October 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: 61
In May: books read: 10 ; books otherwise removed: 1; books in: 2; books on windowsill: 58
In June: books read: 10; books otherwise removed: 1; books in: 3; books on windowsill: 58
In July: books read: 8; books otherwise removed: 0; books in: 5; books on windowsill: 62
In August: books read: 6; books otherwise removed: 1; books in: 3; books on windowsill: 63
In September: books read: 9; books otherwise removed: 0; books in: 4; books on windowsill: 67
In October: books read: 9; books otherwise removed: 1; books in: 3; books on windowsill: 62

And here's the breakdown for this month: 

• I read one book which Geoff passed on to me - he's been reading various crime fiction series set in Italy, and the Inspector Montalbano series was recommended to him. (The Shape of Water by Andrea Camelleri)
• I read one book which was a Christmas present from Sarah last year - it was a highly rate YA fantasy title, and it was very readable - I whipped right through it and bought the second in the series straight away. (Court of Thorns and Roses, Sarah J Maas)
• And speaking of YA fantasy series, I remembered after reading the above and having a quick look at my windowsill, that I had the third (and final) part of the Rebel of Sands series waiting for me, so I read that (Hero at the Fall, Alwyn Hamilton)
• I bought three books in Waterstones - the second the Sarah J Maas series, plus the first in another series of hers. Plus I saw Winter by Ali Smith lurking near the tills - I recently read Autumn, so of course I'm going to have to read the rest of the seasons...
• I read one book which I picked up with an eye towards putting it in my classroom (Song of Seven by Tonke Dragt) - now that I've read it, I will definitely have to go back and read The Letter for the King, which Alex has on his shelf - not that they are connected, but I'm sure it's a great read.
• Then I went into "now for something completely different" mode and pulled out a non-fiction title which has been lurking for a while and read that (The Descent of Man by Grayson Perry)
• About halfway through, I got distracted by the second in the Court series by Sarah J Maas (Court of Mist and Fury)
• I had a try of one of the books on my list, read about 30 pages or so, but just didn't really like the tone (Three Sisters by Bi Fieyu), so it will go back to the charity shop
• I read a book on the train to & from Birmingham (and a little while in Brum, but mostly on the train) (Strange the Dreamer, Laini Taylor)
• I read another couple of books from my shelf (The End We Start From by Megan Hunter; How to Stop Time by Matt Haig)

