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 Occupations in the Title (Submitted by Hopewell’s Public Library of Life)
The Postmistress by Alison Stuart - A young woman moves to a small country town in Victoria in the 1870s and starts working as the postmistress. (My review)
The Map Maker's Promise by Catherine Law - This is a WWII novel which follows a woman whose top secret job is to update the maps with new information following bombing runs. (My review)
The Baker's Daughter by Sarah McCoy - I'm pretty sure I could find a lot of baker titles, but I am going to limit to just two. This one is one of the earliest WWII novels that is like the novels you would expect to read today. (My review)
The City Baker's Guide to Country Living by Louise Miller - I read this a couple of years ago as part of Cook the Books. (My review)
The Librarian Spy by Madeline Martin - I really enjoyed this WWII novel which is set in both Portugal and France. (My review)
The King's Messenger by Susanna Kearsley - It was only when I read this book that I found out that The King's Messenger is a very specific role, and it still exists. (My review)
The Jam Maker by Mary-Lou Stephens - I have really enjoyed all of Mary-Lou Stephens historical fiction foodie novels set in Tasmania (My review)
The Paris Dancer by Nicola Rayner - This is another WWII novel where a dancer becomes caught up in resistance activities. (My review)
The President's Hat by Antoine Laurain - What happens when the president leaves his hat in a Paris restaurant. Quite a lot actually. (My review)
The Kamogawa Food Detectives by Hisashi Kashiwai - The food detective help bring the memories of past meals back to life. (My review)
We are back from holidays! We thoroughly enjoyed our time in Japan and South Korea. We are already talking about when we will go to Japan again! One thing that was surprising was how much reading time I had! I think it is because there was no TV to watch on the ship, and I wasn't playing any games or doom scrolling on my phone due to limited internet. I also had pre- written all the blog posts for the time I was away so no blogging required either! I normally wouldn't read too much while on holidays but this time I finished 10 books! I am not going to list them all here as I am planning to share them in next week's Top Ten Tuesday post. I also now have a ton of reviews to write as I used this time to get a little bit ahead on review books, but also read a few books just for fun!
What I will talk about is what I have been reading since I got home.
A book that I started on the plane but finished yesterday is Secrets Beneath a Riviera Sky by Jennifer Bohnet. This is a book that I will be reviewing in a couple of weeks time.
Another book with a review due in a couple of weeks time is The Best Days of Our Lives by Helen Rolfe. I loved her Skylarks books set in an air ambulance unit, and was hoping for more, but this is not connected to that series at all!
This morning I started reading Pictures of You by Australian author Emma Grey. I could say I started this on a whim, but the reality is that the library wants its book back, and I don't really want to return it unread, so binge read here I come!
March was a really good month for me. I finished 17 books which is probably the highest I have had in quite some time. I know that I am not going to maintain that pace going forward though. Of the books I read in March, I gave two of them 5 stars (The Jam Maker and The Winter Sea), and another five books rating 4.5/5! Here they are:
I just wanted to mention the passing of Kerry Greenwood. She was the author of the Phryne Fisher and Corinna Chapman series, and lived a very colourful life. It has been a number of years since I read any of her books, but I think I will pick one up when I go to the library!
I'm watching
I didn't watch anything on the plane on the way to Japan, but on the way home I watched Wicked. I saw it in the cinemas when it came out, but I had forgotten how long the movie is! It was a delight to watch it again though.
The French Film Festival finished yesterday and because I was away for most of it, I didn't get to see all the films that I wanted to see. I was therefore delighted to see that a couple of them were available on the plane. I chose to watch The Marching Band! It was such a good film, although I do seem to have the knack of picking films to watch on a plane that will make me cry!
I did come home from holidays with a bit of a head cold, so sitting down and watching Mrs Harris Goes to Paris was the perfect way to spend Sunday afternoon. It is a movie that I have watched numerous times, and I have listened to the audiobook! I shared my thoughts about the book and the movie a couple of years ago during Paris in July which you can find here.
We also started watching Amanda and Alan's Spanish Job. We loved the two series set in Italy so we were always going to watch, and it is interesting to see the Spanish culture and food.
