What I listened to in May!

At the start of the year, I started listening to audiobooks. I always wanted to be a reader but couldn't/wouldn't make the time, so audiobooks were a way around it. I could be busy doing something while still listening to a book. Anyway, I thought I would share what I have been listening to. All of my audiobooks come from my local library through the app BorrowBox. I know lots of what I listen to might be considered old but they are all new to me!

This is what I listened to in May:

This Book Made Me Think of You by Libby Page!

When Tilly Nightingale receives a call telling her there’s a birthday gift from her husband waiting for her at her local bookshop, it couldn’t come as more of a shock. Partly because she can’t remember the last time she read a book for pleasure. But mainly because Joe died five months ago....When she goes to pick up the present, Alfie, the bookshop owner with kind eyes, explains the gift - twelve carefully chosen books with handwritten letters from Joe, one for each month, to help her turn the page on her first year without him. At first Tilly can’t imagine sinking into a fictional world, but Joe’s tender words convince her to try, and something remarkable happens, Tilly becomes immersed in the pages, and a new chapter begins to unfold in her own life. Monthly trips to the bookstore and heartfelt conversations with Alfie give Tilly the comfort she craves and the courage to set out on a series of reading-inspired adventures that take her around the world. But as she begins to share her journey with others, her story like a book becomes more than her own.

I had heard so many good things about this book that I was scared to listen to it in case I was disappointed. I needn’t have worried because it was every bit as lovely as people said it was and maybe even more. From the start, it felt comforting, like sitting down with a cuppa and having a proper catch up with an old friend. The story was sweet, emotional and full of moments that made me stop and smile. I loved how real the characters felt and how easy it was to care about them. It had such a warm feeling running through it the whole way through and by the end I didn’t want it to finish. It really was like a warm hug in book form.

The Astral Library by Kate Quinn!

Alix Watson knows one thing: unlike people, books will never let her down. Working dead-end jobs to make ends meet, she takes nightly refuge in the reading room at the Boston Public Library, dreaming of far-off lands. Until she stumbles through a hidden door and is transported to The Astral Library, a place where the lost find sanctuary within their beloved stories. But when a shadowy enemy threatens to destroy the library, Alix must flee from danger through the Regency drawing rooms of Jane Austen and the back alleys of Sherlock Holmes’ London as danger closes in.

I went into listening to The Astral Library by Kate Quinn completely blind and had no idea it was a fantasy story filled with magic. If I'd known that beforehand, I probably wouldn't have picked it to listen to, as fantasy isn't usually my go to genre. I'm so glad I didn't know because from the very beginning, I found myself enjoying the story and eager to find out what would happen next. The magical world was imaginative without being too much and the words brought the characters and setting to life. I could just imagine the library in my head. This book ended up being a fantastic surprise and a reminder that sometimes the books I least expect to enjoy turn out to be the ones I love the most.

You Will Never Be Me by Jesse Q. Sutanto!

Influencer Meredith Lee didn't teach Aspen Palmer how to blossom on social media just to be ditched as soon as Aspen became big. So can anyone really blame Mer for doing a little stalking? Nothing serious, more like Stalking Lite. Then, Mer gets lucky; she finds one of Aspen's kids' iPads and swipes it. Now, she has access to everything: the family calendar and Aspen's social media accounts. Would anyone else be able to resist tweaking things a little here and there, showing up in Aspen's place for meetings with potential sponsors? Mer's only taking back what she deserves, what should have been hers. Meanwhile, Aspen doesn't understand why her perfectly filtered life is falling apart. Sponsors are dropping her, fellow influencers are ghosting her, and even her own husband seems to find her repulsive. If she doesn't find out who's behind everything, she might just lose it all. What everyone seems to forget is that Aspen didn't become one of TikTok's biggest momfluencers by being naive. When Meredith suddenly goes missing, Aspen's world is upended and mysterious threats begin to arrive but she won't let anything get in the way of her perfect life again.

Being in the blogging world myself, I could really relate to some of the pressures shown in You Will Never Be Me. There can be a lot of pressure to make life look perfect online and while I used to get caught up in that years ago, these days I'm much more comfortable showing real life as it is. The story does a great job of exploring the darker side of social media, how we compare ourselves to others and the lengths some people will go to in order to maintain that carefully crafted image. If someone had told me at the start where this story was going to end up, I wouldn't have believed them. Every time I thought I knew what was happening, another twist came along and changed things.

