In My Kitchen: September

Welcome to the first Saturday of the month where I share everything I have made over the previous month.

I had quite a busy month getting out and doing things so I didn't bake much this month, but what I did bake was delicious

Caramel Slice - I haven't ever made this cafe classic before but I have had it on my list to make for a while now. I was looking in the pantry and realised that we have a lot of condensed milk so decided the time was right. It was so good but it did make a lot. I even took some to work because otherwise we weren't going to get through it. I used the recipe from Everything is Indian by Justin Narayan. He has a variation on the recipe where he gives it Indian flavours so I might make that next time. 

Black Forest Gateau - This was inspired by reading Mrs Quinn's Rise to Fame by Olivia Ford for Cook the Books. It was mentioned in the second paragraph of the book and I pretty much knew straight away that this is what I would be making. I used the recipe from You Had Me at Cake by Emelia Jackson

In terms of foodie things, we did do a traditional afternoon tea which I posted about here. 

We also went away last weekend up to a place called Yarrawonga which is a town along the Murray River. There are lots of great wineries not too far away, and it has quite a lot of foodie things up in the area. We went for lunch at a winery we had been to before. The setting is lovely but the food wasn't as good as it was last time. 

We then went to visit an olive producer called Gooramadda. This was a man who is passionate about his olives. We did an olive oil tasting and it was really interesting! We learnt how to tell if olive oil is good quality, why we should buy it in casks instead of bottles and more. I had to buy one of the Frock oils because the bottles are so cool. This one is a citrus flavoured olive oil.

After that we crossed the border into New South Wales and went to a town called Corowa. There we visited a chocolate and whiskey factory that has been established in a former mill. They have done such a great job. There's the chocolate and whiskey areas but there is also a cafe with an outdoor area and I really cool events area. I would totally love to go back there again.

One of the things that our friends had been recommended by the olive guy on a previous visit was these packets of freeze dried cheese. It's not something that I would necessarily have picked up off the supermarket shelves but we had some in a salad and they give a really good burst of flavour. I have already ordered some! 

New recipes

Caramel Slice

Pumpkin curry

Black Forest Gateau

Salmon, Brown Rice and Bok Choy

Coconut Prawn Curry

Weekend Cooking posts from the last month

Bake Your Sweet Time by Tat Effby

Afternoon Tea Diaries: Mary Eats Cake

Mini reviews: Three Japanese Novels

Cook the Books: Mrs Quinn's Rise to Fame by Olivia Ford

Weekly meals

Saturday - Away for the weekend
Sunday - Mac and cheese
Monday - Mexican Chicken and Rice 
Tuesday - Salmon, Brown Rice and Bok Choy
Wednesday - Coconut Prawn Curry (new)
Thursday - Egg Curry
Friday - Takeaway

I am sharing this post with In My Kitchen hosted at Sherry's Pickings.

Historical Fiction Reading Challenge: October links

Thank you to everyone who contributed a review in September for the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge. I will be back in the next week or so with all the statistics for September!

I am looking forward to reading your reviews throughout the rest of the year, although there isn't much of the year left yet. How did that happen? I am sure there is going to be a lot of great historical fiction discovered and shared with fellow HF lovers over the course of this year!

If you haven't already signed up, it's not too late! The sign up post is here.

Just to recap what participants need to know. At the beginning of each month I will put up a post which will have a Mr Linky embedded into it for you to add your link.

Please remember...

• add the link(s) of your review(s) including your name and book title to the Mister Linky we’ll be adding to our monthly post (please, do not add your blog link, but the correct address that will guide us directly to your review). 
• it doesn't matter where you review - Bookstagram, Goodreads etc as long as you share a direct link to your review.
• any kind of historical fiction is accepted (fantasy, young adult, graphic novels...)
• if you have time, have a look some of the other links that are present. You never know when you will discover new blogs or books!

You can also join the challenge group on Facebook which you can find here and don't forget to use the #histficreadingchallenge hashtag on the socials.

Let the reading begin!!

Top Ten Tuesday: Spring Freebie

Welcome to this week's edition of Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week's theme is Fall-Themed Freebie (or Spring if you live in the Southern Hemisphere)

Recently it was time to get my nails redone, and I wanted to get something a bit fun to celebrate the end of winter. In the end I chose to get my nails done in spring colours - think five different pastel colours. I have a different colour on each nail - yellow, pink, purple, green and blue - so here are 10 books with covers that feature those colours.

Matcha on Monday by Michiko Aoyama- see how well my nails match this cover. Totally a coincidence! (mini review)

A Song in Daylight by Paullina Simons - This book was one that jumped out at me from my bookshelves with the yellow vibes. Now that I look it at though, it doesn't really go with the others as the others are all cartoon-y style.

Piglettes by Clementine Beauvais - This cover bring the pink vibes. (review)

In the Paris Fashion by Sophie Beaumont  - I could have chosen any of the covers from this author. The other covers are pink and green. (review)

And Now, Back to You by B K Borison - This book made me feel anything but blue!

