Should you wish to personalize your dwelling, the following paint colors are acceptable: Virgin White, Eggshell, Purity, First Snow, Antique Porcelain, Morning Star, Fresh Cream, Mother’s Milk, and Innocence.No outdoor cooking, ovens, grills, smoke pits, or other open fires.Lawns must be kept to a grass height of not less than one point five (1.5) inches and not more than two (2) inches at all times.Keep sidewalks free of clutter, including but not limited to: chalk drawings, handprints, memetic representations of any kind, sporting equipment, stray rubbish, unsightly leaves, liquids, or snow piles, toys, and any personal belongings not listed above.No overnight guests.All parks, gardens, pools, and other common areas close at sunset. Guards will be posted.Tranquility hours strictly enforced after 10:00 p.m. and all day Sunday. But things don't look so perfect when she begins finding horrible "things" and why is everyone so worried about her happiness? She is happy, isn't she? This last one is the legend Valente retells in COMFORT ME WITH APPLES, which I would categorize as more fable or allegory than pure fantasy. The author has been acclaimed for her five middle-grade Fairyland books: The first, THE GIRL WHO CIRCUMNAVIGATED FAIRYLAND IN A SHIP OF HER OWN MAKING, was a crowdfunded online novel before its traditional publication. Given her rich, lyrical prose, I wasn’t surprised to discover that she is a poet as well as a fiction writer. For me, the food aspect of this book was what made me give it the two stars. Had it not been for the food, I'd have left it at one star. Because when I'm reading a book by a food critic, by someone for whom food is such an important part of life—I want to read about food. I am not even slightly interested in whom she slept with, why she and her husband—whom she was so very devoted to, she can't stop dwelling on it—cheated on each other repeatedly, or how sex with Michael felt. Puh-leez. Sadly, these very intimate reminiscences of Reichl’s are what form the bulk of the book; the food interrupts these only now and then, and then only briefly, before Reichl plunges into more personal stuff all over again. The play builds up to a series of confrontations none of which is especially dramatic. While Rene may play dumb, she is harsh and manipulative and one can only suspect that her late husband will be delighted to have made it to the peace of the grave.

In a fit of rebellion, Sophia tears the house apart and finds evidence of predecessors, ex-wives. She runs off in terror and anger, and finds herself at the Eastern Gate of Arcadia. There she encounters Cascavel, a snaky, sensuous creature who imparts the truth about how she came to exist, the women who came before her (Lilith, for example, the Bible’s quintessential bad girl), and her probable destiny. And she eats a forbidden apple. And he dealt among all the people, even among the whole multitude of Israel, as well to the women as men, to every one a cake of bread, and a good piece of flesh, and a flagon of wine. So all the people departed every one to his house. Thank you to Macmillan-Tor/Forge, Tordotcom and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.I'm not quite sure what message the author was trying to send. I have an idea, but if I'm right, then it failed( a feminist angle). It is listed as Sci-fi/ Fantasy, okay definitely fantasy. It wasn't thrilling or suspenseful and I wouldn't classify it as horror either (nothing scary), although there are some horror elements. I guess there was a mystery, but you will figure it out ahead of time. I did get impatient while listening and started to lose interest because there wasn't enough substance. There is nothing inside, after all. She knows that! She knows the contents of every nook and cranny in this vast house. It’s just an empty drawer. No reason whatsoever to waste her time on such a lump of nothing! Not when there is so much to do today! Such a silly little head she has on her shoulders. Doesn’t he always say so? Comfort Me with Apples, in a Chekhovian way, seems a simple allegory for the loss of the English country ways, as the family orchard seems certain to give way to a property development as the bank forecloses. The food was another story--the story of food grew and she learned to navigate the world of being critic, which I found very fascinating. I look up to her food life so much, and I felt like I was learning and growing alongside her in this book. Sustain me with raisin cakes, refresh me with apples, for I am faint with love. The Double Refrain: Embracing and Adjuration

But why would anyone tie the hair of a horse so lovingly, with a white ribbon just the same as the one Sophia uses to pull her hair away from her graceful collarbones every morning? A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah. O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; … This book was drowning in unnecessary adjectives. “Her great soft bed like an inland sea, her great grand mirror like a quiet friend, her sad little soap molds and half-empty pie plate….” Sorry, but this just doesn’t do it for me. I was extremely bored. By the time I was a quarter through this book I was freaking out (bet that is a Berkley term). I was telling myself, "Don't judge! Stop judging! Take a deep cleansing breath, another!" It only helped so much. I was definitely judging! By the time Ruth and Doug have their honest conversation I was furious. I had to keep telling myself, "This is Ruth's life not yours, Doug is not your husband so you don't have to kill him." I mean I was judging Ruth too, but man (another Berkleyism I'm sure) Doug took the cake (well actually Michael got the cake but never mind that). I liked Michael and was glad when they finally got married. She had better not reveal in the next book what a creep he actually was. That was what happened with Doug, he was such a great guy in the first book, and then the second book, whammo, Doug is a creep. Comfort Me With Apples" by Catherynne M. Valente is a short novella that begs to be devoured in one sitting. Arcadia Gardens is tightly gated, the HOA rules and regulations are extensive including no overnight guests and tranquility hours after 10PM. Sophia is perfectly lovely, perfectly good, perfectly sweet and perfectly happy. "I was made for him"...but..."she wishes so desperately that she'd never done it...". This creepy, uncomfortable novella will make the reader squirm. A highly captivating read that is highly recommended.It isn’t crystal, like the right-hand drawer. All the knobs on all the drawers are different. Copper, amber, white Bakelite, pewter. It makes a very pretty effect, like everything else her husband builds. The towering bed, the dizzying staircase, the splendid mirror, the high hook for her long robe, the heavy walnut table downstairs—as tall as a plowhorse at the shoulder, where she will later perch briefly, swinging her legs in the air, and eat honey and butter on toast points before heading out into the buttery, honeyed light of the afternoon. Well, I am glad that this audiobook was super short, because the answer to that question is no. No, I am not.