The Intrepid Reader and Baker

Paris in July: Cartier at the NGV

2026-07-10T05:20:00.000+10:00

Every winter the National Gallery of Victoria (known as the NGV) hosts their Winter Masterpieces series where they bring internationally renowned art to the city. I have been a number of times and have shared posts about these visits as well. Coincidentally a few of these have fitted the Paris in July theme too from French Impressionists to Monet's Garden to an exhibition all about Napoleon.

There are some really famous names that come immediately to mind when you think of French luxury goods from fashion brand like Chanel and Yves St Laurent but if we are talking jewellery, then the name of Cartier must surely be right up near the top of the list. This year's Winter Masterpieces is called Cartier and the exhibition features around 400 glittering individual pieces.

Maison Cartier was founded in Paris in 1847 and from there has gone on to become a global powerhouse. The exhibition covers many of the inspirations that have helped create the brand, some of the famous names and pieces associated with the brand, the use of colour, Cartier in Hollywood and so much more, including both historical and contemporary pieces.

One of the major themes of the exhibition was the way that different cultures influence fashion and designed. For example, there were pieces that reflected the interest in Egyptology which came into vogue in the late 1800s. Other influences included Japanese, Chinese, Russian and Indian gemstones, shapes and culture. For example, the photo above is part of what is now known as Tutti Frutti collection (so named in the 1970s) but when it was first made in the 1920s it was inspired by Indian gems and nature. These different inspirations weren't only seen in jewellery. There were many opulent cigarette cases, and other accessories, including clocks and other time pieces on display.

Fun fact: Did you know that Louis Cartier was the designer of one of the first wrist watches specifically designed for men? In 1904 his friend, Alberto Santos-Dumont who was a pilot, asked him to design a watch that would enable him to check the time while still being able to control his plane.

Other themes is the role of nature in providing design inspiration, from flowers to animals including the iconic panther designs that are synonymies with the name Cartier

It is hard to talk about a brand like Cartier without talking about the famous people who have worn iconic pieces from Elizabeth Taylor to Princess Grace of Monaco, to Princess Margaret and many other royals and wealthy people. There was a fun montage of films where the brand's jewellery was featured starting from the 1920s right through to 2025 and featured films such as High Society from the 1950s to more recent movies like Oceans 8.

One of the most spectacular aspects of the exhibition were the tiaras. While there were lots of tiaras throughout the exhibition, the final room was all about tiaras with many different styles displayed in glass cabinets on the outside of the room and glass columns in an inner circle. There were so many absolutely gorgeous examples of tiaras on display.

I could share dozens of photos with you all but I am limiting it to just a few. I thought the image on the top right was really interesting as it is made of black steel. It feels like that could be contemporary although it was influenced by Russian style and was made in the early 20th century. I must confess that the Sun tiara on the bottom right absolutely took my breath away when I saw it! It was made in 1907 although the yellow diamond was added in 2014.

If only I had an unlimited jewellery budget and somewhere to where something so beautiful! For now, I will have to be content with just looking.

The exhibition was beautifully staged, and the accompanying soundtrack by composed by Japanese electronic artist Ai Yamamoto and Finnish composer Erkki Veltheim was the perfect accompaniment

When granting the royal decree to Cartier, King Edward VII said Cartier was "Jeweler of kings . . . and king of jewelers" and having spent some time at this exhibition, it is obvious why!

Finally, I thought I would share a very short video of one of the pieces, the fully articulated snake necklace. It really shows the glittering nature of the diamonds.

I am sharing this post as part of Paris in July, hosted at Words and Peace.

Don't Brake My Heart by Leonie Mack

2026-07-09T08:04:00.000+10:00

Last year I read and really enjoy Leonie Mack's book Head Over Wheels which is set in the world of professional cycling (my review). It was always a given that I was going to read the follow up book!

Leesa Kubicka used to be a professional rider. In her mind, it was not a particularly successful career but she wasn't quite ready to give up. However, when injury forces her to retire, she needs to find a new career. She joins a sports marketing agency with only one proviso. She doesn't want to go anywhere near any cyclists. But when you are desperate to secure a contract, sometimes you just have to go where the work is. And so it is that she finds herself back in the world of professional cycling. It doesn't help that Leesa was often the recipient of Colin's many pranks.

Australian professional rider, Colin Gallagher is a man who has the hopes of his team on his back! As one of the successful Gallagher's there is a lot of expectation for this year's Tour de France. His sister, who was the main character in the first book, is a successful cyclist, his dad is the team manager and everyone thinks that he should be a favourite for the most prestigious and famous bike race in the world. The last thing he needs is a sports marketer following him around, filming his every move to give the team sponsor more exposure.

While Colin is driven to succeed, he is also known as a prankster and he has been known to take things a bit far. And that's especially true of his interactions with Leesa. The thing is though, part of the reason that he pranks her is that he really likes her, as in really likes her, and has done every since the first time he met her. And Leesa has no idea that this is why!

Colin needs to focus so he can't afford to be distracted from his preparation and Leesa also needs to just do her job well to increase her chance of keeping her job. Of course, that means that the more time that they spend together the more their simmering attraction keeps getting in the way.

This week was the perfect time to read this book given that the Tour de France is now underway. I do enjoy Le Tour although to be fair I do watch it more for the chateaux, cathedrals, scenery and the 5 minute cooking show which showcases the areas that the riders are racing through. I have, however, picked up some of the more technical terms which helped with reading these books. However, if you don't watch any professional cycling this is still very readable. The author does a great job of showing the gruelling physicality that the racers face, and that's before they accidentally hit the ground!

The first half is set in training camp but the second half of the book is actually set during the Tour, which is very cool!

With Colin being a prankster there is plenty of humour in this book, and the spice level is high! The chemistry between Leesa and Colin is scorching! I did find myself reading some very spicy bits while I was sitting in the café at lunchtime at work! I hope I wasn't blushing!

I have read a lot of Leonie Mack novels over the last few years and I find them very enjoyable and this was no exception! I am not sure if there will be any more books set in this world, but I hope so. In the mean time, the next book in her Adventure Wedding series is out in August so not long to wait for her next book!

Given that this book is set against the background of the Tour de France, I am counting this read for Paris in July hosted at Words and Peace! It also counts as a read for the New Release Challenge hosted at The Chocolate Lady's Book Review Blog

Rating 4/5

Blog Tour: Secrets of the Italian Guesthouse by Sue Moorcroft (includes UK giveaway)

2026-07-08T04:41:00.000+10:00

The last trilogy from Sue Moorcroft featured three sisters living in Scotland on the Isle of Skye. Her new trilogy, of which this is the first book, again features three sisters but this time it is set on the shores of beautiful Lake Como

Jade was raised by her grandparents after being basically abandoned by her parents. Through out her life she has had nothing to do with either of her parents. One thing that she did know that under Italian property law, her father would have been the rightful heir of the guesthouse that Jade and her grandmother had run for many years. Jade has poured her whole career into the guesthouse, so it is a relief to find out that her father has foregone his right to inherit.

Fast forward many years, and the time has come. With Jade's grandmother's passing, Jade expects to inherit everything. It is therefore a complete shock when she finds out with her two half-sisters that she never even knew existed. Her grandmother knew about Rosalie and Erin and made provisions for them, even though she never met them.

Jade is standoffish with the two women as she realises that she is going to have to come up with a new plan for her future. Erin was raised by her mother and never knew their father either whereas Rosalie's mother had died when she was young but was raised by their father. With their different personalities and history, it is easy for feelings to be hurt, intentionally or not.