How to Fake it in Society by K J Charles  - This book was such a fun read and totally bring the green vibes

First Time Caller by B K Borison - I know, I know. Two books by B K Borison and from the same series is possibly cheating but it had both pink and yellow so I couldn't resist. 

Before I knew I Loved You by Toshikazu Kawaguchi - Purple is my favourite colour so this cover caught my attention straight away when it was revealed. And it is the book I had just finished listening to when I started putting this post together

The Kamogawa Food Detectives by Hisash Kashiwai - I am just about to reread this book so it was a book I thought of when I was looking for my last green cover (review)

We'll Prescribe You a Cat by Syou Ishida - The second half of this list has taken a decidedly Japanese turn!

This week

I'm reading

My reading was more normal this week than it was last week!

I was pleased to finish my selection for the Classics Spin with a couple of weeks to spare. This time, the selection was The Talented Mr Ripley by Patricia Highsmith. Not only did I finish reading it, but I also managed to get the review done which you can read here. 

I also finished my second Christmas novel for this year which was The French Christmas Market by Gillian Harvey. I like her books and this was another good one! 

On Thursday, I reviewed three Japanese novels. I was hoping to get through a fourth but my reviews were all done before I finished reading the fourth one which was Dreamers of the Full Moon Coffee Shop by Mai Mochizuki. I ended up finishing it over the weekend

I also started reading The Slow Cooker Supper Club by Sue Heath. I have loved both of the Sue Heath books I have read previously and I have high hopes for this one!

I'm watching

A couple of months we watched archaeologist Dr Alice Roberts as she went in search of the Ottoman Empire by Train and really enjoyed it. This week we saw that she has a new series out where she goes in search of the Roman Empire. It feels like there is plenty of Roman history around but we will still watch it as her shows are always interesting!

Max

Max went on holidays this weekend. It's the first time he's gone sightseeing around the state. He got to work along the edge of Lake Mulwala, he got to see New South Wales, he got to explore lots and lots of new places!

Life

Last week was a crazy, crazy week including a banking outage on pay day which was pretty stressful. Thankfully the bank system came back up at around 7.30 and the bank extended the deadline so everything got sent in due course. It was only a four day week as we had a long weekend with Friday off, but it felt like five days worth of work!

You may have guessed that if Max went away for the weekend, then there's every chance we did too! We went up to stay with friends who moved to a town called Yarrawonga. We had a lovely weekend. We had a chance to catch up, we went to lunch at a winery that has been in operation more than 100 years old. We crossed the river and went to a town called Corowa in New South Wales, where we visited a mill that has been converted into a Whiskey and Chocolate Factory, including an amazing events space and a cafe. We also managed to see two new art silos

Posts from the last week

Top Ten Tuesday: Books on my Spring TBR 
Mini Reviews: Three Japanese Novels
Cook the Books: Mrs Quinn's Rise to Fame by Olivia Ford
Classics Club Spin: The Talented Mr Ripley by Patricia Highsmith





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

Classics Club Spin: The Talented Mr Ripley by Patricia Highsmith

 

When the recent Classics Spin landed on number 18 I was pleased to see that it landed on The Talented Mr Ripley by Patricia Highsmith. There's been a recent TV adapation, it's quite short so I expected it to be quite a quick read! What I couldnt remember was why I added to my classics list in the first place. I don't It's not really my kind of read at all.

Tom Ripley is something of a con man living in a shared apartment in New York. He has the distinct feeling that things are closing in on him so when he is offered an all expense paid trip to Italy it seems the answer to all his problems. In return, he needs to convince his acquaintance Dickie Greenleaf to return home to his family. Dickie has been living in a small town in southern Italy, spending his life attempting to paint, drinking, swimming and generally living the good life. It;s not that Tom wants to live Dickie's life, he wants to BE Dickie. 

What follows is a series of actions which are Tom trying to cover his tracks as he travels around Europe, trying to keep both himself and Dickie's profile

I found it in turns offputting, fascinating, compelling and strange.

I can't think of too many crime novels where the story is told from the point of view of the erstwhile bad guy. Of course, Tom doesn't see himself in that way. He is just trying to improve himself and give himself the life that he feels he deserves. Why shouldn't he have a glamourous life. He had a rough start in life after all. And people should not get in his way

One of the things I really enjoyed was the predominantly Italian setting. I could see the small village of Mongibello, I enjoyed the time spent in Rome, and Venice and more. It's clear that Italy was the country of Tom's heart! It's hard to see him ever returning to America!

I did find myself wondering if this book would be published today. I am not sure that the methods he used for identify theft wouldn't stand up bu tmaybe working out a way to bet all the technology would be interesting. There is an undertow of homosexuality insinuated so that would be more overt. I am not sure if there are modern books being written from the view of the killer, especially one like Tom.

