Top Ten Tuesday: Bookish Places!

 Welcome to this week's edition of Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week the theme is Bookish Places I’ve Visited (Share all the cool places you’ve been that are bookish or tied to books! This includes neat libraries, book stores, places featured in books, places inspired by books, author homes/places they’ve stayed, etc. You can also share your bucket list of the bookish places you’d like to visit someday.) (submitted by Susan @Bloggin’ ’bout Books). My post this week is a bit of a mix of all of those things

1. Last week we were in Ubud, Bali  and I saw this super cute bookstore mural. Monkey's are a pretty big deal in Ubud so there were quite a few monkey themed murals around. If we go to Bali again, I would be tempted to see if we could happen to be there for the Ubud Writers Festival

2. Earlier this year we visited Turkey. We saw so many amazing things in Istanbul including the Blue Mosque, the Basilica Cistern. On one of the days we visited the Topkapi Palace. This was the library there.

3. There is so much history in Turkey, from WWI back to the Ottomans and further back to the Romans. One of the highlights was visiting Ephesus. This is the library at Ephesus

4. Last stop in Turkey, this time at Konya. which is the home of whirling dervishes and burial place of Rumi, famous poet. Recently I read The Forty Rules of Love by Elif Shafak which tells the story of Rumi and the wandering dervish, Shams.

5. Earlier this year I visited Kolkata in India which is home to College Street. In the immediate area there are hundreds of booksellers, mostly selling secondhand text books but there were also some fiction books available. I also visited Chuckervertty Chatterjee &Co which is the first book showroom in Eastern India

6. One of the fun things about reading books is that you might get inspired to try something new. This was the case when I read Sweet Bean Paste by Durian Sukegawa which is all about a doriyaki shop. When we visited the Japanese Garden in San Francisco and it was on the menu, I had to try it. I then had it a number of times when we visited Japan.  

7. I expect to see a number of mentions of visits to Shakespeare and Co in Paris in TTT posts today

8. One of my favourite places that we visited in Paris is Saint-Chappelle, which I had added to my bucket list after reading Die for Me by Amy Plum. 

9. When we visited London a couple of years ago, one of the things I wanted to do was to have a proper afternoon tea. We looked at lots of options but in the end, it had to be the Library at County Hall, which is across the river from the Houses of Parliament. And it wasn't just about the location. The food was delicious!  

10. I know that there are lots more places I could mention including Eilean Donan castle in Scotland, The Strand bookstore in New York and more but it would be remiss of me not to mention the State Library here in Melbourne. Visiting the library is one of my favourite things to do in the city. I just love the Reading Room with its soaring dome, the green lamps on the desks. Amazing place!



Have you visited any of these places?

This week....and last week!

I'm reading

I was in Bali last week, so this week's post is really all about the things that I have done over the last two weeks! Because we deliberately didn't over schedule too much, I did get quite a bit of reading done. First though, how cute is this mural that we saw near a bookshop in Ubud! Ubud is home to the Sacred Monkey Forest so there are references to monkeys everywhere!

Before we went away, I finished reading The Little Porto Book Club by Rebecca Raisin. I always enjoy Rebecca Raisin's books, and this was no exception. It was, however, exceptional and I loved it! a 5/5 read for me. You can read my review here.

I then started reading And Now, Back to You by B K Borison but I didn't finish it until we were on the plane! My library book went on a plane ride! This book is the second book in the Heartstrings series and I am already looking forward tto the next book which is out in February next year! It was the first book I tagged as Want to Read in 2027! I read this book because I wanted to but also because it fit one of the GR Summer Challenge categories!

Next up I read Kate and Frida by Kim Fay, which is connected to her previous book Love and Saffron, and also was eligible for one of the GR Summer Challenge categories. 

Next up was Italy and Forever by Leonie Mack, the final book in the Wedding Planners series, which I have really, really enjoyed! 

On the plane home I finished reading Three Juliets by Minnie Darke which the last book I needed to read for 20 Books of Winter this year. It is one that I actually started reading for last year's event but I didn't finish it! I had to start again but I sped through it this year! I really enjoy Minnie Darke's writing and this was no exception. 

I then decided to read The Vanishing Cherry Blossom Bookshop by Tokuya Asokura, mainly because I thought it would count for the Women in Translation month. Turns out, it doesn't because the author is a man, but never mind! It still counts for a couple of other challenges!

Finally, I started reading Somewhere Beyond the Sea by T J Klune! It's early days yet, but I am enjoying being back in that world!