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. 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)
5. 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)
6. Gregory David Roberts, Shantaram (Abe Books, July 2016)
7. Susan Barker, The Incarnations (charity shop, July 2016)
8. 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...)
9. Orhan Pamuk. A Strangeness in Mind (Christmas present 2016)
10. Andrew Taylor, The Ashes of London (passed to me by Geoff after he read it, April 2017)
11. Mark Haddon (Introduction), States of Mind: Experiences at the Edge of Consciousness (Waterstones Piccadilly, April 2017)
12. John Irving, Avenue of Mysteries  (Waterstones Piccadilly, April 2017)
13. Mikhail Bulgokov, The Master and Margarita (charity shop, April 2017)
14. Rachel Ward, Numbers 2: The Chaos (Sarah's - added to my shelf after I read the first one, April 2017)
15. Rachel Ward, Numbers 3: Infinity (Sarah's - added to my shelf after I read the first one, April 2017)
16. Jane Smiley, Early Warning (Abe Books, May 2017, after finishing the first in the series)
17. Siri Hustvedt, A Woman Looking at Men Looking at Women (Waterstones Wimbledon, July 2017)
18. Ernest van der Kwast, The Ice Cream Makers (Amsterdam, August 2017)
19. Lucy Worsley, A Very British Murder (Waterstones Oxford, August 2017)
20. Lucy Ribchester, The Hourglass Factory (charity shop, Farnham, September 2017)
21. Alexia Casale, The Bone Dragon (Waterstones Piccadilly, October 2017)
22. Katherine Arden, The Bear and the Nightingale (Christmas present, 2017)
23. Patrick Gale, A Place Called Winter (charity shop, December 2017)
24. Sebastian Barry, Days without End (Abe Books, January 2018)
25. Anthony Horowitz, Magpie Murders (W H Smith, January 2018)
26. Ursula K LeGuin, The Left Hand of Darkness (Watersones Piccadilly, January 2018)
27. Clare Vanderpool, Moon over Manifest (was in the house, moved to my shelf Feb 2018)
28. Colson Whitehead, The Underground Railroad (Waterstones Wimbledon, Feb 2018)
29. Mohsin Hamid, Exit West (Waterstones Wimbledon, Feb 2018)
30. Arundhati Roy, The Ministry of Utmost Happiness (passed to me by Geoff, Feb 2018)
31. ed. Tracy Chevalier, Reader I Married Him (Waterstones online, March 2018)
32. Bella Pollen, Hunting Unicorns (Kingston Hospital Charity Bookshelf, March 2018)
33. Diana Rosie, Alberto's Lost Birthday (Kingston Hospital Charity Bookshelf, March 2018)
34. Jojo Moyes, The Last Letter from your Lover (Charity Shops, March 2018)
35. Jojo Moyes, Sheltering Rain (Charity Shops, March 2018)
36. Sebastian Faulkes, A Week in December (Charity Shops, March 2018)
37. Marcus Zusak, I am the Messenger (Charity Shops, March 2018)
38. Jose Saramago, Blindness (Lisbon, April 2018)
39. Margaret Atwodd, Oryx and Crake (passed on by Geoff, April 2018)
40. The Killing Moon, N K Jemisin (Waterstones online, April 2018)
41. If we were Villains, M L Rio (Waterstones Wimbledon, April 2018)
42. Spark, Alice Broadway (Waterstones Wimbledon, April 2018)
43. The Mime Order, Samantha Shannon (Abe Books, May 2018)
44. March, Geraldine Brooks (Abe Books, June 2018)
45. The Girl on the Train, Paula Hawkins (charity shop, June 2018)
46. Anything is Possible, Elizabeth Strout (Waterstones Wimbledon, July 2018)
47. The Disappearances, Emily Bain Murphy (Waterstones Picadilly, July 2018)
48. Salt to the Sea, Ruta Sepetys  (Waterstones Picadilly, July 2018)
49. Cassandra at the Wedding, Dorothy Baker (Waterstones Picadilly, July 2018)
50. Selected Stories, Alice Munro (charity shop, July 2018)
51. The Same Sky, Amanda Eyre Ward (discount shop in US, August 2018)
52. The Murder of Mary Russell, Laurie R King (Abe Books, August 2018)
53. The Murderer's Ape, Jakob Wegelius (Waterstones Wimbledon, August 2018)
54. The Terracotta Dog, Andrea Camelleri (passed to me by Geoff, Sept 2018)
55. The Snack Thief, Andrea Camelleri (passed to me by Geoff, Sept 2018)
56. Even the Dogs, Jon McGregor (Abebooks, Sept 2018)
57. Islands in the Stream, Ernest Hemingway (Abebooks, Sept 2018)
58. Scythe, Neil Schusterman (Waterstones Piccadilly, Sept 2018)
59. Alice, Christina Henry (Waterstone Piccadilly, Sept 2018)
60. Court of Mist and Fury, Sarah J Maas (Waterstones Wimbledon, October 2018)
61. Throne of Glass, Sarah J Maas (Waterstones Wimbledon, October 2018)
62. Winter, Ali Smith (Waterstones Wimbledon, October 2018)

Dinner, 31/10/18: Salmon, chorizo & pepper traybake (Joe Wicks)

I forgot to take a photo of dinner - probably all the trick-or-treaters at the door during dinner prep, cooking and eating. Anyway, it looked a fair amount like this, only there was more of it. It was an unlikely combination - salmon, chorizo, veg, almonds, kale - but it worked pretty well. Not completely convinced about the kale  (which I like, in general) - maybe it needed to go underneath the salmon instead of around the top. 

Dinner, 30/10/18: Harissa Chicken & Chickpea Bake

With courgettes and mushrooms. This had a harissa marinade on the chicken, which wasn't as spicy as it could have been - I think next time more harissa - but the mushrooms were really lovely in it. Definitely a nice easy traybake meal. 

Dinner, 29/10/18: Pea & Mint Gnocchi

This was really nice - the gnocchi work really well when boiled quickly and then cooked for longer in the oven. 

Book 86: How to Stop Time by Matt Haig

It's not often I get an afternoon to just sit and read, so when I do get the chance, I take it. This one has been on my shelf for a while and it was a great choice for a reading afternoon as it was a super story, very easy to read and really compelling. Hard to put down because you just want to see where it goes and what happens. Tom Hazard's extremely long life is dealt with in a series of flashbacks as well as a present-day narrative, very skillfully woven together. And though you kind of feel you might know where it's going to go at the end, you won't be quite right, though you won't mind. A lovely novel. 

