Welcome to this week's edition of Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week the theme is Genre Freebie (Pick a genre and build a list around it. You could do historical fiction featuring strong female leads, contemporary romance set in foreign countries, mysteries starring unreliable narrators, lyrical fiction books in verse, historical romance featuring pirates, Gothic novels with birds on the cover, etc. There are so many options!)
Recently I was honoured to be asked to co-host one of the Cook the Books selections later in the year. Cook the Books is an online book club where you read the chosen selection, but you also cook something inspired by the book. When I was looking through the books that have been chosen over the last few years I was surprised to see that I have been doing this for a while now so today I am sharing the last ten books I read for Cook the Books, as well as what I was inspired to make!
Before that, you might be curious about what book I chose? I couldn't see many Japanese books on the list, so I have chosen The Kamogawa Food Detectives by Hisashi Kashiwai. My selection will be up in October/November. You can see all the upcoming selections in this post
Welcome to this week's edition of Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week the theme is Best Books I Read in 2025
I am generally pretty stingy when it comes to giving a book a grade of 5/5. Looking back over the last 5 years I have given somewhere between 2 to 4 books the top grade each year. For 2025, I have 13! I am pretty sure that is the most ever for me. So what was different this year? The only thing that I can think of is that I wasn't working for the first 7 months of the year, so I was reading purely for enjoyment. I wasn't trying to read on the commute, or before going to bed or during lunch breaks. There's certainly been a drop in the grades since I went back to work. Other than, it might just have been an extraordinary first half of the year.
So here are my top 10 13 books for 2025
Midnight in Paris by Gillian Harvey - I started off with several books set in Paris. I have read quite a few of Gillian Harvey's books over the years and enjoyed them all, but this one just really worked for me! (my review)
The Paris Bookshop for the Broken-Hearted by Rebecca Raisin - Another author who I have read a lot of books from. I love the way that she writes about places, books and foods, and this one combined those very well. (my review)
The Wedding People by Alison Espach - I had heard such good things about this book and it completely lived up to expectations. (my review)
The Jam Maker by Mary-Lou Stephens - I went to hear Mary-Lou Stephens talk about this book and knew that I was going to enjoy it! (my review)
The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley - I don't reread much, but I have read this book about 4 times now. it is still a 5/5 read for me every time. This one isn't pictured in the collage in order to fit all the others in. (my review)
Pictures of You by Emma Grey - I met Emma Grey at a reader's retreat a couple of years go but it took me that long to actually read one of her books. This was the first of two 5/5 reads by this author this year! (my review)
The Women by Kristin Hannah - This book seems to be a love it or hate it kind of book. I loved it! (my review)
Beartown by Fredrik Backman - What can I say that hasn't already been said about Fredrik Backman. I really must find time to read the second book in this trilogy! (my review)
Eat Your Heart Out by Victoria Brownlee - This was a surprise 5/5 book for me! It was just so much fun. (my review)
The Summer Before the War by Helen Simonson - I have enjoyed all of this author's books now, but this one is my favourite. (my review)
The Whisky Widow by Karen Brooks - This book had me wondering why on earth I had not read Karen Brooks before. So good! (my review)
The Last Love Note by Emma Grey - The second entry from Emma Grey on this list! Can't wait for her new book! (my review)
An Academic Affair by Jodi McAlister - This author is an academic who specialises in romance and popular fiction, and you can tell! This book is now doing the rounds of my book club. Even our octogenarian member enjoyed it!
One of the pleasing aspects of this is that 7 of these books are by Aussie authors!
I love seeing everyone's best of lists each year! Do we have any in common?
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 Enjoyed that Were Outside My Comfort Zone (or books you’d like to read that are outside your comfort zone!) However, it might not be a surprise to see that I am going rogue. It's not the first time and it won't be the last.
Instead, in honour of the fact that today is Remembrance Day which commemorates the end of World War I at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, I am sharing ten books I have read that are either set either in or just after WWI.
The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club by Helen Simonsen - This book is set in the immediate aftermath of WWI and deals with the impact on society and for those who returned. I could have chosen The Summer Before the War too. I read both of these books earlier this year. (my review)
The House at the River's Edge by Rachel Burton - This book starts just before the outbreak of WWI. It is a dual timeline so we get to see what the legacy of the events that occurred were through the generations. (my review)
The Desert Nurse by Pamela Hart - Follows a young Australian woman who becomes a nurse in Egypt during WWI.
The Vineyards of Champagne by Juliet Blackwell - Another dual timeline, with the historical section being set in the Champagne area of France during WWI.