I had no idea that this was the first in a five book series which follows Ripley's life.  Do I want to read more about Tom Ripley? Not straight away but maybe in due course.

I did find myself wondering if this book would be published today. I am not sure that the methods he used for identity theft would stand up but maybe working out a way to beat all the modern technological safeguards would be interesting. There is an undercurrent of homosexuality through the story so that would be more overt if the book was written now, but not given the book was written in the 1950s.  

There were times when I had to put the book down as the intensity built, and as we saw Tom unravelling a bit, then pulling himself back together and once again being one step ahead of everyone, whether it be Dickie's family and friends, or the Italian police who are trying to piece together a puzzle where they have two different sets of pieces all jumbled together!

Ultimately this was a pretty different read for me, and it was satisfying. It certainly had my mind racing as I read each step that Tom took. Now that I have finished the book, I am tempted to watch the recent TV adaptation that stars Andrew Scott and Dakota Fanning. Maybe in a couple of week's time!

So far I have enjoyed all three books I have read for the Classics Spin. Bring on the next one!

Cook the Books: Mrs Quinn's Rise to Fame by Olivia Ford

 

We are big Bake Off fans in our house. At last count we have watched Australian, Kiwi, Canadian, Kenyan, South African, American, Bake Off The Professionals, celebrity versions and, of course, the original and the best, The Great British Bake Off. 

When this book was announced as the next selection for Cook the Books, I read the blurb and went, I am going to love this book. Whilst the show in the book is called Britain Bakes, it is very definitely a knock off of Bake Off.

When 77 year old Jenny Quinn decides to apply to be on Britain Bakes, she keeps it a secret from everyone around her, including her husband of 59 years Bernie. The main reason she keeps it a secret is because she doesn't expect to get past the application stage let alone make it all the way through to being on the TV. Keeping it a secret, is very unusual for Jenny and Bernie. Throughout their long marriage she has only ever kept one secret from him, albeit a very BIG secret.

Baking has been part of Jenny's whole life, but getting ready for competing on the show takes things to a whole new level. Jenny has the recipes that she has known and loves for years, but she needs to show skills for more than just retro baking!

Jenny makes it onto the show and becomes something of a favourite. She insists on using her trusted balancing scales (no electric scales here) and her warm nature, and in particular her friendship with a young fellow contestant by the name of Azeez, endear her to the public and the crew of the show. 

By taking this step to do things for herself though, Jenny finds herself thinking back to an earlier time in her life, the point where the biggest choices were taken away from her. This book is, in effect a dual time line, where the recipes Jenny is baking now are conduits back to that earlier time in her life. 

The big question is what happens when the show is aired. Will Jenny win? And will all her secrets be revealed? Of course, I can't tell you that! You will just need to read this fun, delicious and delightful read for yourself!

This is Olivia Ford's first and only book so far. I will be looking out for her next book because I really loved this one. 

Because this was a read for Cook the Books, I also needed to choose what to make. There is so much delicious food in this book, both savoury and sweet. I did keep a list, but the reality is that I already knew what I was going to be making as soon as I read the second paragraph of the book! That doesn't mean to say that I didn't contemplate other things. This is one of those choices where there were dozens and dozens of different types of food mentioned!

Here is that paragraph:

Recipe one. It had to be her favourite birthday cake - she had quite a reputation for it in the family. She wrote the heading, Jenny's Black Forest Gateau, twisting her best handwriting into loops and flicks as she divided the page into Ingredients and Method. She could feel the wet cloth of the cream-filled piping bag, the magic of neat rosettes spiralling from its nozzle. She thought of the bitter smell of cocoa powder which clung to the back of your throat if you made the mistake of pouring it too enthusiastically, and how it complemented the tender cherry pie filling.

The reason why this jumped out so much is that Black Forest Cake is my husband's favourite, and I haven't made it for him for a long time! A quick look through my baking cook books gave me a few different options, but in the end I chose a recipe from the cook book that I have been doing a lot of baking from recently which is You Had Me at Cake by Emelia Jackson

In order to make the recipe as written, I did have to sent Robert to go to a specialty place that does all kind of frozen fruits to get frozen sour cherries, and I also had to go and buy kirsch as we didn't have any in the house.

I also had to adapt because I don't have 18cm cake tins. In the end I used 22 cm cake tins and cooked the cakes for 30 minutes which may have been a fraction too long.

It turns out that really this recipe looks more complicated than it really is. None of the three components is difficult, and it looks fine if you put it together somewhat rustically. At least, that is what I am telling myself!

The next Cook the Books selection is The Kamogawa Food Detectives by Hisashi Kashiwai and I am the host! I really hope that everyone enjoys it! I am a bit nervous though! If you would like to know more about Cook the Books, click here for more details.

