Author: Victoria Pepe (Editor), Rachel Holmes (Editor), Amy Annette (Editor),Martha Mosse (Editor), Alice Stride (Editor)

Blurb: Is feminism still a dirty word? We asked twenty-five of the brightest, funniest, bravest young women what being a feminist in 2015 means to them.

We hear from Laura Bates (of the Everyday Sexism Project), Reni Eddo-Lodge (award-winning journalist and author), Yas Necati (an eighteen-year-old activist), Laura Pankhurst, great-great granddaughter of Emmeline Pankhurst and an activist in her own right, comedian Sofie Hagen, engineer Naomi Mitchison and Louise O'Neill, author of the award-winning feminist Young Adult novel Only Ever Yours. Writing about a huge variety of subjects, we have Martha Mosse and Alice Stride on how they became feminists, Amy Annette addressing the body politic, Samira Shackle on having her eyes opened in a hostel for survivors of acid attacks in Islamabad, while Maysa Haque thinks about the way Islam has informed her feminism and Isabel Adomakoh Young insists that women don't have to be perfect. There are twelve other performers, politicians and writers who include Jade Anouka, Emily Benn, Abigail Matson-Phippard, Hajar Wright and Jinan Younis.

Is the word feminist still to be shunned? Is feminism still thought of as anti-men rather than pro-human? Is this generation of feminists - outspoken, funny and focused - the best we've had for long while? Has the internet given them a voice and power previously unknown?

Rachel Holmes' most recent book is Eleanor Marx: A Life; Victoria Pepe is a literary scout; Amy Annette is a comedy producer currently working on festivals including Latitude; Alice Stride works for Women's Aid and Martha Mosse is a freelance producer and artist.

First of all I would like to thank the publisher for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.*

Review: I don't read a lot of non-fiction, in fact, the last one was Yes, Please by Amy Poehler some months ago. But when I was offered I Call Myself a Feminist to review, it instantly caught my attention. What appealed to me was that it had essays by so many different women all under the age of 30. Being under 30 myself I thought I could learn a lot from all these women and I was not wrong.

Each essay handles a different topic related to feminist. Some are personal stories, others are reflections about what being a feminist means nowadays, some state facts, others give reasons why it is still important to be a feminist but they all are enlightening, honest and enriching. I learnt something from every and each one of these women. They made me realise the importance of calling myself a feminist and left me with the feeling that I need to do more, to speak up and contribute.

In fact, let me share with you an excerpt of Martha Mosse's essay called What's in a Word:

"I cal myself a feminist because I am proud of what feminists have done. Proud of the women of the past from all over the world who have campaigned and fought for the benefit of those coming after them. I call myself a feminist because I believe women deserve to be treated equally to men."

This summarizes very well the idea behind the book. We owe it to them and to ourselves to call ourselves feminists.

I really think this book is too important to miss. Powerful and empowering, easy to read and all in all brilliant. 

Rating: 

Can you believe November is already down? Only one month left of 2015! This year has flown by. Here's a little wrap up of what I've been doing and reading this month:

What I Read

5 Stars: 

A Girl's Best Friend by Lindsey Kelk

Lost Girls by Angela Marsons

4 Stars:

Landfalls by Naomi Williams

Snowflakes on Silver Cove by Holly Martin

All Together Now by Gil Hornby

Stars of Fortune by Nora Roberts

3 Stars: 

How to Bake the Perfect Pecan Pie by Gina Henning

To be reviewed during my Christmas Feature:

How To Stuff Up Christmas by Rosie Blake

Christmas Cravings by Emma Hamilton

The Little Bookshop on the Seine by Rebecca Raisin

What I Was Up To:

What I Blogged About: 

This month I had the pleasure of interviewing Emma Hamilton, author of the Greedily Yours Series: 

Author Interview with Emma Hamilton - A fun and festive Q&A

Also, I took part in several Top Ten Tuesdays: 

 The Ten Authors I Have Read the Most Books From

Top Ten Book to Movie Adaptations I Am Looking Forward

Top Ten Debut Authors Who Have Me Looking to Their Sophomore Book

Blurb: An epic voyage, undertaken with the grandest of ambitions.

When Lapérouse leaves France in the Spring of 1785 with two ships under his command, he knows that he sails with the full backing of the French government. This is to be a voyage of scientific and geographical discovery - but every person on board has their own hopes, ambitions and dreams.

