April book update

So, in 2018, I'm taking a slightly different approach to blogging about my reading - I'm not really worrying about the in/out balance or how many books I read each month versus how many have been removed from the list. My only goal in 2018 is to read at least 100 books (as usual), so I'll be counting towards that, and noting books I read, acquire, get rid of, etc, but only for interest. I'm tired of feeling guilty if I acquire new books!

In January:  books read: 7; books otherwise removed: 3; books in: 7; books on windowsill: 62
In February: books read: 6; books otherwise removed: 1; books in: 3;  books on windowsill: 61
In March: books read: 8; books otherwise removed: 1; books in: 5;  books on windowsill: 60
In April: books read: 13; books otherwise removed: 1; books in: 6; books on windowsill: 58

And here's the breakdown for this month: 

• I five books in charity shops when out with Sarah - technically I did this on the 31st of March, but I didn't have time to add them to my list until the next day, so I've counted them in with April.
• ...one of which, I read part of straight away and decided I didn't really like it that much, so sent it back to the charity shop (The Little Bookshop in Paris by Nina George)
• I read 8 books from my list (This Must be the Place by Maggie O'Farrell, The Muse by Jessie Burton, Our Endless Numbered Days by Clare Fuller, At the Water's Edge by Sara Gruen, Dark Matter by Michelle Paver, The Dark Circle by Linda Grant, Pax by Sarah Pennypacker, Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank)
• ...and read about a third of another before deciding I didn't really care (The Ice by Laline Paull)
• I read one book to check it out for suitability for my class (The One and Only Ivan, Kathleen Applegate)
• I read one book which didn't seem to be on my list for some reason, even though it was on the windowsill (The Stone Sky, N K Jemisin)
• I read one book which my class was due to read this term (Uncle Montague's Tales of Terror by Chris Priestly)
• ...and enjoyed it so much I promptly read the second in the series as well (Tales of Terror from the Black Ship)
• I read one book in a series I'm gradually reading my way back through - some are re-reads, and some I've skipped out before for whatever reason (Friends in High Places by Donna Leon)
• I bought one book in Lisbon when I was visiting (Blindness by Jose Saramago)
• I bought one book from Waterstones online to make up an order high enough for free postage, when I bought a book for Geoff and one for school (The Killing Moon by N K Jemisin)

Here's the updated list of Books to Read in 2018. These are the books hanging out on my windowsill upstairs, waiting to be read. Or discarded. But hopefully, read. I started the year with 60 books on this list - you can see how long the books have been knocking around by the dates in brackets.

