what I've read this month (February)

Here's the lowdown on what I've read this month (clink on the link for a full review):-

1. Emperor: The Death of Kings, Conn Iggulden
2. Boudica: Dreaming the Bull, Manda Scott
3. Mud, Sweat and Tears, Bear Grylls (autobiography)
4. Emperor: The Field of Swords, Conn Iggulden
5. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Suzanne Collins (re-read)
6. A Visit From the Goon Squad, Jennifer Egan
7. The Blind Assassin, Margaret Atwood (re-read)
8. The Lighthouse, Alison Moore

Discounting the re-reads, the book I enjoyed most this month was A Visit from the Goon Squad. as it was the most inventive. Boudica: Dreaming the Bull, comes in at second but is pipped to the post, as it sidelines the female protagonist from the prequel (Boudica: Dreaming the Eagle).

The only point in favour of Mud, Sweat and Tears is it fits in with my new years resolution to read more non-fiction. I don't think Bear Grylls comes across as very likeable, and pages and pages of chat about walking up mountains is incredibly dull. I read it out of desperation as it was the only book in my sisters house.

Hughenden Manor (exterior)

National Trust properties have begin to open up again (most are closed over winter), so we made the most of the weekend sunshine and took a trip over to Hughenden Manor.

Located in Buckinghamshire, is the former country house of Victorian Prime Minister, Benjamin Disraeli. The house was built in the 18th Century and then remodelled 1862 by the architect Edward Buckton Lamb and the behest of the Disraeli family.

The grounds of the manor include a formal gardens and a woodland park. Most the garden is still dead, so you may want to delay your visit by a month or so if you're planning a visit. The house itself, is of course impressive at any time of the year.

More pictures under the cut:-

alcohol

"Here's to alcohol, the rose colored glasses of life"

- F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Beautiful and the Damned 

Alison Moore, The Lighthouse

The Lighthouse is short, odd book by Alison Moore. It was included on the Man Booker Prize in 2012, but lost out to the unstoppable Hilary Mantel and Bring up the Bodies. 

source 

The Plot: Futh, a recently separated middle-aged man reminisces about his childhood and his failed marriage whilst on a walking holiday to Germany. Meanwhile Ester, conducts affairs in revenge for her husband's neglect. When Futh and Ester's lives collide, the consequences are violent and life-altering.

The Lighthouse reminded me slightly of Julian Barnes, The Sense of an Ending, as both novels are about memory and retrospection. Though I think Barnes novel has the edge.

Futh is a bland, forgettable man, so it is to Alison Moore's credit that she manges to produce a readable book about a boring person. Although sometimes Moore is in danger of been boring herself, particularly when she repeats the same story over again. I know she does this as it mirrors how memory works, we often relive important moments, and our recollections from early childhood are few, but I don't really want to read about the same event 3 or 4 times in the space of 192 pages.

Ester is more interesting character than Futh, and I wish more time had been devoted to her. I didn't really feel her motivation for her self-destructive behaviour was explored in enough depth.

There also seemed to be too many coincidences in the novel, which is often the case I feel when novels include characters that have interconnecting lives. Both Futh and Ester have unsuccessful marriages that are marred by infidelities and both have a weird obsession with a bottle of perfume shaped like a lighthouse.

Like I said, its a very short novel, so wouldn't take up much of your time. It might be worth a read if you are interested in the literary devices authors uses to try and convey concepts of memory and remembering.      

Margaret Atwood, The Blind Assassin

I've blogged about my love of Margaret Atwood before (here and here), this month when I had nothing to read, I thought it would be a nice idea to re-visit one of her novels. 

The Blind Assassin conjurers up some very pleasant memories for me, as I first read it when I was on holiday by myself in Cambodia. I spent a whole day moving from teashop to teashop, eating copious amounts of baked goods and reading this book, which I found in a second-hand bookshop whilst I was out there.  

If I were to rank Atwood books I think this would come in about third, with The Year of the Flood and The Robber Bride taking first and second place. Ooooh or maybe fourth? I forgot The Handmaids Tale. 

The Plot: Iris Chase, now an elderly woman in ill health, recounts her life and relationships; including her childhood growing up with her unusual sister Laura, her later unhappy marriage to a cruel businessman and her meeting with Alex Thomas, a charismatic political radical. Embedded within the story is a novel-within-a-novel, the tale of The Blind Assassin, published posthumously under Laura Chase's name.

The Blind Assassin is very quotable, as it is so well written, check my quotes from books tag from some snippets. Though the plot is relatively simple, her clever descriptions and the way she can turn a phrase elevates the novel. There is a kind of melancholy feeling throughout the book, which works well with the narrative and the fact that is narrated retrospectively.

The story-within-a-story is also entertaining, and would have been enjoyable to read as a standalone book. It also has the advantage of combing science-fiction (a genre that Atwood excels at) into the novel.    

If you're an Atwood fan and are yet to read this novel, I'd bump it to the top of your list. Plus it's massive, so you get your moneys worth.    

Jennifer Egan, A Visit from the Goon Squad

Hmmm, mixed thoughts on this one, parts I thought were very inventive, but there's no real heart to the book and some bits felt a bit forced and gimmicky.

Plot: Revolving around the interconnecting lives of Bennie Salazar, an ageing record executive, and his assistant Sasha, A Visit from the Goon Squad, looks at their past, present and future and the people around them. The novel shines a light on people's secret internal life and the way people's lives intersect as a result of chance. 

