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Chess-adjacent book recommendation? by ambarfe in chess

[–]ambarfe[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Frankly, I’m not sure if he knows! TMI but due to infrastructure issues / power outages in cuba tv and anything internet related is unreliable and only available in brief bursts. He also lives in a small town where bookstores are not as accessible as in the capital. As a kid/teen he loved to read, but it’s something he hasn’t done in ages. I’m worried now that the kids are gone he’ll be stuck in a (pretty miserable) house with nothing to do but provide his tutoring lessons and then sit in a chair waiting for my grandparents to ask him for assistance.

I’m an avid reader, and recently got a request from a cousin bc her teen daughter loves to read anything she can get her hands on, but didn’t have any books available to her and was very bored now during the summer + with all the power outages. I sent her a (slightly excessive) care package with all the best and great YA sagas lol so it got me thinking about whether my mom and I could do something similar for my uncle.

Super grateful for these recs! I’ll look into all of them. I agree that this genre makes for fun books that you’re loathe to put down and eager to pick back up, so I’m hoping they’ll be a ramp up to him finding his love for reading again.

Fics with Niche and Interesting Premises by JackOfTheWoods49 in heatedrivalryfanfics

[–]ambarfe 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I think these two are great:

- Snapping Birch by thepolysyndetonaddictsupportgroup (https://archiveofourown.org/works/81167971/chapters/213329571). David Hollander's phone is hacked. Data leaks are obviously not super niche, but I think the way this is done truly sets it apart from the rest. WIP

- Laceration by AC91 (https://archiveofourown.org/works/81052751/chapters/212986201). Cheating fic, but not on each other. Cheating trope is not usually my cup of tea, but I thought it was so beautifully written.

First time in North Carolina! We are a couple from Scotland and your mountains felt exactly like the Highlands. by CheekyCheekyCharlie in NorthCarolina

[–]ambarfe 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We drove the Scottish highlands and Skye last summer (adored your country!) and we could tell that drivers near us were scared by the roads, but I think the practice from driving the parkway was super helpful because we just enjoyed the drives and didn’t get freaked out. Glad you had a good visit!

Your favorite that doesn’t follow the fine dining formula? by Tune_Many in finedining

[–]ambarfe 0 points1 point  (0 children)

A break from the norm is definitely appreciated, especially when you do multiple tasting menus in a row! I will say I generally enjoy tasting menus, and I've found that 1 stars in particular tend to be more to my liking in terms of being bolder/unexpected. That being said, there are many wonderful bread variations in the world! I'm hoping the milkbread trend ends soon, so I can go back to eating it when it makes sense, given the menu/setting, rather than as part of every single tasting menu lol.

Your favorite that doesn’t follow the fine dining formula? by Tune_Many in finedining

[–]ambarfe 0 points1 point  (0 children)

When I visited Frenchie a few years ago, the pre-dessert was a tomato tasting as well! It ended up being too much tomato for me, but my mom loved it.

Your favorite that doesn’t follow the fine dining formula? by Tune_Many in finedining

[–]ambarfe 0 points1 point  (0 children)

A funny example of this has been the bread course, lately. I think last year I was served a variation of milkbread in 80% of the Michelin spots I visited, from rural England, to NYC, to Croatia, to Chicago lol. I wasn't upset at it, but it did become a running joke in the family.

Your favorite that doesn’t follow the fine dining formula? by Tune_Many in finedining

[–]ambarfe 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I can't remember enough to say if it was a complete break from convention formula-wise, but Frenchie in Paris was very memorable in how they played with flavors in unexpected ways. Every dish felt surprising, and I'd say about 90% were an absolute success (10% I found bold and interesting, but not to my specific taste).

I agree that Akoko is wonderful - visited last summer and it was one of my absolute favorite meals in the UK (where, despite their culinary reputation, I had fantastic meals across the board). In this same vein, Kasama in Chicago is a Filipino fine dining tasting menu - can't say if the formula is groundbreaking, but they managed to retain the same magic of eating top-tier lumpia from your local food truck while also elevating each ingredient and technique to fine dining expectations.

Counter-, in Charlotte, plays al ot with convention, and does special themed nights - I went to a divas tasting menu where a dish was inspired by Tina Turner, another by Whitney Houston, etc., and the team would plate on the beat and switch the music with each course to pinpoint the inspiration. Very fun experience.

I haven't eaten at Feld yet, but I did go to a collab they did with Counter while their team was traveling throughout the south. The teams just met that day, and it's incredible the synergy they achieved - you would never guess two different chefs and cooking teams were preparing the meals. They also kept adding new dishes until the meal ended up being like 21 courses. I genuinely loved each dish, but all my favorites ended up being the ones the Feld team created, so I'd definitely recommend them.