1. Ford Maddox Ford, Parade's End (Nov 2012 - birthday present - bought after the BBC adaptation - but I knew I wouldn't read it straight away as I wanted to let time pass from the adaptation.  Enough time has probably passed now...)
2. Elizabeth Gaskell, North and South (2014)
3. Gabriel Garcia Marquez, One Hundred Years of Solitude (would be a re-read, bought shortly after his death - spring 2014 - as I was reminded how much I enjoyed it and I didn't seem to own a copy - think my old one fell apart, probably...) 
4. Philip Baruth, The Brothers Boswell (Waterstones Canterbury bargain bin, July 2015)
5. Daphne du Maurier, Frenchman's Creek (Waterstones Piccadilly - 2016? bought in principle for the girls, but thought I might read it again as it's been ages)
6. Daphne du Maurier, Jamaica Inn (Waterstones Piccadilly - 2016? bought in principle for the girls, but thought I might read it again as it's been ages)
7. Alice Munro, Runaway (Waterstones Piccadilly, March 2016)
8. Gregory David Roberts, Shantaram (Abe Books, July 2016)
9. Susan Barker, The Incarnations (charity shop, July 2016)
10. Neil MacGregor, Germany: Memories of  a Nation (birthday present, Nov 2016) (This book isn't technically on my windowsill, it's downstairs because I keep thinking I might have a go at reading it, but haven't really got around to it yet...)
11. Orhan Pamuk. A Strangeness in Mind (Christmas present 2016)
12. Andrew Taylor, The Ashes of London (passed to me by Geoff after he read it, April 2017)
13. Mark Haddon (Introduction), States of Mind: Experiences at the Edge of Consciousness (Waterstones Piccadilly, April 2017)
14. John Irving, Avenue of Mysteries  (Waterstones Piccadilly, April 2017)
15. Lynn Knight, The Button Box  (Waterstones Piccadilly, April 2017) (This book is actually not on the windowsill either, as I've started reading it, but as it's non-fiction, it may take me a while to get through it; I'm reading it in little bits...)
16. Mikhail Bulgokov, The Master and Margarita (charity shop, April 2017)
17. Peter Ackroyd, Hawksmoor (charity shop, April 2017)
18. Rachel Ward, Numbers 2: The Chaos (Sarah's - added to my shelf after I read the first one, April 2017)
19. Rachel Ward, Numbers 3: Infinity (Sarah's - added to my shelf after I read the first one, April 2017)
20. Jane Smiley, Early Warning (Abe Books, May 2017, after finishing the first in the series)
21. Siri Hustvedt, A Woman Looking at Men Looking at Women (Waterstones Wimbledon, July 2017)
22. Sally Vickers, Cousins (Waterstones Wimbledon, July 2017)
23. Hella Haasse, The Tea Lords (Bookhandel von Rossum, Amsterdam, August 2017)
24. Ernest van der Kwast, The Ice Cream Makers (Amsterdam, August 2017)
25. Lucy Worsley, A Very British Murder (Waterstones Oxford, August 2017)
26. Lucy Ribchester, The Hourglass Factory (charity shop, Farnham, September 2017)
27. Bi Fieyu, Three Sisters (charity shop, Farnham, September 2017)
28. Ali Smith, Autumn (Waterstones Brighton, October 2017)
29. Ben Marcus, The Flame Alphabet (2nd Hand Shop, Brighton, October 2017)
30. Becky Chambers, A Closed and Common Orbit (Waterstones Piccadilly, October 2017, after finishing the first in the series)
31. Alexia Casale, The Bone Dragon (Waterstones Piccadilly, October 2017)
32. Samantha Shannon, The Bone Season  (Waterstones Kingston, October 2017)
33. Michael Ondaatje, The English Patient (November 2017, book was in the house already, added after I read Divisadero and realised I'd never actually read this one.)
34. Grayson Perry, The Descent of Man (December 2017, RA Gift Shop)
35. Sarah J Maas, Court of Thorns and Roses (Christmas present, 2017)
36. Katherine Arden, The Bear and the Nightingale (Christmas present, 2017)
37. Patrick Gale, A Place Called Winter (charity shop, December 2017)
38. Sebastian Barry, Days without End (Abe Books, January 2018)
39. Anthony Horowitz, Magpie Murders (W H Smith, January 2018)
40. Matt Haig, How to Stop Time (W H Smith, January 2018)
41. Bernie MacLaverty, Midwinter Break (Watersones Piccadilly, January 2018)
42. Ursula K LeGuin, The Left Hand of Darkness (Watersones Piccadilly, January 2018)
43. Clare Vanderpool, Moon over Manifest (was in the house, moved to my shelf Feb 2018)
44. Colson Whitehead, The Underground Railroad (Waterstones Wimbledon, Feb 2018)
45. Mohsin Hamid, Exit West (Waterstones Wimbledon, Feb 2018)
46. Arundhati Roy, The Ministry of Utmost Happiness (passed to me by Geoff, Feb 2018)
47. Alwyn Hamilton, Hero at the Fall (Waterstones online, March 2018)
48. Laini Taylor, Strange the Dreamer (Waterstones online, March 2018)
49. ed. Tracy Chevalier, Reader I Married Him (Waterstones online, March 2018)
50. Bella Pollen, Hunting Unicorns (Kingston Hospital Charity Bookshelf, March 2018)
51. Diana Rosie, Alberto's Lost Birthday (Kingston Hospital Charity Bookshelf, March 2018)
52. Jojo Moyes, The Last Letter from your Lover (Charity Shops, March 2018)
53. Jojo Moyes, Sheltering Rain (Charity Shops, March 2018)
54. Sebastian Faulkes, A Week in December (Charity Shops, March 2018)
55. Marcus Zusak, I am the Messenger (Charity Shops, March 2018)
56. Jose Saramago, Blindness (Lisbon, April 2018)
57. Margaret Atwodd, Oryx and Crake (passed on by Geoff, April 2018)
58. The Killing Moon, N K Jemisin (Waterstones online, April 2018)

Book 34: Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

My trip to Amsterdam last summer reminded me I hadn't read this in many years (like since I was about 13 or 14 probably), so I picked up a new copy to revisit, not while in Amsterdam, but in conjunction with that visit (and a visit to the Anne Frank House Museum). Really glad I visited there before re-reading as it adds quite a lot to the diary to be able to really visualise the space (and makes it seem even smaller than just imagining it does). Still powerful and poignant despite many years and a number of film/telly adaptations. 

Dinner, 30/4/18: Mexican Bake

This is a popular dinner in our house (along with other Tex-Mex things) - it's kind of like a lasagne, only Mexican. And easier.