The Girl from Paris by Ella Carey- I used to read a lot of Ella Carey's books which are predominantly set in WWII. This one, however, is a WWI story. (My review)
When I Come Home Again by Caroline Scott - Set in the aftermath of WWI, this story looks at the impact of trauma on two men who both served. (my review)
In Falling Snow by Mary-Rose MacColl - I loved this book when I read it a number of years ago. This is another nurse story with a young Australian woman travelling to France to work in the field hospitals in France
The Girl You Left Behind by Jojo Moyes - I had forgotten that this was a WWI story. It is set in occupied France and is another dual timeline story. (my review)
Black Diamonds by Kim Kelly - This book tells the story of a young man who goes to war but also of life on the home front with the woman he left behind. (my review)
The Daughters of Mars by Thomas Keneally - Two sisters head off to become nurses in WWI.
Years ago I read Helen Simonson's debut novel Major Pettigrew's Last Stand (reviewed here) but it was only earlier this year that I finally picked up another book by her. I read The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club as part of Cook the Books (my review). I knew then that I had to read her only other book which is this one.
When I picked this book up from the library I was surprised by how big it was. At 592 pages this is a chunkster and yet, as I was reading it, I didn't feel like it was taking a long time to get through.
The book starts in 1914 when a young woman named Beatrice Nash moves to the town of Rye to take up a position teaching Latin in a small school. She has no choice but to take a job after her father passes away leaving his estate in trust for Beatrice, which surprises her because she thought that her father was proud of her independence and would have trusted her to be able to take car of her own interests. Instead, she must ask for money from the estate, people who do not like her independent nature, so she is often left with too little to survive on
There she meets the formidable Agatha Kent, who has gone out of her way to insist that Miss Nash is a suitable candidate for the role, despite some opposition from other town leaders. Beatrice also meets Hugh Grange, a young man who is studying to be a surgeon and his cousin Daniel who dreams of being a poet. Then there is the (in)famous author who she is helping will help publish her father's papers.
It doesn't take long for Beatrice to start seeing the villagers for what they are. As a single woman she must be very careful of her actions, lest her reputation be damaged. Already some are shocked that she has moved to the town. She also sees the petty jealousies, the feuds, the class divide and the double standards that are rife.
The most promising of her Latin students is a young man named Snout, who carries around a copy of the classics and reads Latin for fun. But even with Miss Nash's support, young Snout is unlikely to get to further education because his family are Romany gypsies. Whilst the town is happy to call on a Romany healer when they need, they are never going to be accept them as their own.
When the war begins, the town graciously agrees to take in some Belgian refugees out of the goodness of their hearts...kind of. It doesn't take long for the villagers to feel less generosity of spirit, especially when the parade to celebrate them goes wrong. Soon, at least one of the refugees is being ostracised, when she most needs support.
It is really when the boys of the town start enlisting and the rationing starts that being at war begins to feel real. At first, it is a bit like a game with the young men dressing up in uniforms.When they start to come home injured, or even not at all, the reality sets in. The last section of the book is heartbreaking and I did get emotional reading it. Gone are the languid summer evenings and dinner parties, to be replaced by hardship and loss, no matter which class of society you belong to.
Like all of Simonson's books so far this one is pretty deceptive as it doesn't feel like a lot is happening but when you look back a lot has happened! She is very adept at taking a small town and digging just under the surface so you see what is really underpinning town life and at exploring the different levels of society. She is also a master at the simmering slow burn romance which is integral to the story, but also almost a subplot.
Now I, like many others, wait however long it takes for Helen Simonson's next book to come out. You will likely hear the cheers from here when it is announced! I will have very high expectations given that I have loved all three of her previous books. I think, though, this one is my favourite of the three. This book is a 5/5 read for me!
I am sharing this review with British Isles Friday hosted at Joy's Book Blog, and the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge which I host here. This was one of the books that I nominated for the Big Books of Winter and also counts as one of my Big Books of Summer.
I'm readingIt's been a busy reading this week with books read and author events attended!
I read Waves of Change in Pelican Cove by Maggie Christensen who is definitely a comfort read author for me. My review will be up later this week!
I also finished reading The Library of Heartbeats by Laura Imai Messina which is an absolutely delightful read. She is an Italian author who has lived in Japan for 20 years. The book felt like a Japanese book, and I can't wait to read more from her. This book will count as a read for Women in Translation Month.
I finished listening to The Briar Club by Kate Quinn. What a book! I really need to find someone to talk to about parts of the book. I will have a review up later in the month, but I can't talk about some of the things that happened as they are major spoilers! Anyone up for a chat about this book?
I then started listening to Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby van Pelt. I am only a short way in but I already know I am going to love this book too! I love Marcellus the Octopus! I am also already looking forward to the movie adaptation.
The book that has taken most of my reading time is The Summer Before the War by Helen Simonson. It's a big book at nearly 600 pages, but so good - a five star read for me! I have now read all of her books which means I just have to wait for the next one. She does tend to have pretty big gaps between books but it will be worth the wait I am sure.
I did also start reading Kelly Rimmer's new book, The Midnight Estate. It is only early days but I am enjoying it so far.
