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Sara Foster was speaking at Perth Writers' Festival this weekend - very interesting. I am going to read her book next. Also there, was Josephine Wilson who wrote Extinctions, a book you recommended years ago (and I loved) and ironically, mentioned in another book talk last week.

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What a great opportunity. I didn't realise she lived in West Australia. She seems to be pals with Dervla McTiernan who also lives in Perth. I like her books as well. Have you read any of them?

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Me neither. I’ve read one of Dervla McTiernan’s books.

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I liked Jane is Trying as well - I listened to the audiobook so I could her dulcet tones as well x

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I hadn't thought of that. The audio book would be awesome.

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“The Tasajara Cookbook” was the first cookbook I can recall buying, way back in the 1970s. It taught me how to do rolling cut for stir-fry, and I recall laughing with my girlfriend at its account of the invention of “smoked greens”. Wish I still had a copy.

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I'm so thrilled you remember it. I don't have a copy either, but I think it's still in print. You can get it via a free download but was a bit worried it was a scam. I also loved The Enchanted Broccoli Forest - do you remember that one?

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Both your book recommendations sound worth checking out, Marg! I'm also an enormous fan of the Tassajara Bread Book, which I discovered in the '70s when I was living in San Francisco near Haight Street (okay, I'm an old hippie!) and first started baking bread. I had to reorder the book more recently because I couldn't find my old copy. Now I might have to make that bread, which looks deliciously seedy, my favorite kind! Thanks for reminding me!

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Ha ha, all the old hippies are coming out of the closet. I was looking at flowery print dresses today and contemplating the past. They were very comfortable as I recall. Everything old is new again.

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My parents used to make bread every day when they were living in a commune on the hills of Abruzzo. My dad also had dreadlocks 😆.

The first book you shared caught my attention and is now in my bucket list. Thank you!

For the past couple of weeks I've been reading a book about Eliza Acton, it's called The Language of Food, by Annabel Abbs. Lovely, and very british, which I like.

Looking forward to your next dispatch Marg!

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I would love to hear more about living on a commune in Abruzzo. That's sounds very exotic but maybe it wasn't :)

Thanks so much for the book recommendation. It looks really beautiful as well as interesting. I'm a sucker for pretty covers.

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I can't remember, to be honest, I was 6months old at that time! I should interview my old ones about it I guess... And that cover won my heart, I couldn't not buy the book!

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