I have been thinking about ways I can share reactions and thoughts about a book without necessarily writing a review, so I am thinking that I might start writing a few "Currently Reading" posts. They will mostly be commentary on things like book trailers, or covers, with the synopsis or random thoughts. Who knows really, could be anything. Don't worry, there still will be some reviews!
For my first post I wanted to share the cover for Catherine Delors upcoming release For the King (coming out on July 8). When I first saw the cover for this book online, I liked it, but it was when I saw the actually cover, that I realised just how gorgeous it is. This is because when you look at the whole cover you can see the clever way that the picture wraps around the spine on the dust jacket.
Catherine Delors just posted on her blog showing the whole dust jacket, so you can see the whole image, and also how the colour on the back of the book reflects the colour of the dress on the front. Click on the link above for a larger version of the picture below.
Kudos to the cover designer of this book!
For a taste of what this book is about, here is the book trailer:
Julian Harcourt, duc de Valere, is more than willing to marry the lovely young lady his mother has chosen. Little does he know, she's been sent to prove him a spy and a traitor.
And an even more dangerous secret...
Sarah Smith's mission is to find out whether the Duc's trips to the Continent are as innocent as he claims, but the way he looks at her is far from innocent...
Their risky game of cat and mouse propels them from the ballrooms of London to the prisons of Paris, and into a fragile love that may not survive their deceptions.
Have you ever read a book where the idea was just so much better than the actual experience of reading it? This is one of those books for me.
I really, really loved the set up of this book, and was completely blown away by the first chapter (which really was a prologue) which was involving, exciting and heart breaking. Our hero, Julien Harcourt, duc de Valere, lives in London. He is a French nobleman who has escaped from the French Revolution with his mother and started a new life in England. His family did not however escape unscathed from the Revolution. Not only was his family's wealth lost, but his father was killed, and it was thought that his two younger brothers were also. Whilst Julien is accepted by the ton, he is also somewhat outside the narrow rules that govern behaviour within the ton, and so he has worked very hard to build up the family wealth again, providing shelter for his English born mother. Julien has never however given up hope that perhaps some of his family has escaped their supposed, and so is in constant contact with France, and has on occasion travelled there.
It is this contact that brings Julien to the attention of the British government, and in turn brings Miss Sarah Smith into his life. Sarah is governess to the children of a high ranking government agent and at short notice she is given an ultimatum: accept the role of spying on the Duc by infiltrating his household or lose your position. Sarah has never known any family and spent all her formative years in an orphanage and so feels she has no choice but to accept the role or risk being on the streets, no matter how ill equipped she may be. She is to pretend to be Madamoiselle Serafina Artois, daughter of family friends of the Valere who supposedly escaped the troubles and is now coming to England to marry Julien as she is his mother's choice of bride for her handsome son.
While I loved the set up for Julien, and can only remember reading one other romance which had any hint of this type of character, I felt that the character of Sarah was less successful. Whilst I sort of liked Sarah, I was as unconvinced at her ability to be able to pull off this ruse as she was, and often thought that she was putting herself into unnecessary and unlikely situations to be able to drag the story forward.
There was certainly plenty of drama in the story. From a governess pretending to be a spy, to a Duc who may or may not have been a traitor, trips into some of the seedier parts of London that are often not mentioned in historical romances (or if they are it is in relation to a do-gooder doing charity work there), to a perilous trip to Paris where aristocrats were still very much in danger, to a daring rescue and unlikely revelation regarding identities and the bad guys at the end, there should have been enough to make this a captivating story. In the end I don't think I was captivated as such. Maybe interested is a better way of putting it.
It took me a few days of thinking of the right word to describe my reaction, and in the end I came up with the word skimming. It felt as though the action moved from one point to the next propelled by unlikely plot twists and scenarios with the reader just skimming along with them. I wanted more depth, and more emotion, and to be more invested with our main couple. If anything I preferred the sections where Julien was moving his cause forward despite Sarah's actions (for example in Paris) whereas generally a romance should be about the two halves that come together to make a whole.
The set up for the next two books in the Sons of the Revolution trilogy is started up in this novel, and they sound exactly like something I would enjoy reading, so while I didn't necessarily love this book, I haven't yet given up on Shana Galen.
Her next book, The Making of a Gentleman, sounds as though it features my favourite type of hero - those dark, tortured men whose scars are often more than just physical and is due out in October of this year
Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Eva and myself that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries!
The area I live in is one of the fastest growing areas in my city, and so along with that comes more infrastructure, including new libraries. There was a new library opened about 15 minutes away from me last year, and now there is news of another new one which will be open about 7 minutes away from my house. One of the awesome things about that is that they are stocking the library with all new items - more than $1 million worth of new books, DVDs, CDs etc. Depending on the opening hours I am definitely thinking that the new branch will become my home branch, rather than going to the one I currently go to.
Eva has Mr Linky this week. Here's the loot that I got!
The Ice Cream Girls by Dorothy Koomson - Reloot.
Saving CeeCeeHoneycutt by Beth Hoffman - Ended up taking this one back already as I won a copy from Savvy Verse and With and it arrived.
