This week.....

I haven't participated in It's Monday! What are you reading? for a few weeks or so. I am once again/still very, very busy at work and so I am not finding as much time as I should to read, and if you aren't reading much it's hard to blog about reading right?

Today, though, is a public holiday so I can take advantage of only thinking about work instead of actually working!

I'm reading......

I've got a couple of books on the go at the moment. Both of them are set during WWII but that is where the similarities end. 

The first is A New York Secret by Ella Carey. This is the first book in a trilogy called New York Daughters, and it won't be a surprise to hear that it is set in New York. The story is about a well-bred young society woman who is determined to not follow the accepted society rules of marrying an acceptable rich man and living the life of a society lady. Instead she is determined to become the head chef in a restaurant. So far, I am really enjoying this book, and in fact it may well be the best book Ella Carey has written. It is also one of those books which makes you hungry when you read it. My review for this book will be up later this week.



The other book I started in the last week was The Rose Code by Kate Quinn. This time the book is set in England with the code breakers who were based at Bletchley Park. I can't wait to read more.

I'm watching....

We seem to have stalled on multiple  TV series that we were watching, to the point that I saw someone mention a show in a blog post and it reminded me that I had completely forgotten about the show. That's a danger when you have to wait each week for a new episode

We did binge watch The Casketeers season 3 on Friday night. I have posted before about this show, and I was excited to hear that season 4 is just showing in New Zealand, which means it won't be long before we get to see it. The Casketeers is a reality show set in a funeral home. When I write that there's no way that you would think that the show would be funny and gentle and uplifting. And yet, it is all of that and more. It is a delight!

Life

This weekend we had a three day weekend. Whilst we didn't go away, we did a lot of driving as we went to catch up with friends all over the place. The next time, we should insist that at least one of them came to us right?  And catching up means a few drinks. I think I have probably had more to drink in these two days than I had for the last 6 months. Maybe I am a bit out of practice.

Whilst we enjoyed the 50th party on Saturday and brunch with an old friend on Sunday, we also enjoyed our outing to the Yarra Valley on Sunday afternoon. I hadn't heard of it before, but the winery we visited was lovely. We sat around outside, sharing a charcuterie board, drinking nice wine and listening to a guy with a guitar singing! It was very pleasant way to spend a Sunday afternoon and even though it is a fair way from home we will visit again at some point. Very civilized.

Posts from the last week

Historical Fiction Reading Challenge

Weekend Cooking: The Winemaker's Wife by Kristin Harmel

Six Degrees of Separation

I've linked this post to It's Monday, what are you reading? as hosted by Book Date

This week....

I'm reading

After last week's post where I lamented the challenges I am facing in keeping up with library and blog post due dates in my reading, this week I would like to add one more layer of complexity into the mix. Normally my book club is read upon a theme, but this month we decided that we would follow the more traditional approach of all reading the same book. The book club meeting is on Saturday and no, I haven't even started reading the book yet. I don't think I will get it read in time but we will see. I would like to finish it this month as it will count for Women in Translation month.

I did finish a few books this week. I finished reading The Midnight Bakery by Emma Davies. I liked this one and will review it at some point in the near future as a Weekend Cooking post. 

I also finished reading The Florence Sisters by Tessa Harris. This was my first book by this author and I will keep an eye out for me. I plan to review this in a couple of weeks.

I did read The Girl from the War Room by Catherine Law, which I am on a blog tour for this week. I also am due to review The Friendship List by Beth Miller this week. I have started it but still need to finish it.

I also started The Whisky Widow by Karen Brooks which is a library book that is due back and I can't extend. I have read a bit of this and so far really like it. I am not sure why I haven't read Karen Brooks before as I own several of her books.

I did also go to two author events this week. The first was to hear Anne Freeman and Madeleine Cleary talk about Women of Ill Repute. Madeleine Cleary's debut novel is The Butterfly Women and it is set in a brothel in 1850's Melbourne. Anne Freeman's latest book, Me That You See, is about contemporary online sex workers. The conversation was wide ranging and covered topics like what has and hasn't changed for those who make their living in this way. It was really interesting. I reviewed The Butterfly Women here.