Dinner, 29/4/18: Thai style mince with fragrant rice (Ainsley Harriot)

This is fairly  simple, and can use pork or turkey mince, or indeed, probably something like quorn as it has quite a lot of flavour. I chucked some broccoli on top to steam for the last ten minutes or so, which worked well. 

Books in

I went into Waterstones while shopping today, mainly to look for books suitable for my class book corner, and did really well, only picking up one book in the young adult section (the one at the back left), which is a sequel to a book Sarah and I have both read (Ink by Alice Broadway). And then I got to the tills and started chatting with the sales guy about the books of the month. Sigh. 

Dinner, 28/4/16: Vegetable Biryani

A fairly regular dish in our house, especially when there are sweet potatoes to be used up, or half a butternut squash. That was not the case on this occasion, as it happens, but it might have been!

Dinner, 27/4/18: Teriyaki Salmon Noodles

Very simple dish, with pak choi in with the noodles, but incredibly yummy. 

Dinner, 25/4/18: Celery Soup with biscuits

So hard to take interesting photos of soup. 

Book 33: Pax by Sara Pennypacker

I picked this up a while back in Waterstones because it looked appealing; decided it might suit some of the older readers in my class. I really enjoyed it - inevitably it will draw comparisons to things like Watership Down or The Incredible Journey, but it's not really that similar, other than the "point of view of an animal" in some chapters. Definitely a good story for older children, especially those who like animals stories (and might appeal to boys, with a male protagonist). 

Dinner, 24/418: Warm Potato & Lentil Salad; Green Bean Salad

Thinking it might continue to be spring-like (who am I kidding), I thought we'd have something a little lighter and more warm-weather oriented. This was nice, though the potato salad needed more dressing. 

Dinner, 23/4/18: Spaghetti with pea and mint pesto

Dinner, 22/4/18: Paella style rice with chicken and black olives

Kind of like paella, only quick and easy. I used less chicken and more artichokes and olives than in the recipe. 

Book 32: Friends in High Places, Donna Leon

Re-reading my way through this series - as usual, enjoying the picture painted of Venice (even the bits that aren't so nice, like the corruption endemic throughout the government there). 

Dinner, 21/4/18: Courgette, refriend bean and goat cheese quesadillas

Book 31: Tales of Terror from the Black Ship, Chris Priestley

A quick read in a sunny spring afternoon, after work outside on the patio. These are really great - it's the second in the series. Really looking forward to the third. 

Dinner, 20/4/18: Brussels sprout & blue cheese pizza

Sounds like an odd combination, perhaps, but very tasty. Not with a tomato sauce, but rather some mascarpone spread under. We've had it before and really enjoyed it; it was nice to revisit it.

Book 30: The Dark Circle, Linda Grant

I've read a number of Linda Grant novels before, and have enjoyed them all. It's been a while since I picked one up, but this one intrigued me, as it was set in a sanitorium around 1950, just when TB was about to be pretty much eradicated in the UK - an interesting tale, with a curious cast of characters. A good read. 

Dinner, 19/4/18: Baked Aubergine, Fennel & Chickpeas with Sun-dried tomato paste

This is a dish we used to have quite a lot, but haven't had in ages - mainly due to the children's dislike of aubergine. No kids home for dinner tonight, so... and it was glorious. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed it - very simple and yet very tasty. Could have used a bit of crusty bread on the side perhaps, but never mind, there's always another time.

Dinner, 18/4/18: Santorini style spaghetti (Keep it Vegan, Aine Carlin)

This spaghetti with lemon, capers, tomatoes & parsley was great, especially for a nice spring evening like we (finally) had. Will definitely cook it again, though I might throw the parsley in at the end of the cooking rather than sprinkle it on top, just to soften it up a little; it was quite sharp-edged. 

Dinner, 17/4/18: Cauliflower & Cheddar Soup (Covent Garden Soup Book)

Someday, I will work out how to take interesting pictures of soup, but at present - no luck. This was a good way to use up the smaller bits  of cauliflower left from the cauliflower steaks the other night. Yum. 

Dinner, 16/4/18: Suriname style curry (Vegan in 7)

This curry was, I'm afraid, pretty boring. It lacked depth of flavour, especially in the tofu, which I love, but which really needs something strong to carry it off. I think it could be improved by using stock in the cooking and perhaps curry paste instead of curry powder (and more of it), but whether it would be improved enough to make it worth trying again, I'm not sure. It's a shame; other recipes from this cookbook have been very good, so far. I served it with black Thai rice, which I thought went well in general - or would have, if the curry had been better.

Dinner, 15/4/18: Chicken & Potato Stew

This photo has come out very anemic and doesn't show the lovely yellow of the potatoes, from cooking them with saffron. This was lovely and tasty, the oranges and lemons in with the chicken and potatoes went really well, as did the Middle Easter spices. Yum.

