Book Chat Issue #33

Friendship, motherhood and a delicious lemon cake

Jun 28, 2022

Hello reading friends

I hope you are all feeling ok after a somewhat tumultuous week. If not, I am sending you a warm hug. I think that now, more than ever, books can provide comfort and joy in an otherwise stressful world.

I’ve a got a fabulous reading recommendation this week. It’s one of those books that you really love and try to get all your friends to read. It was funny, sad and I couldn’t put it down, but I also didn’t want it to end. I picked it up at the library because I had read a previous book by the author which I also enjoyed.

Do you have favourite authors that you’ll read anything they write?

What I’ve been reading

All My Mothers, by Joanna Glen tells the story of Eva Martinez-Green, an only child full of questions about her origins. There are no baby photos of her and her emotionally distant mother refuses to answer any questions about her early life.

As she grows up, her desire to discover where she belongs leads Eva on a journey of discovery spanning decades and continents, but also causes her to reconsider what being a mother really means.

She travels to Córdoba in Spain, where she meets up with her old friend Bridget Blume.

Our arms were around each other and we were singing: tie a yellow ribbon round the old oak tree. And I was imagining that my mother might eventually come home to Córdoba singing that it had been twenty long years and did I still want her?
Did I still want her?
You always want your mother. Whatever she’s like.

I especially loved learning about the history of Córdoba, which is written seamlessly into the novel and the author’s bio confirms that she read Spanish at the University of London and did a stint at the University of Córdoba. It’s a thoroughly enjoyable book that I think you will love.

What I’ve been writing

I’ve been thinking about women and friendship a lot this week.

Here’s a short piece I wrote for International Women’s Day last year about standing by your friends in difficult times.

It’s just a reminder that you don’t need to be amazing. You just need to be a good friend.

What I’ve been cooking

My good friend Jan has gone to live in England for a few months and that means that I’ve taken on the role of providing supper for our book group, of which Jan is a treasured member. Like me, Jan would describe herself as a good plain cook, so in her absence I decided to make this simple lemon cake. My decision was also influenced by the fact that a neighbour gave us a dozen juicy Meyer lemons. Meyers are very yellow and sweet (they’re a cross between a citron and a mandarin), but also tangy.

This is an easy recipe that’s almost foolproof.