If navigating new familial relationships where everyone is on edge isn't difficult enough, Jade's first love, Leo, is back in town. Sixteen years previously Leo had devastated Jade by announcing he was moving to England and just expected to go with him. Heartbroken, Jade said no, and so that was it. But now Leo is back after his relationship, which was both romantic and business, disintegrated in spectacular fashion. He is now at a loose end trying to work out what to do next.

I really enjoyed that Leo had his own storyline, and that he wasn't just there to be the love interest. His family also played an important part in the story. His parents had long been friends to Jade and her grandmother, so they provide support, but their lives are also changing. They are now semi-retired with Leo's brother taking over the management of running their own boutique hotel. Is there a place for Leo back in Italy or will he return to England to forge his new life?

As always Sue Moorcroft brings the setting to life on the page through the scenery, the food, the vibe. While I have visited Italy a couple of times, I have never made it to Lake Como and she had me wishing that I could visit there to see the amazing beauty for myself.

There are two more books in the Italian Legacy series, one for each of the remaining sisters. I am looking forward to learning more about their stories, and seeing how this cobbled together family can truly unite and make up for all of the lost years!

I am sharing this review with the New Release Challenge hosted at The Chocolate Lady's Book Reviews. It was also one of the books I nominated for the Twenty Books of Winter. The theme for my read on a theme book club this time is Secrets, so given the title even has the word in it, this will be one of my book club selection. Thanks to the publisher and Rachel's Random Resources for the review copy. Be sure to check out other stops on the tour below too!

Rating 4/5

About the Book

Secrets of the Italian Guesthouse

Two sisters she's never met
A first love who's impossible to forget...

For Jade, life in Lake Como is la dolce vita. Until her beloved grandmother passes, leaving Jade not just the family's bustling guesthouse to run, but two life-changing secrets to confront...

The pensione hasn't just been left to Jade, it's also been inherited by her sisters - who she had no idea existed. As Erin and Rosalie arrive in Italy, Jade is forced to face the heart-wrenching prospect of sharing her last remaining tie to the woman who raised her.

Jade is desperately trying to hold on to the past, but there's one person she would prefer to leave firmly behind: her first love, Leo. He's back in the city that is filled with the memories they once made together. But as Jade fights to take control of her future and her heart, why do all cobbled roads lead back to Leo?

Lose yourself in the first, utterly romantic novel in a brand-new trilogy, filled with new beginnings and second chances. Perfect for fans of Sarah Morgan and Milly Johnson.

Purchase Link - https://geni.us/ItalianGuesthouse

About the Author

Sue Moorcroft is a Sunday Times bestselling author. Her novels have reached #1 on Kindle UK and Top 100 on Kindle US, Canada, Germany and Italy. She’s won the Goldsboro Books Contemporary Novel of the Year, Readers’ Best Romantic Novel award, two HOLT Medallions and the Katie Fforde Bursary. She’s the president of the Romantic Novelists’ Association.

Her novels, short stories, serials, columns, writing ‘how to’ and courses have appeared around the world.

Social Media Links –

Amazon page: Sue Moorcroft

Audible page: Sue Moorcroft

Website: www.suemoorcroft.com

Facebook author page SueMoorcroftAuthor

Twitter: @SueMoorcroft

Instagram: @SueMoorcroftAuthor

Linked in: Sue Moorcroft

Link Tree: linktr.ee/SueMoorcroft

Bookbub: SueMoorcroft1

Giveaway to Win a signed copy of Secrets of the Italian Guesthouse and a Sue Moorcroft pen (Open to UK Only)

*Terms and Conditions –UK entries welcome. Please enter using the Gleam box below. The winner will be selected at random via Gleam from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data. I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

Top Ten Tuesday: Book That Include the Word Paris in the Title

2026-07-07T02:18:00.000+10:00

Welcome to this week's edition of Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week the theme is Book Titles That Include the Word “[insert word of your choice here]” (Pick a word and share ten book titles that include that word!).

Given that I am currently participating in Paris in July, my favourite annual blogging event, my word of choice is Paris! I have done this type of Paris post before but it has been a couple of years, and I have read more than 10 books that fit this prompt since then so there will be no double ups!

Here are the last 10 books I have read with the word Paris in the title.

In the Paris Fashion by Sophie Beaumont - I have really enjoyed all three of Sophie Beaumont's books. My review for this one will be posted in a couple of weeks.

The Paris Novel by Ruth Reichl - I liked quite a lot about this book but there was one thing that bothered me. Here's my review.

A Bakery in Paris by Aimie K Runyan - A bakery? In Paris? Yes, please. Here's my review from last year.

A Secret Garden in Paris by Sophie Beaumont - Yes, another Sophie Beaumont book. Here's my review.

The Mysterious Bakery on Rue de Paris by Evie Woods - This one is a bit deceptive because it is set in France, but not in Paris. (my review)

The Paris Dancer by Nicola Rayner - This is a dual timeline WWII novel set in Paris. (my review)

The Paris Bookshop for the Broken Hearted by Rebecca Raisin - I love the way that Rebecca Raisin writes about food, books, and yes, Paris. (my review)

The Paris Chapter by Victoria Walters - This is another contemporary novel set in Paris. (my review)

Midnight in Paris by Gillian Harvey - Gillian Harvey writes a lot of books set in France. This is one of my favourites. (my review)

Christmas at the Little Paris Hotel by Rebecca Raisin - I forgot Christmas on my list of things I like about her list.

Check out more Paris in July posts by visiting the host, Emma from Words and Peace.

This week....

2026-07-06T06:24:00.000+10:00

I'm reading

Well, it's been a week! We have just gone through end of financial year which means it has been pretty full on. There are still some final tasks to be done, but we are definitely nearly there. Having said that, I still managed to get some reading done.

I finished The Forty Rules of Love by Elif Shafak. As I mentioned last week I was really pleased that this book is predominantly set in the city of Konya in Turkiye which is a place that we visited a couple of months ago. I found this book a bit dense, but it was extremely interesting with lots of layers. I do enjoy this author's books and have already requested the next one from my library.

Next up I read In the Weeds by B K Borison which is the second book in the Lovelight Farms series. This is a very different read to the last book but it one that I found hard to put down!

Next up, I finished The King's Jewel by Elizabeth Chadwick. I count Chadwick as one of my favourite historical fiction authors and yet I hadn't read any of her books in years. It was so nice to be back reading one of her books.

Next up, I started reading The Secrets of the Italian Guesthouse by Sue Moorcroft. I am on the blog tour for this book so my review will be up in a couple of days. If you are in the UK there is also a giveaway for this book so keep an eye out for the post which will be up on Wednesday.

You would think that with all those books on the go I would know better than to just start another book that isn't a review book, isn't due back at the library, doesn't count for the Goodreads Summer Challenge or isn't on my 20 Books of Winter list. Apparently, my brain doesn't work that way so I started reading Don't Brake My Heart by Leonie Mack. Good thing it will at least count for Paris in July!

Last week I said that my next audiobook would be the latest Before the Coffee Gets Cold book. I did listen to the intro but now I have decided that I am going to listen to Unruly: The Ridiculous History of the Kings and Queens of England by David Mitchell. I have chosen this book for the Fact or Fiction prompt on the Goodreads Summer Challenge. I'll go back to the other one once I have finished this book

I am not sure how, but I managed to get through 16 books in June, and 9 of those counted for the 20 Books of Winter challenge. I gave several novels 4.5/5 but there was only one that I gave a 5/5 rating to and that was First Time Caller by B K Borison. Looking at the list now, I could probably have given one other book 5/5 which was This Book Made Me Think of You by Libby Page.