The Wish by Heather Morris!

Jesse is fifteen. She loves her friends, her little brother and her parents, even when they’re arguing, which feels constant these days. But most of all, she loves playing video games. Even from her hospital bed. Alex is twenty-nine. He doesn't love a lot of things and isn’t really sure he knows how to. A virtual reality games designer, his work desk is empty except for his computer, much like his life sometimes feels. Then Jesse makes a wish. A simple a video experience made of her life, something to be there, just in case she isn’t. One loving teenager. One lonely adult. Which one will get the happy ending?

This was the story of two people from very different walks of life, coming together in the saddest of circumstances. It was hard-hitting and very emotional but it kind of went between sad moments and then these little bits of hope that stop it from feeling too much. I enjoyed this even if I did shed quite a few tears.

Berserk by Ally Kennen!

What happens when there's no-one around to tell you when to stop? When fifteen year old Chas finds a website asking people to write to prisoners on Death Row, he thinks it would be funny to get letters from a murderer. He writes to an inmate, pretending to be his mum. When his new pen-pal is unexpectedly released, Chas' already problematic life spirals horribly out of control.

I went into it thinking it would be one thing and it turned out to be completely different. It has characters that are so different from characters I’m used to listening to and that was interesting. When I was a teenager I knew a few boys like Chas, troublemakers but with a good heart deep down. What surprised me most was that I found it funny in bits where I think it was probably meant to feel more serious or dramatic. The audiobook was easy to get through and never felt like a slog. 

What have you been reading or listening to lately?

The Wednesday Hodgepodge #60

I hope you are all having a good week. It's Wednesday, which means it's time to join in with the Wednesday Hodgepodge with Joyce who blogs at From This Side of the Pond! Each week there are 6 questions, we answer and then link up. Simple!

1. June 17th, 1994 was the day of the infamous O.J. Simpson car chase. What were you doing in 1994? I'm guessing somebody is going to tell me they weren't born yet but that's part of the fun of the Hodgepodge. Lots of generations are represented here.

I can just about remember the car chase being on TV but I was too busy being a teenager to bother much with it. I was around 14 and a half years old in June 1994 living a carefree life. 1994 was a big year for my family as it was the year my parents sold our farm and we moved to a big town, which was such a shock for me, who had grown up in a tiny village in the countryside. That last summer at the farm was brilliant. Most of my time was spent outdoors, riding horses, camping out in fields with my friends and I made the most of the freedom that comes with growing up in the countryside. I also had my first experience of getting drunk that summer. It was not my finest moment and all these years later I can still remember exactly how awful I felt afterwards, which is probably why I still can't stand gin. School was going well too. I had a good group of friends, plenty of laughs and all the usual teenage dramas that seemed like the end of the world at the time but mean very little now.

2. What's your favorite summer salad that isn't the traditional tossed green lettuce kind of salad? Do you like fresh fruit in a salad (other than in a fruit salad of course)?

I have never really liked green, leafy salads and I always seem to go for pasta salads. My favourite is a tuna and sweetcorn one. It's simple to make; pasta, mayonnaise, tuna and sweetcorn all mixed together. It's filling and perfect when it's hot out. I usually make a big tub full and everyone will help themselves out of the fridge.

I like fresh fruit in salads. Pomegranate seeds go with everything, grapes are nice in pasta salads, pineapple goes well with ham and I also really like apple in coleslaw. I saw a recipe for watermelon, feta and a mint salad that I want to try sometime soon.

3. Is chivalry dead? Should it be?

I don't think chivalry is dead but I do think it has changed over the years. If we're talking about things like holding doors open, carrying heavy bags, offering someone your seat, or offering a coat when it's cold, then I do see that happening all the time. The biggest difference now is that those things are not seen as something that men should do specifically for women. To me, it seems more of an act of kindness that anyone can do for anyone else. I think that is a good thing. No, I don't think chivalry is dead and I don't think it should be.

4. Would you rather spend a week of your summer vacation in Hawaii or Alaska? Have you ever been to either? Are they two places you really would like to see? How do you feel about 'Hawaiian pizza' aka pineapple on a pizza? Have you ever eaten Baked Alaska?

