Journey Beyond 2012: A Novel ~ Review

It's Friday, so I'm recovering from Thursday night TV. The Vampire Diaries season finale - spoiler alert! - had Elena becoming a vampire. It happened in the book series, but the TV series doesn't follow the books very closely at all. So that was surprising, but it wasn't the most shocking thing. The big shocks were a) Alaric Salzman is dead, and b) Klaus is not truly dead, but somehow transported into Tyler's body.

I hope Tyler's not dead. I love TV-Tyler and TV-Caroline together. I'm already unhappy about losing Alaric. He never even got the chance to have a romance with Meredith!

Sticks with you through your werewolf transformation, even though your bite can kill her. Caroline is a ridadie chick. 

Speaking of Thursday-night fictional couples, Person of Interest revealed something most intriguing about the mysterious Mr. Harold Finch: Finch has a fiancee who believes him to be dead. This woman was played by Carrie Preston, the lovely lady who plays Sookie Stackhouse's fellow Merlot's waitress Arlene on True Blood. Only a few days ago, I learned Preston is married to Michael Emerson, the actor who plays Finch. (Apparently, his last gig was as a villain on Lost, I show I never watched, but which also featured current TVD actor Ian Somerhalder.) When Person of Interest and True Blood collide, I'm a happy lil' cupcake - even though the storyline was a rather sad one.

What would I do without TheDorkMistress' Tumblr?

At least the love of Finch's life is alive and happy. Reese's Jessica is still dead. (Sad face.)

Springing the POI from Carter's precinct required Reese to don a police officer's uniform, in which, it should be noted, Jim Caviezel looks so ridiculously man-pretty. He's always ridiculously man-pretty (in fact, I think Caviezel means man-pretty in Rhaetian), but in a uniform? I feel faint.

Reese, take off the cop uniform. Slowly. 

But enough about TV. Let's talk about a different Italian-American, one whose talent lies not in acting (that I know of), but in writing (and cooking).

In Italian Cuisine a la Piero Rivolta, I promised you a review of Rivolta's novel Journey Beyond 2012. I have now finished reading said novel. These are my thoughts - but first, the trailer.



I loved this book. When I first read the title, I thought it was going to be a harrowing action-adventure story of the catastrophe that awaits the world when the Mayan calendar ends on December 21, 2012. This is not that kind of book, though. It's thought-provoking and inspirational.

I don't want to give too much away, but in Rivolta's vision, the world doesn't literally end when the Mayan calendar ends. Instead, the human race is presented with an opportunity to evolve. This is sort of an allegory, with Ryan representing one way of looking at the work and Valeria representing the opposite.

The one thing that annoyed me about this book was Rivolta's habit of referring to the human race as "mankind." That sort of casually sexist language may have flown in 1965, but it's out of place in today's literature.

Interestingly enough, the Mayan calendar is in the news again today. It appears that archaeologists in Guatemala have discovered a version of the Mayan calendar that goes well beyond 2012. You can read the USA Today story here.

Whether or not you believe the world is going to go through some kind of turmoil on December 21st, read this book. It might just teach you a little something about yourself.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher at no cost. I received no other compensation for this review, which represents my own true opinion.

Italian cuisine a la Piero Rivolta

When Piero Rivolta, entrepreneur and novelist—his latest novel is Journey Beyond 2012 (New Chapter Publisher, due out May 1^st) — relocated to the United States from Milan, Italy, he sailed his boat, filled with cases of good Italian wine, across the Atlantic Ocean. By the time he arrived in Miami, he had only two cases left.

Along the way, he also learned to cook for himself out of necessity. In Italy his family had a cook, and his wife Rachele would make special dishes with his help.

When Rachele went back to Italy from time to time, Piero started to cook for himself again. “I decided, if I wanted to eat what I like – simple and tasty, and with fresh ingredients – I’d have to do it myself,” he says.

He didn’t read cookbooks, just experimented with what was in the cupboards. When he invited friends over to share his meals, they were impressed and encouraged him to continue his “experiments.” So did his wife when she returned from Italy and tasted his dishes. Since then he has been cooking in the evenings to relax and enjoy himself.

Here are two of his favorite recipes:

Risotto with Radicchio

In a large pot

·         chop an onion

·         sauté in light olive oil

·         add salt

·         add chopped radicchio leaves

·         put in the rice – use Arborio (or a similar risotto rice)and stir for 30 seconds

·         add white wine to cover the rice (about half an inch)

·         keep stirring until the wine gets absorbed, but keep the rice moist

·         add broth (if you don’t have it ready, use beef or chicken bouillon with water) and keep stirring

·         after 20 minutes or so, test the rice – it should be “al dente,” not cooked to the point of becoming mushy)

·         switch off heat, put a lid on the pan, and let sit for 2 minutes

·         add a big dab of butter and a good portion of grated parmesan cheese (if you want it softer, add a tablespoon of yogurt or sour cream) and stir together

Serve with parmigiano reggiano sprinkled on top.

Although risotto goes very well with dry white wine, this radicchio recipe can be served a red wine, especially in cold weather. Try a Nebiolo or if you want a stronger taste, a Barolo.

Megan Mallan, Creative Commons license

Shrimp à la Piero

 It’s best to use unshelled shrimp – ideally prawns – but they’re easier to eat if they are first shelled; in which case, put the shells in a small pan, add a bit of water and cook them while you do the rest. Keep the broth to add to the sauce.

·         take a big skillet

·         put in a lot of chopped garlic

·         use extra virgin olive oil

·         heat with strong flame until the garlic becomes lightly brown

·         add chopped chili peppers and chopped Roma tomatoes

·         cook for about 5 minutes and mash the tomatoes in the pan

·         add shrimp

·         add some broth from the cooked shells

·         cook for another 5 minutes

·         add a glass of bourbon (Jack Daniels) – you can flambé it if you want

·         add some cherry tomatoes cut in half

·         cook for another minute or so to blend the flavors

serve with a good Italian white wine.

Glen McLarty, Creative Commons license

Look for Erin O'Riordan's review of Journey Beyond 2012, coming soon!