Books let our imaginations travel where our feet cannot - Nora Nguyen

Bookish travel

Here's where I travelled too through the pages of books during May

Europe

Ireland - Three Bags Full

France - Piglettes

UK - This Book Made Me Think of You

Russia - War and Peace

Turkiye - The Forty Rules of Love

North America

First Time Caller, The Maid, Atmosphere, The Frozen River, Project Hail Mary

Australia

Queensland - Charlie's Last Angel

NSW - The Model Murder, Careful, He Might Hear You

WA - The Palace of Lost Virtue

SA - The Couples Retreat

Asia

Japan - We'll Prescribe You Another Cat

I'm watching

I started watching Eva Longoria: Searching for France over the weekend! So far we have watched 3 episodes and it is good, although she's no Stanley Tucci. Here's the trailer!

A couple of months ago we went to watch Project Hail Mary at the movies, which then prompted me to listen to the audiobook. We decided to watch the movie again while the movie was fresh in our minds. It has been really interesting to do this as there were things that I definitely didn't remember seeing the first time around. Of course, the book is more detailed than the movie and has more depth, but I do see myself watching this movie over and over!

The Tour de France has started! That means a few weeks of seeing beautiful scenery, amazing chateau's, big churches. Oh, and a few cyclists as well!

Life

Yesterday a friend and I went to see the Cartier exhibition which is currently on at the NGV. It was an absolutely gorgeous exhibitions of all things that glitter! Fabulous!

I will have a post up about the whole exhibition later in the week but here's a taster. And yes, that is a gigantic emerald in the middle of that piece!

We also tried a new brunch place this weekend! It has a very different vibe from the usual industrial style of most modern cafes! We will definitely be going back.

Posts from the last week

Top Ten Tuesday: Most Anticipated Books Releasing in the Second Half of 2026
Historical Fiction Reading Challenge: July links
Paris in July: Beinvenue!
Paris in July: Since the last Paris in July
20 Books of Winter: July recap
Classics Club Spin: Careful, He Might Hear You by Sumner Locke Elliott

In My Kitchen: June

Six Degrees of Separation: Yesteryear to The Gilded Lily

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

Six Degrees of Separation: Yesteryear to The Gilded Lily

2026-07-05T01:10:00.000+10:00

Welcome to this month's edition of Six Degrees of Separation, which is a monthly meme hosted by Kate from Books Are My Favourite and Best. The idea is to start with a specific book and make a series of links from one book to the next using whatever link you can find and see where you end up after six links. I am also linking this post up with The Sunday Salon, hosted by Deb at Readerbuzz and A Good Book and a Cup of Tea hosted at Boondock Ramblings.

This month the starting point is Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke.

For my first selection I am choosing another title which has two words joined together to create a word that doesn't really exist. I absolutely loved The Beforelife of Eliza Valentine by Laura Pearson when I read it a couple of years ago. The title for this book has been changed post publication to The Lives and Loves of Becca Valentine, so originally my plan was to talk about books whose titles have been changed. However, I ended up taking different direction.

A couple of weeks ago I finished reading First-Time Caller by B K Borison. This is a book which is set on a radio show where the main announcer is called Aiden Valentine.

Another romance featuring people working on a radio show is Lonely Hearts Radio by Adeline Knight. This was an Audible original and featured an Australian radio announcer living in New York in 1999.

Moving away from romance novels, but still using the radio link my next choice is The Radio Hour by Australian Author Victoria Purman. This time the setting is 1950s Sydney

My next link is through the word hour. I am choosing The Gilded Hour by Sara Donati which is also set in New York, but this time in the late 19th century.

The word gilded is not one that comes up every day these days, but it is in a few titles, including The Gilded Lily by Deborah Swift. If I needed to keep on going from her there are any number of flower books out there, which oddly is a theme that I quite often end up with on these posts. Good job I am stopping here today!

Next month, the starting point is Land by Maggie O'Farrell

Will you be joining us?

In My Kitchen: June

2026-07-04T01:53:00.000+10:00

Single serve chocolate chip cookie - I saw this being talked about in the RecipeTin Eats Facebook group and the idea of just whipping something up and having it straight away. It's funny though, on the recipe it talks about being able to make this single serve, albeit huge serve, and have it cooked within 20 minutes. To be fair, I am pretty sure I could find a chocolate chip cookie recipe where you could cook a whole batch in that time. This was half of the single serve and it basically was the size of the plate. I did love the way that you add the chocolate chips on top of the cookies while it was still hot!

French Apple Cake - This is another RecipeTin Eats recipe, this time for a French Apple Cake. It was very easy, and very delicious! Will make again!

I did end up buying a cookbook this month. Home Food by Elizabeth Hewitt was the cook book of the month in May for the Lambs Ear Cook Book Club. I originally borrowed the book from the library but we enjoyed everything we tried so I ended up buying it! I do want to try not doing that every month, but I think I am on track to buy the June book as well!

We did go to the most amazing Japanese dinner in June. It was a 5 course meal with free flowing alcohol, plus there was a cooking demonstration for every course, and cultural demonstration such as drumming, Judo and more! It was such a fun night.

New recipes

Single Serve chocolate Chip Cookies (RecipeTin Eats)

One Pot Pizza Mac (Recipe Tin Eats)

French Onion Rigatoni (Elizabeth Hewitt)

French Apple Cake (Recipe Tin Eats)

Coq au vin blanc pie (Lucy Tweed)

Aloo Muttar (Lucy Tweed)

Weekend Cooking posts from the last month

In My Kitchen: April/May

Afternoon Tea Diaries: Paradox

Hot Chocolate on Thursday by Michiko Aoyama

Two South American Films

Weekly Meals

Saturday - Out for dinner
Sunday - Coq au vin blanc pie (new)
Monday - Aloo Muttar (new)
Tuesday - Pork and Apple Sausages, mash and gravy
Wednesday -
Thursday - Beef Stir Fry
Friday - Take away

I am sharing this post with In My Kitchen hosted at Sherry's Pickings.

Classics Club Spin: Careful, He Might Here You by Sumner Locke Elliott

2026-07-03T07:44:00.000+10:00

When I put together my classics list, I deliberately went in search books that were considered Australian classics and included them as part of my list. One of my choices was this book, Careful, He Might Hear You by Sumner Lock Elliott. When the spin landed on this as the selection I was pretty happy. I had no idea, though, that I would love this as much as I did.

I am not sure that this author is one that I knew particularly much about, although I had heard of the movie version of this book which was made back in the 1980s. Apparently Elliott was a very successful writer and well known in the US. This book, which came out in 1963, was very autobiographical and also very successful, winning the 1963 Miles Franklin prize which is our top literary prize.

Our story opens with a glimpse into the life of a young boy named PS, so called because he was a postscript to his deceased mother's ridiculous life. Sinden died shortly after his birth, and with his father being perennially off searching for gold, his Aunt Lila and Uncle George are raising him as requested by his mother before she passed

They live a very modest lifestyle, but there is a lot of love and Sinden is fondly remembered as Little One. When PS and his aunt go to visit her grave they refer to it as the The Little Garden, planting flowers but never mentioning that it is his mother's final resting place. It might be more whimsical as opposed to truthful, but PS is happy and secure.