I would love to spend a week in Hawaii with the sunshine, sandy beaches and warm sea. I could just see myself sitting on a beach, looking out to the sea with a cocktail in my hand. Alaska does look amazing but I think I'd probably spend half the holiday complaining about being too cold. I've never been to either place but I would love to visit both. Hawaii feels like a dream holiday, while Alaska feels like one of those once in a lifetime trips you go on just to see the scenery!

Pineapple belongs on pizza, not all pizzas but it goes so well with ham and mushroom! I have eaten Baked Alaska before but it was years ago and I am sure I must have liked it.

5. World Cup play is happening now...are you interested? Watching any matches? Did you or your children play soccer/futbol? There are eleven US cities hosting matches - Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York with the stadium in NJ, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Seattle along with three cities in Mexico (Guadalajara, Mexico City and Monterrey) and two in Canada (Toronto and Vancouver) - You get free tickets to one of these matches. Which city do you choose? Tell us why.

Football is a big deal here in England and at the moment the whole country is very excited about the World Cup. Even people who don't usually watch football follow along. I've been watching as many matches as I can and I'm really enjoying it. I always find myself rooting for the underdogs and wanting them to win. As I am writing this on Monday afternoon, I am watching the Germany V Curacao match that I recorded on Sunday. I have been trying to avoid the scores before I watch the matches I have recorded but I couldn't avoid the score since Germany won 7-1! If you are not a football fan, that is a lot of goals! Usually, matches end 2-1 or 1-0. What a game, at least Curacao got one goal and could have their moment celebrating!

If I could have free tickets to any World Cup match, I'd choose Dallas and watch England play tonight against Croatia in their first match in the tournament. I can imagine the atmosphere being amazing and how cool would it be to see your country play! I am just going to have to make do with watching it in my living room.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

Phew! I am all sorted for Father's Day! I have bought my dad a hamper of some delicious treats that he's had in the past and loved. We don't have any plans for Sunday as Becky is at work and my dad has plans. Eesh! We did have a family meal out on Sunday as a treat for Stu and we all left with full bellies after a delicious lunch! The girls have got him some fab gifts and I can't wait to see his reaction when he opens them.

What 20 years together really looks like!

Twenty years. I keep saying it out loud like it still doesn’t quite make sense. My fella and I have been together for twenty years. Two whole decades! That’s long enough for everything to have changed at least twice, for phones to go from chunky bricks to what they are now and for us to become those people who say around twenty years because even the exact date has quietly slipped our minds, we know it was a Friday in June and we've narrowed it down to either the 16th or 23rd. lol

We met online on one of those free dating websites where you made a profile and them messaged people that you had an interest in. We are proof that internet dating works sometimes. We chatted online using the dating website first then progressed to MSN Messenger (remember that?) and then finally moved to texting and phone calls and then finally met up in person a few months later.

After 20 years together, it's not fireworks every day, it’s not roses delivered on a random Tuesday and it’s not romance like something out of a film. It’s mostly just us, still here, still laughing at stupid things, still annoying each other in ways that are both deeply irritating (Stu snoring) but still choosing each other.

When you’ve been together this long, the big romantic gestures seem to fade into the background and the little moments take over. It’s the same conversations on repeat, and we're acting like they’re brand new every time. It’s routines that never really got planned, they just sort of happened. Us in the same seats and the same nightly check of the doors, with me asking if they’re locked even though I’ve watched him do it. Evenings that roll into each other with TV, snacks and one of us drifting off somewhere else in the house to do our own thing.

Stu, my fella snores loudly with confidence! Like someone who has never once worried about being elbowed in the ribs at 2am. Some nights I lie there staring at the ceiling, planning my future as a woman who lives alone in a very quiet house but there is a plot twist; I snore too. I apparently sound like a lawnmower and he lies there feeling exactly the same way about me. We’ve both nudged, sighed, rolled over and muttered things we’d never say in daylight. We’ve both slept badly because of the other one and then laughed about it the next morning like it’s just part of the package because it is. Twenty years together means you stop pretending you’re not annoying. You just accept it. You might still complain about it, obviously but there’s an understanding underneath it all. This is the person, snoring and all.

It also means laughing at things no one else would find funny. Private jokes that make zero sense to anyone else. A look across the room that says Did you just see that?", a shared eye roll, a badly timed comment that sends us both into silent, shaking laughter when we really shouldn’t be laughing at all. Those laughs matter because life isn’t always kind. There are stresses and worries and days when everything feels hard and in those moments, having someone who can make you laugh without even trying is massive. Stu knows how to lift my mood just by being himself. He has seen me at my worst and stuck around anyway.