The Shadowy Horses by Susanna Kearsley - Read it, teased from it, loved it. Now need to borrow the next book that my library has access too. Of course, then I realised that I actually have owned it for more than six months so I could have read it ages ago!
La's Orchestra Saves the World by Alexander McCall Smith - Reloot. I actually had no intention of borrowing this book from the library tonight, but I ended up engaging in conversation with the librarian who recommended it. She was so enthusiastic that she was going to put it on hold for me there and then, but then she checked the catalogue so she went off to get it for me! Hope I like it.
Double Comfort Safari Club by Alexander McCall Smith - Another reloot.
Burned by PC Cast and Kristin Cast - Next book in the House of Night series.
Gale Force by Rachel Caine - Reloot. This is the book that I thought I had lost, but then hadn't. Let's hope the same thing doesn't happen this time.
The Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness- Follow up to The Knife of Never Letting Go which ended on a massive cliffhanger.
Be sure to head on over and share your library finds for this week.
This week I thought I would share two teasers. One is from a book that I just started, and the other is from a book that I just finished, and really enjoyed.
The first teaser comes from page 138 of For the King by Catherine Delors. This book centres around a failed assassination attempt against Napoleon Bonaparte in Paris in 1800. I have to say this cover looks good, but in real life it is absolutely gorgeous, with the woman in the dress wrapping around the spine of the book. So pretty!
It is about time, Madame Coudert, for you to realize that what you want, or don't want, doesn't matter in the least." His voice was down to a hiss now. "I am asking you to something for the cause, and I fully expect you to comply."
The second teaser comes from The Shadowy Horses by Susanna Kearsley which I finished earlier today. This is the third book I have read from this author, and they have all been excellent so far, including this one! I need to get hold of her entire back list so that I can have them here for whenever I need to fall into a book and lose myself in her world.
The teaser comes from page 242:
" Well you do choose your moments, don't you? I mean, we're practically standing on a drunken man, and my students are just round the corner, and Peter could be back at any minute..."
"Just experimenting."
Teaser Tuesday is host by Miz B at Should Be Reading. Head on over to find out all about it, and how to join in!
One of the Google Alerts I have set up is for the phrase Historical Fiction, mainly so I can collate the HT News posts I do over at Historical Tapestry.
Today, one of the links that came through was to a list of the 100 All Time Best Historical Fiction books. You know that I can't go past that without having to comment on it! What I don't know is how this list was collated, who were the judges etc, but it's still a fun exercise to look at! I have commented about the books that I have read in purple
Interesting that Philippa Gregory is apparently the only Tudor author worth reading!
How many of these have you read? Are there any must read HF books that aren't on the list? Are there any books on this list that you can't believe I haven't read yet? Let's talk the best historical fiction novels you have read.
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Ancient & Prehistoric Go way back in these books from prehistoric and ancient times.
The Penelopaid: The Penelopaid offers a rewriting of the Odyssey, Odysseus, Helen, and life in Hades.
The Clan of the Cave Bear: The Clan of the Cave Bear is about the interactions between Neanderthals and Cro-Magnons. (Can't wait to read the sixth book in the series which is out early next year! Have been reading these books since my late teens)
Centennial: Read Centennial to trace the history of northeast Colorado from prehistoric times to the 1970s.
The Secret Magdalene: The Secret Magdalene challenges views of historical events in the New Testament.
The Red Tent: In The Red Tent, you’ll find a retelling of the story of Dinah from the Bible. (This is the book that started me on my blogging journey. I just had to talk to someone, anyone about it when I read it!)
Earth’s Children: The Earth’s Children series is set in Europe during the Upper Paleolithic era, discussing the co-existence of Cro-Magnons and Neanderthals. (See comment on 3 above)
London: Edward Rutherfurd’s novel begins with the birth of the River Thames to present time.
Sarum: Sarum follows the story of England from prehistoric times to the creation of the country of England.
The Bull from the Sea: The Bull From the Sea follows the story of the mythological hero Theseus in Ancient Greece.
Pharaoh: See the stresses and threats that culminate in the fall of Egypt’s Twentieth Dynasty and the New Kingdom in this novel.
The Egyptian: This classic recreates Egypt in the 14th century.
Roman Empire
You can study the Roman empire in these novels.
I, Claudius: I, Claudius covers the life of Claudius and the Julio-Claudian Dynasty of the Roman Empire.
The First Man in Rome: Colleen McCullough’s novel shares the history of important figures in the late Roman republic.
Masters of Rome: Masters of Rome is set during the last days of the old Roman Republic.
Medieval & Middle Ages
In these books, you’ll learn about medieval times.
The Deryni Novels: Katherine Kurtz’s series is set in a medieval kingdom similar to the British Isles of the 10th and 12th centuries.
The Mists of Avalon: The Mists of Avalon follows the life of a priestess working to save her culture.
1000s to 1400s
These novels will take you all the way to the 15th century.
The Physician: Noah Gordon’s novel is about a Christian boy on a journey across Europe to study medicine with the Muslims in the 11th century.
