Sunday Salon: 2026 Reading Challenges

The end of one reading year and the beginning of a new one means thinking about which challenges you are going to be participating in. So today I am sharing the challenges that I will be participating in for 2026, and some I am contemplating joining. I am very much committed to making the challenges fit my reading as opposed to specifically reading for a challenge. The ones that I am thinking about joining would be more things that I would have to find books to read for it. 

Of course I am going to start with the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge which I host here. All the sign up details are in this post. If you love historical fiction or if you are just exploring the genre, we would love to have you join us as we read through history. 

New Release Reading Challenge hosted at The Chocolate Lady's Book Review Blog - Do you love reading new releases or older books. I love both! When you do review a new release book, all you need to do is add your link to the link post! This year I read just under 100 new releases, so I think I am going to aim for New Release Veteran, which is 61-100 books per year! All the sign up details are here. 

Bookish Books Reading Challenge hosted at Bloggin' Bout Books- I love reading books about books, so this is another challenge I enjoy. This year I read 17 books which counted towards this challenge, so I am going to aim for the Picking and Perusing level which is for between 11 and 20 books! All the details are here. 

Japanese Literature Challenge hosted at Dolce Bellezza - The Japanese Literature Challenge runs through out January and February and I am going to try and read a couple of books at least. I am also going to try and do my own January in Japan theme, but I am not sure how well that will go! Here's the link for the review site.

Tying in nicely with that is the Books in Translation challenge hosted at Introverted Reader. I will be aiming for the Bilingual level which is 7 to 9 books. This year I read 9 books, most of which were Japanese but with a couple of French ones thrown in for good measure. You can find all the details for this challenge here. 

In terms of the challenges I am contemplating joining, top of the list is Classics Spin. I did a Top Ten Tuesday post recently of Classics I Haven't Read so that would be 10 of the 20. Just need to add another 10 to the list. 

I am going to try and do the additional Goodreads challenges, depending on the themes that are chosen. In terms of my goal for how many books to read, I am going to choose 104 again. This year I read a lot more than that but it was mostly thanks to the fact that I wasn't working for the first half of the year. 

I am also still thinking about joining two of the challenges that Shelleyrae from Book'd Out is hosting. One is the Non-Fiction Reading Challenge. I read very little non-fiction. This year I only read three, but I am half way through another at the moment, which would fit with one of the categories! You can find all the details here.

The other one is the 2026 Speccy Fiction Challenge. Again, I don't read a lot of pure sci-fi or full on fantasy but I do love some magical realism and do read a bit of that, particularly in food related fiction. I just had a look at the categories and one is called Spectator where you are invited to "Read & review any speculative fiction book. Set your own goal, or none at all, just share what you read through the year". This sounds perfect for me, so no more contemplating. I am joining up for this one! Here are the details

I feel like I should add some kind of bingo type reading challenge but if I do it will probably by the Rachael Johns book club one.

In terms of other events of course I am going to be joining in on Paris in July. I am also going to be reading and cooking for Cook the Books, linking up to Foodies Read whenever I read something relevant and participating in events like Six Degrees of Separation, Sunday Salon and Top Ten Tuesday. I really enjoyed being part of Twenty Books of Summer/Winter this year so I will join up for that one again. I will also try to read something for Aussie Author August, Women in Translation and probably something for November (novella/non-fiction etc) on Instagram

I feel like that will keep me busy enough for the year.

Do you like reading challenges? What ones are you doing in 2026?

 I will be sharing this post with Sunday Salon hosted at Readerbuzz and with A good book & Cup of tea monthly link party hosted at Boondock Ramblings

Weekend Cooking: Best of 2025

A couple of years ago,  I decided it was a good idea to start doing an annual post at the end of the year where I would announce what my cookbook of the year was as well as the recipe of the year. 

The first year that was easy for both categories. There was one clear winner when it came to the book that we had cooked the most out of. Last year it was a little trickier, and this year might well be the hardest yet. There are a couple of reasons for that. We still continue.to mainly cook out of Nagi Maehashi's cookbooks Dinner and Tonight most weeks. There however was no new Nagi cookbook this year so I can't pick her again.

The other factor is that after going a bit crazy for the last couple of years buying many new cookbooks, this year I just stopped! In fact, as far as I can remember I have only bought one new cookbook ths year! It is no coincidence that this corresponds with the fact that the Jamie Oliver Cookbook Club died a death this year.

Update - I got given a cookbook for Christmas so now I have acquired two cookbooks this year. I do have another one on order but that probably won't come until the end of January.