Now I have to work out what my new normal looks like seeing as I won't have as much reading and blogging time going forward.
At the end of each month I share where my reading has taken me. Before I do that though, I found this quote in the Author's Note for Adam & Evie's Matchmaking Tour by Nora Nguyen and it sums up bookish travel perfectly!
Books let our imaginations travel where our feet cannot.
You might note a lot of books set in France. I was participating in Paris In July and making the most of it!
Europe
Sweden - Beartown
France - The Magic of Provence, A Bakery in Paris, The Paris Novel, The Village Cafe in the Loire, One Summer in Provence, Fresh Water for Flowers, Eat Your Heart Out
United Kingdom - Your Friend and Mine, One Snowy Day, The Summer Before the War
Iceland - Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries
Italy - A Place in the Sun
Asia
Vietnam - Adam & Evie's Matchmaking Tour
Australia
Tasmania - The Secrets of the Huon Wren
Sydney - The Deadly Dispute
Queensland - Waves of Change in Pelican Crossing
I also share my favourite reads for the month on Bookstagram and here. I read 18 books in July. Beartown and Eat Your Heart Out were both 5 star reads and the others shown were all 4.5 star reads! Not a bad reading month.
I attended a couple of author events this week. The first was the launch for Alli Parker's new book Until the Red Leaves Fall which was held in a super cool bar with 1950s music playing and there were these adorably cupcakes. It was such a fun night.
The second was an event at a nearby library run by Penguin which featured three of their debut authors, Joanne Miller (The Eights), Chloe Adams (The Occupation) and Michelle See-Toh (Jade and Emerald). It was such an interesting discussion. I ended up buying two of the three books.
There are a couple of theme for August and I am going to be participating in them to some degree or another. The first is Women in Translation and on Instagram also Aussie August 2025 which is a focus on Aussie authors. Unfortunately there isn't a lot of crossover there. After all I shouldn't need Australian translated for me, but I will do my best to read for both of them!
Have you seen that Lisa from Hopewell has a new monthly link party called A Cup of Tea and a Good Book. The idea is that you can add any bookish links to her link party. All she asks in return is that you visit a couple of other people's links during the month. I am going to be participating where I can.
I'm watching
We finally finished watching season 2 of Andor. The last few episodes were amazing!
We also finished watching the Great Canadian Bake-off. Just in time too, as the Great Australian Bake-off started this week!
We went and saw The Stolen Painting which is a French movie about a painting that was thought to be lost during WWII being found. It was based on a true story. In the movie, a young factory work buys a house, contents and all and it turns out one of the paintings is a masterpiece. Here's the trailer
Life
I spent the last week trying to get some of the things done that I have been meaning to do while I wasn't working.
I went to the National Gallery of Victoria and took one of their free collections highlight tour. I go to the NGV quite regularly for their big exhibitions but I don't often look at any of the other rooms outside the major exhibition spaces. The tour was super interesting as the guide told us stories behind the pictures, and explained a lot of the symbolism in the painting. She mainly concentrated on 17 and 18th century pictures but there were some later pictures too. I am definitely going to go and do more of these tours.
On Thursday I went for a very nice massage and facial experience which included a hammam and I could stay in the pool and spa for as long as I wanted to.
On Friday we went for a drive to the Yarra Valley for a lovely lunch at a winery and a visit to the locat Chocolaterie. It was a lovely way to spend my last weekday before I get back into the working life.
I feel like I am in a bit of a reading frenzy at the moment! This is mainly because I am trying to get ahead with my review reading and library due dates. I also need to take a look at my Big Books of Winter and read something off there because I am probably a book or two behind with that list!
So what did I read this week?
I absolutely devoured Eat Your Heart Out by Australian author Victoria Brownlee. I think this was a case of right book at the right time as I just couldn't put it down. It was a 5/5 read for me, and because it is set in France I reviewed it as part of Paris in July.
On Tuesday night I went to an author event for Jessica Dettman whose latest book Your Friend and Mine was released at the beginning of July. I had a big of a gap in my reading so I read it. This one is set in London. I liked it and plan to review the book in the next couple of weeks.
I finally finished reading Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett. I liked this book too and will read the next book in the series. I think this book suffered a little bit because I kept on putting it aside to read other things.
When I was looking at my library due dates I was thinking I still had a couple of weeks to read The Summer Before the War by Helen Simonson, but it is a big book at nearly 600 pages so I have started that one.
I wanted to get all my review posts done for next week so over the weekend I prioritised reading those books. The first one I read was A Place in the Sun by Jo Thomas. This was another great read from her, and it made me want lasagne so that is what we are having for dinner tonight.
Yesterday I read One Snowy Day by Shari Low. I have only started reading Shari Low this year and I really enjoyed her book.
