Book 24: This Must be The Place, Maggie O'Farrell

Maggie O'Farrell's books are very reliable - since After You'd Gone came out, I've read quite a few of them (I think all of them but one, looking at her bibliography - not counting the new, non-fiction one) and always enjoy the combination of excellent story telling and compelling characters. This was no exception.

Book 23: The Stone Sky, N K Jemisin

The third in the trilogy; I have to say, although she does more or less explain everything, I'm still not sure I completely have my head around it all. Very compelling, though, and a fitting conclusion to the story. What an amazing writer - so much imagination and detail.

Book 22: The One and Only Ivan, Katherine Applegate

Another children's book, which I read to check suitability for my class - definitely ok for my age group and a sweet story, told from the point of view of Ivan, a gorilla in captivity in unusual circumstances.

Dinner, 2/4/18: Moroccan chicken wings, courgettes, couscous

These were an adaptation of a recipe which used pomegranate ketchup, and ingredient I don't own. I do, however, have pomegranate molasses - no doubt purchased for some other recipe - and I decided to use that and some ketchup and hot sauce in an improvised barbecue sauce for these wings, which are done in the oven. They were really tasty. Good improv!

Dinner, 1/4/18: Roast rack of lamb, potatoes, carrots

Easter is traditionally lamb - we don't always follow that, but sometimes it's fun to. We don't eat a huge amount of lamb, partly because we don't eat a lot of meat, partly because it's expensive, and partly because the girls don't really like it much...

Books in

Sarah and I spent some time yesterday poking around the charity shops in New Malden, so of course I came back with a bunch of books. I didn't get a chance to blog them in March, though, so they'll go on the April book round up post...

March Round Up

WHAT WAS FOR DINNER, MARCH 2018

• 31st: Vegan Lancashire hot pot
• 30th: Leek, artichoke & blue cheese wellington
• 29th: Mince & macaroni bake (Sarah cooking)
• 28th: Vegetable & tofu stir fry
• 27th: Lentil & pomegranate salad
• 26th: Pasta with artichoke hearts & feta
• 25th: Mini toad-in-the-holes, cabbage
• 24th: Pork Mince Curry (G - everyone else out)
• 23rd: Fend for yourself
• 22nd: Cod, peas, potatoes (G&A only)
• 21st: Penne all Amatriciana
• 20th: Smoky Moroccan Chickpea Stew
• 19th: Bean and Cheese Quesadillas
• 18th: Asian Stir Fry
• 17th: Pizzas
• 16th: Spicy Asian Tofu Salad
• 15th: Fend for yourself Thursday
• 14th: Omelettes G&A (K & O away)
• 13th: Courgette and Lemon Linguine
• 12th: Chili with Rice
• 11th: Sweet Potato Pancakes
• 10th: Roasted Aloo Gobi
• 9th: Leek, courgette & potato soup (no photo)
• 8th: Fend for yourself Thursday
• 7th: Herby Sausage Stew
• 6th: Sticky Citrus Chicken
• 5th: Chickpea and Spinach Curry
• 4th: Lasagne
• 3rd: Spaghetti with bacon, breadcrumbs & garlic
• 2nd: Out to Sushi for Anniversary
• 1st: Cod, potatoes, peas (G&A)

March Book Summary

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

And here's the breakdown for this month: 

• I read one book which is part of a series I'm re-reading my way through, but which isn't on my windowsill (Fatal Remedies by Donna Leon)
• I read fivebooks from my windowsill (The Obelisk Gate by N K Jemisin, The Start of Me & You by Emery Lord, Lost Boy by Christina Henry,  Ready Player One by Ernest Cline,  The Secret Chord by Geraldine Brooks)
• I read about half of another book from the windowsill, but it just didn't grip me (T is for Tree by Greg Fowler)
• I read a book which Sarah had in her room (When we Collided by Emery Lord)
• I read a book I was planning to take into my classroom, just to check it was suitable for Year 6 kids (and because I've read good things about it) (Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli)
• I bought a few books from Waterstones online to get the last in a trilogy I've been waiting for (Hero at the Fall by Alwyn Hamilton,  Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor, Reader I Married Him ed. by Tracy Chevalier)
• I picked up a couple of books in the charity shelf at the hospital when I took Sarah for a knee x-ray (it's true - I can't resist any instance of books) (Hunting Unicorns by Bella Pollen, Alberto's Lost Birthday by Diana Rosie)

