I was reading the first few pages of a book in a bookshop recently and my husband asked me if I was going to come back every day and read a bit more 😀 I’m not that much of a cheapskate but I do like to get a feel for a book before I commit!
Same! And there's nothing wrong with being considerate with one's own spending, especially when we live in a world that wants us all overspending and overconsuming all the time.
I appreciate your recommendations, which all sound excellent. Of course I’m always drawn to a book with a good food angle!
The toasty looks delicious! I don’t believe they’re served in California. It seems similar to a grilled cheese sandwich (with added veggies!) or perhaps a panini (which requires a special press). Anyway it looks yummy!
PS: I read your blog also and I’m in the camp of those who don’t feel compelled to finish a book I don’t like. However there are some I’ve felt I ought to read that I gave up on because they were too demanding--like Moby Dick. I’m ashamed to say I began the famous whale tale several times, and, while I appreciated the writing, story, etc., I gave up after several chapters. It’s still on my TBR list though. I wonder if you’ve had that experience with a book--maybe a classic--that you couldn’t get through.
Hi Ruth, it's always lovely to hear from you. Yes, a toasty is just a grilled cheese sandwich! Nothing particularly new about it, but I've never put broccoli in a toasted sandwich before, so it seemed a bit radical to me. Australians are crazy for jaffles at the moment. Do you have them in the states? They are the same as toasted sandwiches but sealed around the edges so you can use runny fillings, for example curry and such like.
Re books I haven't read but feel I should have - I also haven't read Moby Dick, but to be honest I've never even tried. I am not put off by the length of books, but it just seemed a bit dreary. I feel the same about Dickens. I once had to do a review of David Copperfield when I was at school and it was so boring I couldn't be bothered reading it all the way through. I read some crib notes and got quite a good mark as I recall. I've read Anna Karenina and Dr Zhivago (so clearly I can make it through love stories) but the list of classics I haven't read is very long. I'm not bothered though.
I haven’t heard of jaffles (my text corrector keeps trying to write “jangles”! Grrrrrr!), but now I’d like to find out about them. Haven’t seen them here either. Are they a British import?
I also have plenty of classics I haven’t read (or finished) aside from Moby Dick (my text genius just tried to change Dick to duck!)--War and Peace, Portrait of a Lady, most of Hemingway--I feel a little bad, but not too much. There’s such a lot of great new fiction out there to distract us. But I do have a list of old classics I’d like to take another crack at.
I just found out that jaffles are an Australian invention! The jaffle iron was invented in Bondi (our famous beach) by a medico in 1949. You can read more here, it's fascinating. https://www.australianfoodtimeline.com.au/jaffle-craze/
I haven't read Hemingway either. I read The Paris Wife by Paula McLain, which is about his second wife, Hadley Richardson. It's pretty good but he sounds like a horrible man so I'd rather spend my time on other books. As you say, there are so many good books.
Marg, thanks for the link to the history of jaffles. It’s fascinating and makes me want to try making one. Apparently there’s an American corollary to the jaffle maker called a pie iron. Some of the fillings sound a bit odd, but I guess that would be half the fun!
My Christmas gift list (for myself 😆) has just got longer!
Brilliant post and blog post too, Marg. Those free Kindle extracts make a huge difference when it comes to choosing a book to buy.
(I had no idea goodreads is Bezos' 😑)
I was reading the first few pages of a book in a bookshop recently and my husband asked me if I was going to come back every day and read a bit more 😀 I’m not that much of a cheapskate but I do like to get a feel for a book before I commit!
Also, thank you for your kind words.
Same! And there's nothing wrong with being considerate with one's own spending, especially when we live in a world that wants us all overspending and overconsuming all the time.
I appreciate your recommendations, which all sound excellent. Of course I’m always drawn to a book with a good food angle!
The toasty looks delicious! I don’t believe they’re served in California. It seems similar to a grilled cheese sandwich (with added veggies!) or perhaps a panini (which requires a special press). Anyway it looks yummy!
PS: I read your blog also and I’m in the camp of those who don’t feel compelled to finish a book I don’t like. However there are some I’ve felt I ought to read that I gave up on because they were too demanding--like Moby Dick. I’m ashamed to say I began the famous whale tale several times, and, while I appreciated the writing, story, etc., I gave up after several chapters. It’s still on my TBR list though. I wonder if you’ve had that experience with a book--maybe a classic--that you couldn’t get through.
Hi Ruth, it's always lovely to hear from you. Yes, a toasty is just a grilled cheese sandwich! Nothing particularly new about it, but I've never put broccoli in a toasted sandwich before, so it seemed a bit radical to me. Australians are crazy for jaffles at the moment. Do you have them in the states? They are the same as toasted sandwiches but sealed around the edges so you can use runny fillings, for example curry and such like.
Re books I haven't read but feel I should have - I also haven't read Moby Dick, but to be honest I've never even tried. I am not put off by the length of books, but it just seemed a bit dreary. I feel the same about Dickens. I once had to do a review of David Copperfield when I was at school and it was so boring I couldn't be bothered reading it all the way through. I read some crib notes and got quite a good mark as I recall. I've read Anna Karenina and Dr Zhivago (so clearly I can make it through love stories) but the list of classics I haven't read is very long. I'm not bothered though.
I haven’t heard of jaffles (my text corrector keeps trying to write “jangles”! Grrrrrr!), but now I’d like to find out about them. Haven’t seen them here either. Are they a British import?
I also have plenty of classics I haven’t read (or finished) aside from Moby Dick (my text genius just tried to change Dick to duck!)--War and Peace, Portrait of a Lady, most of Hemingway--I feel a little bad, but not too much. There’s such a lot of great new fiction out there to distract us. But I do have a list of old classics I’d like to take another crack at.
I just found out that jaffles are an Australian invention! The jaffle iron was invented in Bondi (our famous beach) by a medico in 1949. You can read more here, it's fascinating. https://www.australianfoodtimeline.com.au/jaffle-craze/
I haven't read Hemingway either. I read The Paris Wife by Paula McLain, which is about his second wife, Hadley Richardson. It's pretty good but he sounds like a horrible man so I'd rather spend my time on other books. As you say, there are so many good books.
Marg, thanks for the link to the history of jaffles. It’s fascinating and makes me want to try making one. Apparently there’s an American corollary to the jaffle maker called a pie iron. Some of the fillings sound a bit odd, but I guess that would be half the fun!
Read and loved all of those books which would also top my list for 2022. You should have had the treacle tart for dessert after the toastie!