The Clink, Brixton

A few weeks back me, my mini sister and her boyfriend went for lunch at The Clink. The Clink is also a charity, working to rehabilitate offenders, the restaurant is located inside Brixton prison and all food is made and served by current prisoners.

The aim is to teach offenders skill and give them work experience to hopefully reduce re-offending rates when they leave the prison system, and so far they've had a lot of success. In the UK the 46.9% of adults who leave prison re-offend within the first year, but for those who have worked in The Clink only 6% have re-offended (statistic from here).

picture source 

The Clink charity is undoubtedly doing some great work, but unfortunately our experience at the restaurant wasn't the best. For my full review, see under the jump:-

gluten-free hazelnut and carrot buns

It's been ages since I've baked as our scales broke, but after getting a new pair I was ready to get experimenting again. Even with fully operational scales I still winged it with this recipe, I just added more ingredients until it looked right, and lucky it worked. These buns didn't last 5 mins.

As there was only two of us in I made a reduced amount of mixture, making only 6 buns. Of course the ingredients can be doubled if you need more. 

recipe after the cut:-

useful resources for writers

Having a stroll around the internet I came across a few really useful websites for writers, I've saved them for my own reference, but thought I should share.

1. One Look Reverse Dictionary. You describe an idea and this dictionary supplies the appropriate word that encompasses that concept.

2. Tip of My Tongue.  Inputting partial words and meanings, this handy search engine helps you find the word you can't quite remember.

picture source

3. (just for fun) Test your Vocab. Using three quick and easy tests this site calculates the size of your vocabulary and can be used by both children and adults.

The average for adult native English speaker is between 20,000 and 35,000 words. My score was 30,900 and I was a little disappointed- I'm going to try and make the effort to look up words I don't know when I'm reading.

Another surprising fact I learnt after taking the vocab quiz, is that, on average, adults learn one new word a day, until middle-age when vocabulary growth basically stops.

Joanne M. Harris, The Gospel of Loki

I've given myself the challenge of learning more about Norse mythology, as I think I'm fairly clued up about Greek and Roman god and goddess but my knowledge of the Norse pantheon is sadly lacking. So I was very excited to find out that Joanne Harris' (author of Chocolate) new book was going to be The Gospel of Loki, feels like I've had to wait for ever for my library to get it in.

Joanne Harris, The Gospel of Loki. ISBN:9781473202351

The Plot: Loki, the trickster and Father of Lies, feels like he has been hard done by in the official record of events and wants to put across his own story. Ostracised by Odin, Thor and the other gods (aka the Popular Crowd) like a high-school misfit, Loki is out for revenge. He aligns himself with Gullveig-Heid, the Sorceress, and ushers in  Ragnarok, the end of the world and the death of the gods.

Rating: ««««¶ (4/5)

For my full review, see after the jump:

Wesley Chu, The Lives of Tao

On the hunt for new authors, Wesley Chu's The Lives of Tao was one of the book I downloaded as a kindle sample. (for a full list of samples and mini reviews see here). Not wanting to part with my hard earned cash, as I wasn't sure I'd like it, I borrowed The Lives of Tao from the library.

The Plot: A civil war is raging between the peace-loving Prophus and the ruthless Genjix, and as both rival factions use humans and animals as hosts, the war is threatening the survival of Earth and humanity.

Rating: «¶¶¶¶ (1.5/5)

Full review under the cut:-

Kate Manning, My Notorious Life by Madame X

I picked up My Notorious Life by Madame X in a huge library haul the other week, and I'm so glad I did. It's been a while since I've been really enthusiastic about a novel, last month's reads were all a bit meh, but this novel was gripping. I stayed up late and got up early to read it, plus my mum kept stealing it for herself.

The Plot: Axie Muldoon is the feisty daughter of Irish immigrates, growing up in poverty in nineteenth century New York. Rescued by a philanthropist, Axie and her siblings are sent West to be adopted by childless couples, but when the family is split up Axie returns home without her brother and sister. Back in New York Axie is taken in as an apprentice by a doctor, who teaches her the trade that will one day make her notorious.

Rating: ««««« (5/5)

If you enjoy historical fiction or would like to know about the history of abortions and contraception in America I highly recommend you pick up My Notorious Life of Madame X. Though a work of fiction, it is partly based on the life of Ann Trow Lohman, also known as Madame Restell, who practised midwifery for forty years. 

If you're looking for the next novel for your book club, this is it. Madame X is a book that you can't wait to talk about and it is guaranteed to provoke a reaction. 

For my full review see under the jump *warning may contain spoilers*

writing is editing

"People think that writing is writing, but actually writing is editing. Otherwise, you're just taking notes"
-Chris Abani, taken from an interview with Sampsonia Way

Wisborough

On the way back from Petworth we stopped at Wisborough, a charming village that was the epitome of Britishness, cricket on the green, church on the hill and traditional pubs

More photos after the cut:-

Petworth (inside)

Petworth has been a family home for over 800 years, and part of it is still home to the Wyndham family.

When it was first built by the Percy family it was intended for only occasional use, as the family seat was in Northumberland, however in the 1500s it became their permanent home after Queen Elizabeth I became suspicious of their relationship with Mary Queen of Scots.

More pictures of the inside of Petworth under the cut:-

Petworth (outside)

The day before my 26th birthday I quickly ordered a new National Trust young person membership, as they are a fraction of the price of adult membership, but only available up to the age of 25. This sneakiness means I'll be able to enjoy plenty more day trips on the cheap.

On Saturday we went on a 2 hour journey over to Petworth over in West Sussex.

Petworth is a huge 17th century manor house set in 700 acre deer park. It was owned by the Percy family then the Seymours and finally the Wyndham family before been given to the National Trust to avoid death duties (though some of house is still occupied by the Wyndhams)

more pictures after the cut:-