Life
I am hoping to have big news next week! Let's just say I had to do some job interviews via Teams whilst I was on the cruise, which is a bit odd! I am crossing everything for one of the roles in particular.
In big news, I bought a new fragrance while we were away. I am one of those people who tends to wear the same fragrance for years until they stop making it, and then it takes me an age to find another one that I like. And then I wear that until they stop making it! Over and over. I also got a sample bottle of another one so now I have three choices every morning!
Max
As seems to be normal with Max he needed to go to the vet while we were away as he had some sores suddenly appear on his belly. He's good in himself, so nothing to worry about but we do need to get his medical conditions under control which I suspect means a change of medication.
I think he is glad we are home though. He has barely left our sides in the last couple of days. This is a live action shot from a minute ago.
We have a public holiday here today for Labour Day so, in theory, that means more reading time! Well, not really, as I do have quite a bit of reading time already.
Last week I finished listening to The Truth by Terry Pratchett. I originally started listening to this back in January, but then I put it aside to listen to Jane Austen. I do intend to write something about this, but I will say here that my favourite character was Otto the vampire iconographer who had a terrible tendency to disintegrate every time he took a photo with a flash!
I have now gone back to listening to Atlas: The Story of Pa Salt by Lucinda Riley. This is a long book so I will probably be listening to this for a couple of months at least.
I finished reading If You Could See Me Now by Samantha Tonge. I really like Samantha Tonge's books but they are a bit tricky to review because there are things that you definitely need to not know when you are starting the book. My review is here.
I also read and reviewed The Jam Maker by Mary-Lou Stephens, which I really loved! I had been to see the author talk a few weeks ago. I really think going to author events really enhances the reading experience! This was a 5/5 read for me!
For a bit of a change of pace, I also devoured Out on a Limb by Hannah Bonam-Young. I had read a couple of chapters a couple of weeks ago, but this week I picked it up and started again and devoured it! This was my first book by her, but it will not be the last! I thought it was fab.
I have two reviews due later this week so I read Love and Laughter (and Other Disasters) by Elora Canne, and started reading The Shadow on the Bridge by Clare Marchant.
In other big news, I finished volume 1 of War and Peace this week. It is funny what you find when you look back in the archives of your blog. I was searching for something last week and came across this post from 2010 which is the last time I attempted to read this book. I have made it further this time than I did then, but I have to figure out what my strategy is going to be for when we go away for a couple of weeks. I don't really want to drag the book around with me, and I don't want to change versions or translations. Maybe I will read a few chapters ahead and then catch up when I get home!
We had our read on a theme book club meeting on Saturday. The theme was Classics and this is just some of what people read. I listened to Pride and Prejudice and will have a post up soon with some thoughts, not necessarily on the book, but on the enduring impact and legacy of Jane Austen or something like that anyway. Our next theme is Spy and I have a couple of ideas of what I am going to read.
I'm watching
You may recall that last weekend I went to the movies and saw the latest Bridget Jones movie. While I knew that I had watched the first one, I had no recollection of the second and third films at all, so this week I sat and watched the first 3 movies. If I had to rate the four movies I would say that the first and last movies are the best, followed by the third one and then the second one was the least entertaining!
The French Film Festival has just started and I am a little bit gutted that I am going to be away for most of it as there are quite a few movies that I wanted to see showing. I did go to the movies by myself on Friday night to see Jane Austen Wrecked My Life which was a lot of fun. It is about a woman who wants to be an author, but can't seem to finish any of her stories. Her friend sends a few chapters off and she gets accepted into a Jane Austen residency writers retreat in England. It is a fun movie!
Here's the trailer
Life
After book club I went to see the Yayoi Susama exhibition for the second time. The second half of the exhibition is so much fun, full of immersion rooms, polka dots, pumpkins with polka dots. It's a lot of fun. You can see a couple of photos from the first time I went here, and then below are some from my most recent visit.
Recently I went to hear Australian author, Mary-Lou Stephens, talk about her latest book, The Jam Maker. I knew I was keen to read it as soon as possible.