Ivanhoe: Ivanhoe is responsible for an increase in interest in the Middle Ages during the Romanticism era.
Pope Joan: This novel follows the life of medieval legend Pope Joan, who dresses as a man and eventually becomes the pope. (I thought this was on okay read, but not spectacular)
The Pillars of the Earth: Ken Follet’s popular novel, The Pillars of the Earth, is about the building of a 12th century cathedral’s construction in Kingsbridge, England.
The Journeyer: Study the life of Marco Polo in this historical novel.
The Name of the Rose: Italian author Umberto Eco’s murder mystery combines learning in an Italian monastery in 1327.
Katherine: Anya Seton’s novel tells the story of Katherine Swynford and John of Gaunt. (Classic historical fiction if there is such a thing.)
The Sunne in Splendor: Follow King Richard III from his time as a young boy to his defeat at the Battle of Bosworth Field. (My first Richard III novel, and still the best)
The Agony and the Ecstasy: Irving Stone shares this biographical novel about the sculptor Michelangelo.
1500s and 1600s
Check out these novels to read about the 16th and 17th centuries.
The Last Light of the Sun: This fantasy novel draws heavily on the Viking invasions of Saxon England.
The Drawing of the Dark: A 16th century Irish mercenary soldier is the focus of Tim Powers’ book.
The Scarlet Letter: Nathaniel Hawthorne’s work tells the story of an adulteress who gives birth in 17th century Puritan Boston.
Forever Amber: In this novel, Amber St. Clare sleeps her way up through the ranks of 17th century English society. Another classic.
Year of Wonders: Year of Wonders is based on a small village in Derbyshire trying to survive the Plague. (Loved this book, except for the very strange ending!)
Shadows on the Rock: 17th century Quebec is discussed in this novel by American writer Willa Cather.
City of Dreams: City of Dreams tells the story of early Manhattan. (I really liked this one too. It covers a long period of time and a lot of action, but is a very interesting read)
The Three Musketeers: Alexander Dumas wrote this novel about inseparable friends in the 17th century.
American Frontier
These books offer the stories of the American frontier.
Mr. Tucket: Gary Paulsen’s novel is about Francis Tucket, who strays from his family’s wagon on the Oregon Trail.
My Antonia: See life from the perspective of an immigrant girl on the Nebraska plains in this novel.
Cenceit: Conceit shares the story of Peggy Donne, who is the daughter of poet John Donne.
Silence: Silence is a historical fiction novel about a Jesuit missionary in 17th century Japan.
Girl with a Pearl Earring: Girl with a Pearl Earring recreates the setting in which the famous Vermeer painting was created. (None of the Tracy Chevalier books I have read since have lived up to the enjoyment I got from this book!)
1700s and 1800s
In these novels, you’ll go from the 18th century to more modern times.
Rob Roy: Rob Roy takes place in the time of the Jacobite Rising in Scotland.
Roots: Study Kunta Kinte’s life and resulting family in Roots.
Outlander: Read this novel series that highlights Scottish clan life in the 18th century. (Jamie and Claire. Jamie in particular. Sigh.)
The Talisman Ring: The Talisman Ring is a historical romance novel set in the Georgian era.
Arthur & George: Read the stories of two very different men brought together in late 19th century Britain. (Really didn't enjoy this one all that much.)
Henry Paget Flashman: Flashman is a an antihero of the 19th century. (I've read one of the Flashman books. It's very politically incorrect, but a lot of fun.)
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan: See the lives of women in 19th century China in Snow Flower and the Secret Fan. (I have enjoyed all of Lisa See's historical fiction novels.)
Wuthering Heights: Wuthering Heights is set in northern England’s Yorkshire moors in the 1800s.
Alias Grace: Alias Grace discusses the 1843 murders of Thomas Kinnear and his housekeeper Nancy Montgomery in Canada.
Lonesome Dove: Follow retired Texas Rangers from Texas to Montana in Lonesome Dove. (It's nearly time for me to read this book again.)
Les Miserables: Victor Hugo’s novel depicts the lives of poor French characters in the early 19th century.
The Last Empress: Anchee Min’s novel shares an account of Empress Dowager Cixi’s life.
City of Glory: City of Glory discusses New York during the War of 1812. Another Beverly Swerling novel that I enjoyed immensely
Death Comes for the Archbishop: In this novel, Willa Cather writes about a Catholic bishop and priest establishing a diocese in New Mexico Territory.
One Thousand White Women: One Thousand White Women writes the story of May Dodd and other pioneer women who intermarried among the Cheyenne Indians.
The Alienist: Caleb Carr’s novel studies murder in 1896 New York City.
The Angel of Darkness: The Angel of Darkness is a sequel to The Alienist, sharing the mystery of Senora Linares’s missing child.
1900s and 2000s
Study more recent history in these novels.
Teito Monogatari: Read this book to see the history of Edo from an occultist perspective.
The Good Earth: Pearl S. Buck won the Pulitzer Prize for this book about the family life of a Chinese village before the 1949 Revolution. This was a very interesting read that I read with an online book club a number of years ago.