I did go to another author event last week and I have two coming up this week that I am looking forward to. I went to hear Lucy Sussex talk at my local library about the book she co-wrote with Megan Brown called Outrageous Fortune. It is a non-fiction book about a woman called Mary Fortune who was the first Australian crime writer. She was extremely prolific and had a long running crime series, and yet has basically been lost to history. The irony of her being a crime writer was that her son was a career criminal! It was a fascinating talk.
I'm watching
I went to the movies last week to watch Jane Austen Wrecked My Life again. I first saw it and really enjoyed it earlier this year. I wanted to write about it for Paris in July and so when I saw that it was on at the cinemas again I jumped at the opportunity to watch it again. I really enjoyed it the second time around too. I wrote about it here.
I mentioned last week that I went to the movies to see a Japanese movie called Grand Maison Paris. When I was writing my post about it for Weekend Cooking, I realised that the movie was actually a spin-off from a Netflix TV series called Grand Maison Tokyo. It features a lot of the same characters and is about a couple of Japanese chefs who want to open a French restaurant in Tokyo with the aim of being awarded three Michelin stars. I started watching the series on the weekend.
I also finished watching Gary Barlow's Wine Tour of South Africa. Over the last few weeks I have watched this series and also the one he did in Australia. They are both very easy watching, feature some amazing food and wine and some beautiful scenery.
Life
I forgot to mention last week that we went to see a musical called Here You Come Again which features the song of Dolly Parton. It was a lot of fun, and I have been hearing a lot of her songs in my head ever since.
On Saturday we went to the National Gallery of Victoria which is an art gallery and saw the French Impressionism from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston exhibition which is currently on. We then had afternoon tea in the Tea Rooms. It was a lovely outing and I will have a Paris in July post up about it on Thursday.
We then followed that up by going to see an 80's band at a local pub. It's the first time we have been to this pub and I have to say it was so nice to be able to go out and then be home in 15 minutes. Normally, if we are in the city it is half an hour or more to get home. We will go back and see some other shows there in due course.
The big news in my world is that I finally got a job and I start next week, which is why I am trying to cram so many books and write the reviews for them this week. When I decided to resign from my last job I did so deliberately choosing to take some time off. However, it has taken a bit longer than I would necessarily have liked to get another job! I am definitely relieved and I am really looking forward to the new role
Welcome to this week's edition of Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week's theme is Books with Honorifics in the Title (“…an honorific is a form of address conveying esteem, courtesy or respect. These can be titles prefixing a person’s name, e.g.: Mr., Mrs., Miss, Ms., Mx., Sir, Dame, Dr., Cllr, Lady, or Lord, or other titles or positions that can appear as a form of address without the person’s name, as in Mr. President, General, Captain, Father, Doctor, or Earl.” For more info, click here.) (Submitted by Joanne @ Portobello Book Blog)
I am always grateful for my handy dandy spreadsheet that I have been maintaining for 20 years or so for these kind of topics. Apply a couple of filters and you at least have the start of a list!
My first 5 books have a French connection in honour of the fact that we are half way through Paris in July.
The Madamoiselle Network by Natasha Lester - This book tells the story of the only woman to lead a resistance network in WWII. It is a really interesting book, although I must confess I am not sure why it is called Madamoiselle given that the main character was married when the main part of the story started! Guess it just sounded better than the Madame Network which could be something completely different! (my review)
Madamoiselle Victorine by Deborah Finerman - I hadn't thought about this book for years which probably isn't a surprise given I didn't really like it. Interestingly finding out what happened to Victorine Meurent is one of the strands of The Paris Novel by Ruth Reichl which I was reading last week.
Mrs Harris goes to Paris by Paul Gallico - I love the movie of this book and have watched it several times. I did also listen to the audio. At some point I will listen to more of the Mrs Harris books. In future books she goes to New York, Moscow and Parliament! (my review of the movie and the book)
A Star for Mrs Blake by April Smith - This book tells the story of some mothers of soldiers from WWI who were given money by the US government to travel to France to find the graves of their dead sons.
The President's Hat by Antoine Laurain - I thoroughly enjoy reading Antoine Laurain's books and this one was a lot of fun! (my mini review of this book and two others by Antoine Laurain)
Miss Graham's Cold War Cook Book by Celia Rees - I really enjoyed this book in which a young teacher is sent to post WWII Germany to help in the rebuilding process but she is also there to provide information, which she does by sharing coded recipes. (my review)
The Unfortunate Miss Fortunes by Jennifer Crusie, Eileen Dreyer and Anne Stuart - This is an older book now which when I read I thought was a super fun idea but I wasn't sure about how it turned out as a reading experience. I do still love the cover on that one though (my review)
Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson - I have such fond memories of reading this book many years go. I recently read Simonson's latest book, The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club, and that was a lot of fun too! (my review of Major Pettigrew)
Sir Thursday by Garth Nix - This is part of the The Keys to the Kingdom series. I read all seven books in the series between 2007 and 2010 but I only ever reviewed the first three.
Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade by Diana Gabaldon - This is part of the spin-off mystery series which features Lord John Grey who we originally met in the Outlander books.
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 Summer Winter 2025 to-Read List.
A couple of weeks ago I shared the first 10 of my 20 books that I plan to read for the 20 Books of Winter event hosted by Emma from Words and Peace and Annabel from Annabookbel. Today I am sharing the rest of the books I plan to read.
The Last Love Note by Emma Grey - I loved Pictures of You when I read it earlier this year so I am really looking forward to this one.
The Library of Heartbeats by Laura Imai Messina - This sounds like such a lovely read.
Emily Wildes Encyclopeadia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett - I have been not so gently encouraged to read this book for a while!
The Storytellers by Sue Heath - I am so excited for this book. The Secret Ingredient was one of my favourite books last year.
The Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn - I have had this on my Kindle for 3 years. I actually already read and reviewed this one. (My review)
Over the Sea to Skye by Sue Moorcroft - I have already read and reviewed this one too. (My review)
Butter by Asako Yuzuki - Every now and again my read on a theme book club reads the same book. This is the book we are going to read for our August meeting.
The Summer Before the War by Helen Simonson. I recently read her latest book. Having read and love both her first and latest books I had to read the one in the middle that I haven't read yet.
DallerGut Dream Department Store by Lee Mi-Ye - Can't remember where I heard about this book but I currently have it out of the library, along with a few others that I didn't include on this list. Not sure when I will read those!
The Butterfly Women by Madeleine Cleary - I am going to an author event for this book soon so will definitely want to read it after hearing the author talk
So now I have put my 20 Books of Winter out into the world. Now to read them all!
Do you have any of these books on your list this week?
It seems impossible to me that it has been more than 14 years since I read Helen Simonson's first book Major Pettigrew's Last Stand which I reviewed here. I know that there has been another book since, which I haven't read, but as soon as I heard about this book I knew that I wanted to read it, so when it was chosen as the April/May selection for Cook the Books, it was serendipitous.
The year is 1919 and Britain is returning to normal after the end of WWI, whatever normal means.
During the war, Constance Haverhill ran a country estate. Now that the men are back from war, she has been asked to give up that role and the cottage that comes with it. Her employer, Lady Mercer, who was also sort of kind of a lifelong friend of her mother, is suggesting that she might become a governess, a thought that Constance dreads. She hopes to find a role as a bookkeeper or something similar. However, before that she has been asked to perform one last role - accompany Lady Mercer's mother, Mrs Fog, to holiday in Hazelbourne-by-the-Sea. What neither Constance or Lady Mercer know is that Mrs Fog has her own reasons for visiting the town, one that is bound to cause upset in due course.
There Constance meets Poppy Wirrall, daughter of local gentry, and they become firm friends. Poppy runs a taxi and delivery service where the drivers are all local women. She also runs a motorcycle club for women and wants to add a flying club. Like Constance, many of her drivers are facing the loss of their jobs due to the fact that they are seen as men's roles.
Constance also meet's Poppy's brother, Harris. He too is struggling with what the future looks like. He has friends who own an airfield but they won't allow him to fly due to his war injuries. The estate that he has now inherited is struggling, and the way of life that he would have expected to live before the war are pretty much gone. However, no-one seems to have told his mother who still lives extravagantly.
Harris struggles to adapt back to normal life, or as normal as it can be when you have lost part of your leg, but also the mental challenges, the shellshock and the survivors guilt. I am not normally someone who takes notice and shares quotes but there were two in this book from Harris that really stopped me in my reading tracks and take notice.
The CO was still with them at the forward base in Saint-Omer. By the time he disappeared during the Third Battle of Ypres, the numbers of dead had become numbing, the grief briefer.
Brief grief: always there was the moment of turning away, of giving up on straining to hear another engine coming home behind the hill. A sandwich or a hot pie chewed in silence and a cup of strong tea burning the throat. Then a quick wash and maybe a sleep. Because in the Flying Corps, the ritual was clear. To honour the men who did not come home in the evening, the dawn flight would go out uninterrupted.
In this second passage, Harris is speaking to Constance.
"It would be nice to think that something good might come out of all these years of misery," she said. "World peace is all very well, but for the average person - let us say the average woman - it would be nice to think there might be some enduring changes. Some additional respect, some freedom, some scope for a larger life."
and then a bit later
"What would you like to see come from these shadowed years of misery?" she asked as gently as she could. "You who have given the greatest sacrifice should design our future."
He laughed sharply, but his eyes, when he looked up from his cocoa, did not blaze with contempt. He took a moment to consider her question, turning it in his mind as if it was a think of many facets.
"Those who have given the greatest sacrifice are not here to speak," he said, his voice hoarse. "Those of us who are - Well, I must rack my brain every day to discover if I am a coward. If I made some decision to save myself. Because why else am I here and better men are gone?" He buried his head in his hands and made a low animal moan of pain.
