winter walk

It's tradition to go for a walk on boxing day. Most of the photos I took were of my family and I messing about, climbing trees etc. and this blog is faceless,  but I have a couple to show you:-

currently reading

I'm not going to be bloging over Christmas- I'm going to be busy making merry. So here's a quick update of what I'm currently reading:-

We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves - Karen Joy Fowler
This seems like a Christmas appropriate novel, it's all about dysfunctional families. Rosemary's father has used her childhood as an experiment, her half-sister vanished and she hasn't spoken to her brother in 10 years.

I've just started this, and it looks good. I'm finding it far more engaging than J  by Howard Jacobson (another man booker prize short-listed novel).


Also if you're a literature fan and entertaining family this year you really need to try Ex Libris, We played it last year, and it was hysterical. You're given the basic plot outline of some classic fiction, then everyone has to write down your attempt at the first or last line. Then all the lines are read out anonymously, (including the real line of the book) and everyone casts a vote about which they think is the real sentence.

I've explained this in a really muddled way- but trust me it's brilliant! You can see how creative your friends/family are. Some of the entries are so bad they're funny, and there is a smug satisfaction if you successfully manage to convince others that you can write like Jane Austen or Siegfried Sassoon.

Time for Tea

Another good idea for a Christmas present is to treat a loved one to a spot of tea somewhere special. You could make an event of it, or do it as part of a day trip or shopping expedition.

Here are a couple of places I'd recommend in London and the south:-

present ideas for readers

I've got a slightly smug face on as I've only got one Christmas present left to buy, but if you're struggling to think of something to buy for the reader in your family I've got some ideas.

List under the jump:-

Bookity

With Christmas coming up (hey, it's officially December, it's ok to talk about it now) I thought I'd start giving you some gift ideas for your bibliophile friend.

I was given this bracelet for my birthday by my smallest sister- but this is the first time I'm showing it off on the blog.
 

It is available on etsy  and The Literary Gift Company. It designed by Bookity, who makes handmade jewellery from damaged books.

My particular bracelet is made from Kafka of The Shore by Haruki  Murakami. I'm a big fan of his work, read my reviews of The Underground  and  Tsukuri Tasaki and His Years of Pilgrimage. There are plenty of other authors to choose from including Tolkien, Austen and Agatha Christie.  

The bracelet feels tactile, the inside is smooth. The only downside is, that the clasp is non-adjustable.  

P.s Happy Birthday to my big sister!

last minute crimbo book ideas

If you're stuck for ideas for a present to give your book-loving friend/relative, hopefully this list will give you some inspiration. 

Scarlett Thomas' The End of Mr Y and Donna Tartt's The Secret History are perfect presents for university students. The End of the Mr Y, is a thrilling adventure that includes a cursed book, time travel and literary theory. The Secret History is a great one for classicists, eccentric misfits at prestigious New English collage engage in a Bacchus frenzy. The Secret History is one of my all time favourite books, the charismatic students, intelligence and arch wit of this novel make a lasting impression.

Scarlett Thomas, The End of Mr Y (ISBN: 9781847670700)

If the intended recipient has an interest in queer literature, Giovanni's room by James Baldwin is a good place to start. Passionate and beautifully written the novel focuses on the relationship between an American man living in Paris and an Italian barman. For a list other recommended LGBT novels see here.

James Baldwin, Giovanni's Room (ISBN:780552990363)

For those with an interest in travel or for those who are about to embark on a gap year I would recommend the following: Marching Powder by Rusty young, a cautionary tale of a young man  who is caught trying to smuggle cocaine out of Boliva and is sent to the infamous San Pedro prison. Pedro Juan Cutierrez's Dirty Havana Trilogy can be found in youth hostels the world over, a condemnatory expose of poverty, vice and tourism in Cuba. Shantaram recalls the epic adventurers (though it is debatable how much is true) of the author's, time in India during the early 80's. From escaped convict, to slum doctor, to Bollywood actor to Mujahedeen fighter, Gregory David Robert's story certainty isn't dull.

Gregory David Roberts, Shantaram (ISBN: 9780349117546)

Next on my list of suggestions are two book by two very different Japanese authors, Haruki Murakami and Koushun Takami. Norwegian Wood is one of the more accessible Murakami novels, as it is less surreal compared to his other fiction. It is a simple and beautiful story of first love, mental illness and Beatles music. Takami's Battle Royal is the original Hunger Games, a class of schoolchildren are forced to fight each other on a remote Island.

Haruki Murkami, Norwegian Wood (ISBN: 9780099528982)

House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danilewski has a cult following and is very difficult to summarise, I've never read anything like it. It is a twisting, experimental labyrinth of a book. Fantastic for students that have had to sit through lectures on 'the uncanny' or fans of post-modernism. House of Leaves starts with a simple narrative about a house that is bigger on the inside than the outside, but turns complex, bewildering and frightening. There are lots of different editions of this book, but  I recommend buying the full colour.

Mark Z. Danieleski, House of Leaves  (ISBN: 9780375703768) 

Mark Z. Danieleski, House of Leaves  (ISBN: 9780375703768) 

Mark Z. Danieleski, House of Leaves  (ISBN: 9780375703768) 

Hopefully this has given you some ideas, only 3 more days to go!  If you are in need of more inspiration, check out this list of novels to give a fan of war books or gift ideas for a feminist, Potterhead or writer. Or if you've got a book in mind, check my review tag, to see what I thought

Baklava with pistachio nuts and rose water syrup

I'm going to a Christmas potluck party at the weekend, the theme is 'the true meaning of Christmas' so dishes are supposed to be middle-eastern in flavour. So, with this in mind, I decided to have a test-run of making Baklava. I loosely followed this recipe.

I did have to make some alterations to the recipe, partly out of necessity (I didn't have enough pistachio nuts, so had to substitute with  some walnuts and cashews) and also because quantity of sugar and butter seemed way to high. So when I had to brush butter on each sheet of filo pastry, I did so at stingily as possible.

I think I'm going to reduce the sugar content in the syrup even further (I halved it) as even though Baklava is supposed to be sweet, it's still to much. I've eaten the tiniest little diamond, and the resulting sugar high has me ready to crawl up walls and bounce of ceilings.  

Also, if you're thinking of attempting this recipe, salted and roasted pistachio nuts work fine. I was slightly worried as the recipe calls for plain pistachios but I couldn't find any. This did mean I had to spend about half an hour shelling a bag of nuts, but I didn't in front of the tv so it wasn't any kind of hardship. I would say if you are using salted and roasted pistachios it is probably a good idea to make up the rest of the weight with another type of nut so the salt isn't overwhelming.

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)

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......