Book Chat Issue #131
Cabbage and custard
Hello reading friends,
Book Chat is a fortnightly free newsletter for people looking for their next great read. I’d love you to say hi and let me know what you are currently reading.
New around here?
As well as publishing this newsletter, I also have a website where I’ve been writing articles since 2008. It sometimes puzzles people as to why I have both a blog and a Substack newsletter, but to me they serve very different purposes. Book Chat exists to share reading recommendations and recipes, whereas my blog features articles on a range of topics.
Here are some of my favourites:
Give me a home among the gum trees
What I’ve been reading
I don’t read much historical fiction as a rule. I sometimes find long descriptive passages a little boring, the exception being when I am learning about a time or place that interests me. So when an internet friend enthused about The Eights, by Joanna Miller, I thought I would give it a whirl.
The book focuses on the lives of four fictional women admitted to Oxford in the early 1920s, when women scholars were first granted the right to matriculate and therefore take degrees. The four women are known as The Eights because they live in corridor eight, in St Hugh’s College.
St Hugh’s was an actual college and the book contains many references to historical women including Vera Brittain (feminist, socialist and author) and Eleanor Jourdain, Principal of St Hugh’s college.
I loved all the historical details and the book seems incredibly well researched. The chronology of Oxford’s academic calendar supplies the novel with its framework, annotated along the way by official notices, letters, telegrams, schedules, rules, and reminders. These are both fascinating and at times, hilarious.
At first I had a bit of trouble working out who was who, but once I got involved in their individual stories, I was fully invested. There was a lot of opposition to the admission of women (of course) but they soldier on, each secretly feeling they have something to prove. They are all incredibly bright, but are very restricted in their daily lives and can barely move without a chaperone. It was difficult, but not impossible, to socialise unless you had a brother who was also at Oxford. This was a problem because so many women had lost their brothers in the First World War. This resulted in a lot of women climbing walls and sneaking out at night to meet with friends and lovers.
RULES FOR WOMEN UNDERGRADUATES (circa 1920)
Rule no 5. A woman undergraduate may go to matinees with men friends if leave is obtained from her principal, provided there are more than two women in the party.
Rule no 7. A woman undergraduate may not attend a public dance.
Rule no 10. Woman undergraduates are not allowed to play mixed hockey.
Although they are very different, the women become firm friends, and it’s this exploration of friendship that makes the novel come alive, along with the details about the social mores and prevailing attitudes to women.
I particularly enjoyed the details about their dinners (often featuring boiled cabbage with custard and prunes for dessert), as well as their midnight feasts and illicit drinking. The women are fully formed, and very believable. Since I finished reading the book, I have caught myself thinking about them more than once, and that for me is the sign of a good read.
I highly recommend The Eights. It’s a delight.
What I’ve been eating
The long, hot summer has finally ended and my thoughts have turned to cake. Specifically, lemon cake, because who doesn’t love a lemon cake? I love anything citrusy, so count me in.
I wanted to make something quick and easy so I used a recipe from RecipeTinEats. Nagi Maehashi (the founder of RecipeTinEats) is a household name here in Australia, and her two cookbooks have sold over a million copies. Her recipes are easy to follow and she provides step-by-step instructions, so they are suitable for beginners as well as experienced cooks.
Her recipe for Lemon Cake is simple and pretty foolproof. It also freezes very well, so it’s a good thing to keep in the freezer for unexpected guests.
Here’s my version with very wonky icing. Tasted great though.
International Book Club
I’m trying something new for our April meeting! We’re going to try using WhatsApp to make it easier for everyone to join in. If you want to come along, please send me a quick email telling me your name, phone number and where in the world you live. (Just your city, I don’t need your address). Simply hit reply, and your response will come directly to my inbox.
Please reply by Friday 10 April so I can add you to the group.
Our next read is Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy.
International Book Club is free for subscribers and everyone is welcome.
That’s all for this issue my friends,
Until next time, keep safe and remember life is short, so don’t forget to smell the roses.
Marg xx
I always enjoy your writing wherever it appears, Marg, but I have some catching up to do on your other site. ... ... The Eights sounds great--as does the cake! I just made a lemon cake for Passover that was similar but had no dairy or gluten. It was made with almond flour and olive oil, with a simple glaze of confectioner's sugar, lemon juice and zest. It didn't rise anywhere near as much as yours, but, served with dairy-free whipped cream (there were folks with both gluten and dairy issues at the gathering), it was quite popular. I would like to try this one too! I love anything made with lemon! ....Looking forward to your Book Club. I'm giving up on getting a copy of Wild Dark Shore via Libby and will be ordering a copy!
Thank you for this recommendation! The book will come out next month here in the Netherlands. It’s on my wish list!