Black Forest Gateau (Emelia Jackson)

Chocolate Cake

6 eggs, room temperature
250g caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
90g plain flour
60g cocoa powder
150g unsalted butter, melted

Sour Cherry Compote

800g frozen sour cherries, defrosted
200g caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
100ml kirsch

Chantilly cream

600g thickened cream
300g double cream
100g caster sugar
2 tsp vanilla bean paste
shaved dark chocolate to finish


For the chocolate sponge cakes, preheat the oven to 180C fan-forced (200C conventional) and line three 18cm round cake tins with baking paper.

Combine the eggs, sugar and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until the mixture is pale and has doubled in volume. Sift the flour and cocoa powder over the egg mixture, gently fold together, then mix through the melted butter.

Once combined, divide the batter evenly among three cake tins and bake for 18-20 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. If you only have one or two cake tins, bake each layer separately. The remaining batter is fine to wait as each layer bakes.

Remove the cakes from the oven and allow them to cool in their tins for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

For the cherry compote, put the cherries and their juices in a saucepan with the sugar. Bring to a boil over medium heat and allow the cherries to cook for 30 minutes, or until the juices have reduced by half. Remove from the heat and add the vanilla paste and kirsch before letting the compote cool completely. This can be made up to a week ahead and kept in the fridge until ready to use.

For the chantilly cream, combine all the ingredients (except the chocolate) in a mixing bowl and whisk by hand until firm peaks form. It will take a little elbow grease, but I prefer to err on the side of caution and whisk by hand as the higher fat content means it can easily split. Once the cream has thickened, place it in the fridge until the cakes and compote have cooled and you are ready to assemble the cake.

To assemble, place the first cake layer onto the serving plate and soak it liberally with cherry syrup, before layering over ⅓ of the cream and cherries. Repeat this process until you’ve stacked all layers with the fillings. To finish, liberally spread the rest of the cream over the top of the cake and pile it high with cherries. Finish with some curls of dark chocolate shaved with a vegetable peeler and set the cake in the fridge for at least 4 hours (overnight is best) to firm up before serving.

Weekly meals

Saturday - Hamburgers
Sunday - Grilled cheese on toast
Monday - Pork and beans stir fry
Tuesday - Spaghetti bolognaise
Wednesday - 
Thursday - Out for dinner
Friday - Away for the weekend

Mini reviews - Three Japanese novels

This week I am bringing you somewhat mini reviews of three recent Japanese reads. I am not that good at being mini. Half the time they would only need one more paragraph to make them a normal review!

Before I Knew I Loved You by Toshikazu Kawaguchi (translated by Geoffrey Trousselot)

This is the sixth book in the Before the Coffee Gets Cold series and it is very similar is structure and tone. There are four individual stories where we meet people who want to go either forward or back in time to get closure. 

In the first story, a young woman hopes to meet up with the stepmother who she treated badly to say she's sorry. Then we meet a teenager who hopes to meet the girl that she liked. The last time he saw her he didn't say what was in his heart and now it is too late. In the third story, a woman has to decide whether to say yes to her partner, even knowing what she knows and finally, a young man wants to go back in time to see his dead father one last time. Each of these stories is moving and meaningful in it's own way. 

One of the things about this series is that rules about the time travel do get repeated a lot. Despite that, every now and again it feels like the rules change ever so slightly. For example, it was a couple of books into the series before it said that people could go forward in time as well as backward. There was an aspect of the first story in this book which felt like the rules got a little bent. We will see if anyone else uses this particular method going forward. 

Whilst this book is set in a cafe, there isn't that much food in them usually. People who visit the cafe can ask for whatever they like to eat and Nagare, the chef and owner, will make it for them if he has the ingredient. I did, however, enjoy the foodie aspect of the last story where the young man remembers the pasta dish that his dad had prepared for them. 

So far I have listened to this entire series on audio narrated by Kevin Shen. I am not sure that I would even be able to read one of these books now without hearing his voice in my head, particularly when someone enters the cafe and he does the klang-dong sound of the doorbell.

The more I read this series, the more I find myself pondering the properties of hot water in Japan. The whole premise is that you only have maybe 10 minutes in the past, as you have to finish your coffee before it gets cold. However, when I make myself a tea, it takes at least 45 minutes before the tea gets completely cold. Maybe it is our definition on what temperature cold is that varies!

I did see something the other day that said that the author has recently finished the seventh book in the series. I will, of course, be reading it! Or rather, listening to it!

Rating 4/5

The Vanishing Cherry Blossom Bookshop by Takuya Asakura (translated by Yuka Maeno)

If you read a particular book at a particular time of year (specifically during cherry blossom season) you may suddenly find yourself visiting the Vanishing Cherry Blossom Bookshop which is run by a young woman named Sakura and her cat Kabako. 

This book shares a similar structure and feel to many of these popular Japanese books, including the Before the Coffee Gets Cold series. There is a hard to find setting, a bit of magic realism and four stories of people who need to find peace regarding some particular aspect of their life. 

We meet a woman whose mother has recently passed away, leaving thing unresolved. In another story, there is a man with dementia who is trying something important and then two sisters whose lives are going in different directions. Of these, I thought the story about the man with dementia was very moving. 