As the ships move across vast distances in their journey of nearly four years, the different characters step forward and invite us into their world. From the remote Alaskan bay where a dreadful tragedy unfolds, to the wild journey Barthélemy de Lessups undertakes from the far east of Russia to St Petersburg, the reader sees the emotional, physical and mental toll exacted by such an endeavour.

Landfalls marks the launch of a brilliant new writer, who creates an unforgettable world through a web of voices and narratives.

First of all I would like to thank the publisher for sending me a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

Review: Landfalls is completely different to anything else I have ever read. The story is based in a real event, the expedition that captain Lapérouse started in 1785 to discover the new world. Following Captain's Cook successful expedition, the French government also wanted to claim a part of the new world for themselves, so they sent two fragatas on a long and dangerous adventure around the globe. 

But what makes this story so different is not its historic content but they way it's told. Each chapter is told by a different character, mainly members of the crew, but also from some of the natives they encounter in the new continent. Each character talks about a stop in the journey, every landfall (here you get why the title fits the story so well). They tell their own story and how certain circumstances affected them. This made the story a bit confusing to follow at the beginning as you were left wondering what had happened to the characters after their chapters, but once I got used to it, I started enjoying discovering a new place through new eyes each time. 

I have to admit that I have always enjoyed history. So I found this story really enriching and interesting. It made me think a lot about how different the world was only 300 years ago. To think that there were so many places with its people living peacefully unaware of what was coming and how the Europeans thought their ways were obviously better and needed to teach them to the natives in these places. Well, maybe not so different to nowadays, now that I think of it.

Landfalls is a story that gets better and better the more you read. I started it feeling a bit lost and ended it completely hooked. The multiple points of views added a multidimensional vision to this journey and made for a highly entertaining read. Perfect for history lovers, Landfalls is a story worth reading. 

Rating: 

Blurb: A festive treat from the author of the bestselling I HEART series

First Tess was a girl with a plan.

Then she was a girl with a dream.

Now she’s a girl who’s come back to earth with a bump.

When the opportunity arises to join her best friend, Amy, in New York for Christmas, Tess jumps at the chance. The only fly in ointment is that Nick, the man who broke her heart, lives there. And Charlie, the man she turned down, has just started talking to her again. And she has just four days to take a photo for a competition that could save her career.

But aside from that, everything is going to be great: it’ll be the best Christmas ever. Won’t it?

Review: A Girl's Best Friend was one of my most expected books of the year. I absolutely love Lindsey Kelk's books, every one she publishes is even better that her last one and this one didn't disappoint at all. After leaving us with a huge cliffhanger in What a Girl Wants, Tess is back with her crazy adventures and her indecisive love life. This time we travel with her to New York! For Christmas! Could this get any better? YES! Actually, it does. Who lives in New York? The one an only Angela Clark and her best friend (I wish she was my best friend too) Jenny Lopez! Yes, people, these fantastic characters from the I Heart Series make an appearance in the book!

It's a fact that the I Heart Series is my all time favourite series (it's actually a draw with The Shopaholic Series) but! There might be a new contender. This series started really well with About a Girl but it has just escalated so much that it has become a new favourite. Everything I love in a book is in A Girl's Best Friend. Everything!

Also, I really enjoy that Lindsey writes a prologue with an scene from the story that is supposed to happen a lot later. You start reading and you are like, what? How is this happening? Which make me want to read non-stop until I know more. In fact, I devoured this book in a day and was left with a huge book hangover. For days I couldn't stop thinking about Tess and Nick, and Tess and Charlie, and Amy and Al and Kepipi (#TeamKepipi forever). This is a book I will re read again very soon (probably this Holidays) to enjoy again all the details and basically because I'm not ready to say good-bye to my friends...

A Girl's Best Friend is the equivalent to a delicious hot chocolate with lots of cream and marshmallows in bookish form. One not to miss this Christmas.

Rating: It goes directly to my list of favourite reads of the year.

Blurb: A warm pie. A tasty guy. Happy Thanksgiving indeed.Lauren Hauser is home for the holidays, and she’s been given a challenge: preparing her grandmother’s pecan pie. The problem? Lauren’s not famed for her baking skills. In fact, while her sister would win Star Baker every week, and her mom at least knows a sieve from a spatula, Lauren’s bakes have always been more dangerous than delicious!

Still, no Thanksgiving would be complete without dessert…which is why Lauren finds herself searching for pecans on Thanksgiving Eve. Stumbling into a gorgeous stranger laden down with bags of pecans seems like a holiday miracle…but despite Jack’s kissable lips he’s frostier than a snow cone…and out of sight before she can say ‘Macy’s Parade’!

