This is especially handy if you need some kind of major cover for, say, a heist. Everyone will have eyes on the monster, rather than what you're doing. And who's going to suspect someone of orchestrating a kaiju attack?

Well, someone has noticed, putting Jai in a sticky situation. But he has one last heist to pull off: the biggest yet. And once it becomes apparent what Jai is after, long-time fans of the Godzilla films will be equal parts surprised and delighted.

Artistically speaking, Kelsey Ramsay does a great job melding a rough-and-tumble art style with a really well drawn 'zilla. Neither feels out of place with the other. And as much as I'd like to compliment a very specific artistic rendering in the comic, that's a huge spoiler. So suffice to say there's something else fans will love later on.

Godzilla: Heist strikes a balance between being a good Godzilla story and being a compelling human story. Without the latter, you've just got a disaster movie. Which is fine, but it's so much better to see new generations of writers and artists place the King of the Monsters at the center of evolving stories.

TEA PAIRING: Poet's Study
A big heist needs a strong drink beforehand, and Poet's Study is that. This is my absolute favorite Earl Grey, with plenty of bergamot for those of you who like it super-strong. Use my code KARA15 for 15% off this and more teas from Chapters Tea & Co.!

MANGA REVIEW: 3 Minute Bodyguard Yoko-chan, Vol. 1

3 MINUTE BODYGUARD YOKO-CHAN Vol. 1
by Susano Hara and Sakamoto Shino
Available January 13

José is a rich kid with problems: specifically, he's targeted by thugs and bullies after the fortune he's set to inherit. The good news is, he's hired top-tier bodyguard Yoko-chan to protect him. The bad news? Thanks to her high price, even this rich boy can only afford her for three minutes a day!

The result is an action-packed gag manga in short but sweet chapters, usually (but not always) centered around those three minutes when Yoko-chan is protecting José before she goes back off the clock. She's no-nonsense and not to be trifled with... but, like all good freelancers, when she's off work she's off work. Usually she can finish her work in that timeframe, but sometimes she ends up leaving José in a tricky situation.

All of that is fun enough for, say, a one-shot. But where manga like these sink or swim is when it comes time to evolve the concept for future chapters. Even the funniest joke only holds for so long. Fortunately, 3 Minute Bodyguard Yoko-chan knows where that line is, and steps up the story as needed. After several rounds of rescue, José decides he'd like to spend some time with his fearless bodyguard minus the fighting. Now, he has to figure out how to call her in for those precious three minutes per day (or perhaps more!) when his life isn't on the line. And the result is adorable.

3 Minute Bodyguard Yoko-chan joins the ranks of surprisingly wholesome action series alongside SPY x FAMILY, Kill Blue, and Sakamoto Days. It's a much lighter read than any of these, with speedy chapters that fly by apace with Yoko-chan's workday. If you want something funny, uplifting, and easy to get into, you won't be disappointed.

TEA PAIRING: Radiate Positivity
A bright, uplifting green tea with lemongrass and peppermint, this steep has the same vibe as José and Yoko-chan's fast-paced adventures. Use my code KARA15 for 15% off this and other book-inspired teas from Chapters Tea & Co.!

BOOK REVIEW: Winnie-the-Pooh 100th Anniversary Edition

WINNIE-THE-POOH: 100th ANNIVERSARY EDITION
by A.A. Milne, illustrated by Ernest H. Shepard
Available now

There is no such thing as a truly universal shared literary experience, but Winnie-the-Pooh may be as close as we get. Milne's children's stories, inspired by his son Christopher Robin, have jumped from the printed page to nearly every conceivable medium. I myself grew up on a blend of the original stories, the Disney animated features, and the Disney Channel series Welcome to Pooh Corner. While the aesthetic may change from era to era, the story itself is timeless.

2026 marks the 100th anniversary of the original Winnie-the-Pooh book; to that end, we now have a small, but lovely, centennial printing of both this first collection and 1928's The House at Pooh Corner. This paperback bind-up is the perfect size for small hands to hold while reading, while still being a nice readable size for older fans. Rather than a hardcover edition, this is a bind-up paperback with a flocked yellow cover, featuring artwork of Pooh and one of his beloved hunny jars on the front.

Of course, the book has all of Ernst H. Shepard's original drawings, sprinkled across the pages in black and white. Re-reading these stories reminded me how beautifully the words and images played together, rising up alongside trees or rolling around between hunny pots. This might also be an opportunity for younger readers who are only familiar with the Disney designs to see how Pooh, Piglet, and the rest looked.

