April Reading Update

Once again, I've set a reading goal of 100 books for the year - I didn't quite make it last year (95), but it's close enough to set that as a goal again (and I like a nice round number). I'll track which books I read in a month and which I liked best. Mostly for myself more than anything, but of course I'm always glad to have others follow along.

So...  in April: new (to me) books read: 8; books re-read: 0
Favourite book in April:  The Ninth House, Leigh Bardugo

in March: new (to me) books read: 8; books re-read: 1
Favourite book in March:  Spring, Ali Smith

 in February: new (to me) books read: 4; books re-read: 
Favourite book in February:  A Single Thread, Tracy Chevalier

in January:  new (to me) books read: 6; books re-read: 
Favourite book in January:  An American Marriage, Tayari Jones

April reading: 

• I read a couple of children's books - one which my class might read later in the year, and others just because I like children's books. (A Boy and a Bear in a Boat by Dave Shelton; The Lost Magician by Piers Torday)
• I read a book which someone talked about on a podcast, which sounded interesting (Who Will Run the Frog Hospital by Lorrie Moore)
• I read a couple of SF/F titles, one a young adult book by a new author (The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna) and one a new title by an author I've read before (The Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo)
• I read the next in a crime series I'm reading (A Long Shadow by Charles Todd)
• I read a collection of long short stories I picked up in a charity shop a while back (Nocturnes by Kazuo Ishiguro)
• And I read a book by an author I really enjoy, which has been waiting on my shelf for a while (The Lola Quartet by Emily St John Mandel)

Dinner, 30/4/21: Korean Style Prawn and Spring Onion Pancake

We love this (well, Geoff, Alex and I do) - yum. 

 

Book 27: The Ninth House, Leigh Bardugo

Really enjoyed this slightly more grownup book by Leigh Bardugo (I do like the Grisha books, particularly Six of Crows and its sequel as well) - really interesting idea and lots of original magic. Looking forward to the next. 

 

Dinner, 29/4/21: Gnocchi with wild garlic pesto

Two kinds of gnocchi and wild garlic pesto, both from Seriously Italian via our local farmers market. They have great gnocchi - really light and fluffy, unlike a lot of supermarket gnocchi. Yeah, I know I could make my own. But.

 

Dinner, 28/4/21: Frittata with chorizo, peppers and potato

Frittata. We have egg-based meals a lot - easy weeknight suppers, and when you get really nice eggs (we get ours with our veggie box, or sometimes from the farmers' market) they are just lovely. Here, a frittata, with a salad and some nice bread.

 

Dinner, 27/4/21: Cabbage and potato cake, Spicy Carrots

Cabbage and potato cake, plus spicy roast carrots and squash. Yum.

 

Book 26: The Lost Magician, Piers Torday

This was a sweet take on the Narnia idea (very much a tribute), using (fairly) modern concepts and Reading and the power of books as core ideas. I enjoyed it. Someone who hadn't read Narnia would enjoy it just on its own, as well - I can imagine a child being enchanted by the idea of a magic library...

 

Dinner, 25/4/21: Burnt Aubergine Chili

Sadly, none of my children like aubergine (eggplant) except in this chili, which we all love. So, with an aubergine in the veggie box, it was an obvious choice.  

 

Dinner, 24/4/21: Chicken and Leek Pie

Chicken and leek pie. Pretty much does what it says.  Lovely.

 

Book 25: A Boy and a Bear in a Boat, Dave Shelton

This is one which we often do in school for Year 4 - not sure if we are doing it yet or not, but as I had a copy at home, I decided to go ahead and read it, just in case. Cute. I hope we do it with the class, as I think they would enjoy it and the subsequent discussions. And the illustrations are fab. 

 

Dinner, 23/4/21: Penne with tapenade, rocket, chorizo

Pasta with tapenade, chorizo, rocket, tomatoes.  Easy and tasty. Alex cooked tonight, which was nice. He will be the King of Pasta Dishes when he goes off to uni (though he does cook other things, as well as helping me cook all kinds of things).

 

Dinner, 22/4/21: Sausages, Asparagus, Potatoes

There may come a point in asparagus season when we all throw our hands up and think "Not asparagus again" and turn it into soup or something.  We have not yet reached this point.

 

Dinner, 21/4/21: Squash and Chickpea Stew

This was from the Hugh Fearnley-Wittingstall Book River Cottage Veg, which has some great recipes in it.  We've found quite a few we really like - this was great.  We loved the flavours and texture.

 

Book 24: Nocturnes, Kazuo Ishiguro

 

This was a set of five long short stories based around music, which I enjoyed. It's not my very favourite of Ishiguro's work (I've read most of his books, though not all of them), but he does write well, so it's always a pleasure to read (my favourite would be either The Remains of the Day or Never Let Me Go.

(Purchased in a charity shop, October, 2020)

Dinner, 18/4/21: Burrito Bowls (or Wraps)

Sarah and I had our burritos deconstructed, in bowls. The boys had wraps.  There were many ingredients, though not avocado as the avocados had been ripening for a week and were still rock hard.  Next time I may just buy guacamole...

 

Dinner, 17/4/21: Courgette Lasagne

Had this before, forgot how nice a way it was of using up courgettes. Yum. 

 

Book 23: A Long Shadow, Charles Todd

 

Dinner, 16/4/21: Leek & Blue Cheese Risotto

Lots of leeks in the veggie box lately, so lots of leek inspired meals.  Not a vegetable that I really enjoy just on its own, though Geoff is happy to eat them that way - I find them a bit tough like that.