We sometimes have a tendency to romanticise the past, but the reality is that for many it was a bleak, hand to mouth existence, especially if you were poor, and if you were a girl. Harriet Brown is twelve years old when her hair was cut off, and she sent to work at the George Peacock and Sons jam factory. However, Mr Peacock would not hire girls, so Harriet has to pretend to be a boy and becomes Harry. On her first day at the factory, Harry meets Henry Jones, who is also a label paster, but not for long. Henry Jones is ambitious and determined to better himself. Harry and Henry become close friends for the next four years, and more importantly, beyond.
Harriet and her family live in Wapping, a stinking and disease ridden tenement near the docks of Hobart Town. Her father and brothers get intermittent jobs, but nothing permanent so the family relies on Harriet's regular income to make ends meet. After 4 years Harriet can no longer stand being Harry and announces she is quitting. She is horrified when her mother announces that if she isn't going to work she must be married and arranges a marriage to the much older widower, Mr Sprott.
In many ways, this is a lucky break for Harriet. Mr Sprott treats her well, and with him she learns the business of Sprott's Jams, both in terms of making the jams but also in keeping the books etc. Harriet also designs the pretty labels which help Sprott's Jams become a success. Along the way, she is joined by a jam maker named Ruth and another lady named Nelly, who in effect become her found family.
However, life is cheap in the late 1800s, and soon Harriet finds herself caught up in a situation that spirals out of control very quickly and which leaves her powerless, until she can take matters into her own hands.
Mary-Lou Stephens very cleverly weaves several stories through this book. The main focus is Harriet and her friends, and the jam that they make. However, we also hear the story of Henry Jones and his amazing wife Alice, as he rises through the ranks from label paster, to international business tycoon, earning the nickname of Jam Tin Jones along the way. The story starts in 1874 and goes through until the 1920s and so we get to see many historically significant events through the eyes of our characters such as the Boer War, Federation in 1901, the death of Queen Victoria, and WWI and it's aftermath. We also witness things like the start of mechanisation and cold transport exportation of products.
One of the things that makes Sprott's Jams a success is that they do unusual flavours, and all through the book there are jams referenced such as four berry jam, pear jam with Christmas spices, cherry and almond, pear and cinnamon and so many more.
I love how Stephens very deftly connected all of her books together. They are not a series, so no need to stress about reading in order, but there is just a section here or there or a name, that just draws everything together nicely.
I have read and enjoyed all three of Mary-Lou Stephens historical foodie novels set in Tasmania, but this is her best yet and was a 5 star read for me. When I went to see her speak a few weeks ago, she did say that her next novel will not be foodie, but that the one after might be! I will be waiting in anticipation for whatever comes next.
As an interesting aside, to me at least. Robert and I went to Tasmania a few years ago, and we were wandering around the docks area when he told me that his father worked for Henry Jones & Co in South Africa, which does show the global reach of Henry Jones. He did tell me a story when I mentioned that I was reading the book. His dad worked in the vegetable canning part of Henry Jones. Any cans that didn't pass quality control were sold to the staff at a discount price but they didn't have any labels on them. The kids therefore had to learn to read the codes on the can so they knew what was going to be inside the cans before they opened them.
Mary-Lou Stephens mentioned that there is an art hotel in the buildings that still bear the company name now. We went to dinner in a fun restaurant in the buildings which I posted about here. In that post I also mentioned that one of Mary-Lou Stephens previous books inspired us to visit the Huon Valley where I had one of the best toasted sandwiches I have ever had.
At the author event, Mary-Lou was also giving away recipe cards with different jam recipes on it. On one side there is a recipe for Apple and Blackberry Jam and on the other is Raspberry and Vanilla Jam. I am very keen to make the raspberry jam, but I currently have a lot of lemon curd, so I will need to use that before I make a batch of this jam!
I am sharing this review with the New Release Challenge hosted by The Chocolate Lady's Book Reviews, Foodies Read hosted at Based on a True Story and the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge which I host.
Weekly meals
Saturday - Out for dinner Sunday - Ratatouille with couscous and sausages Monday - Chicken and Mushroom Bake Tuesday - Spanish Tuna Pasta Bake Wednesday - Sticky meatballs with rice and broccoli (new) Thursday - Pork Nachos 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
Welcome to the first Saturday of the month where I usually share everything I have made over the previous month. Here's what I made in February.