While I was away the Classics Spin selection was announced! I am going to be reading The Talented Mr Ripley by Patricia Highsmith! Just have to go and pick it up from the library so I can get started on it!

I'm watching

I didn't watch anything while we were away, not even on the plane. Before we left we did watch the Masterchef Australia grand final

We also finished watching Bake off the Professionals.

It was exciting to see that the Great Australian Bake Off is back, so last night we watched the first two episodes! Now we have to wait for the new episode to come out each week!

Life

We spent all of last week in Bali. We stayed in Ubud and it was lovely. We tend to have go and out see all the things holidays, but we tried to only have a couple of days where we were busy. The rest of the time it was massages and pool and just doing whatever time, including plenty of reading time!

One of the treatments I had was a Japanese Head Spa and I am now obsessed with where I can go to get another one! It was such an amazing experience! Of course, it costs about a quarter of the price in Bali compared to at home but never mind!

I mentioned on my Weekend Cooking post that Bali wasn't somewhere I was all that interested in visiting until around 18 months ago or so. I saw some pictures and realised that I didn't like the reputation as being full of partying Aussies and that was why I wasn't that interested in going but that I really had no idea about the actual country. It was so interesting to learn about the culture and food. Could have done without the traffic though!

Posts from the last week

Top Ten Tuesday: On this day...
Classics Spin #45
Weekend Cooking: Truffled Chicken with Champagne Sauce
Top Ten Tuesday: Series Reading
Blog Tour: The Little Porto Book Club by Rebecca Raisin
Weekend Cooking: What We Ate on Holiday: Bali
20 Books of Winter: August recap and wrap up!


I've linked this post to It's Monday, what are you reading? as hosted by Book Date, Sunday Salon hosted at Readerbuzz and the Good Book and a Cup of Tea link up hosted at Boondock Ramblings

20 Books of Winter: August recap and wrap up!

 

 
I made it! I have read all the books that I nominated to read for 20 Books of Winter and I still have a week to spare! 

Here's my list. Anything that is in purple is a book I read in June, green is one I read in July and the rest are what I read in 

Charlie's Last Angel by Maggie Christensen (review)

Secrets of the Italian Guesthouse by Sue Moorcroft (review)

Escape to the Turquoise Seas by Carrie Walker (review)

Kitchens of the Great Midwest by J Ryan Stradal (review)

The Three Juliets by Minnie Darke 

The Kings Jewel by Elizabeth Chadwick 

The Story Collector by Evie Woods

War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy (review)

The Maid by Nita Prose 

The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon (mini review)

The Little Porto Book Club by Rebecca Raisin (review)

The Palace of Lost Virtue by Anthea Hodgson (review)

The Couples Retreat by Mercedes Mercier (mini review)

The Secret Dressmaker by Jenny O'Brien (review)

The Nile Cruise by Caroline James (review)

The Forty Rules of Love by Elif Shafak 

First-time Caller by B K Borison

Seascraper by Benjamin Wood

Everyone in this Bank is a Thief by Benjamin Stevens

Careful, He Might Hear You by Sumner Locke Elliott (review)

This was an interesting mix of books, including brand new books, older books, three books that I had nominated to read last year but didn't get to, not to mention finishing War and Peace which was a big accomplishment!

Thanks to Anna(book)bel for hosting 20 Books of Winter/Summer! I look forward to participating again next year!

What We Ate on Holiday: Bali

Last week we visited Bali in Indonesia which is considered to be quite close to us. It's a six hour flight from here to Bali, compared to say 15 hours to Los Angeles or 24 hours flying time to Europe. It's funny though, despite its nearness, it wasn't somewhere I was all that interested in visiting until around 18 months ago or so. I saw some pictures and realised that I didn't like the reputation as being full of partying Aussies and that was why I wasn't that interested in going. 

We chose to base ourselves in Ubud which is up in the mountains and away from party central, and it was a location that really worked for us! We stayed in a beautiful hotel, with our own private pool, and tried to make sure that we had time to see some of the sites without being frantically busy. We wanted to make sure that we had relaxing time and I think it worked out pretty well. I was really quite impressed with what we saw.

On the negative side....oh my goodness the traffic! I was so glad we didn't have to drive in that traffic, and there is absolutely no way you could get me on one of the scooters that zoom around all over the place. Most of the time the riders are not wearing helmets or proper shoes. No thanks! 