Dinner, 28/10/18: Chicken and Vegetable Soup

I made this in the slow cooker, which was interesting - I've never done soup in the slow cooker before and the flavour was nice and deep. We didn't think the vegetables were quite done enough, so we put it in a pan on the hob and cooked it a bit more. The taste was good, though.

Book 85: The End we Start From by Megan Hunter

This was a short, poetic novel of the post-apocalyptic type. It was a quick read, but very compelling, thoughtful and prettily written. 

Book 84: Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor

Excellent fantasy novel. I really enjoyed her series which begins with Daughter of Smoke & Bone and this book shows the same writing skill and incredible imagination. I was kind of hoping this would be a stand alone, only so I don't have to wait for the next installment, but it's not. The second (not sure if it's a longer series or not) is out, but only in hardback, so I think I'll wait a while to find it, but find it I will.  Really creative and compelling, and it took a long time to see where it was going to go.

Dinner, 22/10/18: Curried Parsnip Soup

Book 83: The Descent of Man, Grayson Perry

This is essentially a long essay about the problems of the traditional expectation of being a man, both to society and to men as individuals and was very articulate and interesting (and readible); it's not a super scholarly work (though it mentions many articles and studies which are more so): it's aimed at a general reader. That's not a judgement on it, just a comment. I enjoyed it a great deal, and although it didn't really make me change my mind about men or maleness, probably because I came to it more or less agreeing already, it was interesting to read from a male perspective some of these things which are so in the news lately and in the public conscience. Granted, Perry is not a typical male person in many ways, but he's still a man and has a lot of interesting things to say.

Dinner, 21/10/18: Cauliflower & Broccoli Cheese

A warming autumnal meal...

Dinner, 20/10/18: Leek & Cheese Pithivier

Essentially a pie with puff pastry top and bottom. The filling was potatoes, leeks and cheese. It was excellent. 

Dinner, 17/10/18: Pea & Bacon Tagliatelli

Dinner, 16/10/18: Butter Bean Jalfrezi (Cook Eat Share Vegan)

This was excellent. Very very yummy, and the butter beans were great in it.

Book 82: Court of Mist and Fury, Sarah J Maas

I actually started reading another, completely different book, which is very good, but which requires a little bit of thought.  So in the evening, when I was too worn out from school to really think about anything, I just wanted to pick up something which would virtually read itself. I had this standing by, and tore through it very quickly - in just a couple of evenings.  Now looking forward to the third.

Dinner, 15/10/18: Roast Cod with Lentils (Hairy Dieters)

With the girls gone, we're eating more fish, as the three of us love it.  This one has a side dish of lentils with tomato and chorizo. Very tasty.

Dinner, 14/10/18: Roast pork ,roast potatoes, spring greens

A small pork roasting joint was on sale during my weekly shop, so it was a roast dinner again. This time, there's not enough left for more than a sandwich, so no second meal is planned. 

Dinner, 13/10/18: Massaman Curry (Bosh!)

This one is from a new cookbook called Bosh! (https://www.bosh.tv/book/bosh-the-cookbook). It was a nice curry, but honestly, I'm not sure it's worth the effort of making the curry paste from scratch. I liked the combination of veg, though.

Book 81: The Song of Seven, Tonke Dragt

Tonke Dragt is a Dutch author famous for her book The Letter for the King, which I haven't read, but understand is excellent (Alex thoroughly enjoyed it). This was a fun adventure story, very compelling, definitely one for my classroom - just about the right age (10-11) for my middle readers. Think I really must read The Letter for the King now, though.

Dinner, 12/10/18: Sausage, Celery and Tomato Tray Bake

This was really nice - the cooked celery was lovely with the tomatoes and sausages. And easy.

Dinner, 10/10/18: Cheese and Lemon pasta with tapenade

...and salad and crusty bread...

Dinner, 9/10/18: Bombay Potato Frittata

We've had this before a couple of times; it's one of our favourite frittatas - great flavour. With no girls in the house to complain about eggy meals, there will be more frittatas and omelettes on the menu for sure. Such a quick and relatively healthy way to rustle up a weeknight supper.

Dinner, 8/10/18: Miso noodle soup with edamame

Sadly, although this looks very promising, it lacked flavour. I don't know if this was just because it didn't have enough miso in it (I put in more than in the recipe, but still) or what, but it was a bit of a shame. 