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. Jessie Burton, The Muse (Waitrose, January 2017)
13. Andrew Taylor, The Ashes of London (passed to me by Geoff after he read it, April 2017)
14. Mark Haddon (Introduction), States of Mind: Experiences at the Edge of Consciousness (Waterstones Piccadilly, April 2017)
15. John Irving, Avenue of Mysteries  (Waterstones Piccadilly, April 2017)
16. 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...)
17. Mikhail Bulgokov, The Master and Margarita (charity shop, April 2017)
18. Peter Ackroyd, Hawksmoor (charity shop, April 2017)
19. Rachel Ward, Numbers 2: The Chaos (Sarah's - added to my shelf after I read the first one, April 2017)
20. Rachel Ward, Numbers 3: Infinity (Sarah's - added to my shelf after I read the first one, April 2017)
21. Jane Smiley, Early Warning (Abe Books, May 2017, after finishing the first in the series)
22. Linda Grant, The Dark Circle (Waterstones Nottingham, July 2017)
23. Siri Hustvedt, A Woman Looking at Men Looking at Women (Waterstones Wimbledon, July 2017)
24. Sally Vickers, Cousins (Waterstones Wimbledon, July 2017)
25. Anne Frank, Diary of a Young Girl (Waterstones Wimbledon, July 2017, bought with my trip to Amsterdam in mind, though not necessarily to read before or during the trip)
26. Hella Haasse, The Tea Lords (Bookhandel von Rossum, Amsterdam, August 2017)
27. Ernest van der Kwast, The Ice Cream Makers (Amsterdam, August 2017)
28. Lucy Worsley, A Very British Murder (Waterstones Oxford, August 2017)
29. Lucy Ribchester, The Hourglass Factory (charity shop, Farnham, September 2017)
30. Bi Fieyu, Three Sisters (charity shop, Farnham, September 2017)
31. Claire Fuller, Our Endless Numbered Days (charity shop, Farnham, September 2017)
32. Michelle Paver, Dark Matter (charity shop, Farnham, September 2017)
33. Ali Smith, Autumn (Waterstones Brighton, October 2017)
34. Maggie O'Farrell, This Must be the Place (Waterstones Brighton, October 2017)
35. Ben Marcus, The Flame Alphabet (2nd Hand Shop, Brighton, October 2017)
36. Becky Chambers, A Closed and Common Orbit (Waterstones Piccadilly, October 2017, after finishing the first in the series)
37. Alexia Casale, The Bone Dragon (Waterstones Piccadilly, October 2017)
38. Sarah Pennypacker, Pax (Waterstones Kingston, October 2017)
39. Samantha Shannon, The Bone Season  (Waterstones Kingston, October 2017)
40. 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.)
41. Grayson Perry, The Descent of Man (December 2017, RA Gift Shop)
42. Sara Guen, At the Water's Edge (Christmas present, 2017)
43. Sarah J Maas, Court of Thorns and Roses (Christmas present, 2017)
44. Katherine Arden, The Bear and the Nightingale (Christmas present, 2017)
45. Patrick Gale, A Place Called Winter (charity shop, December 2017)
46. Sebastian Barry, Days without End (Abe Books, January 2018)
47. Anthony Horowitz, Magpie Murders (W H Smith, January 2018)
48. Laline Paull, The Ice (W H Smith, January 2018)
49. Matt Haig, How to Stop Time (W H Smith, January 2018)
50. Bernie MacLaverty, Midwinter Break (Watersones Piccadilly, January 2018)
51. Ursula K LeGuin, The Left Hand of Darkness (Watersones Piccadilly, January 2018)
52. Clare Vanderpool, Moon over Manifest (was in the house, moved to my shelf Feb 2018)
53. Colson Whitehead, The Underground Railroad (Waterstones Wimbledon, Feb 2018)
54. Mohsin Hamid, Exit West (Waterstones Wimbledon, Feb 2018)
55. Arundhati Roy, The Ministry of Utmost Happiness (passed to me by Geoff, Feb 2018)
56. Alwyn Hamilton, Hero at the Fall (Waterstones online, March 2018)
57. Laini Taylor, Strange the Dreamer (Waterstones online, March 2018)
58. ed. Tracy Chevalier, Reader I Married Him (Waterstones online, March 2018)
59. Bella Pollen, Hunting Unicorns (Kingston Hospital Charity Bookshelf, March 2018)
60. Diana Rosie, Alberto's Lost Birthday (Kingston Hospital Charity Bookshelf, March 2018)