Once again Helen Simonson has given us a book which feels lighthearted, and yet covers many serious topics including racism, the effects of war, class differences and social change, and asks questions like how should the end of WWI, or indeed any war, be commemorated the year after it ended. She does it with a gentle humour and wry observations about society and class. Now I need to go and find her last book, The Summer Before the War because I really have enjoyed both of her other books.
To be honest, I was a bit surprised when this book was announced as the Cook the Books selection because nothing on the cover, or in the blurb, suggests that it is foodie book. I mean, if the title had of been the the Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Fly Club Cafe, yes, but it wasn't. However, I needn't have worried because while it isn't foodie like a book about a cafe would be, there is plenty of food throughout the pages. I was keeping notes as I read through the book every time food was mentioned, and there were a lot, ranging from bacon and onion sandwiches to anchovy toast to blancmange. However, it was around half way through the book when I found what I was going to make.
The characters are sitting on the Palm Terrace of the hotel eating chocolate eclairs and drinking hot chocolate, waiting for the German submarine which has been left stranded on the beach to be destroyed.
"Ah yes, we are to be assaulted with the noise of that dreadful submarine on the beach being blown to pieces," said Lady Mercer as Klaus approached with a bouillon cup on a saucer. "But the young man assured us we only need cover our ears briefly. "
"Yes, madam," said the waiter. "I believe they expect to slice it in two with a single cannon blast. You will enjoy a front row view from here."
"Extraordinary," said Lady Mercer, in a voice that carried to all the neighbouring tables. "I can't imagine such a thing passing as entertainment in Brighton or in St-Tropez." Constance suppressed a grin, having never personally seen Lady Mercer leave her gardens in Surrey to visit the seaside either at home or abroad.
"I suppose it's entirely safe," said Mrs Fog. "Perhaps we should move away from the windows?"
"Nonsense, Mother, the view is in obvious demand." Indeed, there were more hotel guests and others crowding at the door and Klaus moved away to assist the undermanager in finding seats for the new arrivals.
Needless to say, things don't quite go to plan.
My husband has been asking me to make eclairs for the longest time, but I have been putting it off as I was a little bit intimidated at the thought. I have made choux pastry once before, but not eclairs, but now is the time for it to happen. I should mention that a bit further along in the passage, Lady Mercer swallows a piece of eclair awkwardly and nearly chokes. I hope that doesn't happen with hubby!
To make the eclairs I used Masterchef Australia winner Emelia Jackson's recipe from her book First, Cream the Butter and Sugar. On Masterchef she is known as the Choux Queen! I have posted about this book before here. I then used stabilised cream and chocolate ganache recipes that I have used in other recipes before to make the filling and topping.
I tried to make these as perfectly as I could, but as you probably recall I have said before, I am better at baking things that taste good rather than looking pretty. I tried to put lines on the baking tray so that I could pipe exactly 10cm long eclairs, but I couldn't see the lines against my tray so I ended up having to freehand them! Straight lines are not my forte!
This recipe made a LOT of eclair shells, way too many for 2 people, so I ended up freezing a lot of them. Maybe I will experiment with some other flavour combinations over the coming weeks. Watch this space. I suspect I will be asked to make the chantilly cream in that same way again. Robert, my husband, is very happy with all of it, but especially the cream! Happy husband!
Chocolate Eclairs
Choux Pastry
225g water 100g unsalted butter 1tspn caster sugar 1tspn salt 140g plain flour 265g whole eggs (about 5 large eggs), weight without shells
Preheat the oven to 150C (no fan). Line 2 large baking trays with baking paper.
To make the dough, combine the water, butter, sugar and salt in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a rapid boil before adding the plain flour. Cook this roux stirring rapidly for 5-7 minutes or until a thick crust forms at the base of the saucepan - this ensures the flour is well hydrated and you achieve the most consistent results.
Transfer the hot roux to the bowl of a stand mixer and using the paddle attachment, mix on medium speed until all of the steam dissipates – this helps to evaporate off any excess moisture that could weigh down the choux, leaving you with the lightest possible pastry.
Start adding the eggs, a little bit at a time, and mix until the dough comes together to a silky, shiny batter. The dough should be firm enough to hold its shape, falling off your scraper when you lift it out of the bowl.
Transfer the choux to a piping bag fitted with a large star nozzle (approx 1.5cm diameter) and pipe each eclair around 10cm long, leaving ample space between them so they can spread and rise.
Bake the choux for at least 45 minutes before opening the oven door. Cook until a deep-golden, caramelised brown colour all over. Remove from the oven and cool at room temperature.
Cut the eclairs in half then dip the top halves in the chocolate glaze. Cool in the fridge before filling with whipped cream using a piping bag fitted with a star shaped nozzle.
