The Librarian

Memoirs involving New York, good food, and colourful women definitely go to the top of my book pile, and I haven't been disappointed so far. I have just finished Blood, Bones and Butter by Gabrielle Hamilton and really loved it.  Hamilton's chapters are almost like stand-alone essays on different aspects of her life, from her idyllic childhood, through her tumultuous teenage, to her unexpected and unconventional marriage to an Italian doctor, and the equally unexpected adventure of opening her now well-acclaimed restaurant Prune (at the same time as juggling the demands of becoming a parent).  It's gritty and real, the writing is quirky, and the storytelling very honest. It's full of life . (Postscript: this book was recommended to me by the lovely author of the food blog pass the salt . If you haven't already discovered her, take a peek, she's a clever one!) My other favourite New York based memoir is Madeleines in Manhattan written ...

Some days I just can't wait for bed time, especially with a pile of books like this waiting for me. I was recommended The Paris Wife by a friend, it is about Hemingway's wife. I have followed Rachel Allen's cooking career a bit since I have been helping out a friend opening a cook school here in Hawke's Bay, so it was a treat to find this book Home Cooking at the library. Fairytale Food by Lucie Cash, looks cute but not very practical. And, finally, ah sweetness, the latest Country Living magazine.

In this week's library haul, I came across a delicious little book, Homemade - Gorgeous things to make with love by Ros Badger and Elspeth Thompson . I could tell straight away that it wasn't a brand new publication (you probably can too! It's not your screen that's dirty - this book has been well-used!). Yes, it's a couple of years old, and craft ideas become old hat pretty quickly these days, but this one is worth seeking out. It is divided into seasons with activities to match, with stunning seasonal pictures alongside. With winter kicking in sharp and strong here in Hawke's Bay, I am going to start in on the stripey glove knitting pattern first off, and add some cheer to our evening meals with the paper-lined night-light holders.

In my last post, I commented on the plethora of books about antipodean renovating adventures in France. I think, despite my never-ceasing love of all things french, my interest in books chronicling other people's experiences was starting to wane.  And then this amazing book arrived at the library for me - My Heart Wanders by Pia Jane Bijkerk. It's soooo beautiful. I read it over a couple of nights, (despite its size and weight I couldn't put it down), and now I can't stop thinking about it.  Pia, a successful interior stylist and blogger , takes a brave step into the unknown when she gives up her life in Australia to follow her heart to Paris, and then on to a houseboat in Amsterdam.  It is such a tender, heartfelt memoir. It has the feel of a personal journal, enhanced by a wonderfully crafted dynamic: the reader joins her on her journey, and watches as her new love, new life, and career beautifully unfold.  Not only is it an insp...

These books are coming thick and fast at the moment. Books about folks giving up their lives in the Antipodes to renovate a house in France. I guess they're being published because we love them, right? My latest discovery is At My French Table by Jane Webster. I must admit I didn't read it all, but I loved the photos, and the delicious recipes too. x Library Girl