Category: Other

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Other

Half of a Yellow Sun – Read-along

I’m trying to put a bit more effort into completing my TBR challenge pile. So when Kathrin from Cozy Murders suggested a buddy read of Half of a Yellow Sun, I jumped at the chance! I now have some motivation for reading it, as having someone else to share the experience always increases my enjoyment of a book.

We have decided to start reading it in the first week of May, getting to the half way point on 7th May, and hopefully finishing it on 14th May. If anyone else would like to read along with us, then we would love the opportunity to share our thoughts with you!

Would you like to read Half of a Yellow Sun with us?

 

While I was writing this post I discovered that Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s new book The Thing Around Your Neck has just been released here. I was really looking forward to reading it, and assumed it was being released in June, as that is the date I had seen everywhere in the blogging world. The good news for me is that it is released earlier here in the UK, so I have just ordered a copy! Hopefully I’ll manage to read this in the next few weeks. The bad news for those of you in the US is that you still have a couple of months to wait!!

Have you read Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s books? Which is your favourite?

Are you looking forward to reading her new one? 

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Other

Why is the TBR Challenge the hardest?

tbr-pileI had a quick check through the status of my reading challenges today, and was shocked to discover that all of them are on track apart from the TBR challenge. I haven’t read a single book from my TBR list! I thought that this would be one of the simplest challenges – all I had to do was write a list of books which I already own and want to read. I was so confident in completing this challenge that I didn’t even bother to create a reserve list!

I do really want to read all the books on this list, but for one reason or another there is always a book which jumps ahead of them.

1. Going Out – Scarlett Thomas
2. Lamb in His Bosom – Caroline Miller
3. The Catcher in the Rye – J.D. Salinger
4. Half of a Yellow Sun – Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
5. The Stone Diaries – Carol Shields
6. When We Were Orphans – Kazuo Ishiguro
7. The Hiding Place – Trezza Azzopardi
8. The Secret History – Donna Tartt
9. Reading in the Dark – Seamus Deane
10. Outlander – Diana Gabaldon
11. Interpreter of Maladies – Jhumpa Lahiri
12. Things Fall Apart – Chinua Achebe

I need to get this challenge back on track, so am going to  prioritise these books in the coming months – well I hope I’ll be able to!

Is anyone else struggling with the TBR Challenge? 

How many of your TBR pile have you read?

Which challenge are you finding the hardest to complete?

Categories
Blog Improvement Project Other

Comment of the Week Competition – Results

2009bip-150x210The Blog Improvement Project challenged me to make my blog more comment friendly, so last week I initiated three big changes to try to increase the number of comments on my blog. These were:

Ask specific questions

I ensured that every post contained at least one, and frequently more, specific questions, to try to encourage my lovely blog readers to supply me with their book knowledge, and engage in discussion.

Reply to every comment received

I made an effort to reply to every single comment left on my blog, as soon as possible. Even when people left short “I loved this book too” comments, I used this as an opportunity to agree with them, and then give further reasons as to why the book was great, or to recommend similar books they might enjoy.

Launch Comment of the Week Competition

    The idea was that at the end of the week I’d write a post highlighting the most thoughtful/inspiring/amusing comments I received in the previous seven days.

    So here it is!

    My post on The Ten Most Useful Cookbooks had a record-breaking (for me anyway!) 33 comments. I loved hearing about other people’s love of cookbooks, and here are a few of my favourite comments from this post:

    Since I am an absolutely horrible cook (just ask those that have ever been exposed to the dodgy results of my efforts!) any cookbook is a godsend to me! I need a book with clear, precise instructions – starting with the very basics (i.e. turn on oven). There is a very comprehensive cookbook written by Australian chef, Stephanie Alexander, which I find really helpful. It takes you though the basics as well as including many, many recipes – just perfect for me! Karen

