I'm featuring this because it was so good, and despite Mr F's complaints about the Recipe Scrapbook slideshow I posted below ... to be honest, it IS annoying that you can't stop on the individual pictures and enlarge them, but after managing to master making the slideshow AT ALL, I expected nothing but praise! Here is his recipe anyway, and you will recognise that it is in his own words.
Curried Lentil Soup
1. The Soup:
2 tbsp. oil
1 tsp. mustard seed
Onion - 1 large, 2 medium, peeled, chopped
Potato - 1 large, 2 medium, peeled, diced
Carrots - 2 large, 3 medium, peeled, quartered, chopped
250 g. red lentils
Water (boiled)
Salt (lots!)
Heat mustard seed in oil until it crackles. Add onion, fry until browned. Add potato,
carrots and lentils. Stir and fry for 1 minute or so, and then add boiling water and salt.
2. In a saucer, combine:
1 tsp. Schwartz curry powder and 1/2 tsp. each of turmeric, garam masala, coriander,
cumin, fenugreek, cayenne pepper, ginger, ground allspice, paprika and 1/4 tsp. crushed
chillies.
Toss into soup and stir. Boil up for 30 mins. Sorted.
Thursday, 8 January 2009
Only Children by Alison Lurie
Here is Alison Lurie's website, for anyone who is interested in reading more about this intelligent author.
Alison Lurie is very often described as witty, but I think that is more in the sense of her observations being clever, wry and apposite rather than in the sense of lightheartedly amusing. (Although I did laugh out loud at The Last Resort in a few unexpectedly hilarious scenes). Only Children I found rather sad, although as good a read as usual. The character of Mary Anne, a feisty 9-year-old, is very well drawn and appealing (even when she has a terrible temper tantrum).
Another interesting aspect of Alison Lurie is the way her characters pop up in different books at different ages, and you get to see them from a different angle.
Day 92; Book 89
Alison Lurie is very often described as witty, but I think that is more in the sense of her observations being clever, wry and apposite rather than in the sense of lightheartedly amusing. (Although I did laugh out loud at The Last Resort in a few unexpectedly hilarious scenes). Only Children I found rather sad, although as good a read as usual. The character of Mary Anne, a feisty 9-year-old, is very well drawn and appealing (even when she has a terrible temper tantrum).
Another interesting aspect of Alison Lurie is the way her characters pop up in different books at different ages, and you get to see them from a different angle.
Day 92; Book 89
Wednesday, 7 January 2009
Guilty as Sin by Tami Hoag
I finished this last night; it is the sequel to Night Sins. Whereas Night Sins was about the police investigation into a little boy's disappearance, this focussed more on the following court case (although the mystery was continued as well). By the end of the sequel I was just about converted to Tami Hoag: the romance elements were subordinate to the main plot in this book and it was really exciting towards the end. Apparently Tami Hoag's later books are her best so I will try some more.
Day 91; Book 88
Day 91; Book 88
Tuesday, 6 January 2009
A Couple of Links for You
I still haven't finished yesterday's book so I've nothing to report today.
Here are a couple of interesting links instead. The first is the website of Ben Goldman, the author of Bad Science:
Bad Science
Even if you are not particularly interested in science and statistics (and I'm not, possibly because I find them too difficult ...), if you are at all interested in logical thinking you will find this site fascinating. Or if you've ever been tempted by such things as detox patches, then hop over there straight away!
My other link is to the 365 Project. That seems to be its original name anyway, but I've heard that lots of people are doing this - taking a photo a day. I didn't think that would be very hard, but having experimented with my camera phone last night I realised that the main difficulty for me would be in taking a GOOD photo each day! I think it's a good project though, especially if you used it to document your life for a year (for example! I'm not obsessed with doing things for a year at a time, honest). Here's the link:
365 Project
People are uploading their photos to photo-sharing websites like Flickr, but for me and my fellow scrapbookers it would be harder because we would want to scrap all the photos. Hmmm, could be fun if it didn't become overwhelming!
Here are a couple of interesting links instead. The first is the website of Ben Goldman, the author of Bad Science:
Bad Science
Even if you are not particularly interested in science and statistics (and I'm not, possibly because I find them too difficult ...), if you are at all interested in logical thinking you will find this site fascinating. Or if you've ever been tempted by such things as detox patches, then hop over there straight away!
My other link is to the 365 Project. That seems to be its original name anyway, but I've heard that lots of people are doing this - taking a photo a day. I didn't think that would be very hard, but having experimented with my camera phone last night I realised that the main difficulty for me would be in taking a GOOD photo each day! I think it's a good project though, especially if you used it to document your life for a year (for example! I'm not obsessed with doing things for a year at a time, honest). Here's the link:
365 Project
People are uploading their photos to photo-sharing websites like Flickr, but for me and my fellow scrapbookers it would be harder because we would want to scrap all the photos. Hmmm, could be fun if it didn't become overwhelming!
Monday, 5 January 2009
New Year, New Books!
I read lots of books over the holidays* so I'll group them by author.
Agatha Raisin and Love, Lies and Liquor was another good one in the series, where Agatha goes on holiday to a town with the unlikely name of Snoth-on-Sea and of course murder ensues ...
The non-fiction Bad Science by Ben Goldacre was excellent. If you have ever listened to TV nutritionists telling you things like "take milk thistle to support your liver function" and have wondered how exactly it would do that, Ben Goldacre gives you the scientific facts to be able to resist this sort of mumbo-jumbo. "Sciencey" skin cream advertising comes in for his scorn as well. It's a very funny as well as factual book and well worth reading.