A while ago now I tried to make New York Cookies using a video recipe from Brooke Bellamy. In the instructions it talks about putting the cookie dough balls in the fridge so that they don't spread too much. Well, that wasn't a problem as they didn't spread at all and I ended up with giant balls of cookiee dough which had a bit of a crispy shell and then uncooked dough in the middle.
I got the book Bake with Brooki for Christmas and noticed that the recipe was different and so I decided to try and make them again! They turned out exactly right! The day I made these we had brunch at a cafe we love and they had some of these cookies for sale for $8. Given how big they are, I do get how they are that expensive but still. They are delicious but they are too big, so when I make them again I will need to make the cookies half the size, and maybe half the batch.
We had been talking about having scones for a couple of weeks, and we took the opportunity to make them when my sister and her husband came around for afternoon tea. I made a half batch of lemonade scones but they just didn't work, so then I grabbed an older cook book that I have had on my shelf for years called Merle's Kitchen and made the more traditional recipe and they turned out nicely!
When my sister and her husband visited they bought us a heap of lemons, so then I had to come up with something to use them. We had some people coming for dinner on Sunday night and so I made Lemon Angel Food Cake using this recipe. One of the things I like about this recipe is that you use all the egg yolks to make curd, and there is lots of curd left over, so this weekend I am thinking of some ways to use yet more lemons and some of the curd.
Outside of the kitchen, we went for a lovely lunch at a winery which I posted about here.
I did go and here Australian historical fiction author Mary-Lou Stephens talk about her new book The Jam Maker. I started reading it this week so hopefully I will have a review of it at some point during March!
52 Recipes Challenge
We only tried a couple of new recipes this month.
Hunters Chicken (Chicken Cacciatore) - Gennaro Contaldo's book Slow was the Jamie Oliver cookbook of the month for January. Whilst we didn't want to buy the book I did try this which was one of the taster recipes. It was tasty.
One Pot Cajun Chicken and rice - This is a Nagi Maehashi recipe. I think I had gone out this night and my husband and son ate it.
Saturday - Out for dinner Sunday - Baked Tuscan Chicken and Rice Monday - Beef and Broccoli Noodles Tuesday - Normandy pork and mash Wednesday - Take away Thursday - Swedish meatballs, mash and broccoli Friday - Out for dinner
I am sharing this post with In My Kitchen hosted at Sherry's Pickings.
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
It was a busy reading week this week! I read several books, a short story and finished an audiobook.
Firstly, I finished The House of Light and Shadows by Lauren Westwood which I reviewed here. If you like a book where a house is an integral character in the story, then this might be for you.
Happily Ever After by Jane Lovering also has a house like that and for added measure each chapter is named for a famous house in literature. Here is my review.
I was then excited to see that The Bookstore Keepers by Alice Hoffman was available. This is the third short story in the Once Upon a Time Bookshop stories. These are the first Alice Hoffman stories I have read. I will be reading more as I am amazed how much story and feeling she fits into these short stories.
I was then hoping to get a bit of my reviews for March and also read an Aussie author, but the book I wanted wasn't quite ready. I therefore started A Santorini Secret by Rose Alexander which I really loved. Will be searching out some of her other titles. The review for this one will be up later this week.
I am now sneaking in a non-review read. A couple of weeks ago I went to see Mary-Lou Stephen talk about her book The Jam Maker and so I have started that one!
I also finished listening to Pride and Prejudice, narrated by British actor Rosamund Pike. I then started
Mis-Directed by Lucy Parker which also has a couple of celebrity narrators, Nicola Coughlin and Gwilym Lee. I sat on the couch to listen to this and may have fallen asleep so I need to rewind a bit. Generally I listen to audiobooks on walks or in the car.