Cookbook of the Year

Now you might think I am cheating a bit by naming the only cookbook I bought as my book of the year. However, even if I had of bought more cookbooks this book would have been right up there as we have really enjoyed cooking out out of this book. It is probably the book we have cooked out of the most this year, aside from Nagi's cookbooks.

I originally posted about this book back in June and since then we have tried another couple of recipes. 

So far the things we have made include

    Curry Roast chicken with marsala roast potato and raita

    Prawn Curry

    Curried Sausage rolls

    Egg Curry

and I have all the ingredients here to make Caramel Slice. I am not sure if we will start with the traditional version or if I might make the spiced version. Or maybe both!

I have made the roast potatoes several times and the curried sausage rolls are a big hit whenever I make them.

When it comes to choosing the recipe of the year do you go with recipes that had the biggest impact when you made them, or do you choose a recipe that you made over and over again. Last year it was the former, and this year it is the latter. In fact, we had it for dinner tonight!

I originally shared this recipe back in February and we have made it countless times since then! The recipe comes from Australian Masterchef winner Adam Liaw. I did have a couple of photos of it but lost them all when my phone had to be revived from the dead!

Recipe of the Year

Baked Tuscan Chicken

6 chicken thigh cutlets
Salt and black pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
2 brown onions, thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

200 g sundried tomato strips

300 ml thickened cream

2 tsp Italian seasoning (or 1 tsp each dried oregano and thyme)

60 g baby spinach leaves

½ cup finely grated parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 200˚C (180˚C fan-forced). Season the chicken cutlets generously on both sides with salt and black pepper. Heat the oil in an oven-proof heavy-based frying pan over medium heat, then add the chicken, skin-side down in the pan. Cook for 4-5 minutes, or until the chicken is browned. Remove the chicken to a plate.

Add the onion and garlic to the pan and fry for 5 minutes, until lightly browned. Stir through the sundried tomatoes and cream, then return the chicken to the pan, skin-side up. Sprinkle with the Italian seasoning, then bake for 25 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce is thickened.

Divide chicken cutlets between serving plates, then add the baby spinach and parmesan to the pan sauce, stirring to wilt the spinach. Spoon the spinach, sundried tomatoes and creamy sauce over the Tuscan chicken and serve.

So there we have my cookbook and recipe of the year for 2025. Do you have a favourite?

Weekly meals

Saturday - Chicken schnitzel, mash and mushroom sauce
Sunday - Butter chicken pizza
Monday -
Tuesday - Pork Chop, baked potatoes, broccoli, mushroom saue
Wednesday - Prawns
Thursday - Nothing
Friday - Coconut Curry Prawns

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

Festive Treats - 2025

  

I feel like I got a really early start on the Christmas books this year, but that I have done a lot less Christmassy things so far, at least compared to last year. Maybe it's because I wasn't working this time last year so I have more time. Or maybe I am just not in a Christmassy mood yet!

August to November

1. Will You Stay Another Day? by Samantha Tonge (my review)

2. Winter Nights at the Bay Bookshop by Jessica Redland (my review)

3. So This is Christmas by Helen Rolfe (my review)

4. Lost Stop on the Winter Wonderland Express by Rebecca Raisin

5. Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan

6. Christmas on Fifth Avenue by Julie Caplin (my review)

7. A Christmas Gift by Sue Moorcroft

8. A Family for Christmas in Pelican Crossing by Maggie Christensen (my review)

9. The Midwife's Christmas Miracle by Fiona McArthur

10. Good Spirits by B K Borison

11. A Christmas Gift by Sue Moorcroft (my review)

12. Life Begins at the Cornish Cottage by Kim Nash (my review)

13. Champagne Problems (movie)

14. Dish with Millie Bobbie Brown (podcast/Youtube series)

15. Christmas at Hollybush Farm by Jo Thomas

December

16. New Christmas decorations

17. Finishing Christmas list on Songpop

18. Merry Ex-Mas

19. Visiting the Myer windows

20. Book club Christmas lunch 

21. Tree's up

22. Tinsel Town (movie)

23. Golden Girls on the Run by Judy Leigh

24. Best Wishes from the Full Moon Coffee Shop Mai Mochizuki

25. How to Make Gravy (movie)

26. Salvation Army Carol's in the Domain

27. Christmas with Delta

28. A big feed of prawns on Christmas Eve!

29. The big day!

Merry Christmas everyone!