As the clock counts down to Thanksgiving dinner, Lauren is running out of time. And without her grandmother’s perfect pecan pie it won’t be a very Happy Thanksgiving! What Lauren needs is a knight in shining armour. And it might just be that the magic of Thanksgiving will find her one after all…

Review: I had the pleasure of winning the audio book version for How to Bake the Perfect Pecan Pie a couple of months ago and I was very curious to start it. First because it was my first audio book and secondly because I had never read a story based around Thanksgiving. 

Regarding my first experience with an audio book, I have to say that I enjoyed it. The narrator had a really nice voice. I think she read at a good pace and it was easy to follow her. Now for the story, as I said I was curious about all the Thanksgiving elements. Being from Europe, I have only seen Thanksgiving on TV, where they present it as a chance to meet with your family and eat a lot of delicious food. How to Bake the Perfect Pecan Pie certainly delivered this. The food descriptions were detailed and rich and only made me salivate and wish I had an American family I could join next week (I googled it and Thanksgiving is on the 26th Nov this year).

Also, Lauren's (the main character) family was very enjoyable to read. With lots of drama with know-it-all-sisters, not-really-good-at-DIY-brothers-in-law and meddling-grandmothers, I found myself smiling more than once with the family dynamics. And then there was the romantic story line. Lauren is in charge of the pecan pie this year but her grandmother's secret recipe demands she gets the pecans in a certain place. It's there where she meets moody Jack. This plot was my least favourite part of the story. I found it a bit too predictable and rushed. And the chemistry between these two was a bit off.

I did like the ending though and it left me curious enough to want to pick the next book in the series, How to Bake the Perfect Christmas Cake, which I'm sure I'll enjoy during the holidays. 

Rating: 

                       

Hi Emma and welcome to Alba in Bookland. Now, let's start with an easy one. Tell us your best Christmas memory from your childhood 

Ooooh, there are so many to choose from. because I've always loved Christmas. But probably one that happened every year and so I remember it clearly is our Christmas ritual with my brothers and parents. We used to go and see Father Christmas every year at Selfridge's when we were kids. So we'd set off after school one evening in December and get the tube or the bus to the west end. Of course it would already be dark and so all the lights of the west end would be glittery and bright and exciting. There'd be chestnut braziers on the corners of Oxford St and Regent St and I loved that smell of roasting chestnuts and the men's calls in the frosty air. Sometimes we used to get bought a bag of chestnuts to share, sometimes we'd be in too much of a rush to push up from Oxford Circus towards Selfridge's and the Christmas mecca. It was crowded then too and there was always a bit of a crush but somehow, perhaps it's nostalgia, it didn't seem as crowded as it does now and the sparks from the braziers would be flying in the air as buses chuntered past with that low tug of a diesel engine. I remember the scratch of my wool duffel coat and my gloves and bobble hat which would itch my forehead, this being the seventies and before too many softer microfibres had crept into wool clothes. We'd stop to look in the big department store windows, marvelling at the lights and displays, the glitter and all the things on offer to buy. Then we'd get to Selfridges and carefully walk around all the windows so we could soak up the theme. They were always magical. Then we'd go up and up on the escalators, normally to one of the higher floors where the Christmas grotto was. As we got nearer, we'd see the trail of snow and glitter and toys and then we'd shuffle through the long queue to see Father Christmas. I was always a bit shy of that actual bit, although I loved believing in Father Christmas so I really thought it was him there in the grotto. This was also before every shop had a Father Christmas, so it really did seem magical to a small kid. After we'd seen him, we'd have a look around the toy department and dream about the things we might put on our list to him and then we'd head back to Regent St and Hamley's and then dinner at Garfunkels. Garfunkels was our family Christmas treat. We LOVED that restaurant and the salad buffet where you were allowed to pile as much as you could on one big plate. My Dad had a system where he would carefully construct a tower of food and then get us to choose which dressings we wanted. We loved Thousand Island and Blue Cheese at the time. It makes me laugh now as I always think that is seventies and early eighties food and it was before I knew pasta should be al dente and Pasta Al Fredo doesn't really exist in Italy, and definitely doesn't come smothered in cream and butter and cheese and mushrooms. But I LOVED pasta al fredo there with the earthenware dish sizzling still, or Cannoloni with loads of salad. I know, all my Italian friends would refuse to speak to me ever again, but that was considered the height of sophistication then and was literally a once a year treat. I think that all sticks out in my mind because the best bit about Christmas for me is the food and the build up to the big day. I always feel a bit sad when we actually arrive because then I know it's nearly over. 