The second event was a launch for a book called In the Long Run by Emma Mugglestone which is a romance novel where the characters are members of a running club, which apparently is a great place to meet people these days. It would never have worked for me because I don't think I could run even if I was being chased by lions! Coincidentally, Anne Freeman was the interviewer at this event so I got to meet her twice in just a few days.

The launch was lots of fun! There was a great vibe, great conversation, a cocktail, cake and so much more!

I'm watching

Last week was the final of Masterchef Australia. Now we have to work out what to watch every night! We have Bake Off one night but not sure what else!

We did watch the first episode The Casketeers: Life and Death Around the World. The Casketeers is a show that we have watched previously and it follows a funeral company as they prepare those who have passed for their final farewell. It is very tender and funny, and now the couple visits various places around the world to learn more about the funerary traditions. The first place that they visited was Tonga. It doesn't sound like it would be particularly amusing, but it is funny and compassionate, and ultimately is uplifting TV

Life

We went and had afternoon tea with some friends at the Ritz Carlton in Melbourne on Saturday afternoon. The dining area and reception are on the 80th floor, and the views are exceptional! The afternoon tea itself was good, although I was a bit disappointed in the scones. The hit for me were the savoury items, which is a bit unusual for me. Normally I am all about the sweet treats. I'll post more about this soon.

Posts from the last week


Top Ten Tuesday: Books I read in August over the last 11 years
Beartown by Fredrik Backman
Blog Tour: Will You Stay Another Day? by Samantha Tonge
The Secrets of the Huon Wren by Claire van Ryn
Weekend Cooking: The Deadly Dispute by Amanda Hampson
Spell the Month in Books: August


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

This week...

I'm reading....

I haven't really been reading that much for the last few weeks. Doing plenty of thinking about books, and blogging about books but not that much actual reading. I did finish The Goldminer's Sister by Alison Stuart which I loved (my review is here) and then I started reading Something to Talk About by Rachael Johns. This book is a follow up to Talk of the Town which was originally published in 2017. I didn't read it until early this year because I knew this book was coming out. This book has been sitting on my bedside table for a couple of months but now that I have started it I have slipped straight back into the town of Walsh.


I'm watching....

We finished watching The Casketeers so now we are looking for a new series to watch. We watched a couple of episodes of Unsolved Mysteries on Friday night but I am not sure if we will continue with that or not.

We did do a virtual movie night with friends. The idea is to choose something cheesy to watch together and then we chat about it, and by chat I mean that we make sarcastic converation! This week we watched The Expendables, which means it meets the criteria. I spent a lot of time googling useless information so I was obviously fully invested.

We did also watch The Old Guard which is a new Netflix movie starring Charlize Theron. The movie is based on a graphic novel by Greg Rucka. who was also involve in the production of the movie. It's actually a pretty good movie, if you can live with a bit of blood and lots of shoot outs. My husband has been comparing it to The Highlander. And the story is tailor made for a sequel!

Life....

As I mentioned in my post on Thursday, we have gone back into lockdown as of last week and we will be in it for at least 6 weeks. The numbers of people being confirmed as positive for COVID-19 continue to rise. Our numbers are nowhere near as high as those in other countries but they are the highest numbers we have had since the beginning. One interesting thing is that, for the first time, it has been recommended that we wear masks when we are in situations where we cannot effectively socially distance, so far example on public transport, or in a cab.

Whilst it was almost inevitable that we would go back into lockdown once the numbers started rising, I still feel a little despondent I guess. Or maybe the word is tired. I am tired of watching the news and seeing so few positive stories. I am tired of the media skewing everything to their own agenda. Why tell a story about the good side of people when you can concentrate on the worst of people, both of which are on show at this time. I think our state premier has done a pretty good job in unprecedented circumstances, and yet there are people who constantly criticise what he has or has not done, and yet they don't really offer up sensible alternatives. What I know is that I would not want to be in his shoes. I cannot imagine how much pressure he is under, how many issues he is dealing with on a daily basis. There  are now people who are calling for his resignation, but I can't think how changing leaders right now can possibly be the best thing for the people in this state.

