It's Monday

Your meme is hosted by Sheila here: http://bookjourney.net/

I've slowed down a bit on my reading, which always seems to happen a bit after the initial head-rush of January. I'm going to try to maintain at about one or two books a week, see how I go.

I finished Bird Box by Josh Malerman yesterday, and liked it quite a lot. It's a fast read, but somewhat sad and very spooky at the same time. Malorie - the only woman left from a household of adults who had gathered together after mysterious events led to people committing horrific acts - has finally gathered her courage to find a better life for herself and her two children. She just has to get down the river without being seen - or, without sight. Good stuff.

I'm about halfway through On the Beach, which is good but is about as uplifting as standing at a bus stop in the rain and the next bus is half an hour away. And it's windy. And there's no shelter. This is getting away from me.

Up next is Order of the Phoenix for Sheila's readalong, which I am well behind on but I persist.

What are you reading?

Cooking it up

Here's a  great idea, from Trish of http://www.lovelaughterinsanity.com/ - a cookbook challenge.

I am no kind of cook, in any way, shape or form. I have a few basic recipes that I fall back on and that's about it. However, if I do push myself juuuuust that little further, I do enjoy the process.

And, I own cookbooks. I own cookbooks in the same way a magpie might own a diamond ring. It knows that the ring is pretty, but it has no idea what it's for. That's .. pushing the metaphor but I hope you know what I mean. Cookbooks are pretty! They have deceptively attractive layouts! Photos of food! What's not to like?

So. As a non-cook, I own cookbooks. I look at them every day, but I admire them in the same way I admire horses and snakes - very carefully and from a safe distance.

So stumbling over Trish's challenge is sort of perfect. Pet the snake! (Er. Anyway.) I don't want to get carried away with impossible dreams, so my plan is to pick one recipe once a month that I feel I'm capable of. It won't be soon - it'll probably be in a couple of weeks, but I'll take photos of the carnage, er, the results and link up with Trish's monthly .... linking thing.

 Er.

Bon apetit?

It's Monday

Your meme is hosted by Sheila here: http://bookjourney.net/

It's been nearly a month since I did one of these - or blogged at all. I was haing an existential blogging crisis, then I decided to stop that.

Anyway. What am I reading?

I had a pretty decent reading January; getting through about 10 books. The standout read for that month was, I think, Graceling, which I liked very much of a lot.

For this month, so far, I've finished Station Eleven by Emily St John Mandel and honestly I think it's going to be my favourite read this year. It's so, so, so very good and I wish I had many copies so that I could hand it out to people on the street and earnestly explain why they should read it.

You. You should read it, if you haven't. It's great.

Um. Anyway. I'm still pottering away at Sister Carrie, although I fell well behind on Care's readalong. However, it's a decent lunchtime read and I'm enjoying it, so I persist. Other than that I've picked up On the Beach by Neville Shute. I've never read him, but several of his books came to me via my mother, a few years ago, and this one has been on my radar for a while.

Up next is Order of the Phoenix, because I realised I"m also falling behind on Sheila's readalong, but I shall persist, if not prevail.

What are you reading?