What a fantastic memory! Next, what's your least favourite Christmas Carol?

My least favourite Christmas carols are the ones that I don't know. The complicated arrangements where there aren't comforting words, melody or images for me to feel good about Christmas. I went to a Christmas Carol concert in Germany a couple of years ago after the Christmas market. I was really looking forward to it because choirs are a big thing in Germany and we were in a beautiful old church and their voices were amazing. As a concert of music, it was beautiful, but I was sad because there wasn't one carol in there that I'd ever heard of and they were all so ancient that I didn't even really hear the Christmas connection at all. My favourites on the other hand are We Three Kings, The Holly and the Ivy, Silent Night and Good King Wenceslas. 

Christmas books are always beautiful, do you have a favourite Christmas cover?

I love the cover of Twas the night before Christmas, with the big jolly Father Christmas coming down the chimney on it, which I had as a child. I have several versions of that book, and I have another one with a moody dark sky, with a sleigh and reindeer arching across the front and twinkling stars. I also love The Box of Delights Christmas Cover. The version I had as a child had a lovely big sparkling Edwardian style Christmas tree on it and I used to read that book on Christmas Eve every year. If you are talking adult books, Trisha Ashley's Christmas books have become a bit of a tradition for me to buy in recent years and read over the Christmas period when you want something nice and gentle and hopeful and warm to wrap around you as you're travelling between houses, families, countries friends etc. to fit in everyone over the festive period. I love curling up on Christmas afternoon with a good book too before the games start in the evening. 

I love that too! What’s special about writing a festive story? 

I loved evoking all the magic of Christmas that I feel. The preparation that can start months before, for example with foraging in preparation for Christmas, or thinking what to buy someone. It was interesting trying to think what the characters would buy each other this year as opposed to the year after a year of being together and it was almost harder than actually having to go out and buy presents for someone myself. 

And finally... The worst part of Christmas is… 

Tough question. There isn't really a worst part of Christmas for me. But I think now I'm older it's splitting your time between all the people you love. Especially when families live so far apart and you can't gather everyone in one place. It's also accepting other people's Christmas traditions might not be like your own families and trying to enjoy yourself regardless, even if you are denied the usual things you expect at Christmas, like say Turkey and all the trimmings or a big family walk in the park, or a constant stream of good wine to lubricate the day. This year will be the first time in my life that I won't be with my parents at Christmas and I'm a bit sad about that but we're going to have a “second Christmas” a few days later to make up for it with my brothers and their families and my parents.

Christmas Cravings by Emma Hamilton is published on 20th November, price £0.99 in eBook.

How could everything that seemed so right suddenly have gone so wrong for Mia? Snow is on the ground and Christmas lights twinkle in the German Christmas market. The warm, spiced wine is just right, but there's still one key ingredient missing from her romantic dream. Will Mia's Christmas turn out to be sugar and spice and all things nice - or a deflated soufflé of loneliness and regret? 

-- Christmas Cravings is a festive romance standalone episode from the Greedily Yours series. 

-- About the series: Mia Maxwell loves food. She loves it so much that she's made it her career. She owns a food PR business that fills her days, and by night she's a food blogger with a burgeoning audience. With her 'Culinary Confessions of a Greedy Girl', Mia takes the reader on a delicious journey, searching for top dishes and the perfect man.

Get in on Amazon UK

This summer, one of the Top Ten Tuesday topics was exactly this. Back then I didn’t do it but I have been wondering since then which authors I have read the most books from and if they were actually my favourite authors.

After checking Goodreads and my memory (as I only started using it a couple of years ago), I was quite surprised to see the authors that came up. Some of them are from before I started blogging. I guess that’s because thanks to the blog I have discovered so many new and fantastic authors that I no longer have the time to read all the back lists of an author I enjoy. This is something I used to do a lot. When I discovered a new author, then I would read all the books they had published until then straight away. But now with all the new releases I want to read I don’t have enough time to do that.

Anyway, here are the top ten authors I have read the most books from:

1) Sophie Kinsella (14 books). No surprise here. I have read all she has written so far except for her latest Shopaholic release (which is on my kindle and I’m planning to read asap. Actually, I have also read one of her Madeilene Wickham books (even if I didn’t enjoyed it that much) which makes the grand total 15 books.

