Welcome to this week's edition of Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week's theme is Books on my Spring TBR List.
The Last of the Apple Blossoms by Mary-Lou Stephens - This is going to be my book club book for this time. We are doing a read on the theme bookclub as opposed to having a specific book to read. The theme this time is Spring.
The Fossil Hunter by Tea Cooper - I loved The Cartographer's Secret when I read it earlier this year so I am looking forward to this one a lot.
Outback Secrets by Rachael Johns - Even when I wasn't reading at all, I would still read Rachael John's books so I am very much looking forward to this book.
Act Like It by Lucy Parker - Having loved Battle Royale when I read it a few weeks ago, I am definitely intending to go back and read the London Celebrities series.
The Sundial by Shirley Jackson - This is going to be the group read for RIP XVI and will also will be my first book by this author.
The Vanished Days by Susanna Kearlsey - Susanna Kearsley is one of my all time favourite authors so when there is a new book coming out which is then connected to my favourites of all her books of course I am going to read this one!
Cinnamon and Gunpowder by Eli Brown - This is going to be the next Cook the Books selection. I have had this on my TBR list for many years so I am looking forward to finally reading it.
A Granite Springs Christmas by Maggie Christensen - Its not too early for Christmas books yet is it? I have read the first five books in this series and this is the next one!
Flora's Travelling Christmas Shop by Rebecca Raisin - Two Christmas books in a row!! I love the way that Rebecca Raisin writes about books, food and places so I am looking forward to this one.
Go Tell the Bees I am Gone by Diana Gabaldon - How long have we been waiting for this book? My expectations aren't huge, unlike the size of the book, I have been invested in this series for so long there is no way I wouldn't read it.
Do you have any of these books on your list?
I mentioned last week that I was reading The Black Swan of Paris which I finished during the week. I did like it. Whilst I read a lot of historical fiction set in WWII and Paris, this did have more of a thriller feel so more fast-paced. I liked it, and if Karen Robards writes another historical set thriller I will give it a go!
Now my dilemna is what to read next - there are so many options. I could read my bookclub book, which I think is The Last of Apple Blossoms by Mary-Lou Stephens. I could start the RIP XVI readalong book which is The Sundial by Shirley Jackson. I could read a Netgalley book (several options but lets go with with The Vanished Days by Susanna Kearsley as one of many options) or I could just read something fun.
What would you choose?
I'm watching...
The main thing that I wanted to do during our week off was to get all caught up on watching the available episodes from season 2 of Ted Lasso which we did. It is such a fun show! If you haven't watched it yet, I highly recommend it. In effect we have watched the whole thing as we did rewatch season 1 last weekend from beginning to end.
We also finished watching Jack Whitehall's Travels with my Father. It's a little bit sad that there aren't going to be any more travels as we have really enjoyed settling in and watching this series on Friday nights over the last couple of months. We even had a pub meal and a beer while watching these last couple of episodes. Not a meal at the pub but rather a meal from the pub at home.
I forgot to mention last week that we have started watching Great Kenyan Bake Off. I found it when I was flicking through the channels last week, and if you need a Bake Off fix you need a Bake Off fix right?
We also started watching See starring Jason Momoa last night. We are two episodes in so far. Not sure if we will watch thefull two seasons or not because it is a bit unusual and dark but we will see.
Life
We had this week off work so we have had nothing but time. What do you do when you have nothing but time when there is also a hard lockdown? Well, you start culling your books and packing up books ready for you move house. No, we don't have a build start date yet, which means we don't have a move date but we can start packing anyway? You also bake some delicious things, sleep a lot, watch some quiz shows.
We did leave the house a couple of times. We went for a couple of walks, including to the local weir which is somewhere I had never been despite having lived her for many years!
It does feel like I should have done more during this week but the whole point was to have down time. I do feel like I am not mentally drained like I have been. Anyone want to place a bet how long it will take before I am super stressed and not sleeping through the night again? Luckily this week is only a four day week as it is a public holiday on Friday and I am taking a couple of days next week so hopefully that will help manage my stress and sleep issues for a bit longer.
Top Ten Tuesday: By the Numbers
Eliane and her brother Luc both love art. He spends time fraternising with other artists whereas Eliane attends art school in the morning, works in the Louvre in the afternoon and then works in the family restaurant at night. As rumours of an imminent invasion of Paris by the approaching German army intensify, they both assist with the removal of many of the treasures of the Louvre. Many pieces were evacuated to secret locations to keep them from falling into the hands of the Germans.
Once the Germans do arrive in Paris, they may not be able to confiscate art owned by the State, but the art that is owned by influential and wealthy German families is fair game, with the most famous pieces being sent to Hitler, as long as they met his standards of decency, and other powerful leaders.
Thanks to Eliane's art knowledge, she is perfect to assist with the cataloguing the art. What the German officers in charge don't realise is that she understands German, and together with others performing similar work she is able to record the information about where these masterpieces have ended up. This was vital work which helps reunite owners and their art after the war. It is dangerous work. She has to maintain her detached manner so as to not draw attention to the dangerous work that she is involved in. One person who can betray her is her former love Xavier Laurent who is closely working with the Germans, much to Eliane's disgust.