That’s another thing no one really talks about enough. Twenty years together means my fella has seen my good moods and the bad ones. The motivated days and the ones where I can’t be bothered with anything or anyone. The confidence and the insecurities and the versions of myself that I didn’t even know were coming.

We have grown together and we are not the same people we were at the start of our relationship and thank goodness for that. We’ve changed together and sometimes at different times and there have been moments where we’ve had to work a bit harder to understand each other again, where we’ve had to bite our tongues and we’ve had to accept that being right isn’t always the most important thing and that’s not always easy. There have of course been disagreements and times when one of us has said something badly or at the wrong moment. It’s not perfect and it was never going to be, but it all makes our relationship great! Great in the way that makes me feel safe and great, in the way that means I don’t have to perform or pretend or be anything other than myself.

Maybe the biggest thing is that it doesn’t feel like twenty years! We may not have those romantic gestures but we have each other! We’ve basically become a two-person team with snacks, shared memories and an ongoing debate about snoring. hehehe

Our weekly meal plan! 15th - 21st June!! #MealPlanningMonday

Happy Monday! I hope you all had a good weekend. We had a great one which involved a lot of football, F1 and a family meal out yesterday. Becky is working next Sunday on Father's Day, so we thought we would celebrate early. We had a lovely lunch at the pub and then visited another to watch the Barcelona Grand Prix. It was a great afternoon.

Last week's meal plan went really well! We stuck to it all the way until the weekend, even eating all the meals on the right day. The only reason we didn't have the meal on Saturday is because we decided to have a break from ordering Gousto boxes as they just don't have enough meals that we fancy to make it worthwhile ordering. We just seem to be eating the same ones on repeat, so I am going to have to put my thinking cap on and come up with the meals myself even though this week we have quite a few meals we've had from Gousto in the past and I have just bought the ingredients myself! Anyway on Saturday we had a huge prawn salad and garlic bread. It was delicious!

This is my last normal week of being home alone as next week Ellie leaves college! Where have the three years gone? It feels so weird that soon neither of my girls will be in education! I have spent a good part of my life doing school runs, dealing with teachers, helping with homework and things like that. It's the end of an era. Why do they have to grow up so fast!

On the menu this week we have:

Monday - No idea!

I am going to pick something up while I am out in town. It turns out I am the worst daughter in my family as the girls have already bought their gifts for Father's Day and I haven't. I've not even got a card yet. I hope I can find something good for my dad while I am out. Eek!

Tuesday - One Tray Sticky Hoisin Sausage Traybake!

Even though we're not getting the Gousto boxes delivered, it doesn't stop me using their recipes. This one is a good one! Roast sausages, potatoes and peppers coated in a sticky Hoisin glaze. Tray bakes are one of my favourite type of meals because you can just shove everything in the oven and let it do its thing.

Wednesday - Ham, eggs and home made chips!

I have a couple of joints of gammon. I will boil it and we will have it with fried eggs and home made chips. I discovered over the weekend that gammon is the cured pork you buy before it’s cooked and once you cook it, it’s then called ham and just to confuse things even more, it's mostly all just called ham in the US. lol

Thursday - Pea and ham soup!

I am going to make use of the leftover ham and make pea and ham soup as long as my family hasn't eaten the ham straight out of the fridge over the last 24 hours. This is what my family call Shrek soup as it looks like a melted down Shrek!

Friday - A takeaway of some sort!

Friday night is an easy night for me. I don't cook and we order takeaway. Last week we ended up getting chip shop again. Stu and I had burgers and Ellie had her usual Doner kebab wrap and fries.

Saturday - Red onion and bacon tart with baby potatoes!

This one is inspired by a Gousto recipe for Bacon and Leek Tart that we had years ago and it’s stuck with us ever since. I decided to make our own and Red onion and bacon tart became a thing. Ready-made puff pastry, a layer of soft cheese, topped with red onions and smoky bacon. I will make a little extra so I will have some for lunch the next day because it’s just as nice cold.

Sunday - A help yourself evening!

I have no plan for today and everyone can just help themselves to whatever they fancy. Last week we ended up going out for lunch, which was a nice treat. This week we will be staying home.

What are you eating this week?