Book Chat Issue #127
It's a date
A manifesto (of sorts).
Hello and welcome to Book Chat, a newsletter for readers and eaters.
My goal is to help you find something good to read and encourage you to make food that’s good to eat, but doesn’t require a lot of hard work. My view is that both reading and eating should be pleasurable and sustaining.
I think you should read books that bring you joy, or make you think. You shouldn’t worry about what whether your choices are sufficiently ‘literary’.
I don’t believe in finishing books you aren’t enjoying, but having said that, sometimes its worth pushing through the first few chapters to see if you can get into the story.
My hope is that when Book Chat arrives in your inbox each fortnight, it makes you feel a tiny bit better about yourself and the world.
If you enjoy Book Chat, please press the heart button. It’s nice to know you are out there.
What I’ve been reading
I read a lot of books, but I usually only write about the ones I’ve enjoyed. There are plenty of other places you can find critiques and reviews, and I don’t feel like it’s my job to get involved in writing negative reviews. It’s hard to write a book, and I admire every single person who has achieved that. I’m also wary of accepting advanced review copies. I find it hard to write about books that someone has slaved over, but I don’t love.
Having said this, if we met for coffee I might be more forthcoming about books I thought were disappointing or over-hyped. I have strong opinions about books, but appreciate that my views are subjective.
This week’s book - Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall - has been getting A LOT of good reviews and I agree with 99% of the comments, with one tiny caveat I’ll explain in a moment.
Here’s the Goodreads description:
A sweeping love story with the pace and twists of a thriller, Broken Country is a novel of simmering passion, impossible choices, and explosive consequences.
Pretty full-on isn’t it? And yes, it’s all these things. A page turner. Incredibly slick with fantastic pacing and an ending you don’t quite see coming (or perhaps you did?), it’s a very enjoyable read and I finished it in two days.
But to be completely honest, I did think the characters were a bit unrealistic. Beth’s husband Frank is so patient he deserves a medal. Beth behaves quite badly and he doesn’t even raise his voice, just quietly accepts things and goes to the pub. Beth’s ex-lover Gabriel is impossibly handsome and apparently irresistible, but seems to have no conscience whatsoever. I’m quite happy to accept moral ambiguity and after all, it is a “sweeping love story and a novel of simmering passion” but I don’t think this is a story that will stay with me for years to come.
It’s pretty good though. Engaging and entertaining. I’m not surprised it’s a smash hit.
Have you read it? What did you think?
What I’ve been eating
The other morning I opened a large packet of dried dates and decided it would be fun to add dates to all my meals for the day. I love finding new ways to amuse myself!
Breakfast was porridge made with rolled oats, coconut, cinnamon, pecans, and of course, chopped dates. I forgot to take a photo, but it looked a lot like this (except without the pomegranate seeds because I am not a millionaire).
Lunch was a salad made with avocado, feta cheese, tomatoes, radish, mint, pecans (again) and dates. Delicious!
Dinner was some leftover cooked chicken fried with ground cumin, a tiny tin of corn, some capsicum (bell pepper), a packet of pre-cooked brown rice and dates. Mix it all together in the frypan and add a tiny bit of stock or water. Serve with fresh herbs if you have them, and a squeeze of lemon.
International Book Club
I’ve been trying to come up with the perfect book for our next book club. Then I realised that I will never be able to choose a book that everyone loves, and that’s okay. In fact, it’s positively desirable. Ever been to a book club where everyone has the same opinions? It’s quite boring because there’s nothing to talk about.
After much consideration, I’ve decided to go with Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy. I wrote about this book in a previous edition of Book Chat and it was one of my favourites from 2025, so I think it’s a good choice. Plenty to chat about.
Wild Dark Shore is both a thriller and an ode to the natural world and I’d love to discuss it with you.
If you haven’t been to one of our book club meetings and you’d like to be part of the discussion, just hit reply and let me know. We meet online and it’s free for subscribers.
If you’ve been to a previous meeting, you don’t need to do anything as you are already on the list.
Our next meeting will be in April, so grab a copy and start reading.
That’s all for this issue my friends,
Until next time, keep safe and look after yourselves!
Marg xx
Love the conflation of eating good food and reading great books ..
I agree with your comments on Broken Country but it was a good holiday read. Nick read it in one weekend while they were away.