Chocolate Glaze
Finely chop 100g of dark chocolate. Heat 2/3 cup of cream and 3 teaspoons of glucose syrup until hot and then pour over the chocolate. Leave for 1 minute and then stir until thick and glossy.
Chantilly cream
Whip 3 cups of whipped cream, 1 cup of mascarpone, 1 and 2/3 cups of icing sugar and 2 teaspoons of vanilla bean paste until stiff peaks form.
I am sharing this review with the Foodies Read challenge hosted at Based on a True Story, with the other participants in Cook the Books and with the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge which I host!
I am very excited about the next selection which is Aimie K Runyan's A Bakery in Paris. At this stage I am planning to post about this book some time in July as part of Paris in July
Weekly meals
Saturday - Away Sunday - Away Monday - Nasi Goreng Tuesday - Sausages, mash, gravy and broccolini Wednesday - Spicy Beef Noodles (new) Thursday - Zucchin, Tomato and Parmesan Risotto Friday - Out for dinner
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
Over the weekend I attended Melbourne Writers Festival. I always try to make sure that I attend something at the festival, and this time I was able to attend three events.
On Saturday, we attended an In Conversation with Anita Heiss which was facilitated by Shelley Ware. This was a wide ranging conversation from being a method writer to the inclusion of indigenous people in Australian stories to the plight of children in the current situation. Heiss' latest book, which was originally an Audible original, is called Red Dust Running and features an Indigenous cowboy so both of the presenters were dressed up in jeans, boots and cowboy hats. I have met Anita Heiss before and she is always engaging too listen too, very funny, and yet covering important topics!
On Sunday, I attended two sessions. The first was too hear Japanese author Asako Yuzuki who was interviewed by cookbook author and TV host Alice Zaslavsky. The conversation covered topics from food, the roles and expectations of women in modern Japanese society, and so much more. Like last year when we saw Toshikazu Kawaguchi in conversation, this was a translater assisted session, and she did an amazing job. There was a lady behind us who spoke Japanese relatively well and at the end of the session she was gushing about how well the translator did!
The final session was Australian author Jane Harper In Conversation with Irish author Marian Keyes. Keyes got a rapturous welcome from the moment that she walked on stage and she kept the audience engaged from the outset. I am pretty sure Harper could have asked just one question and just let Marian Keyes talk for the whole hour. One of the highlights of the conversation included the news that there is a TV series being made of the Walsh sisters books which has been sold to an Australian streaming service. It is going to be shown in Ireland later this year so hopefully we won't have to wait too long for it here! The audience laughed and clapped all the way through the hour and there was a real buzz in the room. I am so glad to have had the chance to hear her talk live. Now I wish I had time to go back and re-read all the Walsh sisters books!
I have some other photos from the two days on my Bookstagram account - Intrepidreaderandbaker.
While the festival doesn't feel the same as it did a few years ago when it was over two weekends, it was heavily promoted as a city event and there was a real buzz in the host locations, it is an event that really fills my cup. And the bonus is we get to visit some iconic Melbourne locations as well. One if the Capitol Theatre which usually isn't open to the public. This place is gorgeous! And the ceiling - amazing art deco style!
I'm reading
I mentioned last week that I was reading The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club by Helen Simonson as it is the current selection for Cook the Books. I finished that book this week, and I know what I am going to cook for the cooking part of the equation. Now I just need to find the time to make it, hopefully this week.
I also finished The House At River's Edge by Rachel Burton, which I reviewed here.
The other book that I had to read last week as I had committed to a review date was Booked for Summer by Kathryn Freeman. I reviewed that book here.
Even though I have two books to review this week that I haven't started yet, I started reading An Italian Wedding Adventure by Leonie Mack. I really like this author's books and so far this is a good one too.
I also started The Madamoiselle Alliance by Natasha Lester. I went and heard her speak a couple of weeks ago and the story that she told about the main character in this book was fascinating. This is one of the two book club books that we will be talking about at the Rachael Johns Readers Retreat this coming weekend. I think that there is every chance that I might be reading the other book on the plane on the way over to Perth!
I'm watching
We are very lucky here as there are often film festivals which bring movies to the big screen that I would otherwise never hear about. The German Film Festival is currently on, and one of the two movies that I really wanted to see was the book to screen adaptation of the Door to Door Bookstore. I read the book last year and liked it. I was a bit surprised to see that it had been made into a very family friendly movie and I thought it a sweet movie. There was almost a cartoonish feel to it from some of the costumes to the sets and more. It also shared the magic of books and story, about the importance of found family and the impact of grief.
On Saturday night my husband and I went to see Thunderbolts, the latest Marvel movie, and it was really good! Definitely felt like a return to form.
We also watched a new Netflix documentary called Pangolin: Kulu's Journey. Before watching this show I had no idea what a pangolin even looked like. It is made by the same people who made My Octopus Teacher and once again it is a really nicely made documentary.