Book 80: Hero at the Fall, Alwyn Hamilton

The third (and final) in the Rebel of the Sands series - a young adult fantasy series featuring half-Djinn people, as well as regular people. Based in a desert (mostly) country, with Sultans and Rebel Princes and inventors and whatnot, as well as the aforementioned magical beings. I've really enjoyed this series and found this a satisfying conclusion to the trilogy, even if a heck of a lot of characters die. Sigh.

Dinner, 7/10/18: Beef Bourginon

A good way of using up a bottle of undrinkable red wine (Geoff bought it for a dish last week, as he couldn't find the three bottles of red wine we already had in the house; it was from the local shop; it wasn't very nice, though it's fine for cooking.) In the slow cooker all day, making the house smell nice, as well as dinner tasting good.

Dinner, 6/10/18: Tomato, Chicken & Olive traybake with basil oil, Thomasina Miers

Very tasty - the tomatoes are roasted a bit before adding the chicken, along with some stale bread. Very nice effect, and the basil oil was a lovely addition.

Books in

Finished the Sarah J Maas this morning, and promptly went out and found the next one - plus the first in another series. And the second in Ali Smith's seasonal series, having read Autumn earlier this year.

Book 79: A Court of Thorns and Roses, Sarah J Maas

The first in a young adult fantasy series - this is in many ways a take on the Beauty and the Beast story, but it's not any less for it; Maas has created an intriguing world of rather unpleasant (in some ways) fae and a complicated political and ethical scenario. I really enjoyed this and look forward to the next. 

Dinner, 5/10/18: Spinach and Ricotta Pizza Bianco

Lovely! I chose this because I had a tub of ricotta in the fridge by mistake (Ocado put it into my shopping trolley because I bought some recently, and I missed taking it out) - but it was serendipity, because we loved this.

Dinner, 3/10/18: Meatball & Mozzarella Bake

This was incredibly yummy and really easy - especially as I used a pack of pre-made meatballs (I buy them when they are on half price sale and keep them in the freezer).  We loved the crusty bread on top. Basically just two tins of cherry tomatoes, the meatballs, some basil, a couple of balls of mozzarella and a loaf of foccacia bread. Awesome. You'll see this again.

Book 78: The Shape of Water, Andrea Camilleri

The first in the Inspector Montalbano series, set in Sicily. Pretty light hearted for a crime novel, especially one set in the home of certain types of crime. But very readable. We have quite a few in the series in the house, The Book People having offered a set of 10 or 12 for very little money. So I imagine I'll be working my way through these, among other things...

Dinner, 2/10/18: Mushroom & Pancetta Risotto

Roast chicken on the weekend, means chicken stock; chicken stock means soup or risotto, usually. This time, risotto. Alex likes mushrooms ok, but they aren't his favourite, so we do the mushrooms separately and people can top their own risotto as they like. This time around, I had a small pack of pancetta in the fridge, so that went in with the rice as well. Yum!

Dinner, 1/10/18: Baked Salmon with Potatoes and Fennel

and tapenade drizzled on the top. Very nice. 

September Round Up

WHAT Was  FOR DINNER, SEPTEMBER 2018

• 30th: Roast chicken, roast potatoes, cabbage
• 29th: Cheese and Wine party at a neighbour's
• 28th: Penne all' Amatriciana (G&A only, K out)
• 27th: Fend for yourself Thursday
• 26th: Chorizo and Bean One Pot
• 25th: Devilled mushrooms
• 24th: Ginger sweet tofu with pak choi
• 23rd: Greek baked lamb with olives
• 22nd: Fish, peas, potatoes (G& A only - K, S, O out dropping O to uni)
• 21st: Out to dinner at Wahaca
• 20th: Fend for yourself Thursday
• 19th: Linguine with creamy tomato, rosemary and Caper sauce
• 18th: Fish Fingers, Oven Potatoes, Salad
• 17th: Spicy Parsnip Soup
• 16th: Beetroot & Goat Cheese Rosti
• 15th: Chicken Korma
• 14th: K out, G & S away, pizzas (not homemade)
• 13th: Fend for yourself Thursday
• 12th: Pea & Bacon Pasta (Alex)
• 11th: Vegetable Samosas
• 10th: Mac & Broccoli & Cheese
• 9th: Shepherd's Pie (Geoff)
• 8th: Vegan Hotpot
• 7th: Summer Minestrone Soup
• 6th: Curried Chicken and New Potato Traybake (Sarah)
• 5th: Coconut Curry Noodle Bowl
• 4th: Spinach & Cheese Quesadillas
• 3rd: Chinese mince & tofu
• 2nd: Lunch out at Wisley with John & Angela
• 1st: Party at Jane & Sat's