The Color Purple: The Color Purple shares female black life in the South during the 1930s.
Ragtime: Ragtime is a mix of American families and historical figures in important American events, set from 1900 until 1917.
Middlesex: Middlesex tells the story of Greek immigration to the United States. Fascinating book. Listened to it on audio years ago, and it is still one of the best listening experiences I have had.
A Thousand Splendid Suns: Learn about the lives of Afghan women in their lives from the 1960s to 2003. Excellent book. Historical fiction though?
Snow Falling on Cedars: Study a murder case on the Washington coast in 1954 on Snow Falling on Cedars.
The Grapes of Wrath: John Steinbeck’s award winning novel tells the story of sharecroppers in the Great Depression.
The Joy Luck Club: The Joy Luck Club looks into the lives of immigrant Chinese women in the United States. I read this book years ago.
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn follows three generations of an American family beginning in 1912.
Water for Elephants: Water for Elephants focuses on a traveling circus in the time of the Great Depression. Another excellent read
The Thorn Birds: The Thorn Birds follows the Cleary family in the Australian outback from 1915 to 1969. Wow. What a book!I remember watching the mini series when I was a teenager and being shocked, and then reading the book. Need to revisit this one.
War
A popular subject, these novels are set in times of war.
Captain Alatriste: Arturo Perez-Reverte’s novel series follows the adventures of a Spanish soldier in the 17th century.
Gone with the Wind: This romantic novel is set in Civil War and Reconstruction Georgia. Another classic!
Slaughterhouse-Five: Slaughterhouse-Five is a World War II-era science fiction novel by Kurt Vonnegut.
Sharpe: Bernard Cornwell’s Sharpe series is all about Sharpe in the Napoleonic Wars.
A Tale of Two Cities: Charles Dickens set this novel in London and Paris during the time of the French Revolution.
The Corps: WEB Griffin’s series wrote this series about the Marine Corps in the years surrounding World War II and the Korean Conflict.
Horatio Hornblower: Horatio Hornblower’s series follows a junior Royal Navy Captain on a mission in Central America during the Napoleonic Wars.
War and Peace: The epic novel War and Peace discusses the details of the events leading up to Napoleon’s invasion of Russia.
The Book Thief: The Book Thief explores Death in WWII Germany. Loved this book when I read it a couple of years ago.
Memoirs of a Geisha: Arthur Golden’s book tells the story of a Kyoto geisha during the time of World War II. Not so fussed about this one. It was good but I didn't think it was great. Maybe it had been overhyped to me by the time I got to it.
Tales of the Otori: Lian Hearn’s historical novel series is based on feudal Japan.
King Rat: King Rat is set in a Japanese POW camp in 1945.
Doctor Zhivago: See the story of a man torn between two women in the Russian Revolution of 1917 and the Russian Civil War.
The English Patient: You will learn about the histories of a series of men living out World War II in an Italian villa.
The Killer Angels: The Killer Angels is a Pulitzer Prize winning novel about the Battle of Gettysburg.
Number the Stars: Number the Stars is a historical fiction about the Holocaust in WWII.
Cold Mountain: Charles Frazier’s story discusses a wounded deserter from the Confederate army.
The Shadow of the Wind: Just after the Spanish Civil War in Barcelona, a young writer is mysteriously approached to write a book. One of my favourites!
The Fiery Cross: The Fiery Cross features the politics and turmoil of the American Revolution. Part of the Outlander series. Surprised to see this one make it into the list when others didn't!
Like Water for Chocolate: See love, longing, and magical realism in this Mexican Revolution novel.Another one that I read years ago that I would like to revisit.
World Without End: Check out Ken Follet’s novel with a plot incorporating the Hundred Years’ War and the Black Death.
Tales of the South Pacific: James A. Michener’s collection of short stories about World War II won a Pulitzer Prize.
Last week I announced the Australian Book Blogger Directory so this week's TSS is going to be a bit of an update on that project, but the main focus for today is going to be around definitions. Does your blog have to be all books all the time to be considered a book blog? How about author blogs? Their focus is on books, admittedly usually only their own books, but still?
First up though an update! After one week we have nearly 50 Aussie book blogs registered which is totally awesome, and a fantastic start! My plan is to spend tomorrow getting all the entries I currently have up on the blog.
Some of the most pleasing aspects of this first week is that after the first few days it was probably 50/50 in terms of the numbers of new to me blogs versus the Australian blogs I already knew about. My Google Reader isn't thanking me, but I am loving finding all these new blogs. Now I just have to carve out more blog hopping time to keep up with them.
The other pleasing thing was that I was able to see new connections being made between people who hadn't discovered each other's blogs before, finding other people with similar tastes in reading. That was one of the aims I had for the directory so I am very hopeful that this will continue.
Before I move onto definitions, I just wanted to say thank you to those of you who posted about the Australian Book Blogger Directory. I don't want to forget anyone so I am not going to name names, but thank you for your support! I really appreciate it, and also to Violet for making a button for the directory.
So this leads me to my questions for today.