Top Ten Tuesday: Christmas reads this year

Welcome to this week's edition of Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week the theme is Books I hope Santa Brings/Bookish Wishes. I don't ask for books so I am sharing the last ten Christmassy books I have read!

Best Wishes from the Full Moon Coffee Shop by Mai Mochizuki - I didn't realise this was a Christmas book when I decided to read it, but it really is. It is set in the week leading up to Christmas and features talking cats, astrology and amazing sounding food!

Golden Girls on the Run by Judy Leigh - Our Golden Girls end up helping to organise a nativity play in  this book (my review)

The Secret Christmas Library by Jenny Colgan - How does getting stuck for Christmas in a crumbling Scottish castle which is full of books sound to you?

Christmas at Hollybush Farm by Jo Thomas - When a community comes together at Christmas, anything can happen. (my review)

Life Begins at the Cornish Cottage by Kim Nash - This is another book with community events at the centre, especially a Christmas pantomime (my review)

Good Spirits by B K Borison - This is a spin on the idea of the ghost of Christmas past visiting our main character but this is a ghost with a difference. 

The Midwife's Christmas Miracle by Fiona McArthur - My favourite part of this book was the metal ornaments that our main male character was making for our female lead.

A Christmas Gift by Sue Moorcroft - This book features a Christmas play! (my review)

A Family for Christmas in Pelican Crossing by Maggie Christensen - I love it when we get to read about Christmas as it is in Australia. Warm days and nights, maybe some time by the pool or the beach. (my review)

Christmas on Fifth Avenue by Julie Caplin - I would love to visit New York at Christmas, but if I can't, reading this book has definitely taken me there! (my review)

I have more Christmas books that I have read this year, but these are the last ten. What I didn't do this year is listen to Hogfather by Terry Pratched or The Secret History of Christmas by Bill Bryson. These have been part of my Christmas traditions over the last few years but I just couldn't fit these audiobooks in this year!

I am sharing this post with Comfy Cozy Christmas hosted hosted by Lisa from Boondock Ramblings and Erin from Still Life, With Cracker Crumbs.  

This week...

I'm reading

My difficulty in deciding which book to read next continued, which was a bit more heightened given I didn't have much reading time this week. 

In the end I started reading Hot Desk by Zara Stoneley. I have read and loved two books by this author under her other author name, Sue Heath, but it is my first Zara Stoneley book. I was kind of surprised that my library actually had any of her books. I hadn't actually looked but when I was at another library for an event, I noticed that they had one of her books on their shelves, which inspired me to look at my library catalogue, and voila! This one was there waiting for me1

I did also read a couple of chapters of One December Morning by Emma Davies but I haven't made it very far yet!


I'm watching



December 21 is affectionately known as Gravy Day to many Australians, thanks to the lyrics of a song called How to Make Gravy by Paul Kelly. Last year, a movie also inspired by the lyrics of the song came out but I only got around to watching it this week. It's definitely not a light and fluffy Christmas movie which given the story in the song about a man in prison writing to his brother asking who's going to make the Christmas gravy.

 Here's the trailer:

Life


Given that I only changed jobs in August and I have already had a holiday since I started, I don't have any leave entitlements. I am therefore working through the break and so I am only getting the public holidays off. That meant cramming all the Christmas shopping into one day on the weekend.

We did have our end of year event for work last week. It was a bit different from the Christmas events I have been to for my previous employers. There were musicians, a magician, wandering oyster shuckers and so much more!

Posts from the last week


Top Ten Tuesday: Books on my Summer 2025-2026 To Read List

Afternoon Tea Diaries: Palate Through Time: Before at Oxi Tea Rooms
Spell the Month in Books: December






I've linked this post to It's Monday, what are you reading? as hosted by Book Date, Sunday Salon hosted at Readerbuzz and the Good Book and a Cup of Tea link up hosted at Boondock Ramblings

Spell the Month in Books - December

 

Reviews From the Stacks

For 2025 I have decided to have a go at Spell the Month in Books which is hosted at Reviews From the Stacks. The link party opens on the first Saturday of the month, but I won't be posting until after that as I already have other things scheduled every Saturday and for the first two Sundays of the month. I will be sharing this post with Sunday Salon hosted at Readerbuzz.

The theme for this month is Giftable. The biggest challenge is finding three E books!

D - Dinner by Nagi Maehashi - We have been cooking out of this cook book for more than a year every week and I am sure anyone could find recipes to cook out! 