I didn't mind this one until the last chapter when it all got a bit weird which is a real shame because this is where we got to learn how Sakura ended up being in the store, so it would have been great to have been able to connect to this. I am assuming

This is a case where the absolutely gorgeous cover lured me in, but the book itself wasn't quite as good as I would have hoped it would be. I did love all the discussions about the four special books that were the triggers to bring the different characters into the store! Don't get me wrong. It was still a decent read, just not great.

This book counts for the Bookish Books challenge.

Rating 3/5

Matcha on Monday by Michiko Aoyama (translated by E Madison Shimoda)

On the cover this is advertised as "By the best selling author of What You Are Looking For is in the Library. The thing is that book is my least favourite of the four books I have read by this author so far.

Matcha on Monday is the companion book to Hot Chocolate on Thursdays which I read earlier this year. Whilst these two books share the common trait of featuring individual by connected stories, this time there are 12 stories (one for each month of the year). Some of the stories are set in or near the Marble Cafe in Tokyo, but others are set in Kyoto. This time there is no magical element, other than the power of unknown connections, and I don't think there is even a cat, although I could be wrong!

The Marble Cafe is normally closed on a Monday but every now and again the mysterious owner who is known only as The Maestro holds special events. In the first of the stories, a young woman visits the cafe during an event which is featuring matcha teas. In the next story, a man tries to visit the cafe after a fight with his wife but it is closed. Instead, he visits a nearby store. Then we learn more about the store owner and so the connected stories continue. Through the stories we learn lots about matcha, about several important Japanese traditions and more.

These couple of paragraphs give an example of how each of the stories is connected, and I love this whole idea!

"Right, we have no clue who they are, but they definitely existed. If you trace things back, the number of linked hands multiplies exponentially. If even one of those hands had let go, we wouldn't have made it here. Every encounter is the result of a long line of connections between people whose faces we'll never know."

Moved, I look at the Maestro.

He cradles his coffee cup with both hands and adds, "The most wonderful thing about this is that the far-off people who once held hands have no idea that they might be making someone somewhere down the line happy. That's what's great: unbeknownst to you, simply working on your life can impact the life of complete strangers."

I certainly found myself thinking about some of the things that happened in my life and where those magical hands, whether known or unknown, have helped me to get to where I am in my life right now. For example, my husband moved to Australia 8 years before we met. I'd like to thank whoever the first person was who put that idea in his head!

I enjoyed both of the books in the Marble Cafe series. And I will read whatever book is translated into English from Michiko Aoyama.

Rating 4.5/5

All of these books count for the Books in Translation challenge hosted at The Introverted Reader. Before I Knew I Loved You and Matcha on Monday count for Foodies Read hosted at Based on a True Story and Weekend Cooking which I host. The first two books count for the Speccy Fic challenge, hosted at Book'd Out and Before I Knew I Loved You counts for the New Release Challenge hosted at The Chocolate Lady's Book Reviews.

Top Ten Tuesday: Books on my Spring TBR

 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 Fall 2026 To-Read List (or Spring if you live in the Southern Hemisphere). So here are ten books from my Spring TBR

Secrets of a Winter Escape by Sue Moorcroft - The is the second book in The Italian Legacy trilogy, which is set in a small town on Lake Como in Italy.

A Fresh Start in Pelican Crossing by Maggie Christensen - If Maggie Christensen has a new book out, it will be on my TBR list, whatever the season.

The Kamogawa Food Detectives by Hisashi Kashiwai - This is the next selection for Cook the Books. Given that I am the host I need to reread and decide what I am going to cook from the book. 

A Far-flung Life by M L Stedman - Normally my book club is read on a theme, but evey 18 months or so we all agree to read the same book. This is the book for October.

Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman - These next few books are all the books I have chosen for the Goodreads Fall challenge. I am currently listening to this one whenever I am in the car by myself!

Long Island by Colm Toibin - I read Brooklyn years ago but I never got around to this one.

The Other Moctezuma Girls by Sofia Robleda - This one is for Hispanic Heritage Month.

Pachinko by Min Jin Lee - I have had my eye on this book for a long time! Now I am finally going to read it!

The French Christmas Market by Gillian Harvey - I feel like I need at least one Christmas book on the list!

The Talented Mr Ripley by Patricia Highsmith - This was the book that came up on the Classics Spin. I am currently reading it, and it is ...interesting to say the least.

This week...

I'm reading

Normally I am pretty consistent with the number of books that I am reading and that I talk about reading in the last week. There's the books I started last week and finished this week. There's the ones I both started and finished this week, and then there's the ones I started this week but will finish next week, so I usually mention four, maybe five books.  This week, things have gotten a little out of control.

Things started normal enough. I had started reading The Pirate Queen by Ariel Lawhon which I really enjoyed, and I reviewed here. This was a five star read for me!

