Book Chat - Issue #5

How to have a happy life

Hello friends,

If this is your first issue, let me give you a warm welcome. I am truly thrilled that you have subscribed to my little newsletter.

This week I’ll be sharing some great links and a lovely recipe. If you have any comments, just hit reply and your thoughts will magically appear in my inbox.

What I've been reading

Emily Gates Prucha is a writer and an English teacher who has lived in the Czech Republic for more than 17 years. She recently had this piece published in Entropy Magazine. It’s a great read.

Food and Covid-19: the Ups and Downs of Pandemic Cooking – ENTROPY

I also really enjoyed this piece about starting over after a major life event (or a pandemic). As the author says, if we are forced by circumstances to stop and re-evaluate our lives, we might just decide that we want a different (better) life.

How to Have a Happier Post-Pandemic Life - The Atlantic

What I've been writing

I wrote a short piece on the passing of Eric Carle, the author of The Very Hungry Caterpillar and 75 other books. You can read it here . I find it very amusing that my grammar checking software keeps telling me that “very hungry” is weak writing and that I should use a stronger adjective like “starving”, but it doesn’t have quite the same ring to it, does it?

What I've been listening to

LeVar Burton Reads: The Best Short Fiction, Handpicked by the Best Voice in Podcasting

In every episode, host LeVar Burton (Roots, Reading Rainbow, Star Trek) invites you to take a break from your daily life, and dive into a great story. LeVar’s narration blends with gorgeous soundscapes to bring stories by Neil Gaiman, Haruki Murakami, Octavia Butler, Ray Bradbury and more to life.

What I've been cooking

I had this delicious smoked eggplant dip at a Lebanese restaurant a couple of months ago and it inspired me to make it myself, but I forgot to take a picture. I took this photo at the restaurant but mine looked and tasted just as good. I didn’t have the tools to char the eggplants, so I just baked them in the oven and it turned out fine. It’s a very easy recipe and suitable for vegans.

Mutabal - Middle Eastern eggplant dip

One last thing

If you have any friends who would like this newsletter, please share.

Thanks and have a great fortnight!

Marg xxx