When she finds a mysterious catalogue of art she is shocked to find that the painting that has always hung on her wall at home in Australia is included. Remy and Adam therefore need to find out who the artist is and what the connection is to the Riviera house and to Remy herself.
Whilst I enjoyed both parts of the book, it won't be that much of a shock to know that it is the WWII section of the book which I enjoyed more. Part of the reason for that is that I am not really that interested in fashion, unlike the author who has a background in fashion, and so if you describe a Pucci or a whoever dress or a 1940s bikini I am not that great at picturing it in my mind.
There are so many great passages in this book about art and fashion, love and betrayal, sacrifice and more. I thought I would share one. I have left a little bit out so that there are no spoilers
"Do you remember, " Eliane said quietly, "when we stood at the bottom of the staircase at the Louvre and watched the Winged Victory of Samothrace carried downstairs?"And then
She pressed on, seizing the small advantage. "Do you remember that everyone held their breath in case she fell? Why did we do that? What does it matter if we lose a hunk of stone, or chip a piece of marble? What would Paris be without her Winged Victory, xxx? Think what Paris is now with only the grey of the Nazi uniforms, the brown of their boots, the never-ending shout of their Heil Hitlers. When Victory descended the staircase, we were scared but we were hopeful too - hopefuly that she would make it unscathed. If she'd broken, every one of us there would have cried."
"Didn't Schiller say that Art is the daughter of freedom? When we stood together watching the Winged Victory we were all connnected by something beyond ourselves. Art is all we have when words fail us, when mankind fails us and when we each fail each other. If we don't save these works, we can't save ourselves."
At the beginning of this review I suggested that Natasha Lester should be an autobuy author for me, so I thought I would finish by asking the question that no one else is really asking....yes, I will be reading more from Natasha Lester. Maybe I can learn a bit about fashion from reading her books. Who knows.
Rating 4/5
The New York Times bestselling author of The Paris Secret weaves a lush and engrossing novel of World War II inspired by a true story and perfect for fans of Kate Quinn and Pam Jenoff.
Paris, 1939: The Nazis think Éliane can't understand German. They’re wrong. They think she’s merely cataloging art in a Louvre museum and unaware they’re stealing national treasures for their private collections. They have no idea she’s carefully decoding their notes and smuggling information to the Resistance. But Éliane is playing a dangerous game. Does she dare trust the man she once loved with her secrets, or will he only betray her once again? She has no way to know for certain . . . until a trip to a stunning home on the French Riviera brings a whole new level of peril.
Present Day: Wanting to forget the tragedy that has left her life in shambles, Remy Lang heads to a home she’s mysteriously inherited on the Riviera. While working on her vintage fashion business, she discovers a catalog of the artworks stolen during World War II and is shocked to see a painting that hung on her childhood bedroom wall. Who is her family, really? And does the Riviera house hold more secrets than Remy is ready to face?
Natasha Lester brilliantly explores the impossible choices ordinary people faced every day during extraordinary circumstances, weaving fact with fiction and celebrating women who push the boundaries of their time.
Midnight Diner is a Japanese series predominantly set in a small diner down a small laneway in Tokyo. It opens at midnight each night and seats no more than 10 people around the counter. Each episode features the stories of the regular patrons who come to eat. In theory, there is only one item on the menu (Pork Miso Soup Combo) but Master, the owner and cook, will make you anything else you want as long as he has the ingredients.
As much as it is about the people and culture, it is also about Japanese comfort food, how food reminds us of people and places from our past, as well as how it helps us to make new connections and memories. Interestingly, it is based on an anime series called Shin'ya Shokudō. There are actually 5 series of Midnight Diner but be careful because there are three series called Midnight Diner and then another two that are called Midnight Diner: Tokyo Stories. They are linked and feature many of the same characters. I did originally confuse myself by watching the first three episodes of Tokyo Stories and the remaining episodes from the first series of Midnight Diner. I couldn't quite figure out why what I was watching didn't match the descriptions I could find but I figured it out eventually.
At the end of most episodes there are handy little tips about the dishes that were featured during the episode. Plenty of food porn as well!
In the first series of Midnight Diner, the episodes were:
Neko Mamma - An enza singer visits the diner early in the morning to have Cat Rice - rice with bonito flakes and soy sauce. The Master invites her to perform with the hope that he can help connect her to a lyricist.
Ochazuke - Three women regularly visit the diner and always have Ochazuke and therefore are called the Ochazuke Girls. One always has salmon ochazuke (rice with green tea topped with other ingredients), another with cod roe and the third pickled plum ochazuke. In the description they are described as middle aged but honestly they look about 30. 35 tops. They are always looking for true love, talking about men, but their friendship suffers when one of them goes to see a marriage broker. They continue to appear throughout the series.
Potato Salad - A famous porn star meets a young man at the diner. The Master's potato salad reminds him of home, a place he hasn't visited for many years..
Katsudon - A boxer celebrates every win with a pork katsudon (pork cutlet and eggs served with rice and broth) at the diner. He meets a young widow and her daughter in the diner.
Weekly Meals
Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book reviews (novel, nonfiction), cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs, restaurant reviews, travel information, or fun food facts. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. You do not have to post on the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog's home page
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