I'm reading I finished reading The Rainfall Market by You Yeong-Gwang, and liked it. It was a book I picked up on a whim from the library having not heard anything about it. It has a really fun premise, is a bit fantastical and just that little bit different.
I started reading The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club by Helen Simonson. This is the current Cook the Books selection and so I will be reviewing it later this month and finding something to cook from it as well. It's not as foodie as most of the other selections are so I am not sure what I will make yet.
I read One More Day of Us by Shari Low, which I am due to review this week. I also started The House on the River by Rachel Burton which is also due for review this week. I actually have another book that I need to squeeze in before Friday but I haven't started that yet.
A couple of weeks ago I went to an author event at my local library to see Australian author Amanda Hampson talk about her latest book, The Deadly Dispute, which is the third book in the Tea Ladies series. I just finished reading the first book in the series, called The Tea Ladies, and it was a fun tea-cosy mystery! It is set in the garment trade in 1965 so it is also a great choice for my read on a theme book club this month as the theme for that is the 60s.
On audio, I finished listening to Away with the Fairies which is the 11th book in the Phryne Fisher series by Kerry Greenwood. I hadn't actually read any of the series for many years, but it didn't take me long to get back into that world! I then started listening to Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry. Is there a more perfect author/narrator combination than Emily Henry and Julia Whelan? I'm not sure there is!
I did also go to one author event last week. I drove to a small country town called Gisborne which is about 40 minutes away from me to hear Natasha Lester talk about her new book, The Madamoiselle Alliance which is based on a real person. What a woman! I was ready to drop anything and just start reading that book straight away. I will read it next week as it is one of the book club selection for the readers retreat I am going to in a couple of weeks.
I did share my April highlights on Instagram which were the books below. There are reviews for three of them up on the blog already, and a fourth will be up this weekend. These are the books I rated as 4.5 or 5 star reads with Pictures of You being the 5 star read for this month.
I'm watching
Masterchef Australia is back! Yay! This is a show that my husband and I enjoy watching together. This year it is a Back To Win series, meaning that all of the contestants have been on the show once or twice before but never won! I think I would prefer a show with new contestants but this will still be good.
I watched the first three episodes of a new show called The Secret DNA of Us. The idea is that a couple of hundred people from a town all come together and get DNA tested and then they come back together once the results are in and talk about what connects them. In some cases they find out that they might be fourth cousins, or that at some point they had an ancestor from a part of the world they had no idea about. There is also a reporter who is a researcher and she has come up with some very interesting stories to connect the DNA results with history. It's my kind of show!
I need to say thank you toErin from Still Life, with Cracker Crumband Lisa from Boondock Ramblingswho are hosting the Springtime in Paris movie event. I have been meaning to watch the French movie The Intouchables starring Omar Sy for the longest time and I never quite got around to it! It was this week's selection for the event, and I loved it!
The Intouchables is about a young unemployed man named Driss who just needs someone to sign his paper to say that he attended for a job interview and was unsuccessful so he can get his unemployment benefit. The job is to look after a man named Philippe who is a quadriplegic. No one is more surprised than Driss is when he is offered a trial period. Philippe is an aristocrat who lives in an amazing house in Paris, Driss grew up in the projects. Philippe loves classical music and expensive art. Driss grew up living off his wits and getting by however he could. What sets Driss apart from everyone else is that he doesn't see Philippe as just a quadriplegic man, he sees him as a man. A man who used to love extreme sports, a man who now has an accessible van to move around in but has a very expensive, fast car just sitting in the driveway.
The movie is a touching look at care and compassion and about seeing the best in each other, and it is even more touching given that it is based on a true story I am so pleased to have watched it now.
Here's the trailer
The last movie for the event is Charade which I hope to watch this week.
Life
I went to aqua class for the first time in forever last week. In fact, I went twice and I am going again this morning. It's a friendly enough group, who clearly have all known each other for a long time. The first class I did I was thinking that it wasn't really pushing me, until later that day when I could definitely feel it in my legs.
On Wednesday night we went to see German composer Hans Zimmer live in concert. My husband loves listening to movie soundtracks while he is working and Hans Zimmer is one of his favourites so this was his birthday present! It was a really good show, different to what I was expecting really. I wasn't familiar with everything but I still enjoyed the show. There was music from movies like Gladiator, Inception, Dune and much more. The highlight for me was music from The Lion King.
On Saturday it was our federal election. In Australia it is compulsory to vote, or should I say it is compulsory to turn up to the polling station and get your name crossed of. If you are lucky, your polling station will have a barbecue set up where you by what is known as a democracy sausage. It is a sausage in white bread, sometimes with onion, and with the sauce of your choice. Australians do get excited about the democracy sausage on election day. My polling station doesn't have a barbecue. I think we are going to have to find one that does for the next election.
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