Then I read Mrs Quinns Rise to Fame by Olivia Ford, which is the current Cook the Books selection. My review for that will be up on Saturday, along with the delicious recipe I was inspired to make when reading it.

This is where things got a little out of control. I then started reading Pachinko by Min Jin Lee. I read a couple of chapters and I am definitely thinking I am going to like it.

However, I know that I need to read and review The Talented Mr Ripley by Patricia Highsmith by this weekend, so I picked that one up. It is a pretty different read for me. Quite intense really. I am around two thirds of the way through

So then I felt like I needed something a bit lighter, a bit more....festive maybe, so I started The French Christmas Market by Gillian Harvey.

And then I realised that I have three books due back at the library this week and I can't extend them so I read Matcha on Monday by Michiko Aoyama. I think I will probably have to return the other two and reborrow them. 

I did reach my Goodreads goal of 104 books for the year this week, which is pleasing!

I'm watching


Nothing new really




Life

Not a lot happening other than going to work and then collapsing in a heap at the end of the day. It is a four day week for us this coming weekend so I am looking forward to going away for the weekend. 

I did go and get my nails done on the weekend! Each one is a different pastel colour. I like them a lot. My husband thought they were "lacking maturity". Oh well! My nails. And then I realised that they pretty much matched one of my book covers. 

Posts from the last week


Top Ten Tuesday: Author Events
Blog Tour: Winter Magic at Hollybrae Castle by Jaimie Admans
Blog Tour: The Pirate Queen by Ariel Lawhon
The Afternoon Tea Diaries: Mary Eats Cake



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

Afternoon Tea Diaries: Mary Eats Cake

It's time for another entry in my irregular feature of the Afternoon Tea Diaries. We love an afternoon tea. We don't do them all the time because they are a treat but whenever we do one, I like to share about it here. 

The last three times we have done an afternoon tea it has been at the amazing Oxi Tea Rooms. They do actually have a new menu which we haven't tried yet, but I am also very conscious that there are lots of other places that I would like to try! 

This time the location for our afternoon tea adventure was at Mary Eats Cake in the inner city suburb of Brunswick. Unlike Oxi Tea which is very high concept, the afternoon tea at Mary Eats Cake is pretty traditional! This is a place that I have had on my list to try for a while now

The tearoom itself was very cosy, with mismatched teacups and saucers, glass teapots and proper champagne coupes. 

The menu is a pleasing mix of savoury and sweet! On the savoury menu there were Sausage Rolls, Beef Burgundy pie, Cheesy Potato Croquet, Chicken Finger Sandwiches and a Citrus Prawn Loaf

The sweet options were Raspberry and Lychee Eclair, Chocolate Hazelnut Entremet, Mango Matcha Tart and Macaron. I liked all of them, although not everyone at our table loved the Matcha and Mango Tart. My favourite was the Raspberry and Lychee Eclair. So delicious!

The option that we chose included bottomless drinks (which is handy when you spill half your glass of champagne before you have even started drinking it!) but it also included bottomless scones. That does sound tempting, until you realise how huge the scone actually were! I would be surprised if most people have any more than 2!

We have already booked for our next afternoon tea experience which I think is going to be more on the traditional side but with a twist! I hope it is going to be delicious!

Weekly meals

Saturday - Steak egg and chips
Sunday - Roast pork, gravy rolls
Monday - 
Tuesday - Pork Nachos
Wednesday - Baked Tuscan Chicken
Thursday - Pork chops, mash, mushroom sauce and broccoli
Friday - Zucchini, parmesan and tomato risotto

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Blog Tour: The Pirate Queen by Ariel Lawhon

 

Ariel Lawhon is a relatively new author for me. I have only previously read one of her books. However, as soon as I saw that this book was about 16th century pirate queen Gráinne (or the English version of her name Grace) O'Malley. Maybe 20 years ago, there were quite a few books that came out featuring Grace as the main character, but it has been a while. And in the hands of Ariel Lawhon, I had high hopes. Luckily I was not disappointed! Far from it!

Gráinne O'Malley is such an interesting character from history. She defied norms from a very young age when it became clear that she had an affinity with the sea. Her father was a chieftain and he hoped that her half brother Donal would be the one to take over his fleet but unfortunately Donal was prone to sea sickness, so that was never going to work! It wasn't just that she loved it, she also has the Sense - the ability to hear and feel major storms coming. She also had the ability to attract the loyalty of the men who swear to sail her ships and protect her, no matter what.

This book has a really interesting structure. The story is told through three different timelines which are  then told alternatively. The first is the Maiden where we learn about Gráinne's childhood. In Mother we see Gráinne as she navigates through a violent marriage, raising children, finding love and so much more. The final strand of the story is that of the Matriach as she tries to navigate the demands of the English queen, Elizabeth. Elizabeth demands fealty and then meddles in the Irish laws for her own purposes. Her representatives also want far more than the Irish want to give.