The hotel is built into the side of a hill and so the view that you see is of jungle all around. It is a little bit removed from the town which was great from a not being so busy aspect but it did mean that we had to get taxis everywhere! There was also a Sky Terrace where they put on events, like the Grill evening which they have every week. While we were there, it was the 81st anniversary of independence from the Dutch, so there was an Indonesian evening which included all Indonesian food and some dancers as well. The view that you can see above is dawn from the reception desk, which was just beautiful! When we left they also gave us a little bamboo box which contained a traditional cake which was a lovely surprise

One thing that was included every day was breakfast, although one day we opted to take things a step further and have a floating breakfast in our private pool which feels very luxurious! I chose to have the granola bowl which was actually pretty light on in terms of granola but had a lot of dragonfruit! I loved the experience. I think the water might have been a fraction cold for Robert though! 

After relaxing on the first day, the second day we had book an Instagram highlights of Bali tour. It was a small group with only 5 people in total. One of the other girls was definitely there to share all her poses on Insta. Think evocative poses at a waterfall and so much more. She was very nice but it was amusing to watch her do her thing.

The day started with a walk along the rice terraces, which was very interesting to see how rice was traditionally grown, followed by a visit to a coffee plantation (it also had a giant swing which looked amazing when our insta girl was doing it, with a long flowing pink dress out behind her but there was no way I was doing that!). We did get to try quite a few different coffees and teas, although you had to pay extra to try the Lewak coffee. We already had some at home which we don't drink, so we didn't! I did like the coconut coffee, vanilla coffee and mangosteen tea out of the options that we tried. 

After that we visited a waterfall which was very cool (a lot of steps though) and then a long drive to get to Lempuyang Temple and then the final stop at the Tirta Gangga where we got to feed gigantic koi fish. 

One of our food highlights was at the end of this tour. Even though it had been a very long day with lots of walking and driving, we asked if we could be driven back to Ubud and dropped near a restaurant we had seen call Monkey Legend, as they had something called Rijsttafel. Robert had said that he hadn't had one of these in years. Rijsttafel translates from Dutch as rice table and features a large serving of rice which is surrounded by a variety of different dishes ranging from a crispy duck leg to eggs, prawns with vegetabls, sambal and so mch more. When it came out, it was definitely a wow! moment, and we had a couple of passersby asking us what we were eating!

Another activity that we chose we to do a traditional cooking class. We started with a visit to a local market and then headed to the class where we all helped create the dishes which we then shared. We had to chop, make pastes, fry tempeh, make pandang crepes and more. It was a really interesting group with a couple from Germany, another from the Netherlands, a group from France and ourselves. We also made a very pretty little flower box which is similar to the offerings that you see all around the islands.

The dishes that we made included chicken and mushroom soup, Sate Lilit (Balinese Satay), a boiled salad, tuna cooked in banana leaves, fried tempeh and more. The dessert we made was something we ate a lot of while we were in Bali called Dadar Gulun. It is a rolled pandan pancake which is filled with shredded coconut which is cooked with palm sugar. It is so good! I also ate a lot of nasi goreng, but that isn't really a surprise given that we like making it at home!

We also had two massages, including one in an amazing room which came complete with an outdoor shower, and I had a Japanese head spa which was totally amazing! I am now obsessed with having another one here, but whereas the one in Ubud cost about $87 for a 90 minute experience, including a facial massage, a mask and a foot massage, the starting point in Australia for a 60 minute head spa is around $100. 

I haven't even mentioned the traditional dance we attended at a temple, the visits to wood carvers, sari producers, jewellery makers but hopefully this will give you a taste of our wonderful visit to Bali!

Blog Tour: The Little Porto Book Club by Rebecca Raisin

 

Viviane and her mother have recently returned to live in Porto after their life fell apart when her father died, and it was revealed that he had a secret family. However, since moving, Viviane hasn't really made any friends. In her mind, she doesn't really need to. She has her work as a copy editor, her books and her very annoying extended Portuguese family who keep on interfering in her business.

Viviane is a very ordered person. Her hair is cut perfectly, she dresses in a very specific outfit, she lives her life according to a very set schedule. However, her mother is worried about her isolation and so insists that she go out and meet people. Viviane's response made me smile broadly

"No, no, Viviane, I'm not sick. There's nothing to worry about, but I am getting on in age and would like you to make some friends who aren't fictional."

Secure in the knowledge that my mother's not about to leave this mortal coil, I'm happy to voice my displeasure at the ridiculous notion; being forced to make non-fictional friends. I don't see the point. Whodunnits provide all the necessary stimulus I need. The stakes are high, the detectives analytical, logical, using their great powers of deduction to land at a satisfying coda.

"I don't have time to make friends right now. I'm in the middle of a ten-book series and I've made a firm commitment to that each evening." I've read The Quill Chronicles multiple times. They're my comfort reads, as bolstering as a weighted blanket.

