Book Chat Issue #80

Special birthday edition

A Harley look-alike, but better behaved

Book Chat turned three this week! I can’t believe I’ve published 80 issues.

When I started Book Chat back in April 2021, I thought I might run out of things to say (not likely), but I’m happy to say I still love sending out Book Chat every two weeks. It gives my life structure and brings me joy.

Thank you for being here. It wouldn’t be fun without you.

To celebrate, I’m sharing a few of my favourite things, including a cute picture of a whippet who looks very much like my actual dog. However, you can tell it’s not Harley, because he wouldn’t have been be able to restrain himself from eating all the cake.

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Some favourite issues from the past three years

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Favourite audio books

Lots of people tell me they don’t have time to read. I find this somewhat incomprehensible because I’ve always been a big reader and tend to prioritise reading over other things I should be doing, but I do understand that many people have very busy lives.

The answer to this dilemma is (of course) audiobooks! They are great for weeding, ironing, walking, driving, or doing almost any monotonous task. They’re also great for people with insomnia, especially if you are prone to lying awake at night, ruminating about things you can’t control.

Here are some of my favourites.

The Rachel Incident (one of my all-time favourite books read by a lovely Irish narrator)

A Terrible Kindness (a profound and beautiful book about life and death)

Lessons in Chemistry (an excellent tale about a woman daring to challenge the status quo)

The Lying Room (a cracking psychological thriller, perfect for a long trip)

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Favourite recipes

My favourite recipes tend to fall into two categories - cake and salad.

I enjoy the prospect of baking a cake almost as much as the actual doing, and I especially love the smell of freshly baked cake. There’s nothing quite like it.

Here’s a lovely easy recipe from my friend Roz.

ORANGE CAKE – FAST and DELICIOUS

1 whole navel orange chopped  

125g melted butter

1 cup caster sugar                    

2 eggs

1.5 cups Self Raising Flour

Preheat oven to 180 C or 170 C if fan forced. Blitz these ingredients EXCEPT THE FLOUR in a blender for a brief time – should still be quite lumpy. Add 1.5 cups SR flour and pulse briefly to mix in flour. Pour into 18cm papered cake pan and cook at 170/180 C for approx 40 mins. When cake is ready, warm the syrup slightly and pour over or serve in a jug on the side.  Serve with cream or ice cream.

SYRUP Boil gently for 5-10 minutes:

3/4 cup orange juice, 1/3 cup sugar & 1/2cup orange marmalade

Orange syrup cake

I also love salads with pomegranate, citrus, and nuts.

This one has it all…

SPINACH, PEAR, AND WALNUT SALAD WITH POMEGRANATE VINAIGRETTE

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International Book Club

Are you a new subscriber? If so, let me tell you about our international book club.

It’s free, it’s for subscribers, and it’s friendly. You don’t need to be well-read or literary to participate.

Our next (online) meeting is in early May and we are reading How to Build a Boat by Elaine Feeney. If you’d like to join in, please hit reply and I’ll send you a meeting invitation.

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That’s all for this edition. Thanks for being part of this community.

If you enjoy this newsletter, feel free to share it with a reading friend.

And remember that I love hearing about what YOU are reading and eating, so don’t be shy.

Warm wishes

Marg xxx