There is no doubt that this structure was a little tricky at first, and I have heard that there are suggestions that you could read each section, for example read all The Maiden chapters, then read all the Mother chapters and finally all The Matriach sections so that you actually read the story chronologically. However, once you got used to it and remember to check which viewpoint the next chapter was, then I did not get confused.

Gráinne's life is complex, suffering great losses throughout her life, but surrounding herself with family and men who will do her bidding. She loves intensely, both her country, people and her loves, she is stubborn and at times intractable but she is always formidable, and I am so glad that I had the opportunity to learn about this amazing historical figure through the pages of this exceptional book!

This is a big book at around 580 pages, but I was able to read it very quickly as I was so engrossed in the story! I couldn't wait to get back to the story!

I am not sure I have been able to convey how much I enjoyed this book!

I am sharing this review with New Release Challenge hosted at The Chocolate Lady's Book Review Blog and the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge which I host here. Thanks to the publisher and Random Things Tours for the review copy. Be sure to check out other stops on the blog tour below.

Rating 5/5

About the book

'A writer to watch’ J.T. Ellison, author of A writer to watch’ J.T. Ellison, author of What Lies Behind

THE NEW HISTORICAL THRILLER FROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE FROZEN RIVER, THE FROZEN RIVER, BASED ON A TRUE STORY BASED ON A TRUE STORY 

Grace O'Malley was born to be at sea. Raised alongside her brother by their father, chief of the name of clan O'Malley, Grace learns early that her dreams of the open water are not compatible with the life she's expected to lead as the daughter of a noble family. And when her father marries her to the wrong man, a neighbouring chief named Donhal, Grace's world shifts for the worse. 

Undaunted, Grace raises a family without abandoning her passion, aiding her hot-tempered husband in his campaigns against rival tribes. Eventually ousted from her husband's land in the wake of his death, Grace returns to her childhood home and begins her career as a pirate in earnest, claiming new territories and finding deeper love, only to see her livelihood threatened by English incursions into Ireland, and her family endangered in an attempt to check her power. 

Tenderly observed and fiercely written, Ariel Lawhon's gripping latest novel channels the natural beauty of sixteenth-century Ireland alongside the brutality of the period as seen through the eyes of an unforgettable heroine and defender of her people, who truly earned the title ʻthe Pirate Queen of Ireland.’ 

A thrilling historical adventure inspired by the life of Grace O'Malley, an infamous Irish sea captain and folk heroine who risked everything to infamous Irish sea captain and folk heroine who risked everything to protect her people against the powerful Elizabethan regime protect her people against the powerful Elizabethan regime 

PRAISE FOR ARIEL LAWHON PRAISE FOR ARIEL LAWHON 

One of our most interesting authors of historical fiction' People 

'Ariel Lawhon is a masterful storyteller'  Patti Callahan Henry, New York Times bestselling author of bestselling author of Becoming Mrs. Lewis 

'Her skill with characterisation is enviable' 5 Star Reader Review 

'An extremely talented author' 5 Star Reader Review

About the Author

ARIEL LAWHON is a critically acclaimed, New York Times bestselling author of historical fiction. Her books have been translated into numerous languages. She lives in the rolling hills outside Nashville, Tennessee, with her husband and four sons

Blog Tour: Winter Magic at Hollybrae Castle by Jaimie Admans

 

It may only be September but my Christmas reading for this year is started, and to be honest, this book will set the bar high for other Christmas reads this year. 

Oliver Bracewell is in the running for a big promotion at work, and in order to woo his bosses he has promised them a traditional family Christmas at his Scottish castle, which he will host alongside his wife and two children. Never mind that he hates his job and, if he gets it, he will need to move to London. He needs the pay rise to help maintain the castle. Otherwise, he might have to sell the castle which is his last real link to his parents. Only problem is....he doesn't have a wife or two children.

Enter Lula Haines who suddenly finds herself jobless after the Christmas window display at the big store she works for goes disastrously wrong (poor Paddington Bear). When she sees a job ad for an experienced decorator to make a Scottish castle shine, she thinks why not. After a very strange interview, she is on her way to the Mull of Kintyre for a few weeks. During the interview she has also somehow agreed to pretend to be her boss's wife for the event. Her sister, who Lula lives with, is rightfully concerned, but what could go wrong.

Once at the picture book perfect castle, Lula has free reign to decorate as much as she wants. What she really wants though is to know more about Oliver. Why has he not celebrated Christmas at the castle in years? Why does he need a fake wife? Where is he going to get fake kids from and how will they be able to make it look like they are a real family?

I literally laughed out loud at the first line of this book, and then started wondering why I haven't read this author before! And that set the scene for a wonderful romantic, Christmas read. There were so many funny scenes. I laughed out loud when Lu was navigating a conversation with the boss's wives about all the various reasons when they had never met her (fictional Lu had many, many instances of illness and accidents) but there were also many heartfelt scenes and lots of emotion. 

