I beg your indulgence

Gentle reader, I must beg your indulgence, as I have been remiss in writing to you. I fear I am not quite myself; indeed, I do not feel at all "the thing." I shall not be indisposed for long, as I have procured a tisane and a medicinal boiled sweet to soothe my cynanche.

I have been grateful for the work of Ms. Georgette Heyer, who kept me company to-day, and also for correspondence from my dearest friend.


This week, I am participating in a silly blog challenge with a handful of other librarians. Our aim is to write five blog posts in the style of Jane Austen. You can follow them here:
@KRidwyn, blogging at Hmmmm
@Girlwithshoess, blogging at Justgirlwithshoes
@jobeaz, blogging at Macaronic
@kalgrl, blogging at Feral Librarian Tales

#blog5daysAustenese

An Evening Musicale

I vow, there is little I like more than music, particularly of an evening when the rain persists; reading, naturally, brings me equal joy, but to-night I am happily ensconced in my sitting-room, listening to the pianoforte. Should one be fortunate enough to host a gathering of musically gifted neighbours, an evening can be passed quite amicably; I myself am regarded as the skilled musician in my family, and am rarely treated to performances by my good husband, yet he finds the music of others to be very agreeable. He persists in rearranging our furniture and his various apparatus, so as to achieve the most pleasing sound.

I know with certainty that my life is enriched by the beauty of music, and I find I am content to hear it, though I cannot see those who are so accomplished at their instruments. When I depart my humble estate, particularly when I choose to exert myself for a period of time, as I did this evening, I often include the following item in my reticule, so that I may continue to listen when I am not at home.

I cannot tell you how it delights me to own such a diminutive and clever article - why, it is as though I have brought with me the whole of the county! and each neighbour plays so exquisitely! and only the pieces that I want most to hear! - how marvellous.

Your's, etc.,

Julia

This week, I am participating in a silly blog challenge with a handful of other librarians. You can follow them here:


@KRidwyn, blogging at Hmmmm
@Girlwithshoess, blogging at Justgirlwithshoes
@jobeaz, blogging at Macaronic
@kalgrl, blogging at Feral Librarian Tales

Our aim is to write five blog posts in the style of Jane Austen. I think what I will find most difficult, is writing in first person, without the aid of dialogue. Austen's style (to me, at least) is most evident in her characters' speech, and my blog tends to be first-person accounts. We are meant to write about topics we normally would choose, too, so this will be interesting! #blog5daysAustenese


Edit: it killed me to leave that apostrophe in Your's, but examples of that usage are all over Pride & Prejudice.

From the Oven

Using a slightly-tweaked recipe I found here (more puree, less sugar, added ground cloves), I made pumpkin pies for Christmas, and another two today:

Last night I baked a longtime favourite (previously blogged here) and was rather pleased with how it turned out. I added a few walnuts on top before baking, which made this banana bread look even tastier.

My little camera is missing so unfortunately the above are just phone pics.

Also from my kitchen this week:

An easy simmer sauce curry with beef, bell peppers, carrots & onion with couscous as an accompaniment to Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

Banana, mango & orange smoothies

M&M cookies

Meat loaf

BBQ'd Chicken Kebabs with bell peppers & mushrooms, marinated in teriyaki, lime, and ginger

A reprise of fish tacos will be tonight's dinner. Friday night we ordered my favourite pizza from Pizza Capers, New Orleans - cajun-spiced chicken with mushrooms and thin slices of potato, drizzled with sweet chili sauce and sour cream. Yummm. A girl can't cook all the time! :)

What have you been cooking lately? Is there anything you're dying to make? On my list are:

John Willoughby's Tagine-Style Lamb Stew
Lentil Soup with Caraway and Minted Yogurt
Honey Thyme Pork Roast
White Chocolate & Passionfruit Layer Cake

A Christmas Sendoff for Elena & Clay

Hidden by Kelley Armstrong
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This novella was a welcome "tie-up-loose-ends" sort of story for Armstrong's fans of Clay and Elena. I've read most of Armstrong's novels but her werewolf ones have been my favourite. After the prologue, the story picks up in Elena's voice, pitch-perfect. Yes, she's older now (41) and has four year old twins with Clay, but she's still Elena, and now that she's Alpha-elect, the political stakes are higher.

Armstrong could have just made a warm, fuzzy, feel-good story about the holidays, but it wouldn't have felt right. Fans will be pleased to see Clay and Elena doing what they do best - researching, tracking, and keeping the Pack safe - while spending Christmas with their kids, who haven't been told Mommy and Daddy are wolves. Elena and Clay's past issues and the challenges of parenthood are deftly worked into the story, resulting in a satisfying and fun read.

View all my reviews