Book Chat Issue #59

Little books - warm cake

Hello reading friends

The weather is cool and crisp here on the sunny Central Coast. I’ve been wearing several layers of clothing but I still get cold, so I have to run outside every now and then to stand in the sun and warm my bones. I’m usually in bed early, snuggled up with a book and a cup of tea. How have you been going? Is it warm in your part of the world?

It’s a short and sweet newsletter this week, but I hope it finds you well.

What I’ve been reading

It’s nearly the end of the year! The financial year I mean. The reading year is only halfway through, but I thought I’d revisit some favourite books so far.

Let’s start with some short offerings. Two slim volumes I recommend are Small Things Like These, a beautiful, lyrical book by Clare Keegan about standing up for what’s right, and The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett, a hilarious book about Queen Elizabeth discovering a travelling library in the palace grounds. In the book, Queen Elizabeth discovers a passion for reading so great that she neglects her royal duties. It’s clever and occasionally biting.

If you’re short on time I recommend dipping into some short story collections. If you don’t usually enjoy short stories, try Intimacies by Lucy Caldwell. It features 10 stories about vulnerability and motherhood. I found it very honest and moving. Here’s an excellent review from The Guardian.

Lastly, my favourite non-fiction read so far this year has been The Art of Gathering by Priya Parker. This is an excellent book for anyone who has to manage groups, run meetings, or facilitate formal or informal gatherings of any kind.

Book Club

We had a delightful book club meeting on June 15/16. It was lovely to meet some new book friends and talk about The Midnight Library by Matt Haig. In the book, the main character gets an opportunity to go back and experience some alternative lives (paths not chosen) so we chatted about whether we might live our lives differently if we had the chance to start over, and whether we had been influenced by a significant person in our lives. It was a really interesting discussion. A big thank-you to everyone who came along.

The next meeting will be in September. I’m still pondering what our next book will be and will let you know soon.

Just a reminder that you don’t need to sign up to to anything to participate in the book club. You just need to read the book and join the meeting on the day.

What I’ve been eating

Sometimes the cooler weather makes it impossible to resist donning my apron and baking a cake, especially on a lazy Sunday at home. Not only does the heat from the oven warm the house, the scent of freshly baked apple and pear wafts through the rooms creating a warm and cosy atmosphere.

The weekend paper featured this recipe by Adam Liaw and it was easy and delicious. I would recommend adding some cinnamon to the sugar topping. About half a teaspoon would do.

Adam Liaw’s apple and pear cake

That’s all for now. Do let me know if you have any reading recommendations and feel free to share this with your reading friends.

Warm wishes

Marg xxx