I'm watching
We watched Unbreakable: The Jelena Dokic Story which was heartbreaking and inspiring in equal measures. Jelena Dokic was a young tennis player back in the late 1990s and early 2000s. She came to Australia as a refugee and then represented Australia, until she announced that she was going back to Yugoslavia. She was infamous because of the way her father, Damir, acted, even getting thrown out of major tournaments due to his aggressive behaviour. However, what the public saw was only the tip of the iceberg. The abuse that Jelena was receiving at home was horrific. She is now estranged from her father, and she is a respected tennis commentator and body image advocate. Here's the trailer
Tuesday night I went to see a preview screening of The Last Journey, a Swedish documentary in which a man and a friend decides to take his elderly father on a road trip to the south of France, to try and spark him back into life. It was a lovely movie, and we went to see it in a fab art deco theatre I had never been to before. The son and his friend, who are famous in Sweden, who produced the movie were at the screening and there was a Q and A session after. It was so touching, because when it started it was about the son not understanding how aging had affected his father, and by the end it was about him accepting that his dad was getting old. Along the way they reminisced about their summers in France. If you get the chance to see it, do so, but maybe take some tissues. It's now the highest grossing Swedish documentary of all time.
Life
We went for a lovely lunch for Valentine's Day which I posted a bit about here. Other than that it was all about the dog this week.
Max
Our lovely boy had a relapse and is not well at all. Late last year he was really unwell and was diagnosed with Addison's disease, liver enlargement, muscle shrinkage in his head and brain, and hyperthyroidism. Despite that for the most part he is a happy dog. He is a Labrador though, so you know there is something wrong when he goes off his food and water, so we ended up at the emergency vet on Thursday. He now has a couple of more things medically and so the vets talk about him having a complex medical history. He takes more medication than Robert and I do combined!
He is recovering, but we have had to have some serious conversations about what happens next time. His a very handsome boy, and has a great nature but he is not genetically blessed and wouldn't have done well in the wild!
Welcome to this week's edition of Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week's theme is Most Anticipated Books Releasing in the First Half of 2025
Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry (April) - I expect to see this on quite a few lists today!
Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros (January) - Speaking of books I expect to see on lots of lists!
Kate and Frida by Kim Fay (March) - I enjoyed Love & Saffron when I read it a couple of years ago so looking forward to this one!
Midnight in Paris by Gillian Harvey (January) - Over the last 18 months, Gillian Harvey has become one of my must read authors so I am looking forward to this one.
The Bad Bridesmaid by Rachael Johns (January) - Rachael Johns has long been an autobuy author for me. I read the connected book to this one, The Other Bridget, in one sitting late last year. I expect to love this one just as much!
The Mysterious Bakery on Rue de Paris by Evie Woods (March) - The description for this book could be written just for me - Paris, Baking, a bit of magic
The Many Future of Maddy Hart by Laura Pearson - The Beforelife of Eliza Valentine was one of my favourite reads of 2024. I then read The Last List of Mabel Beaumont and loved it! I have high expectations for this one.
The Jam Maker by Mary-Lou Stephens (January)- Another food based historical novel set in Tasmania!
The Paris Bookshop for the Broken-Hearted by Rebecca Raisin (February) - I love the way that Rebecca Raisin writes about books, food, and Paris!
Three Juliets by Minnie Darke (April) - I loved The Lost Love Letter by Minnie Darke. I have since read With Love from Wish & Co and listened to the Audible short stories she has written. I am very excited a new book from her.
Do you have any of these books on your list this week?
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 Winter 2024-2025 to-Read List. As I am an Aussie, it is currently way too hot for it be winter, so these are my summer reads!
Midnight in Paris by Gillian Harvey - I am always very excited by the news that there is a new Gillian Harvey book on the way. This one is out in January, and the cover is gorgeous!
The Chimes by Charles Dickens - I read A Christmas Carol a couple of weeks ago, and I am intending to read at least one more of his Christmas stories. Yes, there is more than one!
The Many Futures of Maddy Lawson by Laura Pearson - Spoiler! Laura Pearson is going to be on my list of favourite new authors that I first read in 2024
Venice Hotel by Tess Woods - I have actually already started this one. Now it's a question of finishing it!
Atlas: The Story of Pa Salt by Lucinda Riley and Harry Whittaker - I just finished listening to The Missing Sister. There was a three year gap between the last two books but I am not waiting that long to listen to the final book in the series.