When Aunt Vanessa turns up, PS's life is gradually turned upside down. Vanessa was sent to England at a young age to be a companion to a relative and so the life she leads is very different to that of her sisters. Vanessa believes that she too has a mandate to care for PS. In her eyes, this means providing him with the very best of everything including education, elocution correction to get rid of his terrible Australian accent, piano lessons, a big house, and impressive toys. These are all things that the humble Lila and George can not possibly provide

Ultimately this leads to a bitter custody battle over the bewildered little boy who just wants to go home and who doesn't really understand what it going on.

Whilst this is PS's story, we also get glimpses into the past lives of the sisters, including Sinden who was a writer who had received critical claim but not financial success. We also meet the father, Logan, who is irresistible to the sisters and who, ultimately, absconds from all responsibility for his son. One of the fun things for me was that Logan comes from Bacchus Marsh which is just up the road from me.

Ultimately though, this is a quintessentially Sydney book. We catch the ferry across the harbour and the train to various locations, we feel the heat and witness spectacular summer storms and so much more. It is also a Depression story, with particular reference to the impact of the world financial situation on ordinary Aussie families.

This is a long book, coming in at 495 pages. It was very readable and I read it in a couple of days. I just had to pick it up to read and see what happened next at every opportunity My emotions ebbed and flowed with the story, and I recognised some of the bewilderment that PS felt from my own childhood experiences when my parents divorced.

Bring on the next Aussie classic!

This book was one of the books I nominated for 20 Books of Winter and counts for the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge, the Big Books of Summer (hosted by Sue at Book by Book and Melinda from A Web of Stories) and also fits my read on a theme book club theme which is Secrets.

Twenty Books of Winter: July recap

2026-07-03T02:43:00.000+10:00

1 June was the beginning of the 20 Books of Winter reading challenge which this year is being hosted by Anna(Book)Bel. I really enjoyed participating in the challenge last year so I was looking forward to this year. Now, here's my progress after 1 month. I am actually pretty pleased with my progress, having completed 9 of my nominated reads in June!

Here's my list, subject to change of course, and anything that is in purple is a book I read in June!

Charlie's Last Angel by Maggie Christensen (review)

Secrets of the Italian Guesthouse by Sue Moorcroft

Escape to the Turquoise Seas by Carrie Walker

Kitchens of the Great Midwest by J Ryan Stradal

The Three Juliets by Minnie Darke

The Kings Jewel by Elizabeth Chadwick (started)

The Story Collector by Evie Woods

War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy (review)

The Maid by Nita Prose

The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon

The Little Porto Book Club by Rebecca Raisin

The Palace of Lost Virtue by Anthea Hodgson (review)

The Couples Retreat by Mercedes Mercier

The Secret Dressmaker by Jenny O'Brien

The Nile Cruise by Caroline James

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

Paris in July: Since the last Paris in July

2026-07-02T03:18:00.000+10:00

Whilst we choose to focus on all things French during July, I am afraid I cannot limit myself to just one month. My obsession with all things French is all year round, although this year my list is significantly smaller than it has been in previous years. This is probably impacted by the fact that I went back to work in August last year so had significantly less free time!

Here is most of what I have seen, read or done since the last Paris in July.

The Stolen Painting (movie)

The Mad Women's Ball by Victoria Mas (my review)

A French Inheritance by Jennifer Bohnet (my review)

Paris pyjamas

The Boulangerie on the Corner by Susan Buchanan (my review)

The Resistance Knitting Club by Jenny O'Brien (my review)

Neil and Martin's Bon Voyage (TV series)

Nun in the City (movie)

New Chapters on the French Riviera by Jennifer Bohnet (review)

In A Paris Fashion by Sophie Beaumont

Piglettes by Clementine Beauvais

I will have reviews for those last two books up during the month, plus whatever else I come up with!

Beinvenue!

2026-07-01T09:42:00.000+10:00

Welcome to Paris in July 2026! This is my favourite blogging event of the year and I am so glad that Emma from Words and Peace continues to host this fabulous month long extravaganza of all things French!

Over the coming month you can expect books set in France, French inspired food, French movies and whatever else I can think of!

I have a number of posts already planned! Now I just need to find some time to read all the books that I want to read for the month!

If you do plan to join in, don't forget to share your link so we can all come and visit your posts!

Historical Fiction Reading Challenge: July links!

2026-07-01T01:00:00.000+10:00

Thank you to everyone who contributed a review in June for the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge. There were nearly 50 links shared during June and I am looking forward to coming and visiting them soon. I will be back in the next week or so with all the statistics for the month and maybe even a mid year recap!

I am looking forward to reading your reviews throughout the rest of the year! I am sure there is going to be a lot of great historical fiction discovered and shared with fellow HF lovers over the course of this year!

If you haven't already signed up, it's not too late! The sign up post is here.

Just to recap what participants need to know. At the beginning of each month I will put up a post which will have a Mr Linky embedded into it for you to add your link.

Please remember...

add the link(s) of your review(s) including your name and book title to the Mister Linky we’ll be adding to our monthly post (please, do not add your blog link, but the correct address that will guide us directly to your review).
it doesn't matter where you review - Bookstagram, Goodreads etc as long as you share a direct link to your review.
any kind of historical fiction is accepted (fantasy, young adult, graphic novels...)
if you have time, have a look some of the other links that are present. You never know when you will discover new blogs or books!

You can also join the challenge group on Facebook which you can find here and don't forget to use the #histficreadingchallenge hashtag on the socials.

Let the reading begin!!

Top Ten Tuesday: Most anticipated Books Releasing in the Second Half of 2026

2026-06-30T06:54:00.000+10:00

Welcome to this week's edition of Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week the theme is Most Anticipated Books Releasing in the Second Half of 2026

A Study in Sparkling by Jodi McAlister (July)- I am going to the launch of this one and can't wait!

Matcha on Monday by Michiko Aoyama (July) - This is the second book in the Marble Cafe series and is out later this week.

Time Travel for Beginners by Jaclyn Moriarty (August)- This one is a bit outside my normal wheelhouse but it does sound like fun!

The German Ward by Pip Williams (September)- I am going to a book event for this one too!

The Birthing Tree by Amanda Peters (September) - The Berry Pickers was a five star read for me so I have high hopes for this one.

Paper Ghosts by Sarah Addison Allen (September) - I haven't actually read a SAA book in years, but I still look forward to every new release

The Cairo Bridal Shop by Tess Woods (September) - Looking forward to this one!

Grim Tidings by B K Borison (September)- I only own one book with sprayed edges which is Good Spirits, the precursor to this book. I have pre-ordered the sprayed edges version of this book too!

Orlando by Harry Whittaker (November) - This book is set in the same world as The Seven Sisters series by Lucinda Riley. This is her son who is continuing the series. It could be great. Or it could not be. I will have to read to find out!

The Heart Note by Vanessa McCausland (December) - I have loved the Vanessa McCausland books I have read and this one sounds great too!

Looks like September is going to be a bumper month for new books! Do you have any of these on your list?

This week

2026-06-29T02:34:00.000+10:00

I'm reading

Another busy week reading wise! It is surprising in a way as it doesn't feel like I have a lot of reading time but I am making some good progress.

First I finished We'll Prescribe You Another Cat by Syou Ishida, which is the second book in the series. The third is due to be released later this year and I will read it! It's funny because I am not really a cat series, but I don't mind reading Japanese series that features cats.