When I announced the creation of the Book Blogger Directory I got a couple of emails in particular asking what kind of blogs can be included. Which really is what is a book blogger? Here's a quote from one of those emails:
I would love to spread the word but need to know what your criteria are for "book blog". I am on an Aussie writer list and am happy to tell them about it. Some review books so that's easy. Some review books and write about writing. Some review books occasionally. Some don't review books but they write books! Are you happy to let them decide if they belong to the book blogging fraternity and apply to join the directory? I do think of myself as a book blogger, but also an education and parenting blogger. I have several Australian followers who are mombloggers. If they review books sometimes, can they join?
For the purposes of ABBD, I am really interested in connecting people with similar interests and who will be keen to meet up with other book bloggers in future, so I suspect that my definition might be a bit looser than some other peoples might be. Personally, if someone wants to call themselves a book blogger (and there is some bookish content on their blogs) then I am happy for them to join up, but then again, I actually don't see ABBD as my blog, but rather a community project, so will be happy to discuss other blogger's ideas.
So, what do we all think? Is an author a book blogger, or do they need to at least be chatting about other people's books as well as their own to qualify? What about other types of bloggers who occasionally talk books? What about blogs that are attached to bookstores? Often there are reviews amongst their posts, but really the aim is to try to get people to buy from the store.
Is there a definition somewhere of what a book blogger is or isn't? Does anyone who has signed up for the ABBD have strong opinions as to who should and shouldn't be included?
So, my question to anyone who wants to respond is "How do you define the term book blogger?"
I haven't posted a Weekend Cooking post for a couple of weeks, mainly because I have been too busy enjoying foodie related events, rather than thinking about or reading them.
It all started a couple of weeks ago when a couple of friends and I got together on the Friday night for dinner and drinks. The major reason for this get together was to share a bottle of wine that my friend's dad had sent over to her. I think it is fair to say that it is the most expensive bottle of wine that I have ever partaken of!
She cooked us beautiful steak and vegetables, and we drank the wine with dinner (having already started with a different bottle before dinner!). I love eating steak, but I don't think I do a particularly good job of cooking it, so it is very enjoyable when other people cook it well for me!
I am not really a wine expert. I drink red wine, but generally prefer white, and so when we were discussing the wine as we were drinking it I was having to read the description off of the bottle - long, silky tannins, aged in new French oak etc. It was very nice, but I don't often have a spare $150 lying to spend on one bottle of wine.
It was a great night though, followed by a cafe breakfast the next morning. I could totally get used to other people cooking for me all the time!
My friend has photos and if I can get them off of her, then I will add them to this post later.
Last weekend, I was lucky enough to attend the Good Food and Wine show that was on here in Melbourne. I have actually been to a few of these shows. The first time I went was when I lived in Sheffield in the UK, and the show was being held in Birmingham. Once we got on a train going in the right direction, my friend and I had an excellent day. The second time I went from Sheffield to London with different friends.
Since living in Melbourne I think it is the third or maybe fourth time that I have been, but this is the first time that I didn't have my son with me, so it definitely felt like there was more good wine this time as opposed to good food! I was very careful to plan my day so I didn't have to drive at all, because you only get little tries of each type of wine, but you try so many so you really have no idea how much alcohol you really have had.
One of the highlights of going to these shows is that you get to see some celebrity chefs. In the past I have seen Donna Hay, who is probably one of Australia's best known cooks, and Ainsley Harriott who is an English chef who puts on such a great all round show rather than just a cooking demonstration. This year we got to see a French/Australian chef Manu Fieldel do a demo. He has risen to prominence this year in particular as he has been co-hosting one of the reality TV cooking shows, along side another chef, Pete Evans, both of whom are very easy on the eyes! Being French, there is the gorgeous accent, and lots of jokes about loving women, using just a little bit of cream (as he pours entire cartons in), and a fair bit of a naughtiness (oh Manu!). It was fun especially as he had a bit of a circus theme because he was in the circus for a couple of years as a youngster.
As his demonstration, he made two dishes. The first was a seafood sausage which I can not imagine eating but it is apparently one of his best selling dishes at the restaurant he runs in Sydney, called L'Etoile. It involved white fish, cream, herbs and scallops and then made into a skinless sausage (cue jokes about firm sausages, and appropriate french noises!).
The other dish he made was Apple Tarte Tatin (or as it is described on the menu for his restaurant Le Tarte de Tatin de Maman - Mum's caramelised apple tart with sour cream) , and I have to tell you that I have been craving this all week just to try. It looked fantastic, and it didn't look THAT difficult to make, so I have found a recipe online, and I am going to give that a try tomorrow I think. I did try another recipe tonight which I will probably post about next week.
I have decided though that you really need to go to this event twice. One day is a walking around and trying food and wine day and buying lots of things, and the other is a day where you go and attend some of the classes that are run (like the cheese experience, or cooking with herbs classes). The other thing I would like to do next year is eat in the restaurant that is there that some of the chefs cook for. Oh, and I would try and go on a Friday in the hope that there wouldn't be quite so many people around. It was busy!