Obviously, you don't need me to tell you these are fantastic books. We all know it. But re-reading them is an experience. To some degree I remembered the major stories: Pooh choosing between a green and blue balloon to float up to a beehive, Eeyore appreciating his popped balloon and empty pot, even Tigger's affinity for extract of malt. But reading Milne's words again as an adult gives a degree of context we never got as a child. There's a beautiful comprehension of the child's mind blended with deadpan humor, a conversational storytelling style (I'd forgotten he ends one story by saying he's tired and he thinks he'll finish now), and little bits of business that absolutely went over my head as a kid concerning difficult school lessons. The very last story in The House at Pooh Corner is bittersweet in retrospect. As Christopher Robin mourns that he will not be around to play as much, barely stopping himself from voicing his fear of changing as a person, you can feel Milne's own mix of pride and sorrow at his son growing up.

I'm not saying anything new to an intelligent reader, of course. There's a reason these stories have stayed with us for a century. But it's an occasion for those of us who vaguely remember Pooh's adventures as cheerful summer outings or excuses to buy Disney memorabilia to really dig into everything these stories are trying to tell us. It's such a small book with such a soft cover, but it's so full of feelings.

TEA PAIRING: Strawberry Farms
As much as I love a bold, strong black tea, this blend inspired by children's books feels like a far better fit. The berries and yerba mate would go well with one of Pooh's lunches of honey and condensed milk. Use my code KARA15 for 15% off this and other teas from Chapters Tea & Co! 

 

BOOK REVIEW: Beth is Dead

 

BETH IS DEAD
by Katie Bernet
Available January 6

I was an enthusiastic partaker in that era of weird literary rewrites. Pride & Prejudice & Zombies and the like. By the time we hit Android Karenina, though, I was burned out. I realized I wasn't personally interested in new takes on literary classics solely because they were new takes on literary classics. That's easy enough to do, and will generally keep an audience on board for one go 'round. What's difficult, and what has more staying power, is finding new territory to explore within that space: retooling the original in a way that has value beyond that first burst of novelty.

When I first heard about Beth Is Dead, Katie Bernet's new take on Louisa May Alcott's Little Women, I will admit I was extremely worried that I was wading back into that old scene once again. That the whole point would be the shock value of a beloved literary classic being tense and bloody, and that's all. And while it is definitely a very tense read, I'm glad to say my initial fears were unfounded.

Beth Is Dead is, first and foremost, not a strict retelling of Little Women. It's a modernization of the original, close but with wiggle room. Think Emma vs. Clueless or Pygmalion vs. Selfie. The characters are there, they are recognizable as themselves, but with a realistic influence of modernity on the story. But there's one thing that notably sets this apart from those other examples: Little Women, or a version of it, exists in the world of Beth Is Dead. In this version of the story, the March family patriarch is a struggling author who finally finds success, and scandal, when he fictionalizes the story of his four daughters. There are two major changes from reality, however. The first is that Meg, Jo, Amy, and Beth are streamlined, semi-idealizes versions of themselves. The second, and weightier, is that Beth March dies in a car crash which she survived in reality. And as Beth Is Dead opens, the girl who fought to prove to the world that she is alive has been found... well, dead.

Told from the points of view of the three remaining March sisters in the present and all four in the past, the novel follows the family as they attempt to make sense of Beth's passing and find who's at fault. Fans of the original novel will recognize modernized versions of familiar characters as the case proceeds. Laurie finds himself torn between Jo and Amy, Sallie Gardiner shares a flawed and uneven friendship with Meg as they attend Harvard together, and Beth in flashback pushes herself to be more ambitious to prove her presence to fans of her father's novel. The questionable fame brought about by the book, combined with a number of secrets and personal drives, means that nearly everyone is a suspect at some level. Could Jo have killed her sister in order to have a compelling hook for her own book? Did Amy and Beth's falling out about art school figure in? What about their father, who disappeared in the wake of the book's publication to protect his family?

After the issue mentioned at the beginning of this post, my second concern going into Beth Is Dead is that the story would be used to vilify one or more beloved characters, or perhaps even Louisa May Alcott's characterizations. I needn't have worried. The way the mystery and its fallout are handled is skillful, ensuring that this version of the story doesn't negatively rewrite anything in the literary canon. I can't say much more than that without spoiling things, but I'm pleased with how it was approached.