Next up, I read Careful, He Might Hear You by Sumner Locke Elliott which was my selection for the current Classic Club Spin! I absolutely loved this. It was a really engaging read which I got through in just a couple of days, even though it is a pretty big book! This book also counts as a read for my read on a theme book club. This month the theme is Secrets

I then started Forty Rules of Love by Elif Shafak. This book is going to slow my reading down as it is pretty dense. I love that it is set in Konya though, which is a city in Turkiye that we visited on our recent trip.

On the audiobook front I finished Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir which I loved. The audio experience of this one was great!

My next audio book is Before I Knew I Loved You by Toshikazu Kawaguchi, the next book in the Before The Coffee Gets Cold series. I have only listened to the prologue so far though

I'm watching

A while ago now I read The Convenience Store by the Sea by Sonoko Machida and really enjoyed it. (my review). I only just learnt this weekend that they have made a TV version of the book, so I watched the first episode on Saturday. It is a bit kitschy but it is a lot of fun so far.

We finished watching two series this week. We finished watching the latest series of Welcome to Wrexham, which is always really good TV.

The other series was The Ottoman Empire by Train which is hosted by British archaelogist Alice Roberts. This journey started in Turkiye, visiting cities like Ankara and Istanbul, and then on into Eastern Europe. It was very interesting! And it too visited Konya!

I also binged watched the third season of Stuff the British Stole. In this season, they talked about the English flag, a meteorite that was found in Victoria but is now in Britain, the history of tea and more. It is always very interesting viewing.

Here's the trailer

Life

It is end of financial year here which means that I am crazy, crazy busy. Not that I am not super busy the rest of the time too, but even more so this week.

I could really have done with a quiet weekend but instead we had two very enjoyable events.

On Friday night we went to see Post Modern Jukebox in concert. This is the second time I have seen them live. They do amazing versions of songs that you know really well and adapt them to the sounds of different musical eras. One of the highlights was a version of Every Breath You Take by The Police.

On Saturday night, we went to an amazing 5 course (plus some extra little morsels) Japanese dinner in the city. It was a delicious dinner, plus a cooking demonstration as we were shown how each dish was made, and then a cultural demonstration as well. There were drumming displays, judo demonstration and a musical performance. It was such a great night! I have so many food photos but I have resisted the urge and only shared the ones above!

Posts from the last week

Top Ten Tuesday: My Current Library Check Outs
The Palace of Lost Virtue by Anthea Hodgson
Weekend Cooking: Two South American movies
Sunday Salon: Rachael John's Book Club Reader Retreat

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

Sunday Salon: Rachael John's Book Club Readers Retreat 2026

2026-06-28T01:27:00.000+10:00

Last weekend I attended the Rachael John's Book Club Retreat which, this year, was held at a regional called Geelong which is just over an hour away from where I live. Geelong is a city that I love visiting but I have never stayed there before. Above is the view from my hotel room!

The city sits on a bay with beautiful beaches, a fun waterside walk and some interesting museums and art galleries. It is also gateway to the Bellarine Peninsula which has some really lovely wineries, restaurants and fantastic beaches which we enjoy visiting. In other words, we often drive through Geelong!

The advantage of having it at this location is that it was close enough to drive although I did miss the reading time on the plane that I have had when travelling to the previous locations. I do have a tendency to do a lot of my required reading on the plane there!

So what happens at one of these events? I could say what happens on retreat, stays on retreat, but I won't! There are 120 or so readers, plus around 20 authors and you get to spend the whole weekend talking about books, eating, and generally having a good time!

The event started with a cocktail party on Friday night where the theme was Madams and Miners, which ties in with one of the hosts books. I don't love a dress up, but I do make something of an effort. There are plenty of people who made a really big effort with some amazing costumes.

On the Saturday night it was a formal dinner where the theme was From Poolside to Party Ready: Dress Like You’re on Holiday with your Besties.

And during the two days? There are book club discussions, author panels, author speed dating (which is always a lot of fun, optional yoga sessions and writer sessions, a bookshop where you can shop the books of all the fab authors you have met over the weekend and more! This year, there was the new addition of a game show called A Romance Knockout where authors competed against each other on specialist subjects, tropes and writing prompts.

The book club reads this year were Anthea Hodgson's The Palace of Lost Virtue which is set in 1890s and 1920's Kalgoorlie, which is a gold mining town in Western Australia. The palace of the title is a brothel, hence the theme of Madams and Miners. I reviewed the book last week.

The other book was The Couples Retreat by Mercedes Mercier who is a new author to me. It is a crime/psychological thriller which isn't my normal cup of tea, but it never hurts to read outside your comfort zone right. This book is set on Kangaroo Island in South Australia and features a rookie cop who gets drawn into a murder at a luxurious property. Kangaroo Island is a place that has been on my list of places to visit for a long time.

One of the highlights every year is the debate. It is always hilarious and this year was no exception. The debate topic was This house believes that reading romance gives women unrealistic expectations of men and our debaters certainly gave interesting and compelling arguments both for and against!

Pictured above are Rachael and Anthea during the book club discussion, Bree from All the Books You Can Read leading an author panel and Sarah Clutton and Ali Sinclair visiting our table during author speed dating.

Unsurprisingly I came home with more books, than I went there with, as well as bookish paraphernalia including what we received in the goodie bag, To be fair, I only bought one book which was very controlled. More surprisingly, I also came home with more clothes than I went with!

I have been to all 4 of the retreats so far, which makes me an OG. This year there was a t-shirt that we could buy to celebrate this fact. Every year since the beginning I have sat at the same table with the same group of people (pictured above on the Friday night). Some of us knew some of us, but no one knew all of us when we first started sitting together. We now have a group chat, we are all Facebook friends and we have become more than just book friends. We also had a t-shirts to celebrate this year the group this year!

This retreat is always a lot of fun and Rachel, Anthea and their team does a fantastic job. I have already booked for Hobart next year

You can read about previous years here.

2025 - Perth

2024 - Gold Coast

2023 - Hahndorf

Weekend Cooking: Two South American films

2026-06-27T02:03:00.000+10:00

I love a foreign film festival. We have a cinema chain here who has a steady stream of them from British to German and French, Scandinavian and so much more. Recently, it has been the Spanish and Latin American film festival, and two of the films that I have seen have had a foodie connection, one more than the other.

Let's start with the second movie we saw which is a Peruvian film called Mistura.

When a society woman's husband leaves her for a younger woman, she is left with the mortgage for the house and no idea how she is going to make ends meet. This is 1960's Peru, and upper class women do not work but she only has four months to come up with a plan. Her reputation is already damaged enough because of the scandal associated with recent events.

Nora's father was the French ambassador and he loved to cook and Nora loved to learn from him. She has a recipe book where she recorded the recipes he shared. After being initially distraught and retreating to her bedroom to smoke and drink, her driver Oscar convinces her to try cooking again, and from there she decides to to open a classical French restaurant in the room that used to be her husband's studio.

Whilst the reviews for her restaurant were good, the people did not come. It was only once a customer asked for a ceviche that things began to turn around. Whilst Nora didn't initially have an appreciation for the food of her adopted country, her team members began to share their own comfort food. Will changing the focus be enough to save her house.

This is one of those films which is filled with images like a lemon being juiced in slow motion, and sauce being stirred slowly. In other words, this is a food porn movie. I don't know a lot about Peruvian food, but I did leave the cinema wishing that I could try some.

It wasn't only food that was focussed. This was set in Lima and so we got to see what I imagine would be key events in Peruvian history, we got to see the amazing cliffside of Lima, and Nora's 60s fashion was amazing!