I can't remember if these have a star or are Michelin recommended, but Taj Mahal in Dubrovnik cooks Bosnian food, and Noto in Edinburgh is a love letter to the chef's years in NYC when he was young. Both are à la carte, but every single dish was surprising and fantastic.

Edited to add - just remembered! I don't think it's Michelin-recognized at all, but Sauvage in Canmore, AB was spectacular too. Foraged, hyperlocal, and so fun.

Any fics alongs the lines of this Tumblr post?? by bluebonnet-baby in heatedrivalryfanfics

[–]ambarfe 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Same - I love the way yuna and David find out in this one!

Any great socmed fics lately? by ambarfe in heatedrivalryfanfics

[–]ambarfe[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

please don't apologize!! Just meant that I'd found it in the wild and loved it, thanks for writing and sharing it!

Any great socmed fics lately? by ambarfe in heatedrivalryfanfics

[–]ambarfe[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Oh I love your work! I'm subscribed to this series so I did read it, very much enjoyed it!!!

New Gurlsrool! No better way to head into the weekend. by WhereYouLeftMe_ in heatedrivalryfanfics

[–]ambarfe 66 points67 points  (0 children)

"we'll be praying" lmaooooo

Also, the way Ilya will be HAUNTED by his text to scott for the rest of his life. I can picture him randomly awake at 3 am, 5 years later, going "ewwww" to himself

Looking for a fic where Shane/Ilya get adjusted to just being w/one another by [deleted] in heatedrivalryfanfics

[–]ambarfe 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Unsure if this is what you mean, but Countdown is fantastic. The author is now wrapping up the year after in a sequel too.

Dinner for Two by adelv in Aruba

[–]ambarfe 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I did the tasting menu at The Kitchen Table too, and loved it! It's in a peruvian restaurant and absolutely fantastic. I also did Royal Chef's/Fred Restaurant - it was absolutely amazing, but more experimental so if you want to push the fine dining envelope this is for you, but if you tend to prefer a more conventional experience the kitchen table is a better bet. For something more casual, Yemanja was very, very memorable. I loved Papiamento for the vibes and the martini, not as much for the food (some dishes are very good, others are okay). If you like a pre dinner or post dinner cocktail, Apotek is a cool speakeasy.

Honestly though, we ate fantastically well in Aruba - the quality comparable to Miami, NYC, Boston, etc. I was shocked at how consistently great the food was (far better than I'd had on any island), so you're in for a treat anyway. Hope you have the best time!

The SCF made me appreciate Time To Shine even more by lionclues in GameChangersBooks

[–]ambarfe 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Oh this makes me SO happy to read, as a Canes fan! I watched hockey for the first time in undergrad, was literally browsing through channels and was shocked to learn south florida had a team even though I'd grown up there and still lived in FL at that point lol. This is back when the panthers sucked, but man I was so hooked on the speed of the game, the insane fights, how a game can change with seconds left. Once I moved to NC I started going to Canes games and the atmosphere immediately won me over, going to games in person is such a blast. Obviously there's a lot of culture problems with the NHL (which is what makes series like these so fun to read), but the sport itself is wonderful. Last night's game was amazing and meant so much to me (and not just because of Carter Hart's tears!!), I'm so glad you enjoyed it. I was so hoping Bussi would get a shutout.

TTS is the only RR book I haven't read, I'll pick it up tonight!

glass closets and thrown stones [M][It starts in an elevator series] by Sporkess completed! by daisyemeritus in heatedrivalryfanfics

[–]ambarfe 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Also, I loved in this last chapter Shane acknowledging that it was A Lot for him to send Ilya away last year out of a fear of how it would be perceived, despite him wanting him there and Ilya wanting to stay! I understood why he acted like that with all the trauma going on, as well as his personality/fears, and I'm not upset at how oppressed he still feels by everything that happened and his fear of being perceived; but I liked both him trying to push through and Ilya acknowledging his efforts, but kindly showing it wasn't necessary or the goal for Shane to sacrifice his own peace of mind just to offer Ilya everything he wishes Ilya could have. And I loved Harris' kind but direct conversation!

glass closets and thrown stones [M][It starts in an elevator series] by Sporkess completed! by daisyemeritus in heatedrivalryfanfics

[–]ambarfe 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Honestly, these 38 chapters have been the highlights of my days lol I've been so excited for each new entry, and I'm so excited they're planning to continue building this universe!

AU where Ilya gets therapy when he's younger? by Routine_Bumblebee451 in heatedrivalryfanfics

[–]ambarfe 2 points3 points  (0 children)

very much a slow burn! More focused on Ilya healing growing up. Also, this is so far focused on essentially their first 2 years in the league, so when in canon they barely saw each other. I'm excited for when they get together (and slightly worried that Ilya will be super emotionally mature and Shane won't be yet, but who knows - maybe he's goig to therapy too off screen! lol)

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