It's also worth mentioning that Beth Is Dead isn't a takedown of Little Women at all. It's an understandable fear to have, as there are adaptations and remakes out there that aim to "fix" or "future-proof" classics. If anything is being interrogated concerning Little Women, it's the readership. How much of our perception of the March girls is Alcott's intent, and how much is the weathering that comes from decades in the zeitgeist? Are the sisters as quickly and easily defined as we like to believe? Beth Is Dead posits that, even in the original fiction, it is impossible to sum them up in a word or two. They are more than just "strong" or "bratty" or "a dear," and they always have been.

Beth Is Dead is not an attempt to "fix" or "improve" Little Women. Rather, it's an invitation to understand these beloved characters as complex and real by presenting a "what if" that modern readers can relate to. It's one of those solid reimaginings that helps you dig deeper into the original in the best possible way.

TEA PAIRING: At the Waterfront
A Little Women-inspired book deserves a Little Women-inspired tea! At the Waterfront is an herbal tea with mint, honeybush, and floral notes, featuring new art of the March sisters on the package. Use my code KARA15 at checkout for 15% off this and more bookish teas from Chapters!

Mixed Drinks on Holiday

 

As I've mentioned elsewhere, I am a sucker for limited-edition and seasonal menus. That goes for mixed drinks as well, because God knows I like a nice drink. So, while on holiday this year, I made it a point to try as many seasonal (or otherwise special) mixed drinks as I could and see how they turned out. Some amazing, some Very Okay. Some quite expensive.

Seen above is an apple and ginger cocktail from the Noël Coward Theatre bar. I can't remember the specific name it was given, but it was the featured drink on the table tents. Very strong on the ginger, very light on the fruit, and mixed very strong. I had a second one waiting for me at the interval because it was very nice. But I'm also a fan of very strong things. Not the best of the trip, but certainly nice enough to have two.

Score: 3.5/5. Good for an evening out, wouldn't seek out ingredients to replicate it.

My first drink of the trip was the Winter Warmer in British Airways' business class from JFK to Heathrow. It was described as a mix of Scotch, cranberry, blood orange, and mandarin, and it had a little Christmas tree symbol next to it to indicate it was special for the season. I loved this, and it's partly because the Scotch was so prevalent in the mix. People who aren't big on whiskey flavor would hate this, which is fair, but it was very lovely.

Score: 5/5. Fantastic, does what it says on the tin.

The holiday drink at Chez Antoinette in Covent Garden was a French martini — basically a very frothy martini with strawberry flavor and a raspberry garnish. It was a little on the sweet side for me, but still nice. Enjoyers of very sweet and fruity drinks where you don't taste the alcohol as much would like this.

Score: 3/5. Perfect for someone, not for me.

The extremely lavish London Palladium panto had a themed drink, of course: simply called the Aurora Fizz, it was a £12 Chambord and Prosecco. Very sweet and fizzy. It was an okay midday drink, and Chambord tends to circumvent my aversion to overly sweet drinks. But it was very expensive for something so simple.

Score: 2.5/5. Would have been a 3.5 but didn't live up to the price tag.

I already highlighted the special drink at the Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon. Short version, enjoyed it. 4/5

Sadly, I forgot to snap a pic of the Ginger Jamboree, the themed drink for the Jingle Jamboree charity fundraiser held at the Loading Bar. But when you're less than ten feet from the Outside Xbox faves playing LEGO Party and sharing a table with a lot of like-minded new friends, snapping pics for the blog kind of falls by the wayside. This drink was more pastry-sweet than fruit-sweet, and reminded me (appropriately enough) of gingerbread.

Score: 5/5. I've never been disappointed by a Loading Bar drink, and tonight was no different. (Bonus points for the Assassin's Mead also being fantastic, but it's a menu mainstay.)

In hindsight, this blog post makes me sound like I drink a lot. And I truly don't. But that's what a holiday is for. And I'm definitely making a point of scouting out other special drinks in future.

AFTERNOON TEA REVIEW: Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon (London)

 

Location: Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon, Fortnum & Mason, London UK

Price: £84 per person (plus add-ons); prices vary for other menus

Reservations: In advance via website

Normally I like to go to afternoon tea with at least one friend. It’s just more fun that way. But if a good tea awaits and I’m flying solo, then so be it.

The Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon is one of the poshest affairs you’re going to encounter. Situated on the fourth floor of Fortnum & Mason, it requires booking in advance and fills up very quickly. That said, if you have the time and the money, it is extremely worth it — especially at the holidays.

It was the special holiday menu that got me to go the extra mile (both literally and financially) for this particular engagement. I'm a sucker for themed and seasonal menus, just as much as I'm a sucker for a fancy afternoon tea. For diners less interested in sweets, there's a savoury afternoon tea with different scones and pastries; but I wasn't about to miss out on the desserts on offer.

