Just finished reading Julie Powell’s ‘Julie and Julia’ – the true story of a thirty year-old New Yorker who devotes a year of her life to cooking every recipe in Julia Childs’ ‘Mastering the Art of French Cooking.’ A bored secretary working in a New York Government office. Julie Powell took the decision to do something completely different – cook her way through the entire Julia Childs tome in 365 days. Living in a small apartment with her husband, Powell tells the story of her amazing year: what she learnt about herself, what she wanted from life and of course, how to cook. Most interestingly to a fellow blogger, Julie set up a blog and wrote daily about her life and her experiences of cooking each individual recipe. I first learnt of this project through the film starring Meryl Streep and loved the concept – doing something just because you can – and as Julie asks on her blog : ‘ What could happen?’ Well for a start you publish a book, sell the rights to enable the production of a film and set yourself up with a posh laptop as a writer. Clearly lots! This book is a sure sell win to both wanna be writers and cooks alike. And if you dont fancy pan frying offal, boning a duck or killing a lobster – just read about Julie doing it – SO much easier!

Just finished reading a lovely copy of John Masefield’s The Box of Delights. My in-laws bought me a beautiful retro copy of this ‘delight’ for Christmas. I’d wanted to read it for ages as it is a 1930s timeless British childrens’ classic. At first I struggled with the paralell universe inhabited by Kay and his young friends but after the first three chapters I adapted quickly to his world where magic, medieval lanes and mystery are commonplace. I have to say I would challenge Philip Pullman, of His Dark Materials trilogy, to deny having been just a little bit inspired by Masefield’s curious world.

The story starts with Kay arriving home for Christmas by train. On a late December afternoon, with snow starting to fall, Kay encounters a strange Punch and Judy man who grants him custody of his ‘box of delights.’ The box enables Kay to ‘go swiftly’, ‘go small’ and to peer into strange worlds which he is able to enter by just looking into the old box. Kay quickly falls into trouble as a criminal group come after him, keen to gain the box which Kay seeks to protect.

While the dialogue is dated and the narrative at times laborious and overly explanatory, the descriptions are vivid and colourful as Masefield portrays a parallel world where as much is unfamiliar as familiar. A lovely nostalgic read which transports the reader back to a wonderful wintry world seen through the eyes of an eleven year old boy. And especially for Dad, I’ve attached a YouTube link where the original music can be listed to.

Just finished reading Linwood Barclay’s ‘Fear the Worst’ and as usual Barclay lives up to his reputation as a pacey thriller writer of the Dan Brown genre. His books are typicaly set in suburban America and are packed with details which bring small-town America to life. His latest creation follows a single parent whose daughter secures a summer job at the Just Inn Time motel. One day she fails to return home from work and when contacting staff at the Just Inn Time, her father is told that she has never worked there. Therein begins a race against time to find Sydney, his daughter, and bring her home safely. As the mystery unravels, he discovers that there is more to Sydney’s life than he could ever have imagined. Twist upon twist leaves the reader reeling from sub plot to sub plot as Sydney eludes both the police and her frantic father desperate for news of his daughter. Get reading people – this one really is a winner!!!

I loved, loved, loved this book! Absolutely hilarious and so true to the mark if a little far-fetched at times. This little gem provides an insight into corporate office life through e-mails. In fact the entire book contains only e-mails and no narrative as the staff at Miller Shanks advertising agency seek to win a prestigious contract with Coke. If you are familiar with office life you’ll love this. Back stabbing, back covering, gossip, non-PC comms and the usual tittle tattle of 9 – 5 life – this book had me laughing out loud. I have Fergus to thank for recommending it on his blog – read his review and I just had to get it!

It’s not often I rush to read the Booker prize winning entry but I was immediatley attracted to this particular tome – 650 pages of sheer Tudor delight! Most impressively Mantel has written in the present tense, bringing Tudor London to life and creating an immediacy around the events that unfurl as Henry VIII seeks to rid himself of Queen Katherine and wed Anne Boleyn. The book is told from the perspective of Thomas Cromwell, in Henry’s words ‘a sack of serpents’, who works to manipulate the Court and negotiate an annulment for Henry and subsequent marriage to Anne. It’s a difficult read, full of political intrigue and some wonderful historical detail, but – well worth the effort. My only issue was ‘keeping up with the Thomases’: Thomas Cromwell, Thomas Wolsey, Thomas More and Thomas Boleyn. In summary this is an outstanding read and one of the rare books I could happily pick up again and re-read, just to ensure I have a full understanding of the political intricacies and sensitivities of Tudor secular, political, social and religious life. The machinations of Cromwell and his entourage however are probably no different to to-day’s inner governmental circle and I couldn’t help seeing Malcolm Tucker in Master Thomas Cromwell!