 

Dinner, 15/4/21: Ribs, Sweet Potatoes, Veg

Ribs done in ginger beer, new season asparagus, broccoli, sweet potato (some had regular potatoes): if it can't be summery weather, you can still pretend.

 

Dinner, 14/4/21: Tofu and Veggie Stir Fry with Noodles

 

Dinner, 13/4/21: Greek(ish) Salad

We had a lot of salady ingredients in the house (tons of lettuce for some reason), so it was time for a dinner salad - lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots and anything else in the fridge which could make a salad. Some cooked chicken breast, a little leftover ham, some feta cheese, olives, and so on. Yum.

 

Book 22: Who Will Run the Frog Hospital, Lorrie Moore

 

One of the podcasts I've been listening to lately is But That's Another Story, where people discuss books that were seminal in their lives. This one was mentioned and sounded like my kind of thing, which it was. Not an author I know well, but one I will seek out again, for sure.

Dinner, 11/4/21: Chicken Korma with Courgettes

Chicken korma with courgettes added near the end. Nice!

 

Dinner, 10/4/21: Ham, Cabbage, Potatoes

 

Book 21: The Lola Quartet, Emily St John Mandel

I discovered Emily St John Mandel through Station Eleven, which might still be my favourite, but I thought this was a close second (better than both Last Night in Montreal and The Singer's Gun) - the way she weaves different strands together from past and present and different characters is very skillful and this one just edged the others out (I thought) in the success of that method.  Haven't read her newest yet (The Glass Hotel), but it's on my watch list.

 

(book purchased from Abe Books, July 2020)

Dinner, 8/4/21: Leek, Pea & Spinach Soup

 Always nice to have some homemade soup - this one uses leeks, peas and spinach. With some toasted mixed seeds on top, which made a nice texture contrast.

Dinner, 7/4/21: Scrambled Eggs, Asparagus, Oven Potatoes

First of the new season asparagus cropped up in our veggie box this week, so I wanted something to show it off. Goes nicely with eggs, so this was an easy option.

 

Dinner, 6/4/21: Indian Masala Roast Carrots with Coconut Lentils

This was fantastic - it's a Riverford recipe - which I saw in an email and kept in mind for using up a carrot glut, which we sometimes get. Will definitely have it again - we love a good dhal anyway, and the carrots and onions on top were super. 

 

Book 20: The Gilded Ones, Namina Forna

Enjoyed this young adult fantasy novel - looking forward to the next in the series. A creative idea, not entirely unpredictable, but not in a bad way. Very compelling.

(Mothers Day present, March 2021)

 

Dinner, 5/4/21: Pasta with Chard, Bacon and Rosemary

Alex cooked this - it was a Riverford recipe about how to use chard and was very nice.

 

Dinner, 4/4/21: Roast Veggies with Couscous and Hummous

Always a good way to use up a glut of veggies in the house...

 

Dinner, 3/4/21: Minestrone

 

Dinner, 2/4/21: Fish with Balsamic Glaze, Greens, Potatoes

A pretty basic meal - but sometimes just having good ingredients is enough.

 

Dinner, 1/4/21: Broccoli and Cheese Frittata

This was very nice - I used Port Salut cheese which worked well. The recipe used Taleggio, but Ocado never seems to have that... Anyway, I'm sure any similar cheese would work.

 

Book 19: Spring, Ali Smith

 

I've enjoyed Ali Smith for a long time, and this series of seasonal novels lives up to expectations. She's a lovely writer, and I liked the idea of this series, themed around a year of seasons. I'm behind, of course, but I've now read three of them, so I'm getting there.

(purchased at Waterstones, Wimbledon. 12.8.20)

March Round Up

 

WHAT WAS  FOR DINNER, MARCH 2021

• 31st: Spicy Schechuan Noodles
• 30th: Salads
• 29th: Fend for yourself Monday
• 28th: Sweet Potato and Spinach Curry
• 27th: Marinated Courgettes with Mozzarella, Sausages
• 26th: Lebanese Takeaway
• 25th: Pasta with Broccoli, Garlic and Chili
• 24th: Leek and Potato Soup
• 23rd: Thai Chicken Curry
• 22nd: Fend for yourself Monday
• 21st: Stuffed Courgettes and Peppers
• 20th: German Sausages, Celeriac & Potato Mash, Fennel
• 19th: Pasta with Fennel, Rocket and Lemon
• 18th: Tacos
• 17th:l Lentils with Beetroot and Feta
• 16th: Pasta with Peas, Beans and Chorizo
• 15th: Fend for yourself Monday
• 14th: Spiced pork balls in fragrant broth
• 13th: Roast aloo gobi
• 12th: Baked gnocchi with broccoli and blue cheese
• 11th: Chicken with balsamic glaze, potatoes, green beans
• 10th: Potato, Carrot and Onion Rosti
• 9th: Courgette Tarts
• 8th: Fend for yourself Monday
• 7th: Roast Chicken, Cabbage, Roast Potatoes
• 6th: Chili con Carne (Geoff cooking)
• 5th: Spaghetti with Broccoli, Olives & Feta
• 4th: Chickpea and Chorizo Soup
• 3rd: Frittata, Potatoes
• 2nd: Butter Bean Makhani
• 1st: Fend for yourself Monday