Despite her protestations, Viviane ends up agreeing that she will go to a cafe with the aim of having some social interactions, although Viviane has no intention of doing so. She finds a quiet little pastelaria  and settles in with her book, a coffee and a pastry before she is rudely interrupted by a handsome man named Tiago who happens to love the same author as she does! What a coincidence! 

As an aside, a lot of the initial interactions with Tiago made me smile. He has an allegry to almonds and so his opening gambit is to offer Viviane his pastry which it turns out could have almonds in it, and protests that he has his Epi-pen somewhere. My son has a tree nut allergy and I am sure he couldn't put his hands on his Epi-pen that is probably expired any way. Maybe he needs a Viviane to help keep him alive, which is the role that Viviane quickly assigns to herself for Tiago!

Viviane and Tiago agree to meet weekly, but the rules will be strict. Their time together will be spent reading...silently! Somehow though, more people begin joining in the silent bookclub, which of course, becomes anything but silent as the people get to know each other. There is Zephyr, the Australian Gen Z backpacker, and old Albert who clashes with her on just about everything, Thomas, who hides what he really likes to read inside the cover of a military history and Lucinda, who disappears after a few weeks with very clues as to who she was and what she might be doing. Together, the group must work out who Lucinda is and find her in order to hopefully prevent a terrible crime. The stakes are high!

I really enjoyed reading about Viviane and Tiago and their new friends. Viviane is very clever but does tend to be very determined which can sometimes lead to the clues that she has being misinterpreted. For all that she is observant, she also misses a lot of the clues about what is happening in her own world, both with Tiago and with her own mother.  I loved the way that the characters interconnected, and the bossy Portuguese mothers were a hoot!

I did enjoy the idea of a silent book club. As a result, I found myself contemplating whether it would work in our read on a theme book club. Half the time I have to wrangle them into talking about the books we read rather than just generally chatting about life, the universe and everything, so probably not!

Every time I read a Rebecca Raisin book, I enjoy the way that she writes about food, books and locations and this book has all of those same elements. There were so many delicious sounding Portuguese foods, and we were taken to some of the key tourist sites in Porto as we read the book. I do think that this book is one of her best. I loved the location, the characters, and I smiled my way through the whole book! This was a 5/5 read for me!

Now, if you will excuse me. I need to go and find a little pastelaria, eat a Portuguese custard tart, plan my trip to Portugal, and then pick up my book. Sshhhhhh! I'm reading!

I am sharing this review with the New Release Challenge hosted at The Chocolate Lady's Book Reviews and with the Bookish Books challenge hosted at Bloggin Bout Books.  This was a book that I nominated as one of my 20 Books of Winter and also counts for Aussie Author August. Thanks to the publisher, Netgalley and Rachel's Random Resources for the review copy.  Be sure to check out other stops on the tour below too!

Rating 5/5

The Little Porto Book Club

In a city full of stories, can she write her own…

Introvert and self-described whodunnit enthusiast Viviane has never much believed in living life outside of the pages of a book. But when her interfering mother insists that Viviane needs some friends who aren’t fictional, she decides to head into the beautiful bustling streets of Porto in search of her community.

What better place to start than by reading her favourite mystery in the corner of a little-known café? But when one, then two, and then outrageously six other people decide to join her silent book club Viviane realises that she is firmly out of her depth. There’s Thomas, a middle-aged man hiding his love for romance novels, Lucinda, a chic sixty-something with a penchant for Christie, and then there’s Tiago, the man of every romance novelist’s dreams.

But when one of these newfound friends disappears from the book club without a word, will the community come together to find their fellow lost soul, and will Viviane find love along the way…?

Purchase Links

UK - https://amzn.eu/d/0an1mkon

US - https://a.co/d/09BBX9Ol

AUS - https://amzn.asia/d/0gWivcP7

CAN - https://a.co/d/06QBhgxV

 

About the author


Rebecca Raisin is an internationally bestselling and RNA awards winning romance writer from Perth, Australia. Her books are set in stunning locations around the world providing a touch of escapism for her readers and those who like to partake in a spot of armchair travel from the comfort of their own home. Rebecca writes quirky heroines who haven't figured it all out yet but are perfectly relatable, flaws and all. You'll find themes such as friendship, love, new beginnings, food, wine and travel. She's known for writing books for book lovers.