I finally finished the Charlie Parker series by John Connolly, with The Reapers which Mr F was kind enough to buy for me in hardback for Christmas. Thanks Mr F! This one takes a slightly different angle from the other books but ties up many loose ends.
I continued the adventures of the Roman private detective Marcus Didius Falco in the series by Lindsey Davis. In The Iron Hand of Mars Marcus goes to Germania with a mystery to solve. The dark forests of the north are very scary ... He returns succesfully for Poseidon's Gold and looks set to make a fortune.
Alison Lurie is a new author for me. She is an American whose work has been compared to Jane Austen and that is true I think in that she writes about a small social circle and her works could be considered comedies of manners. Her books are mainly set around the fictional Corinth university and will be particulary interesting to anyone with academic connections. The War between the Tates and Truth and Consequences both feature academics behaving badly, with the latter "starring" the monster of selfishness Delia. The Last Resort is potentially a tragedy but you will suddenly find yourself laughing at the most outrageous moments.
Second Glance is a book by Jodi Picoult and is as involving as usual. This is a love story and a mystery first of all, as well as a social commentary on the misguided enthusiasm by some Americans in the 1930s for eugenics. Funny how eugenics are only ever to be applied to other people ...
Ann Rule is the author of many true crime books. I had read Small Sacrifices before but had forgotten some of the details of the mother accused of shooting her own children in 1980s Oregon. Ann Rule is well worth reading: she does not focus on the sensational aspects of a crime, but rather on the psychological aspects.
Death du Jour is by Kathy Reichs. The author is a real-life forensic anthropologist. This mystery was involving and I wasn't put off by the descriptions body recovery from crime scenes. Ironically I was put off by so much detail that it became rather tedious!
Finally I read Night Sins by Tami Hoag. This author has been recommended to me before and she does write a good crime novel. However I got rather fed up with the romance which kept intruding when I wanted to read more about the solving of the crime!
*although not as many as I thought! I've only caught up by one book.
Day 89; Book 87
Agatha Raisin and Love, Lies and Liquor was another good one in the series, where Agatha goes on holiday to a town with the unlikely name of Snoth-on-Sea and of course murder ensues ...
The non-fiction Bad Science by Ben Goldacre was excellent. If you have ever listened to TV nutritionists telling you things like "take milk thistle to support your liver function" and have wondered how exactly it would do that, Ben Goldacre gives you the scientific facts to be able to resist this sort of mumbo-jumbo. "Sciencey" skin cream advertising comes in for his scorn as well. It's a very funny as well as factual book and well worth reading.
I finally finished the Charlie Parker series by John Connolly, with The Reapers which Mr F was kind enough to buy for me in hardback for Christmas. Thanks Mr F! This one takes a slightly different angle from the other books but ties up many loose ends.
I continued the adventures of the Roman private detective Marcus Didius Falco in the series by Lindsey Davis. In The Iron Hand of Mars Marcus goes to Germania with a mystery to solve. The dark forests of the north are very scary ... He returns succesfully for Poseidon's Gold and looks set to make a fortune.
Alison Lurie is a new author for me. She is an American whose work has been compared to Jane Austen and that is true I think in that she writes about a small social circle and her works could be considered comedies of manners. Her books are mainly set around the fictional Corinth university and will be particulary interesting to anyone with academic connections. The War between the Tates and Truth and Consequences both feature academics behaving badly, with the latter "starring" the monster of selfishness Delia. The Last Resort is potentially a tragedy but you will suddenly find yourself laughing at the most outrageous moments.
Second Glance is a book by Jodi Picoult and is as involving as usual. This is a love story and a mystery first of all, as well as a social commentary on the misguided enthusiasm by some Americans in the 1930s for eugenics. Funny how eugenics are only ever to be applied to other people ...
Ann Rule is the author of many true crime books. I had read Small Sacrifices before but had forgotten some of the details of the mother accused of shooting her own children in 1980s Oregon. Ann Rule is well worth reading: she does not focus on the sensational aspects of a crime, but rather on the psychological aspects.
Death du Jour is by Kathy Reichs. The author is a real-life forensic anthropologist. This mystery was involving and I wasn't put off by the descriptions body recovery from crime scenes. Ironically I was put off by so much detail that it became rather tedious!
Finally I read Night Sins by Tami Hoag. This author has been recommended to me before and she does write a good crime novel. However I got rather fed up with the romance which kept intruding when I wanted to read more about the solving of the crime!
*although not as many as I thought! I've only caught up by one book.
Day 89; Book 87
Wednesday, 24 December 2008
Signing off for Christmas
Your intrepid reader is now signing off for Christmas and will be back again in the New Year. I hope you all have a nice, relaxing time (or exciting time if that's what you prefer!)
I'm reading Agatha Raisin and the Perfect Paragon. Having Agatha open a detective agency has given M C Beaton the opportunity to introduce new characters to interact with the old ones. What I like about Agatha is that she is so human. Flawed characters are so much more fun!
Happy reading, everybody!
Day 77; Book 74
I'm reading Agatha Raisin and the Perfect Paragon. Having Agatha open a detective agency has given M C Beaton the opportunity to introduce new characters to interact with the old ones. What I like about Agatha is that she is so human. Flawed characters are so much more fun!
Happy reading, everybody!
Day 77; Book 74
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