Book Chat Issue #134

Ordinary Time

Hello reading friends,

I recently had an uptick in my subscriber numbers and whilst I was delighted, I was also a little bit suspicious. Ten new people signed up in the space of three minutes but they all had weird email addresses so I was pretty sure they were bots, or at the very least marketing emails.

So if you’re a newish subscriber and not a bot, please say hello. I would love to know where in the world you live, and what kind of books you like.

If you’re shy (I appreciate that a lot of readers are introverts) and you don’t want to comment publicly, you can always hit reply and send me a quick note. This will come directly to my inbox and I would love to hear from you.

One of my dear friends once told me she never made any comments on my blog or on this newsletter because she had nothing witty to say, so let me assure you that I don’t require a witty response, but it would be lovely to know who is reading this.

Another easy option is to hit the heart button at the bottom of this email.

New subscribers might be confused about why I have both a blog and newsletter, so let me explain that I write about all sorts of topics on my website, but Book Chat (this newsletter) is focused on books and recipes.

So let’s dive into this week’s recommendations.

What I’ve been reading

There’s nothing I love more than a book about the joys and sorrows of everyday life, especially one that makes me laugh out loud every now and then.

Some of my favourite books in this genre include You are Here by David Nicholls and Jane is Trying by Isy Suttie, and today’s recommendation is similar in that the writing is unpretentious and the characters are flawed but likeable.

Flawed but likeable characters are my favourite kind of people in real life as well as in books. If you have no character faults and are supremely well-adjusted, we probably have nothing in common.

Set in Cornwall, Ordinary Time by Cathy Rentzenbrink, tells the story of Ann, the reluctant spouse of a vicar. She’s doing her best, but struggles with everything that is expected of her as the vicar’s wife.

She lives in a grubby parish house filled with bags of donations, and parishioners seem to think they can drop in at any old time. She’s expected to carry out endless chores and perform a myriad of thankless tasks. She feels unseen and undervalued and her one joy in life is her son Sam.

Her husband Tim is very committed to his flock and to his his relationship with God and has very little time in his life for Ann and Sam. So when she goes to London to support her brother (who is convinced he’s going to die young) and meets Jamie, a handsome guy who seems to really see her, she finds it hard not to be flattered.

I won’t spoil the plot, but I will say that although this book has a light touch and is frequently very funny, it asks some important questions about love, grief, faith and identity.

And in case you were wondering, the title refers to the period in the Liturgical calendar which falls between Christmas and Easter, which is known as Ordinary Time.

If you like Anne Tyler’s books or books by Meg Mason, you will probably enjoy Ordinary Time.

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What I’ve been eating

A few weeks ago I talked about splashing out on a packet of pomegranate arils (seeds). Buying ‘ready to use’ pomegranate arils makes me feel decadent, but they are fantastic. My daughter said she was obsessed with them and keeps buying them to add to her salad.

I fully support this because I think we all deserve a nice salad for lunch and anything that makes it a little bit fancy is ok in my book.

Last week I discovered tiny balls of goat’s cheese at Aldi and have happily been adding them to my lunch. You may wonder why I can’t buy a proper amount of goat’s cheese and crumble it myself, but because I’m usually making a salad for one, I don’t need a whole packet of goats cheese.

Goat’s cheese pairs well with many foods, including honey, walnuts, pears, beetroot, and figs.

Here’s a salad I made yesterday which included baby spinach, a tiny tin of marinated chickpeas, tomato, goat’s cheese crumbles and beetroot dip. It probably needed some walnuts for added crunch, but I was hungry and couldn’t be bothered toasting any.

Goats cheese crumbles add a bit of luxury

Let me know if you have any salad recipes featuring goat’s cheese. I’m a fan!

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International Book Club

Our last book club meeting was really fun, and the discussion was wide-ranging. Some of our conversation was around the environmental themes of Wild Dark Shore, but we also talked about why and how some books get a lot of press, while other books are largely ignored. I imagine these are the same conversations that people have about art house films. Some are terrible and overwrought, but some are truly wonderful and deserve a wider audience.

With this in mind, we discussed what books we should read next, so if you have any suggestions of books that made a big impression on you and deserve a wider audience, let me know. I’m making a list and would love to hear your ideas.

Here are some titles we’ve read at book club over the last couple of years.

Remarkably Bright Creatures

The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store

H is for Hawk

Night Swimmers

You are Here

If you’d like to join Book Club, let me know. We meet online every couple of months and new members are always welcome.

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That’s all for this issue.

Until next time, make some time in your life for reading and look after yourself.

Warm regards

Marg xxx