If I am going to be a bit critical, there's one aspect of the story which was telegraphed from quite early in the movie and I don't know that it really needed to be in the movie, but it was! But the food and fashion more than made up for it! I would definitely watch it again if I happened across it

Here's the trailer:

The first film my friend and I saw was called Nothing Between Us and explores an affair which happens at a corporate conference between a Mexican man, Guillermo, played by Gael García Bernal and a Uruguyan woman named Mechi played by Natalia Oreiro.

The two work in different regions in South America but are bought together in Baja California in Mexico due to a commerical crisis for the large company they work for. For Mechi it is something of a surprise that she was invited, and it gives her a break from a crumbling marriage and a sullen and rebellious daughter. Guillermo has his own issues at home where he feels distant from his wife and son.

On the first night, they meet by chance on the beach in the middle of the night and soon they begin an illict affaiir which they must keep secret from their colleagues, and of course their respective families. Their connection is strong and immediate and over the course of the few days they are drawn together time and again.

You may be wondering what the food aspect is here. It is a company that produces canned foods and they have been caught up in a case of food poisoning which has left hundreds of people ill or dead. At first the CEO seems to think that just an apology will do but soon the group that is sequestered together must come up with some other strategies to deal with the crisis and rebuild the confidence of the public. It is an interesting glimpse into that kind of world.

Whilst I ddin't love this movie, it was interesting enough, and the scenery looked amazing!

Here's the trailer

Weekly meals

Saturday - Away
Sunday - Chicken, Chorizo and Orzo
Monday - Pork Chops, mash, broccoli and gravy
Tuesday - French Onion Rigatoni (new)
Wednesday - Pork nachos
Thursday -
Friday -

A note on the future of Weekend Cooking

I love doing Weekend Cooking and have no plans to stop. I often have Weekend Cooking posts planned weeks in advance and don't often run out of content. However, as an event there are really only a couple of us who are linking up each week so going forward I am not going to worry about putting in Mr Linky or the whole banner and blurb thing.

Please feel free to continue to add your link in the comments if you want to.

Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book reviews (novel, nonfiction), cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs, restaurant reviews, travel information, or fun food facts. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. You do not have to post on the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog's home page

The Palace of Lost Virtue by Anthea Hodgson

2026-06-25T06:15:00.000+10:00

Goldrush history is always something that I find really interesting. So many interesting characters who leave everything behind in the hope that they can change their lives and the lives of their families, the mix of nationalities, the colourful characters and so much more. Of course, more often than not, that dream find does not happen but the lure of gold is strong.

Marigold Harrington, a devout young Christian woman, arrives in the remote Western Australian gold town of Kalgoorlie in the late 1890s with only one plan. She and her mother have undertaken the long and arduous trip from Melbourne to be reunited father. He used to be a preacher but he headed west in the hope of making his fortune and save his family from their current financial problems. When Marigold and her mother arrive, there is no sign of her father.

It is hot, dry and dusty and Kalgoorlie is a typical gold town, full of miners, with limited numbers of women. And a lot of the women that there are prostitutes. American Pansy Arlington is the owner of the Palace of Pleasure. Pansy is rough around the edges, is prone to drinking too much, and is hiding a story of heartbreak

In theory, Marigold and Pansy should not even cross paths, but they do when Marigold joins the Christian Women's Temperance Union and she and the other members knock on the door to try and minister to the girls who work for Pansy. This unlikely pair form a friendship based on a love of good conversation, books and more.

This is a dual timeline novel with the second part of the story being set in the late 1920s when two gold detectives are murdered. As the investigation continues, we find out how the women's history impacts lives 30 years later.

Anthea Hodgson has found a great story to tell, packed with interesting history. Pansy Arlington was real life character from history, and the history of prostitution in Kalgoorlie is very interesting. The y came up with an interesting way of dealing with the problem of having ladies displaying their wares in public. This was through a policy called containment which meant all the brothels are located on just one street, known as Hay Street. There were also rules around how they could operate. It is something unique to Kalgoorlie. The murder case was also based on a true story which was also very interesting.

Many years ago we used to catch the train from Adelaide to Perth, which is a journey of around 36 hours. The last major stop before you get to Perth is in Kalgoorlie, where there was a fairly long stop. On one of those trips, I did a bus tour which took you down Hay Street, which is the street where all of the brothels were located. I mean, we looked at the mine heads and other things too. Apparently these days there is not much to see thanks to the advent of fly in fly out work and the internet but it was certainly an interesting tour to take.

Anthea Hodgson has given us another really interesting read with some little known aspects of history portrayed on the page. As a reader we were taken back to the dusty, rough streets of Kalgoorlie, warts and all. It wasn't an easy life and things happened to the characters that broke my heart.

I always intended to read this book, but it moved to the top of my list as it was one of the books that I needed to read for the Rachael John's Book Club Reader's Retreat that I attended last weekend. I might not read many of the other book club books, but I do make an effort to read the retreat ones!

This book counts for the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge, which I host here, with the New Release Challenge hosted at The Chocolate Lady's Book Reviews and was also one of the books that I nominated for 20 Books of Winter hosted at AnnaBookBel.

Rating 4/5

Top Ten Tuesday: My current library checkouts

2026-06-23T02:55:00.000+10:00

Welcome to this week's edition of Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week theme is Books on My Summer 2026 To-Read List.or in my case, the Winter to read-list.

For the most part, my winter TBR list should be dictated by the books that I nominated for the 20 Books of Winter which I have shared in previous TTT posts here and here. It is, however, inevitable that as soon as I create a list I will start reading books that are not on that listj! Often those books are library books, so today I am sharing the next ten library books I plan to read, some of which are on my 20 books list, and some which are not. There is also a fair chance that at least one or two of these might go back unread but hopefully not too many!

A Far Flung Life by M L Stedman - I have heard a lot of good things about this book!

And Now Back to You by B K Borison - This is the second book in the Heart Strings series.

In the Weeds by B K Borison - Yes, I really do have two B K Borison books out from the library at the same time.

The Forty Rules of Love by Elif Shafak - This will be my third Elif Shafak read and I have high hopes for this one too!

Careful He Might Hear You by Sumner Locke Elliot - This is my Classics Spin choice

We'll Prescribe You Another Cat by Syou Ishida - I actually finished this one today after I put this list together.

Everyone in this Bank is a Thief by Benjamin Stevenson - I will be all caught up on this series once I read this one.

The Palace Women by Jennifer Ryan - I picked this up on a whim on a recent visit to the library.

The Island of Mists and Miracles by Victoria Mas - I really enjoyed the last book I read by Victoria Mas.

Seascraper by Benjamin Wood - This should be a quick read at least!

This week....

2026-06-22T08:24:00.000+10:00

I'm reading

I had to do some last minute reading for the Rachael John's Book Club Retreat weekend in the last week.

First, I had to read The Palace of Lost Virtue by Anthea Hodgson which is a historical fiction novel about two women who live in the remote gold mining town of Kalgoorlie in the late 1800s. One of the women is a young Christian woman and the other is a jaded madam. It was a fun read.

Then I read The Couples Retreat by Mercedes Mercier, which I only finished with a couple of hours spare before the discussion!

Both of these books are on my 20 Books of Winter list, as is The King's Jewel by Elizabeth Chadwick. This book was on the list as I didn't get to it last year so I started it as soon as I could and I have made some good progress so far.