I didn't think that you were allowed to take photos, so I didn't, but for a run down of someone else's day at the Good Food and Wine show including photos, check out this post from Kimba's World Kitchen. She lives in Melbourne, and does amazing looking food posts!
I picked up quite a new full sized cook book, and a couple of mini books, and a few bargains, which is another of the highlights of the show too, and tried a whole heap of different foods. It's a bit strange really. You walk around the show, and at one stall you might try divine fudge, and then next stall might be duck, and then some salsa, then some berries etc. You don't so much eat as graze intermittently.
Here's just a brief sample of Manu's gorgeous accent, and he is very cheeky as well!
As if that isn't enough foodie events, I also went out for dinner on Sunday night to one of the local restaurants for my birthday! I had stuffed Petto di Pollo which is Chicken breast, stuffed with sun dried tomatoes, bocconcini and pesto drizzled with a Napoli & cream sauce. Yum.
And then dessert was a tasting plate that consisted of banana crepes and brandy snap basket filled with mascarpone and fresh berries. I was a bit worried about them being on the same plate. They were both nice, but I would have been happy with the brandy snap basket dessert on it's own. Years ago I made a dessert which was poached pears with mascarpone which I loved. Will have to look through my magazines to see if I can find it again because I remember it being so good!
So there you have it, two weekends of foodie experiences, with more to come next week! I will try to get into the habit of taking photos of my food before I start eating it!
Weekend Cooking is hosted by Beth Fish Reads and is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, fabulous quotations, photographs.
I was talking to my boss yesterday and told him that I possibly should have mentioned when he hired me that I am going to be a bit of a zombie for the next month or so. I actually was exaggerating a little bit. If it wasn't for the time zones which mean that most of the games start either around midnight or at 4.30am, I would probably end up watching a lot more of the World Cup than I am going to. When you add in that Wimbledon is in a couple of week (on overnight) and Tour de France as well as the normal Australian winter sports, then there is a lot of spectating going one during the month of June!
My enjoyment of soccer is one of the few legacies left from the five years spent in the UK back in the late 90s, unless you count my son of course, and the occasional Thorntons toffee when I can get it.
One of the best things about the World Cup is getting to see Lucas Neill (Socceroo captain) on the news all the time! Yep, it doesn't take much to keep me happy!
Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Eva and myself that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries!
A few weeks ago I mentioned that I had a book still on my library list that I was sure I had returned. Things came to a head last week when it couldn't be extended any further. If the librarian hadn't been busy I would have actually gone through the process of declaring the book lost as I had checked the car, checked the shelf where I keep my library books and checked everywhere. I said that I would do it next time, so came home, and promptly found the book on the floor near my shelf! Apparently I had a boy look!
Here is the loot I borrowed from the library this week
Serpent in the Thorns by Jeri Westerson - I read the first book in this series a while ago, and never thought to check if my library had the second one until the other day.
Emma Vol 4 by Kaoru Mori - I posted about the first three volumes earlier this week, and I am pleased to get hold of this next book in the series.
Twilight: the graphic novel by Stephenie Meyer/Kim Young - why not. Just to have a look at really.
What loot did you get out from the library this week? Leave your link in Mr Linky below so we can all stop by and have a look!
Sorry for the radio silence this week so far. I have a house guest and so have been busy, busy, busy. I have also been starting to get some of the entries up at Australian Book Blogger Directory! Need to spend some time catching up on blog hopping later this week!
My teaser this week comes from The Brothers of Gwynedd by Edith Pargeter. I have teased from the first part, Sunrise in the West, a couple of times at the beginning of May, and now this teaser comes from the second part, The Dragon at Noonday. I am taking four sentences from page 360:
As for thinking of what I had left behind me, or of what I had to tell, I thought not at all. I could not. Everything I had seen, and suffered, and done, was live within me, and I so full of it there was no room for thought. I lived and acted, and that was all.
Teaser Tuesday is host by Miz B at Should Be Reading. Head on over to find out all about it, and how to join in!
I've been working on a new project for the last little while, and today is the day that I can share the details. First though, I thought I would talk about the whys and then give the detail.
For quite a long time, I have been thinking about Aussie bloggers and wondering about how many there are and how to connect with more. Some times I have been reading a blog for a few weeks and then suddenly they will post something and the penny will drop and I realise that they are an Australian! I am sure that there are loads of Australian book blogs that I either don't realise or Aussies or who I haven't come across before!
Reading about all the fun that everyone had in New York connecting with each other in real life at BEA was the next prompt, as was the acceptance that there appeared to be from the big published house towards bloggers at BEA.
The idea behind the directory is that it is a place where people can register their blogs, plus a few details like what genres you like to blog about, and a general idea of location. Then hopefully we will be able to easily find other Australian bloggers with similar reading interests that you might not already know about, or other bloggers who may live in your area.
The second aim in setting up the directory is with a view to starting to get blogger meet-ups happening, at this stage probably in the capital cities, and maybe aligned with some of the major bookish festivals. In due course, assuming enough interest, we will look towards trying to set up a national book blogger event.