I don't want to spoil it for anyone, so beware there are spoilers below:-

Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games: The Mockingjay

After watching the most recent Hunger Games film, (which is brilliant by the way) I wanted to go back and re-read the series, so I picked up the third instalment The Hunger Games: The Mockingjay. So far, the films are only up to the second book, so if you want to get ahead I recommend you get a crack on with the books. 

Unusually, with The Hunger Games series, the films are just as good as the books.   

I'm not really one for reading YA fiction (although I do like to periodically re-visit Harry Potter and think His Dark Materials is amazing) but The Hunger Games is, in my opinion, a successful crossover book that appeals to both adults and teenagers. If you're stumped for buying a book for ages 11+, I'd highly recommended this series. It has a strong female protagonist, and promotes the values of bravery, compassion and resilience. 

I don't want to give away to many spoilers so just a brief summery of the series:-
In a dystopian future, twenty-four tributes between the ages of twelve to eighteen are selected at random
 to enter the annual Hunger Games, in which they must fight to the death until only one survives.

The Hunger Games: The Mockingjay is, I think, the weakest of the trilogy, as the action takes place outside of the Hunger Games arena. It is however, still a tense and enjoyable read and a satisfactory conclusion to the series.

the only way you can write

"The only way you can write the truth is to assume that what you set down will never be read. Not by any other person, and not even by yourself at some later date. Otherwise you begin excusing yourself. You must see the writing emerging like a long scroll of ink from the index finger of your right hand; you must see your left hand erasing it"

- Margaret Atwood, The Blind Assassin 

banana and nutella muffins

These delicious banana, walnut and nutella muffins are made with spelt flour, which although is not gluten-free, is easier then wheat to digest.

Full recipe after the jump:-

stiff upper lip

"I was told to keep a stiff upper lip [...] Funny they never say anything about the lower lip. That's the one your supposed to bite, to substitute one kind of pain for another"

-Margaret Atwood, The Blind Assassin  

age

"I looked sick, my skin leached of blood, like meat soaked in water [...] At least I can still call my hair my own, though it fizzes upwards as if I've been electrocuted. Beneath it there are glimpses of scalp, the greyish pink of mice feet. If I ever get caught in a high wind my hair will all blow off like dandelion fluff, leaving only a tiny pockmarked nubbin of bald head."

-Margaret Atwood, The Blind Assassin 

Rob Ryan

Rob Ryan is an artist who specialises in paper-cutting. His designs are intricate and whimsical, they appear on prints, ceramics, textiles and jewellery. In addition, he has published three illustrated books, two of which I own.

To have a peek at some of the pictures of This Is For You (which would make a great valentines gift btw) and A Sky Full Of Kindness, have a look after the jump:-

Betty Blythe tea rooms.

For my mum's birthday we treated her to afternoon tea at Betty Blythe, in London.

It was so much fun. The tea party was held in the cosy basement of the tea rooms (upstairs is a drop in cafe), it was beautifully decorated, and private as there was only one other table of three guests. Depending how big your party is, you could hire out the whole room.

The best thing about Betty Blythe is the dressing up box- there is a collection of 1920's style clothes and accessories that are available for you to wear. My only criticism is that some of the them (especially the gloves)  could do with a bit of a wash. Still, we had the best time trying on turbans, feathers and fur stoles. We ended up with about 70 pictures of us preening like old fashioned movie stars and draped on the chaise lounge (we're all too camera shy to put them up on the internet-sorry!)

one of the costumes from the dressing up box. 

We spent a lot of time pretending to be various characters depending on our costumes- lady novelist committed to an asylum by her husband, scandalous lesbian lady-golfer, show-girl, débutante etc. My mum might now be in her 50s, but she's still proper daft. 

she's mad, but she's magic

chocolate, ginger & walnut carrot cake

Now, this cake isn't much of a looker, but trust me it tastes amazing. I think my my mistake was putting into too large a cake tin, which has left it looking a bit flat. It's not a fancy, dinner party cake, more the type that you whip up and secretly scoff all to yourself.

It also fills your kitchen with a lovely  christmassy, spicy smell when baking.
full recipe under the jump:-

The Waiting Room, Totteridge and Whetstone

If you hungry and at the end of the Northern line, I recommend you pop into The Waiting Room, it's just up from the Totteridge and Whetstone station.

It is a quaint tea rooms which serves delicious home-made food.

 The décor is vintage, and what makes it really unique is that everything is for sale, from the cute little trinkets cluttering table tops, to the tables themselves.  All the furniture has been specially hand picked and I think it's a great idea that they're available to buy, though it does mean that your favourite chair, in which you enjoyed your cup of tea, might be gone next time you're in!

The Waiting Room is full of special touches, for example the menu is pasted into pre-loved books. Speaking of the menu, there is loads of choice, even for vegetarians.

egg soufflé, this was actually huge, like a giant fluffy pillow of egg. 

scones with jam and  loads cream 

pancakes with fruit and maple syrup, this was my choice (though I did have a taster of the other). It was flawless.  

We also took some sandwiches with us for later. I had brie on walnut bread, and it was sooooo good, the bread was really soft.

To drink, we had home-made pink lemonade, tea and hot chocolate. All were beautifully presented, the lemonade was in jam jars with co-coordinating straws and the tea was served in mis-matched china.

Tea strainers and sugar tongs- I felt like I was on Downton. 

The hot chocolate was traditional and proper rich- none of this cadburys instant malarkey. Unfortunately it got sent flying and completely obliterated a vintage tablecloth, but the staff were really lovely about it, and there was still plenty in the pot to enjoy.

Some people had sent up camp, and it is the ideal place to spend a lazy afternoon have a natter and indulge.