I did intend to start my Classics Spin read next but then I realised that I can't extend one of my library books, so needed to start that instead. That book was We'll Prescribe You Another Cat by Syou Ishida. This is a pretty quick read though and I am now maybe 2/3 of the way through even though I only started it this morning.

I'm watching

Not much really!

Life

This weekend was the annual Rachael John's Book Club Retreat weekend. This year it was held in a regional city which is about an hour away from me, Geelong. It was another great event where you get to meet up with other book lovers, talk books all weekend, hang out with authors and generally have a great time. I am planning to write something more about this later this week so I will just say it was a lot of fun! I have already booked my ticket for next year!

Posts from the last week

Top Ten Tuesday: 10 Authors I Am Looking Forward to Meeting at the Rachael Johns Book Club Retreat This Weekend

Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Weekend Cooking: Hot Chocolate on Thursday by Michiko Aoyama

Thoughts on War and Peace

Thoughts on War and Peace

2026-06-21T06:14:00.000+10:00

According to Goodreads I started reading War and Peace back in July 2010. I did give it a good go, but then I put it down and just didn't pick it up again. It wasn't that I wasn't enjoying it, but I just stopped.

At the beginning of last year I decided I was going to try and read alongside the chapter a day readalong. I didn't join the group or anything like that. I just kind of kept up with the schedule. I was doing well until I started working again and I fell behind when I was about 2/3 of the way through. It sat on my desk, taunting me every day. Finally, I decided I was going to finish it, once and for all. And so I did!

Today I am sharing a number of thoughts about reading War and Peace. Fair warning....some will be deeper than others.

This isn't my first Tolstoy. Years ago I read and loved Anna Karenina when Oprah chose it for her Classics Book Club. I loved reading along with other readers and discussing the experience, even if not everyone loved it. I should have joined the readalong for this book but I chose to read alone. I knew that I could read Tolstoy but it was still daunting and it definitely felt like an achievement when I finished it.

I think the thing that I do enjoy about these books is the humanness of the characters and how relevant that is still today. Yes, Tolstoy goes off on massive tangents, and spends paragraphs talking about the fact that battles were won despite no one doing what they were ordered to do. I particularly thought where he was talking about the fact that we look back and say this one thing or one person was decisive but really there were many people and incidents that contribute to the eventualities was very perceptive. I think we see this evidenced in the fact that we say that WWI was started because of the shooting of the Archduke Ferdinand. It was, in effect, the straw that broke the camels back, but in reality tensions had been building for years. Another example is that the American's entered WWII due to Pearl Harbor but there had been many events that led up to that one decisive moment.

Getting back to the humaness of the characters, we saw characters who undertook big transformations due to their experiences, such as Pierre going from illegitimate son, to rightful heir, to husband, to member of the Masonic Lodge, to outwardly losing everything. And similarly the female characters such as Natasha and Princess Marya experienced love and loss, and were bound by duty but ultimately achieved happiness.

Whilst the title is War and Peace, it could just as easily have been Love and Loss or Power and what ever the opposite of that is.

Humour isn't the first word that comes to mind when I think of Tolstoy but there was definitely humour in the book, from the inept armies who couldn't follow orders and still triumphed to single lines that just made me smile, like the one late in the book which said about Pierre "Though the doctors treated him, let his blood, and gave him medications to drink, he nevertheless recovered."

Would War and Peace qualify as having one of the longest epilogues ever? There are two parts to the epilogue and together they are nearly 100 pages long which seems crazy. One was an epilogue in the more normal use of the word where we found out what happened to the characters after the main part of the story. The other part was more philosophical thoughts about war.

I read the Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky translation of the book because theirs was the version I read of Anna Karenina. It felt quite accessible, and I liked that they kept a lot of the French in the books.

Ultimately, reading a book like War and Peace is a commitment, and I am so glad that I was able to finish it this time. I did close the book with a sense of achievement, but also relief that I had finally got to the end. If you asked me to name Tolstoy books I probably would only be able to name this one and Anna K, but there are others out there, which I might try to read.....one day.

This book counts for the Books in Translation Challenge hosted by Introverted Reader, for the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge which I hosted, counts as one of my 20 Books of Winter and was read for the Marathon reader prompt of the Spring Goodreads Challenge.

Weekend Cooking: Hot Chocolate on Thursday by Michiko Aoyama

2026-06-20T07:11:00.000+10:00

Hidden away in a residential neighbourhood, The Marble Café is located at the end of a row of cherry blossom trees that line the side of a river. It is a very small café with only three tables and a counter that seats five. It's sounds really idyllic.

The manager of the café stumbled into it when he needed a job and was immediately hired. Since then he has basically had free reign in how he runs the café. Every Thursday a young woman comes in, sits at a particularly seat and orders a hot chocolate, regardless of the weather. However, he has not yet found enough courage to interact with her, even though she has intrigued him which is clear from the very first line of the book!

From this start, the reader is introduced to multiple characters with each story haven't a small connection. We meet a newly wed young woman who is in Sydney for her honeymoon. She is visiting Tooronga Zoo and meets a couple that is celebrating their 59th wedding anniversary and they don't know it but they have a connection. The connections are sometimes just the slightest link and I enjoyed looking for the connections in each chapter.

One of the mysterious characters is the café owner The Maestro. He is a man who seems to have his finger in lots of pies and at various points pops up in several of the stories pulling the strings to make things happen in various characters lives.

It isn't unusual for Japanese or Korean books of this nature to feature 4 or 5 connected stories. This book has 12 different stories, so they are more slice of life vignettes with very intriguing connections in each story. The whole collection is connected through the people who visit the café or at least know people who have visited.

I also enjoyed that a fair portion of the book had an Australian connection in terms of Japanese people who live or have lived in Australia, or have family members. It's not something I have seen in a Japanese book before.

Hot Chocolate on Thursday was Michiko Aoyama's first book published in Japan, although it was her third book that was translated into English. The good news is that there is a sequel called Matcha on Monday which is due to be released in a few weeks time. I can guarantee that I will be going out of my way to read that one!

I must confess that I am very impressionable. Every time I look at this book I start thinking about a fabulous European style hot chocolate! Yum.

I thoroughly enjoyed this and I am really looking forward to reading Matcha on Monday, and whatever else this author comes up with!

I am sharing this review with Foodies Read hosted at Based on a True Story, the Books in Translation Challenge hosted at Introverted Reader and Weekend Cooking which I host here.

Rating 4.5/5

Weekly meals

Saturday - Butter chicken, rice and roti
Sunday - Butternut pumpkin soup
Monday - Chicken stir fry and rice
Tuesday - Baked Tuscan Chicken
Wednesday - Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry
Thursday -Paneer and Tomato Curry
Friday - Away

Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid

2026-06-17T05:21:00.000+10:00

As a person who is older than I would like to admit some days, if you mention the words space shuttle, then there are probably two places where my mind goes straight away. First, the iconic images of the shuttle piggybacking on a jumbo but secondly it is the video of the Challenger exploding. Given that event happened 40 years ago this year, it does seem timely that this book, which was released last year, tells the story of a fictional shuttle called Navigator and the lives of the men and women who were part of the space program in the early 1980s.

The story centres on a female astronaut by the name of Joan Goodwin. The story starts in late 1984. Joan is working in Mission Control where she is CAPCOM, the only person who can speak directly to the crew on board the Navigator when things go wrong. She needs to be the rational and calm voice as she talks to her crew while they deal with a terrible incident.