    I collect cookbooks as well but don’t use them nearly as much as I should. I am going to make an effort to try more cooking recipes and be creative. Your post has inspired me along with watching my favorite cooking shows! In the US, I love Top Chef and Chopped( a new show on Food Network) and another called The Chopping Block that was hosted by UK Chef Marco Pierre White. Sadly, it was just cancelled but I found that you can still watch all the episodes online. I wrote a post about it yesterday. Bonnie

    Love Nigella Lawson but have never checked this one out. Looks as if a trip to the library is in order. Just love the way she thinks of food as pleasurable, social rather than a mere collection of nutrients. And she is extremely funny. Always got a kick of her eating out of her refrigerator late at night on her show. Frances

     For a moment then I didn’t think there was any Nigella on the list and would have been most shocked, then I spotted her. Though her Christmas show was a bit bizarre my first Christmas Dinner was a huge hit thanks to it. Simon

    I also found many of the replies to My First Week on Twitter post very useful:

    Just post any ole link you’d like! I love Twitter and feel that I’ve gotten to know people a lot better through it. I have also used it for business by using DM (direct message). It is a great marketing tool and social tool. As with anything, you get out of it what you put into it. One thing is to stay around for at least a half hour or so at a time so that you can tweet thing and people can answer and you join in or start a conversation. Beth

    I will enjoy Twitter vicariously through you! I figure by resisting Twitter, I will be banning myself to old-fogey status, but I’ll stick with my Facebook. I figure if I wait long enough, something else will take over the world soon enough! Sandy

 

 It took me a long time to decide who should win my comment of the week competition, and finally decided that Dorte H  sneaked into the lead with:

Oh, how do I write a comment so short, boring and stupid that anyone can see I am not at all trying to win anything??

It summed up exactly how I’d feel if one of my blogging friends launched a competition like this, and as it was a little bit different to all the other comments I didn’t have to decide who was being the most useful!!

Congratulations Dorte!

You win 3 bookmooch points, or the choice of any book I have for sale on greenmetropolis – I’ll send you an email later!

The improvements to the way I handle comments on my blog had a positive effect on comment numbers. In the week I launched the improvements the number of comments I received  increased by 33%, compared to the previous week.  I also noticed an improvement in the quality of the comment – so a big thank you to everyone who has taken the time to comment on my blog! I really appreciate every single one!

I will continue to use these techniques, and although there will no longer be prizes, I hope to highlight the best comments I have received at the end of each month.

Did you notice the comment friendly improvements on my blog?

Did you feel that you were commenting more than usual, and if so why?

Can you think of other ways I can make it more comment friendly?

I look forward to hearing all your comments/suggestions!

Categories
Other

Could you be a literary agent?

Alphabet Book PileNathan Bransford is challenging us to try his job as a literary agent for a day. He has posted a list of fifty book summaries, and we have to decide which ones to request manuscripts for. Hidden amongst 45 unsuccessful entries, are five book summaries, which have gone on to be published. The competition closes on Saturday night, so you still have plenty of time to decide on your publishing strategy!

I have really enjoyed trying to decide which ones I would like to read, but this isn’t really a good reflection of what will probably be published. There are lots of books published each year that I don’t like, but that doesn’t mean thousands of other people won’t like it. The problem is finding the ones which will sell the best. The discussion in the comment sections for this competition is also really interesting, so I urge you to take a look!

Everyone seems to be choosing different books, so it is great for showing authors how important it is not to be disheartened after a few rejections. I think I’d really enjoy being a literary agent. I can usually tell whether I’ll like a book from the first page, and although I wouldn’t like rejecting all the authors, I’m sure I could get used to it!

Did you find it easy to chose which books to pick?

Would you like to be a literary agent?

Categories
Blog Improvement Project Other

What makes a good comment?

Entries to my Comment of the Week Competition have officially CLOSED!

Now I have the difficult task of trying to decide which comment is the best. It is proving much harder than I expected it to be. How do I decide which comment is better than all the others? Should it be based on how useful the comment was to me? How informative it was to my others readers? How funny it was? 