Book 29: At the Water's Edge by Sara Gruen

A historical novel by the author of Water for Elephants (which I very much enjoyed), this one set during the later years of WWII at a remote village in Scotland, on the shores of Loch Ness. A spoiled society couple and their friend travel to the village to search for the Loch Ness monster, for a variety of reasons, but of course the book isn't about that - it's about people and relationships and the monsters that walk on land.  Very compelling. I picked this up because the book I was reading wasn't really grabbing me (though I'm going to give it another shot) and then couldn't put this one down.

Dinner, 14/4/18: Cauliflower "steaks" with chimichurri sauce (Niomi Smart)

We really like this; we've had it several times before. The cauliflower is just lovely and the sauce is piquant and goes really well with it. I also made a cucumber and tomato salad and roasted the cauliflower leaves and stems with a little olive oil and salt & pepper to go along side.

Book in

I wanted to order something for Geoff from Waterstones, so of course I had to add in another book to hit the free shipping...  Decided to give this a try - another series (I think this is only two books, not three) by N K Jemisin. After really enjoying her Broken Earth trilogy of course I wanted to try something else.

Dinner, 13/4/18: Courgette & Feta Pancakes (Moosewood)

Served these with some salads (not all pictured) and some crusty bread. We're very fond of veggie type pancakes/fritters in our house - they feature regularly, in many varieties.

Book 28: Our Endless Numbered Days by Claire Fuller

This story, about a father obsessed with survivalism, who takes his 8 year old daughter to a remote cabin in the woods and tells her the rest of the world has been destroyed kept me gripped all the way through - the story begins with the daughter returned home again after many years away with the father, so on the one hand, we know something about how it will come out, though by no means everything. It sounds kind of grim and thriller-y, but it's not, really - it's more an insight into relationships, obsession and indeed, madness. A very good read. 

Dinner, 11/4/18: Bombay Potato Frittata

As Olivia was away visiting Sarah, a meal using lots of egg was in order. I always enjoy a good frittata, and this one has potatoes cooked in turmeric and spinach and onions, with Indian spices. Yum.

Book 27: Uncle Montague's Tales of Terror by Chris Priestly

Been meaning to read this one for a while as it's one of the text's my class will read this year. It's excellent - very creepy and extremely gripping, despite being a children's book. Hopefully it won't scare them too much in the light of day. These are a combination ghost stories and cautionary tales and they are very well done. Might even have to seek out the other two in the series. 

Dinner, 10/4/18: Chili Chicken Stir-Fry

I added some vegetables to this chicken stir fry - hey presto - a full meal (served with rice). 

A few days in Portugal

Geoff and I had a few days away over the Easter holidays, ostensibly as a 25th anniversary marker (plus, I like to go places and Easter is when I can). We spent most of it in Lisbon, with a day out to Sintra.  Sights included the Belem Tower, 

about a hundred million sets of steps like the one above (mostly up, which seems unlikely, but that's how it feels when you are there), 

the 25th April bridge, 

the Jeronimos monestary, 

the 25th April bridge again, at night, from a bar at the top of a multi-storey car park, 

the tile museum (very good, worth the trek out from the centre of Lisbon), 

which is housed in an old convent, 

the Pantheon, 

and on the day out to Sintra (these photos taken BEFORE the pouring rain), the Moorish castle 

and Palace de Pena.

All in all, lots of good things to see and do.

Book 26: Dark Matter by Michelle Paver

I'm not a huge fan of horror novels, though I'm ok with a good thriller. But a nicely atmospheric ghost story is another thing entirely, and this one was very good. Paver is best known for her children's series Chronicles of Ancient Darknesss (Wolf Brother being the famous first of that series); having read this book, I'm tempted to go check out her children's books - I think Alex has most of the series upstairs anyway. Very satisfying.

Dinner, 9/4/18: Spicy Sweet Potato Wraps

...with a cucumber and tomato salad and some onion bhajis (courtesty of Waitrose - they were good, though!) I'm tagging the meal vegan as the only non-vegan aspect is the yogurt and one could easily leave it out or use a vegan substitute...

Book 25: The Muse by Jessie Burton

Jessie Burton's very famous first novel, The Miniaturist, was very good; personally, I liked this one even better. I think perhaps the characters are a little more sympathetic to me. A great interweaving of historical periods, and a satisfying conclusion. 

Book in

When I'm away in another country (not so much the USA) I like to pick up a book in English by a local author; this is my book from Portugal. I'm assuming it will be very good as the author has won the Nobel Prize for Literature...