Through a series of flashbacks we follow Joan's journey from the time that she was one of the earliest women accepted for the space program, through training and more training and more training. On a personal front, we watch as Joan is the stabilising figure in her beloved niece Frances' life and as she falls in love. However, the woman that Joan falls for is another astronaut and they must keep their relationship secret.

There were so many layers to this book from moments where the characters are looking at the stars and contemplating the meaning of life, to the strong friendships and rivalries which grow as the team learn about each other. After all, they are part of a very select group and there could be situations when you are relying on each other in life and death situations

I experienced a rollercoaster of emotions throughout this book. I laughed, I cried, I was prompted to think deep, I got angry at the double standards, and at Joan's sister for the way she treated Frances, and I learnt some things as well!

I am not much of a science fiction reader, so it seems kind of ironic that while I was reading this book I was also listening to the audio book of Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. What these two book have in common that while they are filled with science and space talk, they are both really accessible and have a great deal of emotional depth. This is a very sciency historical fiction book.

I know I am very late to the party, but this was my first ever read from Taylor Jenkins Reid. I have intended to read other books from here, especially books like Daisy Jones and the Six, but I haven't gotten to them yet. Given how much I enjoyed these I am going to try to read more from her soon. The reason why I picked this one up now is that it helped me cross off two different categories in the Goodreads Spring Challenge.

I am sharing this review with the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge which I host here.

Rating 4/5

Top Ten Tuesdays: 10 Authors I am Looking Forward to Meeting at the Rachael Johns Book Club Retreat this weekend

2026-06-16T01:10:00.000+10:00

Welcome to this week's edition of Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week the theme is Bookish Wishes (List the top 10 books you’d love to own and include a link to your wishlist so that people can grant your wish. Make sure you link your wishlist to your mailing address [here’s how to do it on Amazon] or include the email address associated with your ereader in the list description so people know how to get the book to you. After you post, jump around the Linky and grant a wish or two if you’d like. Please don’t feel obligated to send anything to anyone!)

I am always a bit uncomfortable with this prompt, so I am changing the theme to suit me, which I do pretty regularly to be fair. This coming weekend I am heading down to Geelong, a regional city just over an hour away from where I live, and I will be attending the 2027 Racheal Johns Book Club Reader Retreat. I have been to all four of these and they are such a good weekend. There are usually around 100 readers and 20 guest authors. So here are books by 10 of the authors I am looking forward to meeting or seeing again this weekend.

The Lucky Sisters by Rachael Johns - Of course I had to have Rachael Johns on the list.

The Palace of Lost Virtue by Anthea Hodgson - Anthea is the co-host of the retreat so I had to have her on the list as well. I really liked The War Nurses by this author. We started hearing about this book at the last retreat and it sounds great. It is one of the book club choices for the weekend!

A Woman's Voice by Alli Sinclair - Last year I went to hear Alli Sinclair talk about this book and it sounds so good.

The Paradise Pact by Anita Heiss - Anita Heiss is an amazing person to spend time with. Can't wait to hear more about this book! (Update - since I wrote this post a few weeks ago, it has been announced that Anita can no longer attend)

Where the Birds Call Her Name by Claire van Ryn - I have absolutely loved both of Claire van Ryn's books so I am very excited to meet her!

The Paradise Heights Miniature Railway Club by Kate Solly - I have booked a couple of times to go to author events with Kate Solly, but it just hasn't worked out, so I am pleased she is one of the feature authors this weekend.

The Bookshop of Buried Pasts by Sarah Clutton - I was supposed to go to the launch of this book a few weeks ago but I ended up having to work late so I didn't make it!

Better than the Real Thing by Brooke Crawford - Last year I ran into this author at quite a few events, so looking forward to seeing her again.

Sunrise at Sunny Cross Farm by Maya Linnell - I have read a couple of books by this author. This is her new book which has just come out!

The Wedding Forecast by Nina Kenwood - This sounds like such a fun read!

Have you ever been to a reader's retreat?

This week....

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I'm reading

My big news this week....I finished War and Peace! Yes! I started this for the second time in January last year and was determined to finish it by June 30 and made it!

In other reading news, sometimes a book feels as though it was specifically written with me in mind, and that is definitely the case with This Book Made me Think of You by Libby Page. I loved it from beginning to end. I loved how bookish it was, it was sad but also hopeful, warm and uplifting! This will be on my best of list for 2026 for sure!

This week I also finished reading my first ever novel by Taylor Jenkins Reid, Atmosphere, which I read to fulfil two categories in the Goodreads Spring challenge. It is kind of funny that I was reading this book and listening to Project Hail Mary at the same time! I am making some progress with PHM, but it will be a while until I actually finish it.

I also finished reading The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon which was another Goodreads challenge read. It's my first book by her and it won't be my last.

Now I am reading The Model Murders by Amanda Hampson, which is the fourth book in the Tea Ladies series. It's so much fun visiting with these characters again!

We had our read on a theme book club meeting this weekend, and for the first time since we started this book club I didn't read a book to match the theme. I thinks on the shelf I could of read but they just didn't really appeal. The next theme is Secrets and I feel like both of the last two books I mentioned could fit for that theme!

I'm watching

On Friday night we went and saw a Peruvian movie called Mistura which is set in the 1960s in Lima and features a woman who needs to come up with a plan to save her house after her husband leaves her for a younger woman. It was very foodie and worth a watch!

On Satruday night we watched two movies. The first was a WWII file called Into the White which was set in Norway. It was based on a true story where a German plane crew and a British plane crew come together in a remove cottage in the middle of nowhere and have to work out how they are going to survive.

In a change of pace we then watched Office Romance which stars Jennifer Lopez and Brett Goldstein as the boss and her lawyer who begin an inappropriate office relationship. I actually laughed out loud several times!

And for old times sake I watched First Wives Club with Goldie Hawn, Bette Midler and Diane Keaton as three women whose husbands left them for younger women.

Life

Not a lot to tell this week!

Max

Happy birthday to the Max! This good boi turned 4 this week!

Posts from the last week

Top Ten Tuesday: Books with handwriting on the cover
Blog Tour: Charlie's Last Angel by Maggie Christensen
The Little Wartime Library by Kate Thompson
Afternoon Tea Diaries: Paradox at Oxi Tea Rooms
Historical Fiction Reading Challenge: May statistics

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

Historical Fiction Reading Challenge: May statistics

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Every month I share some of the statistics related to the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge. I try very hard to visit every post which has been linked (time permitting) and I find it interesting to see what are the books that people are reading and reviewing! I often end up adding a couple of books to my never ending TBR list.

In terms of the books read in May, there were 51 reviews linked up for the challenge, shared by 18 participants. There were 51 individual titles reviewed, written by 51 different authors. There were 3 reviewers who reviewed 5 or more books each. Thank you to everyone who shared their links whether it be 7 or just 1.

Now, if you look at those numbers carefully, you might note that there were 51 reviews of 51 individual titles and 51 different authors. It occasionally happens that we might not have a single title reviewed more than once, but it has never happened that we didn't have an author with multiple titles reviewed. Never!! I guess that is an interesting statistic in and of itself!

One thing of interest. We had two books reviewed this month that featured Abigail Adams, wife of US President John Adams. Laura from Laura's Reviews shared her review of Three Queens by Rebecca Connolly and Kim reviewed A Founding Mother: A Novel of Abigail Adams by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie on Goodreads!

If you enjoy reading Historical Fiction why not join us? You can find all the details here.

I am sharing this with Sunday Salon hosted at Readerbuzz and A Good Book and a Cup of Tea hosted at Hopewell's Library.