2) Lindsey Kelk (13 books). Also one my all time favourite authors. When I first discovered her, she was on her 5th book so I read them all in a couple of weeks and completely fell in love with her witty style. 

3) Paige Toon (10 books). I first read her books when I started blogging as there were a lot of bloggers that were raving about her and her books and I absolutely loved her stories. In the last couple of years I have read all her books except for two (One Perfect Summer and I Knew You Were Trouble) but they are on my kindle ready for me.

4) JK Rowling (8 books). Obviously I have read all the Harry Potter books. Then I was a bit reticent to read The Vacant as the reviews were quite mixed. Last year I finally read her cosy crime novel The Cukoo’s Calling (written under her pseudonym Robert Galbraith) and really enjoyed it. I now have the other two books on the series and I am looking forward to starting them.

5) Holly Martin (8 books). An author I discovered thanks to blogging and who has become one of my all time favourites. Her stories are so fun and magical! The only books I haven’t read by her are her fantasy books. I have the first one on my kindle so I hope to get to it soon.

6) Marian Keyes (8 books). Another fantastic author. I have loved most of her stories and she is one of those authors I have on auto-buy. I still have one of her older books (The Mystery of Mercy Close) to read though!

7) Meg Cabot (8 books). Internationally known for her A Princess’ Diary Series, she has written tons of books. Although I have to admit I haven’t read any of her books for years!

8) Ken Follett (8 books). One of my mum’s favourite authors, we used to read his books together. I really enjoy his historical fiction novels.

9) Nicholas Sparks (8 books). I remember reading Message in a Bottle for the first time more than 15 years ago (also because my mum had loved it and passed it to me) and since them I have read and loved several of his novels. A bunch left to read still!

10) Aven Ellis (6 books). The fantastic and lovely Aven closes this list. I discovered her thanks to blogging too and I have read and loved all she has written so far. It’ll soon be 7 books as she’s just published a new story and I already have it on my kindle.

So here they are, some of my all time favourite authors are on the list. But I have discovered so many amazing ones lately that I hope to catch up with! But you know, so many books, so little time and all that…

Blurb: Two girls go missing. Only one will return. The couple that offers the highest amount will see their daughter again. The losing couple will not. Make no mistake. One child will die. 

When nine-year-old best friends Charlie and Amy disappear, two families are plunged into a living nightmare. A text message confirms the unthinkable; that the girls are the victims of a terrifying kidnapping. 

And when a second text message pits the two families against each other for the life of their children, the clock starts ticking for D.I. Kim Stoneand the squad. 

Seemingly outwitted at every turn, as they uncover a trail of bodies, Stone realises that these ruthless killers might be the most deadly she has ever faced. And that their chances of bringing the girls home alive, are getting smaller by the hour… 

Untangling a dark web of secrets from the families’ past might hold the key to solving this case. But can Kim stay alive long enough to do so? Or will someone’s child pay the ultimate price? 

The latest utterly addictive thriller from the No.1 bestseller Angela Marsons.

First of all I would like to thank the publisher for sending me a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

Review: Earlier this year Angela Marsons surprised everyone storming the charts and becoming a best-seller in days with her first D.I. Kim Stone book, Silent Scream. Its clever plot, strong and complex characters and well crafted tension and intrigue captured us all and soon we realised Angela Marsons was claiming her own place in the top crime writers. A fact that the second installment in the series only confirmed. It was as good as the first. So I, as everyone else who enjoys a good crime thriller, was eagerly awaiting a new episode in this fantastic series. When I finally got my hands on a copy, I was over the moon. But is this one still as good as the first two? The answer is a resounding yes.

I could even venture and say that it is even better. In Lost Girls, Angela Marsons pushes D.I. Kim Stone to the limit. With two girls missing, time is precious. The captors want to play a very dangerous game. The family that pays more will get their girl back, the other won't. But Kim and her team only dare thinking of one ending, they want both girls back and alive and will do everything in their hands to accomplish it.

With this story we see a new D.I. Kim Stone, more obsessive and more demanding. Her calm façade crumbles more than once under such an oppressive pressure from the families, but also from her bosses. Luckily, she is not alone in her mission and her team is always there, ready to work endless days and check every little clue they get. Especially Bryant, the only one who really gets Kim and serves a bit as her yang. Calming her when necessary and always going the extra mile.

