War Through the Generations Challenge

For 2013 The War through the Generations reading challenge is focusing on the American Revolution. You can read about the challenge and sign up HERE.

This year I am signing up as a Wade participant, meaning that I plan to read between 4-10 books featuring this period of American history. Also you add into the mix one or two films instead of books.

Historical Fiction Reading Challenge 2013

Taking part in the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge again this year. I am pledging to hopefully read 5 books making me a Victorian Reader!

The Sign up Page is HERE

Australian Women Writers Challenge 2013

Quite a few of my Aussie book reading friends had a great time last year participating in this reading challenge.

So, even though I had planned to not take part in any challenges apart from the one of my own, the London 2012 Reading Challenge and the challenge run as part of Historical Tapestry, I could not resist.

I have signed up for Franklin level, which is to read 10 books and to review at least 6 of them.

You can SIGN UP here.

You can read my views by either clicking the challenge page on the tool bar, subscribing to the posts or by checking in at Good Reads

Conclusion of Paris in July

So, we have reached the end of Paris in July and it has been rather fun!

Here is the round up of the various posts that I have published.

• Getting Started - Paris in July 
• Weekend Cooking - Little Paris Kitchen by Rachel Khoo (post 1)
• Strangers in a Strange Land Belgian Refugees 1914-1918
• Weekend Cooking - Little Paris Kitchen by Rachel Khoo (post 2)
• Memories of Renoir, Monet & Piaf
• Weekend Cooking - Little Paris Kitchen by Rachel Khoo (post 3)
• Franco - British Exhibition London 1908
• The Siren of Paris by David Leroy - an Excerpt

Paris in July was hosted by Karen from BookBath and Tamara from Thyme for Tea.

You can see a list of all participants for Paris in July HERE

The Olympics - London 2012 - Reading Challenge

Well, the opening ceremony was beamed around the globe last night and I was blown away by the ceremony. OK there was the occasional cringe moments, but overall it was an amazingly well produced and arranged ceremony.

As I sat and watched the presentation of the Countries participating in the Olympics I was surprised at some of the names - some I had never heard of, some were new Countries, those created following the collapse of the USSR.

My mind wandered very slightly across to books and I wondered if I could read a book written in or by an author that represents all of the Countries participating in the 2012 Olympics? I think I can and therefore I will set myself a personal reading challenge which will commence today on the first full day of the Games and conclude on the day of the next opening ceremony in 2016.

Whose going to join me? You can read the details HERE

Weekend Cooking - Little Paris Kitchen by Rachel Khoo

Carrying on from last week's post  and an post from last Monday - this is another joint weekend cooking and Paris in July post

The author reveals that she leaves London to undertake a course at a well known cooking school in Paris. From that she learns that food and meals in general are a enjoyed and timely affair and not rushed.

The book reveals the use of local shops, family run grocers, bakers, deli's and butcher's. Shops that have almost disappeared from the UK high streets in favour of the large, non de-script supermarket chains we have here. What local stores there are need to be supported especially in a recession!

The recipes contained within the book, might be seen as easy run of the mill cooking, with a bit of a twist and whilst I might not cook any within the Paris in July month, I think I will give a few of them a whirl!

Each recipe is shared with a small background to it, with a hint and tip and a colour picture with little snippets of French culture and photographs of people and places in Paris.

The book layout is easy to follow with the recipe and instruction on one page and the photograph on the opposite. Recipes are presented in sections

1. Everyday Cooking
2. Snack time
3. Summer picnics
4. Aperitifs
5. Dinner with friends and family
6. Sweet Treats
7. French basics
8. Cook's notes
9. Paris addresses
10. Index of recipes

A great book and I really enjoyed reading it and noting a few recipes down. I am not sure that I would use it sufficiently to warrant purchasing my own copy, although I am very, very tempted!

Taking part in Weekend Cooking hosted by Beth Fish Reads and Paris in July which is hosted by Karen from BookBath and Tamara from Thyme for Tea.

Paris in July 1 - 31 July 2012

Weekend Cooking - Little Paris Kitchen by Rachel Khoo

I spotted this in the local library and thought it would be the ideal candidate book for both weekend cooking and Paris in July.

The author reveals that she leaves London to undertake a course at a well known cooking school in Paris. From that she learns that food and meals in general are a enjoyed and timely affair and not rushed.

The book reveals the use of local shops, family run grocers, bakers, deli's and butcher's. Shops that have almost disappeared from the UK high streets in favour of the large, non de-script supermarket chains we have here. What local stores there are need to be supported especially in a recession!

The recipes contained within the book, might be seen as easy run of the mill cooking, with a bit of a twist and whilst I might not cook any within the Paris in July month, I think I will give a few of them a whirl! I had planned to review this book for this week and then other books or posts for the rest of July, but I think that I am likely to share this book over several weeks of weekend cooking.

Each recipe is shared with a small background to it, with a hint and tip and a colour picture.

Poires Belle Helene (Beautiful Helen Pears) - Page 253

1.5 litres of cold water
1 vanilla pod
150g sugar
4 firm pears (eg William) peel with stalks still attached

• Pour the water into a large pan and split the vanilla pod in half lengthways and scrap out the grains.
• Add the pod and grains to the water with the sugar and bring to simmer, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar.
• Add the pears and place a sheet of baking paper on top to keep them submerged and simmer for 20 minutes checking with a skewer or sharp knife if they are tender.
• Once cooked leave the pears in the syrup for at least several hours or over night so that they can absorb the vanilla.

