By Its Cover is a series of posts wherein I read a book based solely on my love of the cover. No reading the jacket, no checking reviews! In May of 1952 Claire Pendleton arrives in Hong Kong with her husband of a few months. He is an engineer assigned to oversee the building of the Tai Lam Cheung reservoir. Claire doesn’t particularly love her husband. While acknowledging that he is a good man, she married him to escape a dull life. To fill her days, Claire becomes a piano teacher for Locket, the spoiled daughter of a wealthy Chinese couple, Victor…
Pudding&Mess Posts
Doctor Foster I had heard a great deal about Dr Foster being one of the best British TV shows of 2015. Now, usually when you hear so much about a British show it’s because it’s gritty and deep and plunges you into the depths of despair — because this is what good British TV is all about. So I was surprised to watch this and find it a little, well — soapy. Here’s the premise. Dr Gemma Foster is a successful GP with a handsome, property developer husband and a bright, charming son. Life is good and Gemma is happy. We…
I’m a huge fan of the flower still life paintings of the Dutch masters. Whilst my own world tends to be filled with muted tones and neutrals, I find the rich and vivid colours of those flowers set against a dark background, highlighting light and texture, to be just stunning. Hardly surprising then that this book cover would lure me in, not only for that gorgeous tulip but because the pages within seem to promise an historical setting. The title refers to an interesting in Holland’s economic history. Holland in the 1600s was experiencing a Golden Age. The creation of the…
For all those who love to cook, love to read and must surely then enjoy nothing more than curling up with a great cookbook that reads like a book, here are five of my favourites. The Cook And The Gardner Amanda Hesser This is such a charming read. Hesser writes about her time in France, cooking for Anne Willan, herself a well-known cookbook author, at Anne’s seventeenth century chateau in Burgundy. The gardener at the chateau, Monsieur Milbert, is something of a crotchety old bugger, but Ms. Hesser is determined to win him over and learn all she can about…
~Lillian Boxfish Takes A Walk Kathleen Rooney Lillian Boxfish, aged 85, walks to Grimaldi’s for her annual New Year’s Eve dinner. She stops in at a bar beforehand, having decided to walk to the restaurant in an attempt to work up an appetite after munching on one too many Oreos. After dinner she makes an impromptu decision to walk to another restaurant which she has not visited since her divorce, which inspires contemplation about the life she has lived. Lillian’s character is based upon a real person — Margaret Fishback — a celebrated and successful writer in the advertising department at…
Spring – when the world opens up once more and we can lift our faces to the warmth of sunshine and the pink of cherry blossoms. A time when it just feels right to lighten our eating habits. And what better ingredient to turn to than asparagus, the vegetable harbinger of spring with its bright, fresh earthiness. Combine it with an egg and a few shavings of parmesan and you have a delightfully easy dinner. Add a crusty loaf of bread and glass of crisp white wine and you’ve dressed it up for company. While you can certainly steam the…
By Its Cover is a series of posts wherein I read a book based solely on my love of the cover. No reading the jacket, no checking reviews! Oh, the sheer elegance of this cover. The soft taupe with the pale blush of the flower punctuated by that classic red lip and nail and just a hint of sparkle. Divine. This lady is the embodiment of southern sophistication — all put-together calm and good breeding. So what is this cover telling me? Well, I think it’s safe to say that Charleston is a major character. I’m thinking love story set in high…
There are few desserts I enjoy more than a good fruit crumble. You can keep your cake this and chocolate that ’cause for me there’s nothing better than warm fruit with a sweet, buttery topping. Just about any single or combination of fruit can be used for crumble, but for spring that classic pairing of strawberry and rhubarb fits the bill perfectly. I know that most of the world seems to love oats in crumble topping but that’s a firm no for me. Now, if I was at your home for dinner and you served it that way for dessert,…
Foyle’s War This is the most unhurried of shows. No theatrics or explosive drama, just quietly understated performances and solidly written episodes. And all of it underscored by the oh-so-subtle and muted performance of Michael Kitchen who brilliantly plays the title character. Inspector Foyle is the master of the arched brow, twitch of the mouth and fleeting smile of mock surprise, expressing so much of what he has to say while saying nothing at all. And then — the dry zinger of a comment that puts someone firmly in their place. Foyle is a police officer in the seaside town of…
I went into a local restaurant recently and asked for one of my favourite drinks — a Kir Royale. It’s a classic cocktail and one I have ordered many, many times over the years. On this particular occasion, however, the waiter was unfamiliar with it. Not too surprising — he was pretty young. I explained that it was simply champagne and creme de cassis, suggesting that surely the bartender would know how to make it. Except that she didn’t either and not only that — creme de cassis wasn’t even in the building The outcome of this story is that…