Walnut and Coffee Cake

I don't really like coffee, but it's not my birthday and this was what was requested. I followed this recipe here. It's a Nigella Lawson so of course it is completely gluttonous, which is ideal for a birthday cake. Unfortunately my attempt has sunk in the middle- a fact I've unsuccessful tried to hide with walnuts!

I think the dip  might be because I opened the oven at a critical stage

 I'm sure if it'll taste fine despite its looks, and even though I'm not a coffee fan, I'm sure I'll manage a slice or two.

Postcards from Penguin

Postcards from Penguin is a collection of 100 iconic book covers throughout the history of the Publishers. Th

They are great to send to friends or to use as room decoration. It's fun to leaf through the designs and see what ones you've read or find titles that are particularly suited to your character. I think these three sum me up pretty accurately!

Once I find the perfect frame I'm going to make a collage to hang above my bed- I'll post the results when I'm done.

Presents for a Potterhead

It's been six years since the last book was published, but the magic can live on with these Harry Potter inspired gifts:-

1.  'Oculus Reparo' illustration print (£15.00 from here)

2. Glasses and Scar ring (£17.81 from here)

3. Butterbeer bag (£7.63 from here)

4. Marauders Map dress (from here)

5. Butterbeer lipbalm  (£2.38 from here)

Autumn walk at Audley End

A couple of weeks ago I visited Audley End, a grand 17th Century house just outside Saffron Walden. The weather was perfectly autumnal and the grounds were full of colour.

Originally a Benedictine monastery, Audley End was entirely rebuilt by Thomas Howard between 1605 and 1614. The house is currently undergoing large restoration work, with most of the facade hidden by scaffolding. The gardens are still worth a visit, as they offer views of unspoilt Essex countryside as well as formal and kitchen gardens.

Plus its fun to play in the leaves!
   

We were lucky that some of the flowers were still in bloom. 

  more autumnal pictures after the cut: 

She wants the D(estruction of the patriarchy). Gifts for feminists

Ok, slightly specialised, but still here is a list of gift ideas for the feminist reader in your life.

1. If you're after a fiction book good authors to try (my favourites in brackets);

•  Margret Atwood (The Handmaids Tale, actually any of her books are winners, my review of Madaddam)
•  Angela Carter (The Passion of New Eve)
• Toni Morrison ( Jazz)
• Octavia E. Butler
• Sarah Waters (Fingersmith)
• Suzanne Collins (for your adolescent feminist, Hunger Games)     

This list is in no way comprehensive, and also there is plenty of non-fiction book on feminist thought out there. People worth checking out include, Judith Butler, Pat Califia and Patricia Hill Collins.

2. A Book from Persephone Book store (here) a specialised bookshop dedicated to neglected (mostly women) mid-twentieth century fiction and non-fiction. Organised by categories such a 'Suffragettes', 'A Woman's Place' and 'Gender and race'. The covers are also beautiful and simply designed.

If you don't want to get your favourite feminist a book, here are some other suggestions:

3.  Feminist Brooch (£9.00 from here). Also comes in a snazzy necklace.

4. Feminist Killjoy Banner (£8.63 from here)

5. Margaret Atwood Print (£9.58 from here)

6. 'she is too fond of books and it has turned her brain' Notebook (£7.95 from here)

7. Uterus Plush ($20.00 from here)

8. Feminist Embroidery Hoop (£14.93 from here)

9. 'well behaved women rarely make history' tote bag (£9.59 from here). A nice Christmas idea would be to buy a bag like this, and then pop a feminist novel inside.

10. NUWSS replica badge (£13.50 from here)

11. A Room of Ones Own print (£19.95+ from here)

Gifts for Writers

Sorry, I've been a bit quiet this past few weeks, but I'm back (yay!) and here to help with some present suggestions as it's not long now until Christmas (double yay!).

I'm intending to do a whole series of present ideas, and first up is gifts for writers:-

1. Write Brooch. (£14.99 from here)

2. Vintage Typewriter, typewriters make beautiful home decoration (or you could write your first novel on one). Ebay  is a good place to start, with typewriters going for about £30, charity shops and carboot sales are also good places to go hunting.

picture taken from pintrest 

3. 'I could have been a novel' notebook (£6.99 from here)

4. Typewriter Print (£12.78 from here)

5. Working Fountain Pen Necklace ($30.00 from here) 

6. Scrabble Ring (£0.99 from here) as they're so cheap you could buy a few, have your initials or maybe 'write' or 'type' go across your knuckles.

loads more ideas after the cut......

