http://readingundertheblankie.com/2018/04/20/a-book-by-a-local-author/
Category: Book of Letters
Potato Peel Pie Flatlay
The film The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. Is out in the UK today.
I made a potato pie by layering sliced potato with skin on, with mushrooms then covering with jar of sauce. Baked in oven with some cheese on top at then end.
Is the Guernsey Potato pie society, a love 💕 letter to letters in the post and books? Contains SPOILERS
The narrative of the book is almost all in the format of letters. Many of the letters express a love of books by different characters, a couple of notable quotes are as follows:
P9 “Perhaps there is some sort of secret homing instinct in books, that brings them to their perfect readers.”
P9 “Always finding the one book I wanted and then three more I hadn’t known I wanted.”
The central character Juliet, is introduced to The Guernsey group because, Dawsey finds her address in a book that Juliet once owned. Dawsey, writes to share appreciation of the book and ask if Juliet, can point him in the direction of a book shop that could send him more books by the same author to the island. Indeed Juliet does contact a book seller for him. Correspondence begins between Dawsey and Juliet. Juliet a writer becomes intrigued about the Guernsey group and in part one receives correspondence from different members, who express their love of books.
Juliet judges men by their appreciation of books. On p24 it outlines how when a lover was going to move into his house, he was given his marching orders when he packed away her books from her shelves. Later she hopes a particular love interest does not order his books alphabetically.
In part 2 Juliet visits Guernsey. From Guernsey she corresponds with her friend and publisher; Sidney.
In the tradition of fairy tales which are childhood love stories; the book ends a wedding invitation in a letter.
The film of the book is out in the UK, one week today on 20th April.
Yet another book haul 🐝 🐝 🥔
I’m addicted to books and I do not seem to be able to buy just one. I went into Waterstones to buy The Guernsey Literary and Potato 🥔 Peel Pie Society, which I proceeded to read within 24 hours, ready for the release of the film on 20th April.
Thought, the history of Bees 🐝 May be interesting although, I think the cover is bland. I’m excited about the prospect of using it, in bed related flatlay.
The history of Bees was in a buy one get one half price deal so, I had to buy another. I chose the Other Mrs Walker because, I know a Mrs Walker.
I was intrigued by the penguin modern books. I bought 3 for £1 each.
Wednesday What I have just read, what I’m reading, What I want to read
What I have just read
Guernsey literary and potato peel pie society
The Guernsey Literary and Potato pie society
What I’m reading
Tender is the night for May book club.
What I want to read
Alongside Tender is the night, I would like to read the Penguin modern by Dorothy Parker; Custard tarts as a companion book.
I want to finally finish Tony Blair’s auto biography; The Journey. Which I started about 3 years ago and got a bit stumped when got to the Iraq chapter; not bedtime reading.
I found a couple of books at work so want to read them fairly soon and take back. one by Sinead Moiraity and Memoirs of a Geisha. Sinead is not Liane Moiraty’s sister, but I want to test whether all moray’s are good writers .
The Guernsey Literary and Potato pie society
I saw the trailer for this film a couple of weeks ago. Yesterday I decided to buy the book and try to read it, before the film came out. I did not expect to complete it within 24 hours, especially as I also did a day’s work and slept.
It is only 240 pages and because, almost the whole book is in letters with addresses as the top, they are not whole pages.
The book is set after the end of world war 2. During World war 2, Guernsey which is an Island between England and France was occupied by Germans. The letters reminisce about war years; which seems an odd would to use. Indeed the book does seem all very jolly, at first I thought this was odd given that in actual fact the times described must have been quite grim. Then I realised in letters like you do when posting on social media you present a more positive version than in real life. From what I have seen of the trailer it seems, the film will all be very jolly and I suspect they will have missed the opportunity to show the layers between, what is written and the reality.
The book was an easy read and I suspect the film will be easy watching.
Books to read in 20s and 30s
Oh no! I’m in my 30s and not read many of the 20s books. What should I read before I’m 40.