E - Everyone in my Family has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson - This book is funny, irreverent and the start of a series, so you could give someone the next book next year as well! (my review)

C - I am cheating with this one but picked it because it is a lot of fun and is now part of my Christmas tradition. I think I totally get away with it because after all the C in December sounds like an S anyway! Secret History of Christmas by Bill Bryson 

E - Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell - This is an older book but it was on that gives you all the feels. It is also a YA book so would work for a range of giftees. (my review)

M - Me Before You by Jojo Moyes - Another book with all the feels. I have read, and loved, this a few times now! (my review)

B - Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi - This might be something a little different but it gives Japanese foodie charm vibes. (my review)

E - Emma by Jane Austen - maybe a lovely special edition in honour of Jane Austen's 250th birthday.

R - Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby van Pelt - I would recommend the audio of this one. The guy who does the voice of the octopus was exceptional and he is voicing in it the upcoming movie!

I hope that you all get the books you want as gifts this year!

Merry Christmas everyone!

Afternoon Tea Diaries: Palate Through Time; Before at Oxi Tea Rooms

Welcome to another entry in my irregular event, Afternoon Tea Diaries.

Earlier this year my husband and I visited Oxi Tea Rooms and were blown away by the afternoon tea experience we had there. I do use the word experience deliberately as it wasn't just nicely presented food. The food items were mini pieces of art, and there was a fun interactive element as well. I posted about that afternoon tea here.

When I was trying to find a place to catch up with some friends pre Christmas, I thought this would be a great place. The good thing is, the Oxi Tea Rooms menu changes regularly so while it was another great experience, it was different to the first time we went.

The theme this time was Palate Through Time. The pre set afternoon tea menu was called Before and took us on a culinary journey through different times and places. If we had of wanted to also indulge in the a la carte menu, these had a theme of Beyond. These items looked spectacular but we didn't get to taste them. 

The idea was that each item on the board represented a time and place across ten different eras either through the way it was presented, or the flavours or both

Here's the list of items that were included in the Before menu

2500 BC - Ancient Egypt - flatbreads, confit mushrooms, herbed salad

100+500 BC - Ancient Rome - barley, cured king fish, pickled red ginger

800-1100 - Tang Dynasty - mixed rice, osmanthus, dried peach, goji berry

900-1100 - Islamic Golden Age - spiced lavosh, roasted beef, pepper sauce, rose

1200-1600 - Post Colombian Exchange - chocolate, cacao nib, corn, red chilli

1300-1500 - Elizabethan Era - pie tart, nutmeg, curry spiced chicken, puffed spelt

1800s - Industrial Revolution - sponge cake, mixed berry jam, vanilla custard cream

1900s - Belle Epoque France - chocolate lace, lavender, viola, honey madeleine 

2000s - Modern Nordic - foie gras, creme brulee, burnt butter bread

Now - Contemporary Fusion - mandarin foam, genmaicha, miso caramel, buckwheat

Once again this was a multi sensory experience. There were little glass jars on the table that were colour coded to match with each of the courses (except for the first one). In the jar, there was a piece of rock that had been infused with a smell that matched each of the courses. The idea was that you smell the rock and then eat the food and that you then have an enhanced flavour experience. It was going well until we realised that one set of our jars had the lids mixed up.

In the picture above, you can see the horse which was the Colombian era, the curried chicken pie tart, and the sponge cake. In the bottom picture you can see the Ancient Rome cured fish and the lavender dessert. As you can hopefully see they are all exquisitely presented, and for the most part they were all delicious. I didn't love the last one or the lavender one, and my favourites were probably the Elizabethan pie tart and the sponge cake. 

It isn't afternoon tea without tea, and this is one aspect of the experience that didn't change. There were more than 30 different types of tea which we were invited to smell to make our choice. There options vary from Taiwanese oolong tea, to Kenyan tea and South African rooibos tea. I can't remember what I chose last time, but this time my selection was a roast peach tea. I seem to be going through a bit of a peach phase at the moment. 

The tea that you selected was then brewed two ways. The first cup of tea was brewed using a traditional Chinese brewing method and then the second cup was brewed using a futuristic machine called a teapresso. 

The day we went, it was the very end of the Palate Through Time menus. It was changing a couple of days later to a menu called Victoria: The Place to Be which highlights the produce from our state. This menu is available until April. I am definitely planning to go before the menu changes again. And probably when it changes to the next menu as well. 

Weekly meals

Saturday - Away for the weekend    
Sunday - Away for the weekend
Monday - Roast beef rolls and gravy
Tuesday - Pressure cooker spaghetti bolognaise
Wednesday - Pork Stir fry
Thursday - End of year function
Friday - Takeaway

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