Last night I attended an event at the Purcell Room in the Southbank Centre, it was kind of a promo book tour type of thing with Jodi Picoult. I had seen it online and just bought three tickets immediately as mum, my sister and me read her books alot!
It was a really good night, we went to Pizza Express and had 2 for 1 wednesdays with garlic bread, and dough balls to share and then legerra pizzas for main. Yum. I also tried their (I think it is new but not sure!!) raspberry lemonade which is super yummy!!!
Anyway back to the main point.
The event started with an interview between her and a journalist then she did a reading from Lone Wolf and finally the floor was opened for questions.
The first book I read of hers was My sisters Keeper it has remained on my top ten list ever since and when they made the film I was so excited but they ruined it! An all star cast and the director made a film about dying with dignity which was great as Jodi said but isnt what her book was about. I was so glad when she said that because it just wasnt right when I watched it.
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| Jodi's New book |
A lot of people say Jodi sticks in her niche and her books are all the same, and I would agree to a point that the books can be in a similar format but for example last time she wrote a novel based around a gay music therapist and there was a cd that went along with the book! Too cool, and she has just finished writing a novel with her daughter for teen readers, (totally going to read it) The thing that I love about her is her passion. Last night she was talking about researching the books, for this one she went and met with a wolf specialist who lives with wolves, its so intense and I think that is pretty cool.
Jodi mentioned last night that some of her books were released in a different order over here, she has pretty much had a novel published every year for almost 20 years, but they came out at different times and often together over here. I think I might have to reread them all in the correct order lol!
This is the actual order:
Songs of the Humpback Whale (1992)
Harvesting the Heart (1994)
Picture Perfect (1995)
Mercy (1996)
The Pact (1998)
Keepng Faith (1999)
Plain Truth (2000)
Salem Falls (2001)
Perfect Match (2002)
Second Glance (2003)
My Sister's Keeper (2004)
Vanishing Acts (2005)
The Tenth Circle (2006)
Nineteen Minutes (2007)
Change of Heart (2008)
Handle with Care (2009)
House Rules (2010)
Sing You Home (2011)
Lone Wolf (2012)
I read a lot of books and I am not ashamed to say I love a great variety and I also know that Jodi Picoult is not everyones cup of tea. However after last night I am sure she will remain one of my favourite authors for a really long time..... Who is your favourite author?
Ingredients
Essentially I am a massive history geek. Once I get my teeth in to a subject I read everything and anything I can get my hands on about the subject. In the past my small obsessions have been on topics such as the Waitangi tribunal (a tribunal set up to consider the rights of the Maoris in new zealand following a treaty in the 1800s that left things more than murky) the abdication crisis which has become very fashionable recently what with the kings speech and madonnas new film w and e, the history of local asylums and the guards regiments who used to be based in Caterham, where my museum was last year.
My current obsessions are the history of fundamentalist polygamous sects in America following my interest into the Sister Wives programme and as of last week a little known suffragette I m researching for work.
Friday found me in the National Archives in Kew and the Womens Library in Aldgate both fascinating places in their own rights and ones I had never visited before. During my degree nd my masters I used the British newspaper library at Colindale, senate house library which is the main uni of London library and the British library itself. I am sad I never ventured to Kew before but even sadder I never discovered the womens library. It consists of a selection of books on subjects related to women from the suffragettes to mother and baby homes and womens rights. Along with an archive put together from numerous private collections.
There is nothing better than the feeling of finding a personal letter or piece of information about someone or something you are researching that hasn't been uncovered for years.
I realise this probably makes me a bit boring but i care not...anyone else willing to share their obsessions
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Even if they aren't like mine....,
Recently I have been trying to sell a few things, to get ready for the move, ie to condense and also to make a bit of moolah. I came across two websites I wanted to share with you.
The first www.mazumamobile.com is a website which essentially buys old mobile phones, I sold an old HTC phone on there £18.00 it was not working anymore, but it would have been £40.00 working….worth a look if you are holding on to old phones!!!