As you can imagine, I found myself, once again, devouring every page with my heart on my mouth. The pace of the story is unbelievable fast and you really have no idea how the story is going to go. Angela Marsons surprises us all again adding something more. When you think everything has been resolved, there's always something to check or discover. Lost Girls is a novel I can only praise and I hope that Angela keeps writing about Kim and her team!

Rating: 

Blurb: Libby Joseph is famous for her romantic Christmas stories. Every December, readers devour her books of falling in love against the magical backdrop of the Christmas season. If only Libby believed in the magic herself… 

Struggling to finish her current novel, Libby turns to her best friend and neighbour George Donaldson to cheer her up. But George also needs a bit of support himself. Nervous about getting back into the dating saddle after splitting from his wife, he and Libby strike a deal. She will teach George how to win over the ladies, and Libby will in turn be inspired to inject her novel with a good dose of romance. 

As Libby and George explore the beautiful White Cliff Bay on a series of romantic Christmas-themed dates, Libby finds herself having more fun than she’s had in ages and…discovers feelings that she never knew she had for George. 

But is it too late? Will George win someone else’s heart or can Libby act like the heroine in one of her stories and reach for her own love under the mistletoe this Christmas? 

Snuggle up with a piece of Christmas cake and mulled wine, and spend the festive season at White Cliff Bay. You won’t want to leave! Christmas at Lilac Cottage also out now.

First of all I would like to thank the publisher for sending me a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

Rating: 

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. This feature was created because they are particularly fond of lists over there at The Broke and the Bookish. And who doesn't love a good list?

This week’s topic is movie adaptations! I do love a good movie adaption. I've been disappointed more than once with adaptations but when they manage to actually do it as you (kind of) imagined, it's just magical. I put together a list with new releases coming soon but also with some old one I haven't got around to watch yet. 

2) Me Before You (Jojo Moyes). My levels of excitement for this one are almost as high as with the previous one. Especially after reading the sequel (After You) last month. It brought it all back and made me think about Will and Louisa so much!

3) The Rosie Project (Graeme Simsion). There's not even a date for this one but I loved this book a couple of years ago. I'm sure it'll be a fantastic movie and there are rumors that Jennifer Lawrence is gonna be on it.

4) Papertowns (John Green). I loved The Fault In Our Stars, both the book and the movie so I've been meaning to watch this one for a while but I've not got around yet. Have you seen it? Did you like it?

5) Still Alice (Lisa Genova). I actually haven't read the book yet but I've had it for a long time. I really want to pick it and then watch the movie. Plus, Julianne Moore apparently aces it.

6) Pan. It's one of my favourite stories ever and I've watched all the movie adaptations. The new one is just out and I'm planning on going to the cinema really soon.

7) Beauty and the Beast. Another of my favourite stories as a child. And Emma Watson is gonna be Belle, what else can you ask for?

And that's it for today. I'm forgetting something, I'm quite sure. But if you have seen any good adaptations lately, please let me know!

Rating:

Another month down and already counting the days to Christmas, can't you believe it? Here's a little wrap up of what I've been doing and reading this month:

What I Read

5 Stars:

The Aubrey Rules by Aven Ellis

See Me by Nicholas Sparks

After You by Jojo Moyes

Christmas at Lilac Cottage by Holly Martin

The Things We Do For Love by Alice Peterson

4 Stars:

All That Glitters by Vicky Pattison

To Be Reviewed:

All Together Now by Gill Hornby

Snowflakes on Silver Cove by Holly Martin

What I cooked:

Scrumptious Scones – Appleby Farm by Cathy Bramley

What I Was Up To:

October has certainly flown by. We started the month going to my parents' place in Amposta where we attended a Rice Harvest Festival. They showed us how they used to do it in the old times and it was a really fun day. 

It was also my birthday and I got the Harry Potter Illustrated Edition which is so incredibly stunning! We also went to the theater at the National Theater of Catalonia in Barcelona (how cool is that building?) to see an adaptation of Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing. It was set in Hollywood in the 50s and staged as a musical. We really enjoyed it!

And to end the month we celebrated Halloween. For the first time I carved a pumpkin! But because here's we've got a traditional Chesnut Festival too, we also celebrated it. I baked these traditional minicakes called panellets, which were delicious!  

What I blogged About:

The highlight of October was definitely Halloween. I had two posts about it:

First I posted some decorating ideas for this holiday

And secondly, I have a giveaway (still open) to win a set of thrillers!

Also, debut author Jackie Kabler stopped by to talk about the art of taking notes, did you miss it?