The Mirror by Nora Roberts - This is the second book in The Lost Bride trilogy. I will also listen to this one. The question is will it be before Atlas or after it!
The Last Illusion of Paige White by Vanessa McCausland - I have loved the last two books I have read by Vanessa McCausland so I have high hopes for this one.
The Jam Maker by Mary-Lou Stephenson - This one is out in February and I am very much looking forward to it!
The Secret Paris Garden by Sophie Beaumont - I really liked The Paris Cooking School! My plan is to read this before the end of the year but we will see!
The Bad Bridesmaid by Rachael Johns - I posted my review of The Other Bridesmaid yesterday. The Bad Bridesmaid is about Bridget's best friend Fred and is out in February!
A couple of years ago I read and enjoyed Mary-Lou Stephen's debut novel, Last of the Apple Blossoms, which was set in Tasmania and is about the demise of the apple orchards. This novel, her second, is once again set in Tasmania but this time focuses on the establishment of the Cadbury chocolate factory in a town called Clarement, just outside Hobart, in the 1920s.
Our story starts with a group who are making the journey from the original Cadbury factory near Birmingham in England. Together they are travelling across the world to Hobart where work has begun to build a new Cadbury factory. Our main character is Mrs Dorothy Adwell. She had worked for years in the original factory, and shown a keen interest in the mechanical aspects of the machinery in the factory. Her talent and potential have been recognised and she has been chosen to go to Australia as a supervisor.
Mrs Adwell employs a young woman called Maisie Greenwood. Maisie has had to work from a very young age to help her mother make ends meet. After an interview process which included a home visit to establish her character and her familial situation, Maisie is excited to begin working at Cadbury's and not just because of the endless supplies of chocolate. She hopes that the additional benefits such as night school will help her get on in life. Her main aim is also to ensure that her bright younger sister might escape needing to start working at the tender age of 14 and that she will be able to continue her education.
Both Dorothy and Maisie inadvertently get caught up in in plots to steal the much coveted recipe for Cadbury Dairy Milk. It's hard to believe that establishing a chocolate factory could be such a hotbed of controversary and industrial espionage. There were already Australian chocolate makers and so they weren't keen to have what is one of the largest confectionary companies in the world come to Australia. There was also controversy about how much it was costing Australians in subsidising the new factory.
As much as this book is about starting a new industry in Australia, it is also about the aftermath of war. Each of our characters are dealing with the legacy of WWI. Dorothy is dealing with the loss of her husband. Similarly Maisie and her family are living a life where they are having to work hard due to the loss of her father in the conflict, and there are characters with shellshock, for examples.
If you know about the history of British chocolate makers, then you may be aware that Quakerism has played a huge role in the industry. This is yet another strand of the story that we get to know in the pages of this book.
I am sharing this review with the New Release Challenge hosted at The Chocolate Lady's Book Review, Foodie Reads hosted at Based on a True Story and with the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge which I host.
When the book was released, the publishers shared a couple of original recipes from the 1920s, so I thought I would share a couple of them here.
Weekly meals
Saturday - Apple and Rhubarb pie with custard and cream Sunday - Steak nachos Monday -Chicken Kiev, mash, beans and gravy Tuesday -Chicken and vegetable stir fry Wednesday - Pork chop, mash, broccoli, carrots, gravy Thursday - Friday - Fancy 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
Last week I mentioned that I had started reading The Chocolate Factory by Mary-Lou Stephens. I didn't make a huge amount of progress as I realised that I have some books that I have to read pretty quickly so I had to put it aside.
I therefore ended up starting Widows on the Wine Path by Julie Jarman which is a book that I need to review later this week.
The program for the Melbourne Writers Festival was announced last week. I ended up getting tickets to see Toshikazu Kawaguchi talk about his series that starts with Before the Coffee Gets Cold. I have listened to the first three books on audio so once I bought tickets to see him it seemed like a good idea to make sure that I had at least listened to the fourth book, Before We Say Goodbye. I therefore started listening to this after I finished my last book.