The second is www.greenmetropolis.com its a second hand book selling site, that takes 75p of every £3.75 book sold, you can sell for charity and it tells you how much each book should cost to post. I have been selling my old history textbooks from my undergrad on there. Its a really interesting site and though there is that charge for the book I have had way more success than when I tried to sell on Amazon.
Anyhew…..just thought I would share them!
My dad makes this and its sooooo yummy!
Serves 4
Ingredients:
Low fat cooking spray
6 shallots or 1 large onion chopped
1 garlic clove sliced thinly
200ml reduced fat coconut milk
1 veg stock cube dissolved in 425ml boiling water
3-4 teaspoons of thai curry paste (green or yellow)
350g butternut squash peeled de seeded and cut into chunks
1 red pepper de seeded and cut into chunks
125g fine green beans halved
2 tablespoons coriander(fresh , half if dry)
1 tablespoon Thai Fish sauce
1 teaspoon ready prepared ginger
1 teaspoon lemon grass
1 fresh green chilli sliced thinly
200g white fish (haddock or cod)
200g cooked large tiger prawns
salt and pepper
Instructions:
Heat a large wok and lightly spray with cooking spray. Add the shallots or onion and garlic and cook over a medium heat for about 4-5 minutes until softened
Add all the remaining ingredients apart from the haddock prawns and coriander. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer gently for about 20-25 minutes until the butternut squash is tender.
Add the fish to the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the prawns and cook for 2-3 minutes. Check the seasoning adding salt and pepper if needed.
Ladle the curry in to four bowls and serve garnished with fresh coriander if you have it.
Remember curry is to your taste so you might want to add some more paste! But add what we say so far and then add extra if you need it.
so….enjoy and sorry for the lack of photos, he hasn’t made it for a while!
I am not a huge drinker, I would much prefer a big bottle of water to anything else during the day. Having said that I prefer fizzy water to still if I want to be different! And I drink a lot of coffee (to me it is a lot, around 2 a day, though thinking about it I havent had any today and feel fine!)
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| Night Night :) |
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| The most amazing tea ever! |
After that we get to cold drinks
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| Great for a hot summers day |
Tesco does an amazing Diet Cloudy Lemonade which we used to buy quite a lot last year at the weekends. It doesnt have that kind of strange off taste that normal Diet Lemonade has as its covered up by the Cloudyness!!! Or some rubbish. Its well worth a look at if you get the chance
Just a quick mention for two recent additions to the hot list, alongside usual coffee (with froth prefarably) I have discovered a love of Apostrophes Chilli Chocolate Espresso, which again was ordered by accident. It hits you with the energy of a normal espresso (I would expect as I have never had a normal espresso) but the chocolate is creamy and there is a sharp hit from the chilli. Well worth a try. And then there is their hot chocolate. It comes in two forms as a usual hot chocolate and then as a thick mess than can only really be described as melted chocolate. It is AMAZING! I had one at a meeting with my boss once and we sat there and ate it with spoons. Not good if you are expecting a normal hot chocolate though!
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| Peach Bellini |
So what is your favourite drink? or drinks?
Macaroni Tuna Bake is the first thing I ever learnt to cook. Its easy and a favourite of mine. So I wanted to share it with you. I make this when I am looking for something quick and easy, generally when I have been at work and not prepared before I left for work!!!
My boyfriends mum makes an even tastier version with a different sauce and crisps as a topping, I will try and find the recipe at some point.
What you will need:
Pasta (my favourite is penne tubes or little bowties)
Tuna (the best is in brine or water not oil as this is fatty!)
Sweetcorn
Peas
Hollandaise sauce mix with milk and butter to make it up
Grated Cheese
breadcrumbs for the top
Green Salad to go alongside.
A Dish to grill it in,
Cook the pasta according to packet instructions, and then just before the end add the peas to cook through, drain. Drain Tuna and canned sweetcorn.
In a saucepan mix the hollandaise sauce mixture together. In the pasta dish pour in the pasta and peas, mix in sweetcorn and tuna, when the hollandaise sauce is cooked pour over the pasta. Top with breadcrumbs and cheese (at this point you can add herbs should you choose such as parsley) place under the grill for a few minutes to crisp up and serve.
Enjoy, boy its making me hungry!