Anyway....

Posts from the last week

Top Ten Tuesday: Authors I Have Read the Most Books By
Paris in July: Everyone loves Paris
Alphabet 2020: M is for Melbourne
Review: The Goldminer's Sister by Alison Stuart
Weekend Cooking: Cassoulet

Paris in July: French bookstores

I've linked this post to It's Monday, what are you reading? as hosted by Book Date

This week...

I read...

I started reading The House on Boundary Street by Tea Cooper for review. It is set in 1920s Sydney in the aftermath of the Great War. It's interesting because the book was originally published under the title Jazz Baby but has apparently been revised and expanded. I do find it interesting when this happens to a book because I wonder how the author goes about such a process. Were there scenes that were left out the first time around, or has the author thought of something new to add? What was taken out? Or is it a chance to fix some anachronisms? What makes them look at an old book and think I am going to have another go at that story?

Otherwise I am still reading Henrietta's War and listening to The Moon Sister.

I watched....

I finished watching two things this week! Hurrah!

The first was Sweet Magnolias which was based on the books by Sherryl Woods. It's interesting that the series ended on such a cliffhanger when as I understand it there is no guarantee of a second series. I hope that there is because it was easy watching.

The second was Normal People.What a good adaptation this was of the book which I listened to a few weeks ago. It's full of angst and emotion and is very watchable. It feels like it sticks to the book pretty well, including the structure, skipping forward months at a time and the looking back, and the ending, which I think made more sense in the TV show than it did in the book.

Wait, we actually finished watching three things. The third one was Bake Off: The Professionals, which is a show that we love watching. We will never be able to recreate any of the creations at home because they are super complicated but it is amazing to watch what the professionals are able to create in a limited time, and we love watching the judges as they taste and critique the bakes in a very entertaining way.

We also started watching a New Zealand show called The Casketeers. I thought it was a specifically written comedy but it is actually a reality series which follows a funeral director as he goes about his daily business. While it doesn't sound like it would be funny, it really is because of the people who work there. And it is delightful because of the way that he deals with the people he is taking care of. He is very respectful of the people concerned, both those who have passed and those that are left behind.


On Saturday night, we sat and watched the movie Gladiator. The funny thing about that is that this was the first ever DVD that I bought back in the day,and yet I had never, ever watched it. It is one of my husband's favourite movies ever so I guess it was only time before I watched it.

In Life

The number of COVID cases here has increased so they are reimposing some of restrictions that were starting to be lifted.

It has been a very average week in lots of ways. Less said about that the better.

One of the things that I did have to celebrate this week is that I completed 500 playlists on Songpop. This is a music game where you listen to a piece of music and have to choose either the artist or song title from a list, and be faster than the person you are playing. It's taken me a very long time to get to 500 so that's something small to celebrate right?

Posts from the last week

Top Ten Tuesday
Library Loot
Weekend Cooking

I've linked this post to It's Monday, what are you reading? as hosted by Book Date

This week....

I'm reading....

This week I am back to my WWII reading place. Over the weekend I started The Warsaw Orphan by Kelly Rimmer which is out next week. She is an author who I have meant to read before now. I am only in the early stages of the book but I am already asking myself why oh why haven't I read her before!

I am still limping along with my audiobook of The Sun Sister by Lucinda Riley. I think I have maybe around 3 hours left. It's not that I am not enjoying it, I am, but it has been a real struggle finding the time. And in the mean time I am building up lots of Audible credits in my future! There's every chance I will finish this book just as the last book in the series is released in May.

When we were at brunch on Saturday one of my friends surprised me with a book!  She has bought 4 blind-date-with-a-book packages from her local bookstore, and the idea is that once the four people involved have each read our book we will swap until the four of us have read them all. It was a lovely surprise and I am looking forward to participating. The book I got was a new to me author, so it will be good to see how it is!

