Cupcakes, pies and hot guys – Pamela DuMond

 

Ok, they say don’t judge the book about its cover, but what about the title? :))

It took me the better part of the first chapter, to realize this was part of a series, The Annie Graceland mysteries. Because I was in need of a light read, I decided to still give it a chance, and it still made sense, without having read the first two parts.

It’s mainly a girly book, the main character, Annie, is a baker in Los Angeles and also a bit of a psychic. Cupcakes, pies and hot guys has a little bit of everything : mystery, fantasy and a Hot guys competition.

It’s not something you would normally find on my bookshelf, but if you ever find yourself on the beach, or in the park, and in need of an easy-breazy read, I say, why not?

Basingstoke – A miscellany

This is a little book I got my boyfriend about the town we currently live in. You know, this is just a tiny book, but it held so many fascinating facts about the town, I could barely put it down. Basingstoke being an overspill city of London, I didn’t think too much about it’s history. But how wrong was I. One of my absolutely favorite brands, Burberry, was founded here. I really love how the tiny book had a little bit of everything: history, photos, ghost stories, Hampshire based recepies and even a quiz at the end.

Some interesting facts about Basingstoke:

1. The name supposedly comes from the saxon tribe that populated the area around AD700, who called themselves “basingas”
2. One of the oldest buildings is Church Cottage (oldest part dates from 1520)
3. One of Basingstoke’s historic sites is the ruined Chapel of the Holy Ghost (I go there for bunny-spotting)
4. Daniel Defoe commented on the town’s corn market in 1724
5. After Basingstoke was established as an overspill town, most of it’s town centre was rebuilt into a modern shopping center (which I am not a fan of)
6. It features in Shakespeare’s ‘King Henry IV’
7. The Tower at Skyline Plaza in the heart of Basingstoke is the tallest building on the flight path from Heathrow Airport to New York.

I think we should all try and know as musch as we can about the place we live in, because, at the end of the day, it’s very much so a  part of your life. So next time you’re out and about, go on, I challenge you, discover something, a building, an old tree, a windowframe, anything!

Also, for an amazing archive of old pictures about towns and villages of the UK, visit :

http://www.francisfrith.com

Dig that garden, save the planet: your first steps to becoming an eco-gardener, by Johnie Dominic

This is the second book I’ve ever read on gardening. Well, technically the first one was  a magazine, not a book.

I don’t have a garden as of yet, but we are definitely planning of having one once we will be settled in our future house.

Johnnie Dominic’s book (who by the way, worked in the film industry and is an occasional rock n’ roller) is an entertaining guide on eco-gardening. The tips he offers are practical, and something anyone can do. I do believe eco-consciousness is very important, and it’s good to see every one of us can do something, even if little about it. This book could just as well be a nice gift for someone who’s into gardening.

Who would have thought that reading about gardening could be this entertaining?!

 

A house in the sunflowers – Ruth Silvestre

 

 

This was one of the books that we downloaded as a bargain on our Kindle.

Now, I’m not sure what was the purpose of the author with this book. Is it a novel, is it a memoir? Something in between.

It describes the ‘adventures’ of an English family, who in the 70’s decided to buy a summer home in the countyside of France. They bought a completely deserted house, that became a charming home over the years.

What I enjoyed reading about the most were the meals and wine tasting described in detail. It sure gave me an appetite for France 😀