Dulce et Decorum Est

My friend, you would not tell with such high zest

To children ardent for some desperate glory,

The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est

Pro patria mori.

- Wilfred Owen, Dulce et Decorum Est 

10 must read war novels

Today is Remembrance Sunday, so I've put together a list of novels that offer insight about the horrors of warfare, human resilience, and love.

In no particular order:-

1. Kevin Powers, The Yellow Birds: written by a veteran to try and answer the question of 'what was it like over there?", this novel is a fictionalised account of a soldiers first tour of duty in Iraq and his return home. Full review here

2. Andrea Levy, Small Island: 1948 and England is trying to recover from war. Gilbert Joseph was one of several Jamaican men who joined the RAF and served the Empire, but returning to London as a civilian he is treated very differently. Profoundly moving and unafraid to tackle huge themes of prejudice, empire, war, love and love, this novel won the 2004 Orange Prize for Fiction.

3. Eric Maria Remarque, All Quiet on the Western Front: The seminal novel of the First World War, visceral and harrowing. Remarque speak with such authority, poetry and sadness you'll be in tears.

4. Louis de Bernieres, Captain Corelli's Mandolin: Don't be but off by the dreadful Nicolas Cage film, the book is actually really good! Love blooms between an Italian army officer and the spirited local girl on the occupied Greek island of Cephellonia.

5. Sebastian Faulks, Birdsong: It has rather slow beginnings, but the chapters about the WW1 trenches are deftly handled. The narrative follow the life of Stephen Wraysford, before, during and after the war. The most interesting character for me is Jack Firebrace, a sapper.

6. Carsten Jenson, We, the Drowned:  Full review here. A chronicle of maritime warfare from 1848 to the Second World War. The latter section of the novel has some of the shocking and distressing descriptions of combat I have ever read.

7. Joseph Heller, Catch 22:  Touted as one of the greatest novels of ever written, it is a comical, cynical and original look at the madness of war.

8. Pat Barker, Regeneration: The first in a trilogy, a fictional account of an army  psychiatrist attempt to heal his shell shocked patients, including the famous war poet Siegfried Sassoon.  A sympathetic and knowledgeable novel about post traumatic stress, psychiatry and love.

9. Markus Zusak, The Book Thief: Narrated by death, Liesal is fostered by the stoic and kindly Hubermanns. As WWII progresses, the Hubermanns open their home again to another person in need, Max, a Jewish boxer. Love and hate in all its numerous forms are examined in this novel.

10. Ian McEwan Atonement: Robbie is imprisoned for a crime because of the testimony of a sensitive and creative child, he is released after 3 years on the condition that he enlist in the army. Robbie's conviction and the war fracture a family. Guilt, betrayal and redemption are all key themes in this beautifully written novel.

Justin Cronin, The Passage

If you're a fan of The Walking Dead, World War Z or 28 days later, you might want to give The Passage a try. It's the first part of a trilogy, the second part, The Twelve, was published just last month.

The Plot: In an attempt to create a new breed of super solider, the government inadvertently unleashes a highly contagious, vampiric plague which destroys most of humanity. Survivors shelter behind walls and flood lights, but the community is troubled and the lights are failing. Destruction and salvation hang in the balance, and the fate of the world depends on twelve condemned criminals and one six-year-old girl, Amy.

In my opinion this novel is a bit of a mixed bag, the beginning is strong, my interest began to wane about two thirds of the way through, but the cliffhanger at then end means I would like to read the sequel. 

Amy is a fascinating character, compassionate, beloved, vulnerable and solitary. Her interaction with other characters gives the book warmth and intrigue.  Therefore it is a shame she is absent for huge chunks of The Passage. 

The best part of apocalyptic fiction is how authors envisions the society of survivors Cormac McCarthy and Margaret Atwood are both experts at this in their dystopian novels. In The Passage the city under lights is claustrophobic, paranoid and with a hierarchy and feels very believable.  

Having the contagion be more vampiric than zombies is a inspired idea. You might not want to read this before bed, as there are genuine moments of suspense and fear.  

Girl from Nowhere

“Before she became the Girl from Nowhere- the One Who Walked In, the First and Last and Only, who lived a thousand years- she was just a little girl in Iowa, named Amy. Amy Harper Bellafonte.” 

- Justin Cronin, The Passage