Social Media Links –

https://www.facebook.com/RebeccaRaisinAuthor

www.twitter.com/jaxandwillsmum

https://www.instagram.com/rebeccaraisinwrites2/

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Top Ten Tuesday: Series Reading

Welcome to this week's edition of Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week is the theme is Book Series I Want to Catch Up On (or series you’d like to start)

I know that the prompt says series I want to catch up on or start, but I am simplifying it to the most recent books I have read that are part of a series

Heartstrings series by B K Borison -And Now Back to You -  I am reading a couple of different series by B K Borison at the moment. This is the second book in the Heartstrings series.

Cruise Escapes series by Caroline James - The Nile Cruise - This also has another cruise based series by this author called Diamond Star Cruises.

Pelican Crossing series by Maggie Christensen - Finding Forever in Pelican Crossing was the ninth book in this series.

Threads of Resistance series by Jenny O'Brien - The Secret Dressmaker is the second book in this series featuring undercover agents in Paris in WWII.

Wartime Librarians series by Kate Thompson - This isn't linked as a series on Goodreads but there are three books connected by theme and some characters.  Recently this author announced a new librarians book and she called it the wartime librarians series so I am counting it! The most recent book I read was The Secret Society of Librarians.

Holiday Romance series by Carrie Walker - Escape to the Turquoise Seas is the fourth book in the Holiday Romance series. I haven't read books 1 or 2 yet. I do normally try to read series in order. 

The Millbrook series by Hannah Claire - The Book Lovers Bucket List is on Amazon as being part of the Millbrook series

The Ernest Cunningham series by Benjamin Stevenson - Everyone in this Bank is a Thief is the fourth book in the series. I am now all caught up with the Ernest Cunningham series. 

Head Over Wheels duology by Leonie Mack - Don't Brake My Heart is the second book in the duology which features professional cyclists.

The Italian Legacy trilogy by Sue Moorcroft - Secrets of the Italian Guesthouse is the first book in the trilogy which is set on the shores of Lake Como.

Weekend Cooking: Truffled Chicken with Champagne Sauce (Valli Little)

Last week I talked about three cook books I had out of the library. One of those was Delicious: Love to Eat: Around the World in 120 Simply Delicious Recipes by Valli Little.

There were quite a few recipes that we have made in this book, but the one that I specifically wanted to share was the one for Truffled Chicken and Champagne Sauce. I know it sounds fancy, but it actually wasn't too difficult. The first time we made this recipe it was just for us, but we also made the champagne sauce when we did a roast chook for Christmassy in July and we had guests over. 

Just in case you think we are springing for truffles on a regular basis, we did a little bit of adapting to the recipe. I had bought some truffle butter when I visited the French festival and so we used that which we spread under the skin. We also used the humbler chicken Maryland instead of the cut they mentioned. We also did potatoes and you will note no green vegetables, as I had to specifically have to request them otherwise they will not make it onto the plate when my husband is cooking

Truffle Chicken with Champagne Sauce (Valli Little)

4 chicken breast fillets, skin on (with the wing bone attached, often referred to as supreme or Kiev)

60g unsalted butter, softened
3 leeks (white part only) each cut into 4 lengths
1 small black truffle
1 tbs olive oil
1-2 tsp truffle oil (optional)

Steamed baby vegetables, to serve

Champagne sauce

20g unsalted butter

1 tbs plain flour

1 garlic clove, crushed
100ml champagne or other sparkling white wine

2 sprigs of thyme

1/ cup (125ml) pure (thin) cream

1/2 cup (125ml) chicken stock

Pre-heat oven to 180c. Grease a 2L (8 cup capacity) baking dish.

Place leeks in prepared baking dish and dot with 30g butter. Sason, then pour over the chicken stock. Place a sheet of baking paper over the top, then bake for 30 minutes or until tender. Remove from the oven.

Meanwhile, gently loosen the skin from the breasts. Thinly slice the truffle and place a few slices between the skin and flesh of each breast. Season. Heat remaining 30g butter and olive oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken, skin-side down first, for 3 minutes each side or until light golden. Place the chicken on top of the leek mixture in the baking dish, then return to the oven and cook for a further 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, drain off 100ml of the cooking liquid and reserve. Set aside the chicken, loosely covering with foil.

Meanwhile for the Champagne Sauce, heat the butter in a frypan over medium heat, add the flour and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the garlic, champagne, thyme, cream, stock and reserved cooking liquid, gently whisking until smooth. Simmer for 2-3 minutes until slightly reduced. Season well.

Thickly slice each chicken breast. Divide leeks among 4 plates, top each with a sliced chicken breast, then drizzle with champagne sauce and truffle oil, if using. Serve with steamed baby vegetables.