I'm watching....

I recently discovered that we can watch season 4 of The Casketeers. I have mentioned before how much we enjoy watching this show. It is funny and moving, and great feel good TV.

  

We have also been waiting patiently to watch season 6 of Friday Night Dinners, especially followingthe death of Paul Ritter a few weeks ago. We watched all six episodes yesterday and we laughed a lot. I have no idea if they knew he was sick when they filmed that last season, but it felt like it ended at a good point if there aren't going to be any more.

And in good news, the new series of Masterchef Australia starts tonight! Yay!

Life

We had a busy weekend. We were out for brunch both days, and then we had friends over for dinner.

We did manage to score tickets to see all of the uoouoos on display all in one location. Well, 99 of the 100! It was so fun to getto see them. We even got to speak to a couple of the artists which was fascinating. You can see some of the others we tracked down around the city over the last couple of months here or on Instagram!

My husband named Robert with the uoouoo named Robert

Posts from the last week

Blog Tour: Secrets of the Railway Girls/Railway Girls in Love

Weekend Cooking: Lemon Poppyseed Bundt Cake

I've linked this post to It's Monday, what are you reading? as hosted by Book Date

This Week....

I'm reading...

I haven't done as much reading as I would like this week, but I did get a fair chunk of The Goldminer's Sister by Allison Stuart while I was at the hairdresser on Saturday. It comes out in a couple of days so I should probably get cracking on it. This book is set in the same town as The Postmistress and features some of the same characters, but I don't think you would necessarily call it a sequel, if that makes sense. I will say that I was quite surprised by the events very early in the book.

I can't decide if this next paragraph in the I'm Watching paragraph, or here as an audio book because there was video involved but I was listening while I was working so I am going to count it as listening to it, like an audiobook.

During this week, I have been watching/listening to the famous Kiwi movie director Taika Waititi reading Roald Dahl's book James and the Giant Peach. He is so good to listen to, but along the way he has recruited some of his famous friends, and as he admits some people who he doesn't really know, to help bring the story to life. Amongst the people who make appearances there are actors, and musicians, and other famous people! And the great thing is that you can tell that they all enjoyed the experience to! So much fun. Highlights include Meryl Streep's turn as one of James' aunts, Cate Blanchett,  and many more. Every episode is an absolute delight and such a joy to listen to!

Do yourself a favour and check out the first episode here.

I'm watching...
I mentioned The Casketeers a couple of weeks ago. We spent our Friday night binge watching quite a few episodes, but really my weekend was about one thing.....

I have been eager to see this musical for ages now. We were just a few weeks early or late when we were in the US. In theory, it is coming to Sydney next year, and my name is down on the waiting list already. Hello long weekend in Sydney! But....who knows if that will actually happen next year now. I was therefore super excited when it was announced that it is being streamed.

We invited a couple of friends around for dinner and then we settled back into the comfy couch and watched the show, and I loved it. We aren't necessarily as familiar with all the background but it didn't take long to get into the story.

Highly recommended! And I will be watching again, more than once I am sure.

In life

We are now at the point where we can call our bathroom  renovation done! It took a bit longer to do than we would have liked because one of our special orders took a lot longer to come in than it should have done, but overall it wasn't too stressful. Luckily we had our ensuite bathroom still because I couldn't have imagined going without a bathroom at all for that long. So here's the before:

And after

I think I will be posting more about our renovations in the next couple of weeks.

Posts from the last week

Top Ten Tuesday: Most Anticipated Books in 2020
Joint Review:  The Silk House by Katye Nunn
Reading Reflections: June 2020
Alphabet 2020: Paris in July launch
Review: The House on Boundary Street by Tea Cooper
It's Friday
Weekend Cooking: Sausage Rolls

Six Degrees of Separation

I've linked this post to It's Monday, what are you reading? as hosted by Book Date