#TopTenTuesday Food, Glorious (And Not So Glorious) Food

Top Ten Tuesday newTop Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish and now hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl.

The rules are simple:

Each Tuesday, Jana assigns a new topic. Create your own Top Ten list that fits that topic – putting your unique spin on it if you want. Everyone is welcome to join but please link back to That Artsy Reader Girl in your own Top Ten Tuesday post. Add your name to the Linky widget on that day’s post so that everyone can check out other bloggers’ lists. Or if you don’t have a blog, just post your answers as a comment.

This week’s topic is Books That Make Me Hungry. I’m not sure all the food mentioned in the books in my list whet my appetite but all the books certainly feature food in one form or another. Links from the titles will take you to my review.

20200717_093842-1Miss Graham’s Cold War Cookbook by Celia Rees – in which Edith Graham, teacher turned spy, sends coded messages from post-war Berlin hidden in recipes

Feast of Sorrow by Crystal King – Roman gourmet, Marcus Gavius Apicius, is obsessed with sampling fine meals from exotic places

A Ration Book Christmas by Jean Fullerton – with not always enticing alternative versions of recipes due to wartime rationing

Summerland by Lucy Adlington – in which refugee, Brigitta, experiences for the first time some British ‘delicacies’ and her dictionary proves unequal to the task of translating Toad in the Hole into German

A Clean Canvas by Elizabeth Mundy – in which Hungarian cleaner, Lena, attempts her mother’s recipe for goulash

The Olive Garden Choir by Leah Fleming – “secrets, love and redemption under the Greek sun” and recipes for some of the mouth-watering traditional dishes served at the local taverna

An Edwardian Christmas by John S. Goodall – a feast is prepared for the festive luncheon (see below)

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens – in which a pork pie is stolen

V For Victory by Lissa Evans – in WW2 London even a tin of corned beef or peaches counts as a treat

The Blue Carbuncle by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle – in which Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson investigate the theft of an item destined to be served for Christmas dinner

My Henley Literary Festival 2020 Reading List

This year’s Henley Literary Festival takes place from Saturday 26th September to Sunday 4th October 2020. Owing to circumstances we’re all aware of, this year’s Festival has had to move online but there is still a great line-up of authors on the programme.

As a Friend of the Festival (find out how you can become one here), I’ve been excitedly browsing my preview copy of the programme since it dropped through my letterbox. I’ve already purchased tickets for several events I want to attend…sorry, join online.

As in previous years, I’ve put together a reading list of books I own but haven’t yet read by some of the authors taking part in this year’s Festival.  I’ll try to read these between now and the start of the Festival and publish my (spoiler free) reviews during the Festival.

My Henley Literary Festival 2020 Reading List (event date)

  • Ayisha MalikThis Green and Pleasant Land (Saturday 26th September)
  • Ashley AudrainThe Push (Wednesday 30th September, includes proof copy)
  • Gill HornbyMiss Austen (Thursday 1st October)
  • Raynor WinnThe Wild Silence (Friday 2nd October)
  • Jeremy VineThe Diver and the Lover (Sunday 4th October)
  • Jodi Picoult Small Great Things (Thursday 22nd October – Pop-Up Event) 

9781529308433This Green and Pleasant LandSmall Great Things978024140146097815291237609780241434550

Please note: I have no commercial relationship with Henley Literary Festival – unless you count spending my money on tickets for events! I’m just a book lover and book blogger keen to support my local literary festival.