I'm watching
We didn't watch too much in the last week, but we did sit and watch John Farnham: Finding the Voice. It was a really interesting story about a man who rode the ups and downs of fame. It's hard to believe there was a time when he wasn't a national treasure, but there was
Life
We went away for the Easter long weekend to visit some friends who live in a town called Yarrawonga which is about 3 hours away from our house. It is located right on the edge of the Murray River.
I like to take my time and see what we can see when we are on our way somewhere. Along the way this time we stopped in a town called Shepparton which has a number of painted cows in a park. There are apparently around 90 in the region, but I contented myself with just looking at these ones. Here are just a couple.
On Friday night, the local yacht club was having a fundraiser for the Children's Hospital, so we sat on the banks of the river, had a few drinks, listened to music and watched the sun go down. It was a lovely way to spend an afternoon.
On Saturday we went to a nearby town called Rutherglen for lunch at a nice winery, some wine tasting and more, and then Sunday we went to a couple of local markets and then spent time in the pool!
I did just have a blogging disaster over the weekend. I was about 45 minutes away from home when I realised that I hadn't even thought about taking my laptop with me. I had been so tired on Thursday night that I didn't just finish off my Saturday post so I thought I would just use the Blogger app to just do the last bit. That was a mistake. That removed all the photos and added in about 50 paragraph lines for each time I wanted a break. Oh well, my plan is to repost the post in a couple of weeks time!
Last week I wasn't 100% sure which book I was going to read next, but I ended up deciding to start The Chocolate Factory by Mary-Lou Stephens. I am about 30% through and I am enjoying it! It is all about the creation of the chocolate factory in Hobart in Tasmania.
I only have about 20 minutes left to go in my current audiobook which is The Woman Who Walks in Sunshine by Alexander McCall Smith. Now I need to choose which book to start next. We are going for a bit of a drive over the weekend, so I also need to find a book that we can listen to in the car on the way up!
I'm watching
Last year we watched Amanda and Alan's Italian Job where they bought a decrepit house in Sicily and renovated it. They then sold it and gave the profits to a charity. They are back to do it all again, this time in Tuscany! It's a lot of fun!
We were meant to go and see another French movie last night, but I buggered up when buying them and bought the tickets for Saturday night instead of Sunday night. We were nicely settled in when someone turned up and said you are in our seats! Whoops! So instead we got a coffee and then headed home. I really wanted to see this movie as well!
Life
We went to see the musical version of Groundhog Day on Saturday! It was so good! I could watch it over and over and over again!! (See what I did there??)
I also stretched myself a little bit this weekend by making hot cross buns. My brave husband is eating them, and they taste good, but they are a bit dense. I will try to make them again next year and hopefully they will be a bit softer next year!!
I did have a bit of a panic day yesterday. For some reason I got signed out of my Microsoft account and so I suddenly couldn't access any of my spreadsheets. Now one of these is my list of books that I have read going back to 2004, so I was a bit devastated at the idea of having lost it! Luckily I eventually worked out that I had to log in with a different account and nothing was lost, but phew! I was panicking a bit!
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 2024 TBR. As I am in Australia, this means I am looking at Books on my Autumn 2024 TBR
So these first 4 books are upcoming new releases that I will be reading for blog tours.
Summer at the Santorini Bookshop by Rebecca Raisin - I have read a number of Rebecca Raisin's books set in various locations. I am looking forward to visiting Greece.
Making Memories at the Cornish Cove by Kim Nash - Looking forward to returning to Driftwood Bay.
A Single Act of Kindness by Samantha Tonge - A new Samantha Tonge book. Yay!!
The French Cookery School by Caroline James - A cooking school in France. I'm in!
The remainder are books that I have on my TBR for a variety of reasons:
The Chocolate Factory by Mary-Lou Stephenson - I just started reading this yesterday!
Something New by Lucy Knisley - I borrowed 3 of Knisley's books at the same time!
The Other Bridget by Rachael Johns - One of the few paper books I have bought recently
At the Stroke of Midnight by Jenni Keer - I just finished reading another Jenni Keer
The Shakespeare Sisters by Juliet Greenwood - I am hoping to read the second book on the Shakespeare Sisters series.
The Air Raid Book Club by Annie Lyons - I have heard many good things about this book!
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