Before I go into the menu, it's worth mentioning that going alone was not at all an awkward experience. Most diners were in pairs or groups, understandably; however, I was not the only solo diner there, and the waitstaff took extra time to check in on me. So if you want to check out this tearoom but have no one to go with, don't worry. You can enjoy it solo. (Or do like I did and keep sending snaps to your bestie.)

The Sandwiches

The spread came with five varieties of sandwiches, most being variations on familiar standards. Like everything else on the menu, more was available at no extra cost; but honestly a single serving was extremely filling.

• Coronation Chicken: Not something we tend to have in the US; this is a sort of curried chicken salad originally created in honor of Elizabeth II's coronation. I've never actually had coronation chicken before, but this was extremely nice. My second favorite of the sandwiches.
• Cotswold Legbar Egg Mayonnaise: You know egg salad means business when they tell you what kind of chicken the eggs come from. Honestly, though, egg salad just hits different in the UK. Just a reminder that we could have great things if we didn't chemical wash our eggs.
• Kames Bay Smoked Trout with Dill Cream Cheese: Best of the bunch, at least in my opinion. It tasted like a slightly subtler smoked salmon, which I'm always a fan of.
• Cucumber with Lemon and Mint: An old standby, but if you don't like cucumbers, this probably won't change your mind. I do, and I always save the cucumber sandwich for last.
• Christmas Spiced Suffolk Ham: I'm not big on ham (which I know is a sin for a Virginia girl), mainly because it can be so gristly and salty. But this was thin-sliced and very nice. The spice was unusual, but in a good way; very warm and wintry.

The Scones

Rather than one scone, each diner gets two little scones: one plain and one fruit. The menu says they come with strawberry & champagne preserve or orange curd, but I got little jars of both. I'd bought some of the former for myself last year so I knew I'd like it, but the latter was absolutely amazing. I'm kicking myself for not picking up a jar on my way out. There was also clotted cream which was, of course, excellent.

The Pâtisseries

As much as I love a good tea sandwich, spotting these on F&M's Instagram is what lured me over. Each one looked so beautiful, and they tasted amazing, too.

• Rose Éclair: I saved this one for last. Maybe it's my love of anything rose-flavored, but this was the best of the bunch. Very small, not overly sweet, and absolutely very floral.
• Mandarin Mousse: An orange mousse in the shape of a little Christmas bauble, this was one of the two most visually pleasing desserts (while also still being delicious). I loved the glossy outside.
• Chocolate and Cranberry Bavarois: Tied with the mandarin mousse for aesthetics, this was a little Bavarian cream treat in the shape of a shiny apple. Extremely nice.
• Sticky Figgy Loaf: The largest and densest (and sweetest) item on the menu. If I hadn't been at the far end of an afternoon tea, I might have liked it a bit more. But it sat a bit heavy. Delicious nonetheless.
• Mince Tart: Naturally. It was very standard, but very nice. Nothing over the top or inventive, but it didn't need to be.

The Teas

Of course the tea menu here is absolutely massive, considering the catalogue of blends the shop has to its name. And, like the rest of the menu, you can get refills. More importantly, you can switch up your tea if you want!

I started with the Queen Anne blend, which I'd never had before, and I was not disappointed. It's a very smooth Assam/Ceylon blend that's strong without being overpowering, meaning it served as a nice complement and palate cleanser to pretty much everything on the menu.

As I was wrapping up the last of the desserts, I went with the Smoky Earl Grey — which I'd never had but assumed I would like since I love both smoky teas and bergamot. It was as good as I'd hoped, but I was glad I waited 'til after the bulk of the meal to have it. This was a nice one for enjoying after the fact on its own.

And the Cocktail

Later in the week, I'll be making a post about the different themed and seasonal drinks I had while I was on holiday, because I made it a point to give them a go (even if they were pricey). I told you, I'm a sucker for special menus. But this one goes here, since it was part of the tea menu.

The Turtle Dove Cocktail is the drink featured in the photo above, made with rum and citrus. It tasted a bit champagney (to the point that I imagine champagne was actually part of the mix), but that's a good thing as far as I'm concerned. It was a nice lead-in to the meal, and I loved how the side of the glass was prettied up.

Again, this is a pricey afternoon, and that's a big part of why I ended up soloing this. But you get what you pay for in terms of food, tea, ambience, and experience in general. It's a lovely space with a friendly staff; and if the holiday menu is any indication, the menus year-'round are likely gorgeous. If you can swing it, treat yourself.