The third aim in setting up the directory is to try and raise the profile of Australian book blogging with some of the major publishers here. I don't know if I am just not aware of it happening, but I can't think of many examples where Australian publishers are working with book bloggers in the same way as it happens in other countries.
So are you an Australian book blogger? If yes, and it doesn't matter if you are a kids lit book blog, or a romance blog, or YA, or any type of book blogger really, head on over and add your details. Hopefully you will be able to connect with other bloggers who share your interests.
I would really appreciate people would help spread the word, to try and make the directory as comprehensive as possible. Also, if anyone has any graphic skills and would like to make some kind of badge that we could use both on the website and maybe to display on our blogs let me know! I do not have any skills in that area at all. Finally, if anyone has any suggestions on how to make the directory better, then I will be glad to hear them.
I would like to say specific thanks to Kerrie from Mysteries in Paradise, Amanda from Desert Book Chick and Kat from Bookthingo who were all very helpful in checking out the site and giving suggestions to help make it as easy and user friendly as possible.
The Alphabet in Historical Fiction challenge being hosted by Historical Tapestry continues and this time I want to focus on a manga series that is set in Victorian England - the Emma series by KaoruMori. So far I have read three of the books in this series, so I thought I would do mini reviews of those three books.
I have read very little manga, but when I heard about this series, I was interested enough to give it a go, mainly because it was a way of being introduced to manga but without going too far out of my comfort zone given the historical setting.
One of the interesting things about this series is that in a way it seems to be a series of entertaining vignettes within an apparently slow moving storyline, and yet there is humour, there are historical details and there are amazing images that convey a very colourful storyline, all in black and white. The class distinctions between our two main characters might not always at the very forefront of the storyline, but it is always bubbling away in the background, none more so when the two characters are portrayed in their own individual environments.
The characters are all visually appealing and very much fit into the setting of the novels, without losing the 'manga' style.
I have only read the first three in the series so far, but I have every intention of reading more. Below are the covers and synopses, and just a couple of highlights from each novel that I have read.
An upstairs gentlemen and a downstairs servant share a secret love.
The saga begins. In Victorian England, a young girl named Emma is rescued from a life of destitution and raised to become a proper British maid. When she meets William, the eldest son of a wealthy family, their love seems destined. But in this world, even matters of the heart are ruled by class distinctions.
Emma is the maid to the former school teacher of a young gentleman, William. They meet when he comes to visit his former teacher, and there is an immediate attraction. Like the setting, the courtship such as it is, is very understated and gradual, that is until William's friend arrives from the continent complete with his entourage of dancers and elephants, and he too is attracted to Emma.
London's elite society places great importance on class differences, unlike William Jones. He regards Emma as a beautiful, charming young woman and not merely a servant. After their first real date, things seem to be going in a positive direction for them. But the leisurely pace of the growing relationship between them ends suddenly when disaster strikes at home.
Whilst in the previous book, the class differences between the two characters were present, it is in this book that the consequences of going against societal norms come to the fore.
A chance meeting leads Emma to a new situation ... and new challenges
One the train back to her hometown, Emma meets Tasha, a maid working at a wealthy family's mansion in the country. This fateful encounter leads leads to Emma finding employment with the family as well. But despite her years of experience as a maid for Mrs Stownar, living in a mansion filled with servants is something for which she is not prepared.
Circumstances have changed for Emma,and it is only as a result of a fortuitous meeting on a train that Emma finds herself employed in a large house, part of a large group of household servants, and that we therefore get to see more of life downstairs, including a really fun scene where the servants get to celebrate with a party.
Meanwhile William is trying his hardest to meet his family's expectations.
Here are the remaining covers from the original series. There have now also been a further 3 books released which tell the background stories of some of the secondary characters.
For other opinions on this series check out the following links. A couple of them includes some examples of the art.
Wow! This is very cool! I just saw this trailer for Kate Morton's next book at Readin' and Dreamin', and really had to share, firstly because it is awesome, and secondly because I have really liked Kate Morton's books and so I am looking forward to this book!
Dreadful rumors swirl around the impoverished Irish lord known as "The Devil Earl". But Faelen Savigar hides a dark secret, for even he doesn't know what dreadful deeds he may be capable of.
A woman cursed by the gift of "sight"
Roderica Delamore fears no man will ever want a wife who can read his every thought and emotion, until she encounters Faelan. As the two find their way to each other against all odds, Roddy becomes determined to save Faelen from his terrifying and mysterious ailment. But will their lvoe end up saving him ... or destroying her?
A breathtaking historical romance filled with poignancy, darkness, love, and an unexpected twist of Gaelic magic…
I am going to have to start this review with a bit of a rant! I really, really don’t like books where the hero refers to the heroine as little girl or little love or anything like that. Unfortunately, the author uses this as an endearment between our hero of this novel, Faelen Savigar, and the heroine, Roddy Delamore, and every time he called her that name I wanted to throw the book down and walk away. I was hoping that it would just be in the early part of the book, and that in due course Faelen would grow to see her as more than a little girl, but alas it didn't happen, at least in terms of endearments. To me, it just sounds so condescending and a little bit wrong.