HELP! I think I need to devise a complex rating system for them all!  I need some advise on how to proceed now…..

What sort of comments are the most helpful?

What types of comments do you most like receiving on your blog?

 Can you share one which you found particularly useful?

I’d love to hear all your thoughts on what makes a comment great!

Thank you!

Categories
Other Weekly Geeks

The Ten Most Useful Cookbooks – Ever!!!

I love cooking, and have several hundred cookbooks. Some of them are really interesting, and are great to read and inspire me, others are perfect for when I want to create something special for a dinner party, but I thought I’d focus on the most useful ones – the ones that come out again and again – the ones that end up splattered in food!

So here is my list of the most useful cookbooks ever!

Meat

 

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s Meat book is the only thing you need to turn to when preparing and cooking meat. This comprehensive reference book contains everything you need to know about meat; from animal husbandry, through to butchery, and cooking . The recipes in here are varied, original, and every single one I’ve attempted has turned out perfectly. Everyone should own a copy of this book.

 

Rick Stein’s Seafood

Rick Stein’s Seafood is the best guide to preparing and cooking fish that I have found. Some of the filleting techniques are difficult to master, but the recipes are great. This book contains everything from simply frying fish, to creating elaborate dishes. It has a helpful guide for identifying different types of fish too. Highly recommended.

 

50 Curries of India

This is the best Indian cookery book I have found. It explains the basics of spice blends and flavourings, and then goes on to provide 50 great tasting recipes. Most of them are quite complex to put together, but I think this is just the nature of Indian food. They are all worth the effort, and by the time you have prepared a few of them you will have such an understanding of the techniques, that you won’t need to follow a cookbook any more!

 

How to Eat

I love all Nigella Lawson cook books, but this is my favourite. It has a very informative chapter on cooking food for children, with some surprising suggestions of foods which children love (anything with pesto or soy sauce!) As with all Nigella recipes they are easy to prepare, and taste great!

 

Delia Smith: Book Two

 

Delia Smith’s Book One covers the basics of cookery, but Book Two is where all the best recipes are! I have cooked many of the ones in here time and time again – it’s perfect for finding traditional, hearty meals for a special occasion.

 

Passion for Puddings

This book isn’t for everyone, but it is my favourite pudding book by a long way. I must warn you that this book is sponsored by Carnation condensed milk, so every recipe contains it! Despite this fact, all the recipes are unique and I love every single one I’ve tried – they are simple to prepare, look stunning, and taste amazing – recommended for anyone who has a sweet tooth!

 

The Dairy Book of Home Cooking

This is an essential reference book in my kitchen It doesn’t have many photos, but contains recipes for all the basics; from sauces, to bread and cakes. I think every teenager should be given a copy when they leave home!

 

The Food of China

This is the best book on Chinese cooking that I have found. The techniques of Chinese cookery are explained simply, and it is through this book that I feel I can finally out-perform the takeaway. Some of the ingredients can’t be found in normal supermarkets, but this only adds to the authenticity of the flavours (and is a great excuse to place an order for Chinese ingredients online!)

Murdoch also produce a whole series of books about the food of other countries of the world. I own the one for India, Morocco and Thailand. The whole series is great, but the Chinese one is the best.

 

Mrs Field’s Cookie Book

The cookies in this book are so soft and delicious! There are some really different recipes in here – my favourite is marshmallow clouds; making them involves freezing marshmallows, and then baking them inside a cookie ball. I can’t imagine a nicer treat!

 

BBC Food Website
Finally, this is cheating a bit, as it isn’t a book, but one of the places I frequently go to find great recipes is the BBC Recipe Search. If I can’t find what I’m looking for in one of my books, then this is my first destination on the web. You can search via ingredients, country or chef, and the number of recipes there is growing every day – I recommend you go and have a look!

 

What are your favourite cookbooks?

Remember the Comment of the Week Competition! I’m looking forward to reading your comments!