Out of the list in the below post, Ihave only read:
- The first Harry Potter (watched all films but neither books or films particularly grabbed me).
- Anne Frank’s diary. Annexed by Sharon Dogar and other Anne Frank related posts
- Not read Wild by Cheryl Strayed but read most of Tiny Beautiful things. I did not realise Tiny Beautiful things was a complication of letters to Cheryl Strayed and her responses as an agony Aunt. I have read in random order so not sure read all. The letters have some entertainment value when dipping in and out but did not get any inspiration from them. Maybe one day I will watch the film of Wild.
http://scaleitsimple.com/2018/03/19/30-books-you-must-read-in-your-20s/
Mental health awareness month: Virgina Woolf’s suicide and Welldoing.org
Virgina Woolf’s Suicide
Does this sound like a suicidal person? No because no one is born suicidal and continues their life suicidal.
When mental health spirals out of control the result can be suicide.
Virginia Woolf committed suicide at 59 years. I read her suicide note in book of Letters compiled by Shaun Usher. In it she does acknowledge that she had been happy, yet could not see a way to continue.
Welldoing.org
I heard about this website at the weekend, it has various articles on it and also a directory to find therapists in the UK.
An extract from an interview with the founder.
See full interview here:
http://www.fireflycomms.com/2014/01/23/louise-chunn-interview/
Queen Elizabeth 11 Drop Scones; recipe from Letters of Note compiled by Shaun Usher
One of the major selling points of this book was it contained a letter from Queen Elizabeth to Presidents Eisenhower, written in 1960. Which included a recipe for drop scones that she had served him.
The book includes clear photos of the original letters and also a transcript of the letters, in case any of the handwriting is difficult to read. Additionally there is a paragraph giving the background to the letter.
Queen Elizabeth’s book is the first proper letter in the book (technically the first is a letter from Shaun Usher). It is amazing to see the Queen’s handwriting on Buckingham palace headed notepaper; I thought it would be fun to try to replicate her recipe. At first when I saw scones, I was thinking the type of scones you have with jam and cream. But another name for drop scones is scotch pancakes. They are denser than what , I would class as an English Shrove Tuesday pancake. More towards an American pancake hence why they may have appealed to the American president.
The recipe does not contain much method; it is mainly a list of ingredients, so google had to come in play for some of the method. Also google was needed because ‘our Liz’, did not seem to use scales. Instead in the recipe; ingredients are measured in tea cups. I do not own a tea cup. I have interpreted a tea cup as about 130g and therefore where a quarter of a tea cup was listed for sugar, I used 30g. For the milk where 2 teacups were required I used 350ml. The recipe also called for two tablespoons of butter, so I faithfully tried to scrape butter up from block with a spoon; my first attempt was more like a half spoon, so then had to scrape another half spoon. Probably just cutting about 2cm in from a block of butter along short side would have been about right.
When working out the quantities; I should have realised that the recipe was for 16 people. I’m afraid to say there was lots of waste. As there was no method I first tried, putting batter over whole pan like a normal pancake; that was a complete mess burnt in places despite not cooking in the middle as was so thick. I then read should be just a tablespoon for each scone ‘dropped’ in; clue may have been in the title! Even then I had issues getting middles cooked without burning the top and bottom. I was cooking in butter in a pan; some methods called for a griddle pan, so maybe that would help.
When cooked the drops scones should be quite spongy. I did not have cream of tartar, so I put in 3 teaspoons of bicarbonate of soda instead of 2. The bitternessc of the bicarbonate of soda was overpowering; I would say do not put more than a teaspoon of it in! I ended up adding more sugar to the batter to try and compensate. I then smothered in golden syrup – is that a British item or do you get it else where?
Not all the letters; give rise to such projects but, it is a good coffee table book to dip into; which gives glimpses into history. For example there is a letter from Queen Mary of Scotland, written in French their her brother the night before she was executed, a letter from Mark Chapman trying to sell the album John Lennon signed before later in the day Chapman shot him, a letter from Mick Jagger to Andy Warhol as regards as album design and many more!
Wonderwall 