Now that that is out of the way a bit more about the book. Roddy has always been a little bit different, and she has always been aware that other people look at her a bit askance, a little bit fearful of what it is that is different about her. She can hear the thoughts and feel the emotions of humans and creatures near her. When she is at the races, she feels the pain of a racing horse, knowing that if it keeps on being forced to race it’s heart will give out. The owner of the horse is known as the Devil Earl, including that he murdered his father at a young age. He is a man who lives on the periphery of accepted society, and about whom many rumours swirl. He doesn’t really even trust himself as there are many occasions where he loses days, not knowing where he has been or what he has been doing. Amazingly for Roddy who wants a life away from her parents meaning marriage and children, he is also a man that she can’t get inside the head of, even if she tries, and that makes him attractive to her. She therefore suggest to him that perhaps he could court her.
Whilst her family are initially reluctant to agree to the match, Roddy convinces them that he is indeed the man she wants to marry and they agree. What follows their wedding is danger, intrigue, rebellion and mysticism with its heart in the Irish countryside. Faelen is hoping to rebuild his family’s crumbling estate, but before he can do that, his friend must move on the guns that he has illegally stored at the estate. It is however no easy matter to remove that number of weapons undetected by the English soldiers who are on the lookout for traitors, and feel no sense of injustice by destroying peoples homes and livelihoods in the process. From spectral haunting, to dangerous attempts to free people from jail, this book would seem to have all the ingredients for a cracking good read.
While all of this sounds very dramatic, I had trouble being interested enough in the storyline, and actually felt a bit lost at times as the mystical and then the temporal elements jostled for time at the forefront of the book.
I have liked the books I have read by this author before, but unfortunately this one didn’t work as well for me! Even by the time I got to the end of the book, I wasn't quite sure what at least two of the characters were and how they fitted into the big picture.
Whilst the paranormal elements in this novel were different from a lot of the books that are being released now, I do think that if you have been reading romance for a while you would recognise the style as a more older fashioned type of paranormal, which makes sense give that this book was originally published in 1987.
Thanks to Sourcebooks who provided me with a review copy of this book.
This book counted for the 2010 Pub Challenge, and the Romance Reading Challenge that I am participating in.
Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Eva and myself that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries!
Eva's back! Yay! That means that this week's Mr Linky will be over at A Striped Armchair so head on over to share your loot.
I have had another pretty big week loot wise (for me anyway). Here's what I got.
Jaran by Kate Elliott - Amanda from Desert Book Chick recently talked about this novel as a must read sci-fi. I am not a huge reader of this genre, but it sounded interesting enough to capture my attention.
The Oak Apple by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles - Reloot, yes again. This is the next book in the Morland Dynasty series and I really do want to read it.
Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier - Another reloot.
The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters - Reloot. I haven't read Sarah Waters yet. I have borrowed her books a few times but keep on having to return it unread.
Never Love a Lawman by Jo Goodman - Despite the fact that Jo Goodman has quite a large backlist, my library only has a few of her books. Not too long ago I borrowed Beyond a Wicked Kiss, but even just reading the first pages it was obvious that the book was part of a series, and I can't stand reading books out of order. I therefore returned that book and instead borrowed this one.
The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker by Leanna Renee Hieber - When this book first came out I checked the library catalogue but there was no listing. I am not sure what made me check again, but now the book is in so I had to borrow it.
Island of the Swans by Ciji Ware - I started reading A Cottage by the Sea earlier this week, and before I was more than 50 pages in I was checking the library catalogue to see what other books they had by this author.
Coventry by Helen Humphreys - This is another book where it caught my eye when it was first released but I checked the catalogue and it wasn't there. I am glad it is now.
The King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner - Reloot again. This time I will actually read it!
I love a good time slip novel. The idea of being able to look back and experience life in the past seems like a really fun one to me. I don't think I actually remembered that this was a time slip novel before I started it, so it was a pleasant surprise when I realised that it was!
My teaser today comes from page 86:
As if conducting an experiment, Blythe rested her forefinger lightly on the glass that protected the genealogy chart itself. Then she whispered aloud her own name. Immediately she felt the same strange force as beginning to pull at her, almost as if she were hurtling down a steep incline on a roller-coaster ride that was traveling at a hundred miles an hour.
Teaser Tuesday is host by Miz B at Should Be Reading. Head on over to find out all about it, and how to join in!
We are very happy to announce that the beginning of June also means the beginning of Anya Seton Season at Historical Tapestry!
Over the next month there will be reviews, giveaways, guest posts and more! We hope that you will take the time to drop by and see what we have lined up.
Last week I announced the Australian Book Blogger Directory so this week's TSS is going to be a bit of an update on that project, but the main focus for today is going to be around definitions. Does your blog have to be all books all the time to be considered a book blog? How about author blogs? Their focus is on books, admittedly usually only their own books, but still?
So, what do we all think? Is an author a book blogger, or do they need to at least be chatting about other people's books as well as their own to qualify? What about other types of bloggers who occasionally talk books? What about blogs that are attached to bookstores? Often there are reviews amongst their posts, but really the aim is to try to get people to buy from the store.