Making the chocolate sauce
100g Dark or white chocolate finely chopped
100ml of double cream
3 cardamom pods crushed

• Put the chocolate into a bowl
• Bring the cream to the boil with the crushed cardamom pods and pour over the chocolate
• Leave to stand for a minute until the chocolate has melted
• Stir the sauce gently until smooth

• Remove the pears from the syrup standing them upright on individual plates
• Pour a generous helping of chocolate sauce over and serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream

• Preparation time 20 minutes
• Resting time 2 hours  - overnight
• Cooking time 30 minutes

Taking part in Weekend Cooking hosted by Beth Fish Reads and Paris in July which is hosted by Karen from BookBath and Tamara from Thyme for Tea.

Paris in July 1 - 31 July 2012

Paris in July 2012

Paris in July 1 - 31 July 2012

Paris in July is hosted by Karen from BookBath and Tamara from Thyme for Tea. I had contemplated joining in the fun, then decided against it. That was until I was in the local library and spotted a rather fun looking suitable candidate.

This looks rather an interesting read and I look forward to posting a review in due course. A quick glance and some the recipes look great, although I don't suspect that I will be cooking any of these soon.

For those of you that can not resist Karen has placed a Mr Linky HERE where you can sign up.

There is no specific rules in order to be a part of Paris in July - simply blog about anything French and you can join in.  Bookbath has given some ideas for the month which might include:

- Reading a French book - fiction or non-fiction

- Watching a French movie

- Listening to French music

- Cooking French food

- Experiencing French art, architecture or travel (or remembering travel experiences)

Book Pilgrimage 2012

Libby at Libby's Book Blog has launched the 2012 Book Pilgrimage.

The challenge is:
**Read a book or books
**Visit the location where the book is set or the author's home town or grave

Inspiration:
**BiblioTravel
**Literary Tours All Over The World

As I have a rather large trip planned for later in the year this is a great challenge. It is also a great cross over opportunity to other reading challenges.

Joining the 2012 European Reading Challenge

Hosted by Read City Reader Click HERE to sign up. The Challenge runs from 1st January 2012 until 31st January 2013.

I am committing to reading five books known as Deluxe Entourage. The commitment is to read five books across five different European Countries or written by five different European authors. There is flexibility within the challenge in that I could specialise in foodie books  - Agritourisimo. Overlapping with other books challenges is allowed, which is excellent news!

Here are my books -

1. The Scottish - Irish Pub & Hearth Cookbook by Kay Shaw Nelson (United Kingdom)
2. TBC
3. TBC
4. TBC
5. TBC

Joining the 2012 Foodies Read 2 Challenge

Hosted by Joyfully Retired for 2012 is the Foodies Read Challenge. Click HERE to sign up

I am committing to reading 3 books for this challenge across the year, known as Short Order Cook! This will allow some overlap between the other challenges I am taking part in to combat the over flowing pile of books that I have ready to read.

Here are my books -

1. Gypsy Feast: Recipes & Culinary Traditions of the Romany People by Carol Wilson (Published 2004)
2. Master Chef Tom's Burns Night by Tom Bridge  (Published 2010)
3. TBC

Joining the Off the Shelf 2012 Challenge

I truly need to make a serious dent in my mountain of books to read. The honest thing is that they do not live on a shelf, but in a blue crate. Yes one crate that is at toppling point. It can not be allowed to continue can it So, the plan is to take part in this challenge that can overlap with several other challenges that I have signed up to. So here goes! 

• I am signing up to read 30 books from the mountain during 2012 - Making a dent level!

To make the challenge more interesting will focus on books 

1. Books with an Australian theme, to compliment my trip in the Autumn!
2. Books with a UK theme
3. Books with a USA theme

To take part visit the sign up page HERE

Joining the 2012 British Book Challenge

Hosted by The Overflowing Library. Click HERE to sign up.

The aim is to read 12 books by British authors, which averages to one a month.

1. The Ship of Brides by JoJo Moyles
2. The Generation Game by Sophie Duffy
3. TBC
4. TBC
5. TBC
6. TBC
7. TBC
8. TBC
9. TBC
10. TBC
11. TBC
12. TBC

Joining War through the Generations Reading Challenge 2012 - The Great War

The challenge for 2012 is The Great War - sign up HERE. There is also a read-a-long to accompany the challenge and the book is A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway.

I have signed up initially for a "dip" which is three books in any genre with The Great War as a primary or secondary theme.

Here are my books -

1. Forgotten Voices of the Great War by Max Arthur
2. TBC
3. TBC

Joining the 2012 Ebook Challenge

Hosted for 2012 by Workaday Reads. Click HERE to sign up.

I have committed to read 5 e-books through the course of a year which is known as "floppy disc" This should be easily achieved as I have a few e-books awaiting to be read and I also have my trusty iPad. I have it on fairly good authority that Santa is bring me a Kindle for Christmas, so really there is no excuse!

Here are my books - 

1. London & Londoners in the 1850s & 1860s by Alfred Rosling Bennett (Published 1924) (eBook by Lee Jackson 2011)
2. Gypsy Feast: Recipes & Culinary Traditions of the Romany People by Carol Wilson (Published 2004)
3. Throwing Clay Shadows by Thea Atkinson (Published 2011)
4. Olga - A Daughter's Tale by Marie Campbell (Published 2011)
5. Crime Fiction for Beginners by Gervase Shorter (Published 2011)
6. Unraveling Ada, A Quilted Mystery Novel by Barbara Sullivan (Published 2009)
7. Master Chef Tom's Burns Night by Tom Bridge  (Published 2010)

Planned Reading Challenges for 2011

As the end of 2010 approaches I have signed up to the following Reading Challenges

Click here to join the Immigrant Stories Challenge

Click here to join the Historical Fiction Challenge



Click here to join up to the Italy in books challenge



Click here to join up for the Victorian Literature Challenge