I love Lula and Oliver together. They both know that this arrangement is for a short time only, but everything just feels right between them. I also love the Christmas that they created from slinky races down the stairs, to searching for the perfect trees and so much more. And there were some lovely secondary characters as well, people who all cared for Oliver and Lula just want to see them happy both as individuals, but also together if they can realise that this fake marriage can be more.

Obviously, I loved this book, and I will definitely be reading more from Jaimie Admans. It was a great start to my Christmas reading season!

I am sharing this review with New Release Challenge hosted at The Chocolate Lady's Book Review Blog. Thanks to the publisher, Netgally and Rachel's Random Resource for the review copy. Be sure to check out other stops on the blog tour below.

Rating 4.5/5

Winter Magic at Hollybrae Castle

A Scottish castle, a fake marriage… and one very real Christmas romance?

After a window display goes disastrously viral – thanks to a malfunctioning animatronic Santa and an unfortunate encounter with Paddington Bear – Lula Haines finds herself without a job just weeks before Christmas. So she jumps at the chance to decorate Hollybrae Castle in Scotland for the holidays.

There’s just one complication: her handsome new boss, Oliver Bracewell, needs a fake wife for the festive season. To secure a promotion that could save his family’s castle, Ollie has been pretending to be a married father-of-two to impress the family-focused firm where he works. Now his bosses are coming to stay at Hollybrae over Christmas… expecting to meet his non-existent wife and children.

At first, playing along is easy as Lula is swept up in the magic of turning Hollybrae into the perfect festive escape with Ollie. But as Christmas draws nearer and she and Ollie grow closer, Lula begins to wonder if Hollybrae could become more than a temporary escape… and if the man she’s only pretending to love might actually be the one she’s been waiting for all along.

With heaps of tartan, tinsel and Christmas magic, this uplifting romance is perfect for fans of Trisha Ashley, Heidi Swain, Cressida McLaughlin, Ellie Henderson or Jessica Redland!

Purchase Links

Amazon UK https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0GM2WTCSZ/

Amazon US https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GM2WTCSZ/

About the author 

Jaimie Admans is the bestselling author of several romantic comedies – including The Little Christmas Shop on Nutcracker Lane and The Post Box at the North Pole. Her series for Boldwood, The Ever After Street Series, is based on the magical world of fairytales.

 

Social Media Links –

Facebook: @JaimieAdmansBooks

Twitter: @be_the_spark

Instagram: @jaimieadmans1

Newsletter Sign Up: https://bit.ly/JaimieAdmansNews

 

Top Ten Tuesday: Author Events

Welcome to this week's edition of Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week's theme is Authors I’ve Met. 

I am very lucky to be able to attend author events pretty regularly, whether it be as part of individual authors, panel events, or even a reader's retreat that I attend every year. For my post today, I am going to share about some of the more recent events I have been too. If I go back 15 or 20 years there are some big name authors I could name such as Paullina Simons, Maria Snyder and more. I could also talk about the time I had dinner with Sara Donati in the Pacific North West or many years ago with Paullina Simons but I won't. For my post today, I am going to share about some of the more recent events I have been to which means that they are all Australian authors. 

Tess Woods -The most recent event I went to was in respect of Tess Woods new release, The Cairo Bridal Shop. Sometimes at these events there are even cocktails

Anita Heiss - I have met this author a few times now, and she was even the author on our table at one of the retreats we attended a couple of years ago. She is such a lively person! I last saw her at a romance panel event I went to a few weeks ago

Also at that same event there were a number of other authors including Ali Berg and Michelle Kalus , Nina Kenwood, Victoria Brownlee, Darcy Green and more. And there was swag!

Jodi McAlister - This author was at that same panel event but I have now met her a couple of times, including at the launch of her latest book

Steph Vizard  - This is another author I have met more than once who was at the panel. I see her at quite a few events, but specifically attended her book launch last year and re-met her at the readers retreat that I attended in June

Emma Grey - I was so excited to attend an evening with Emma Grey and Kate Solly. I read two of Emma's books last year and gave them both 5/5. This one was at a bookstore I had never visited before which is always fun.

Benjamin Stevenson - The author of the Ernest Cunningham series came to my local library as part of the Melbourne Writers Festival so I always try to attend events there because I would like there to be more!

Tom Trumble - a more unusual choice for me given that it is a non fiction book but I chose it because I thought that my husband would like to come to this one and he did. This event was held at the War Memorial. Interestingly, it was only as I searched my blog for a picture for this post that I realised that I had heard this author speak previously at a Melbourne Writer's Festival event 15 years ago!

Holly Brunnbauer  - An event at my previous local library which is about half an hour away from me, so I try to go to events there as well. 

Rachael Johns - Rachael Johns is possibly the only author who I would deliberately go and see twice in one day. On this particular day she was at my local library and also at an event called Books in Bars which is held in a regional city about 90mins away. Of course, I did both! The readers retreat that I have mentioned a couple of times is her brainchild. You can read about the fab time I had at this year's event here.