Book 21: The Secret Chord by Geraldine Brooks

This is a historical novel about David (the Biblical King), told from the point of view of his prophet, Natan, as he compiles a history of David's life. He combines his personal recollections with oral histories taken from significant figures in David's life. It's a nice structure and a very interesting life. Brooks writes very well, so it's a pleasure to read. 

Dinner, 31/3/18: Vegan Lancashire Hotpot (Simon Rimmer)

We've had this many times before - the inside is root vegetables, barley, etc in a lovely, rice sauce. One of the best things about this is the richness of the flavour, depite it being vegan. Yum. 

Dinner, 30/3/18: Leek, blue cheese & artichoke wellington

This is really gorgeous, with a filling of leeks, blue cheese, pine nuts, sunblush tomatoes, artichoke hearts. Yum. 

Dinner, 29/3/18: Mince & macaroni bake (Sarah cooking)

I had plans to go out for dinner, so I deputised the cooking - there's lots leftover, though, so I imagine I'll have some for dinner. Looks pretty good.

Dinner, 28/3/18: Vegetable & Tofu stir fry

Dinner, 26/3/18: Lentil & Pomegranate Salad, Green Salad, Biscuits (Vegan in 7)

This was good, but needed a little something else to help kick the flavour up a notch. We think a stronger, more mature feta would work (the cookbook uses a vegan "almond feta" but as we aren't vegan, we didn't). The basic salad was good, but just needed a little more zing. 

Dinner, 26/3/18: Pasta with artichokes and feta (Moosewood Simple)

This was simple and tasted fine, but it wasn't very exciting. I'm not sure if I'd do it again or not. 

Dinner, 25/3/18: Toad in the hole, cabbage

The Yorkshire puddings today turned out really well, even better than normal. I think it's because I had really good eggs in the house, but who knows, could have been any number of factors. Yum. 

Book 20: Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli

Always on the hunt for books to recommend to my class, and thought this one might be ok - it's aimed at slightly older kids, but there's nothing unsuitable in it (I wanted to read it to check that, but also just to read it as I've read good things about it). It's a very nice story about the joys and perils of being yourself. A great one for early teens feeling a lot of pressure to conform.

Dinner, 21/3/18: Penne alla Amatriciana (Good Food)

Alex was due to cook this, but my committment got cancelled, so we did it together instead. He's made it before, and it's easy and tasty - some bacon, some red wine, some tomatoes...

Dinner, 20 March 2018 (Aine Carlin, Keep it Vegan)

This was great. The kids complained about the aubergine, of course, but Geoff and I really liked it. The smokiness was a great addition. And we liked the couscous. A winner, for sure.

Dinner, 19/3/18: Bean & Cheese Quesadillas (Moosewood Simple)