Welcome to Bookish Recipes, a feature on the blog where I cook or bake a recipe from a book I have loved and share the result with you. This week's recipe is inspired by the book Ivy Lane by Cathy Bramley. A real tale of friendship, love and family, Ivy Lane is a heart-warming novel that you cannot miss. Who could have though life in an allotment could be so entertaining?

At the end of the book Cathy has included recipes for each season of the year related to the story. Some of them sound fantastic, like the risotto primavera or the Moroccan chickpea salad. But when I saw the chocolate chip cookies recipe I couldn't resist. I have to admit that I love them but I've had some pretty big baking disasters with cookies so I took this recipe as a challenge and I think I passed with honours!  

1) Gather all the ingredients. First, beat together the butter with the sugar until they are well combined. Then add the vanilla extract and the egg and beat well.

Author: Cathy Bramley

Published: February 26th 2015 by Transworld Books

Amazon | Amazon UK

Blurb: Tilly Parker needs a fresh start, fresh air and a fresh attitude if she is ever to leave the past behind and move on with her life. As she seeks out peace and quiet in a new town, taking on a plot at Ivy Lane allotments seems like the perfect solution.

But the friendly Ivy Lane community has other ideas and gradually draw Tilly in to their cosy, comforting world of planting seedlings, organizing bake sales and planning seasonal parties.

As the seasons pass, will Tilly learn to stop hiding amongst the sweetpeas and let people back into her life – and her heart?

Blurb: An epic, sweeping tale of love and loss inspired by heartrending true events in the Unoccupied Zone of wartime France. 

The Silent Hours follows three people whose lives are bound together, before war tears them apart:

Adeline, a mute who takes refuge in a convent, haunted by memories of her past;

Sebastian, a young Jewish banker whose love for the beautiful Isabelle will change the course of his life dramatically;

Tristin, a nine-year-old boy, whose family moves from Paris to settle in a village that is seemingly untouched by war.

Beautifully wrought, utterly compelling and with a shocking true story at its core, The Silent Hours is an unforgettable portrayal of love and loss.

Review: There are books that tell stories and there are some rare ones that actually make you part of the story they tell. The Silent Hours is one of those rare books. Before I started reading it, I had heard great praise for Cesca Major's debut but nothing had prepared me for the greatness of it and all the emotions, laughs, tears and goosebumps it provoked on me. 

The Silent Hours tells the story of three people during the war and after it. Their stories seem quite random at the beginning but as they unfold and more characters appear, they start, almost magically, entwining to end up being a unique beautiful story, told from various points of view. 

All the characters playing a role in this story are so well developed and every one of them has such a unique voice. Sometimes two characters describe the same scene but when you read their versions of the same event it's like you are seeing it in a whole new light. They all add their own personal spark and you end up having a colourful and detailed image of what is happening. I think that Cesca's capacity of making you see and picture what you are reading so easily is a rare ability that makes this novel one in a kind.

With a simple but beautiful writing, Cesca tells us a story and teaches us a wonderful history lesson too. The story in The Silent Hours is tragic but beautiful, unfair but hopeful and especially moving. But it only reflects what could have happened in real life. She based the core of her novel in a real historical event, that shows how cruel and meaningless wars can be. And from there, she created this powerful tale, telling the story of those who couldn't share theirs. 

The Silent Hours will be, without a doubt, one of the books of the year. I hope it touches many lives as it one of those books that changes you a bit and stays with you for a very long time. 

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Blurb: They say you'd do anything for love, but what happens when you don't believe it exists?

When her mother turns up naked and proud during her first term at college, Ashleigh Hayes assumes that life can’t get any more embarrassing. Ten years later, with best friend Stevie at her side, and a successful career as a freelance photographer for monthly magazine Glitz, it looks like she might have finally got the hang of things. Only she seems to have inherited the embarrassment gene from her mother and her every encounter with new boss, Tom Rushworth, looks set to send her career spiralling backwards. Getting past their shaky start, Ashleigh and Tom embark on a relationship that was only ever meant to be a bit of fun. But when life, paparazzi and love-sick Labradors get in the way, they suddenly find themselves caught in a roller coaster ride of emotions.

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

Review: With Among a Thousand Stars, Jo Bartlett takes us to the crazy world of the celebrities. Ashleigh is a freelance photographer for the celeb-obsessed magazine Glitz. With the help of best friend and stylist Stevie, she is the best at what she does but she is starting to question if it really is what she wants to do with her life. And then, in one of her photo shots, she meets powerful Tom Rushworth, agent of most of the stars she works with and her new boss. 

It took me a while to get into the story as I found it a bit too predictable at the beginning. Ashleigh had the tendency of finding herself on compromised situations and guess what? Tom was always magically there catching her and making his own assumptions. But once this phase of yes or no and misunderstandings was over and the two characters started seeing each other, the story got a  lot more interesting and Jo Bartlett came up with a couple of twists I didn't expect and kept the story flowing quite well. 

A strong point in this story were its characters, I think they were well developed and not too cliche. I especially liked Stevie, he was the perfect best friend, always picking up Ashleigh's mood and comforting her when she needed but also a shining star himself. I loved his own story in the book and was really happy for him. Another firm favourite was a certain lab that expressed his feeling way better than his owner. What a cutie. 

I had the feeling that the book could have been a bit shorter and tell the same story, as there was a bit too much back and forth for me. Although I did find it very interesting to learn about the behind the cameras aspect of the celebrities world. Especially what the stylist does or how they work with the photographer. 

Among a Thousand Stars is a light read, with lots of lol scenes and a couple of surprises in store, definitely one for readers curious about all what happens in celebrity-world. 

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I can’t believe it’s already the end of June, where have these months gone? 2015 is certainly flying by. I have just checked Goodreads and I have read 70 books already. I have to say that 2015 has been amazing year, bookswise. I have read so many amazing books! This is why I wanted the share with you my top ten for the first half of the year. I don’t even know how I managed to narrow it down to 10 only but here they are:

Ivy Lane by Cathy Brambley. Who could have though life in an allotment could be so entertaining? As the seasons pass by, the community of Ivy Lane grow closer and new loves and friendships flourish. I loved how easily Cathy made me feel part of the community too and all the descriptions of gardening.  

The Day We Disappeared by Lucy Robinson. Lucy’s talent just keeps surprising us. With her latest book, she fooled us all and took our breath away. A clever story with a twist you won’t forget in a long time.

Letters to the Lost by Iona Grey. An epic love story that made me cry a lot (in public places). This will probably be the debut of the year for me, so beautifully written and such a moving story. Also, it would make such a fantastic movie.

The Vintage Guide of Love and Romance by Kirsty Greenwood. Funniest book I’ve read in a long while. I loved Jessica Beam and her adventures following her grandma’s vintage guides. If you are in need of cheering up, definitely go for this one, genius!

Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella. If anyone is worried about Sophie writing her  first YA novel, then you shouldn’t. It totally exceed my expectations. Audrey is a character I won’t forget in a long time and Sophie handles mental health issues with tact and resposability.

Catch Me If You Cannes by Lisa Dickenson. The Summer Read for me! It has all the ingredients: sunshine, stunning setting, romance and Nutella! What else can you ask for? Perfect for an afternoon on the beach with some cocktails to go with!

Mobile Library by David Whitehouse. David takes us on a magic road trip on a mobile library. The story is beautifully written with a unique narrative and a mixture of adventure, fantasy, love and friendship but also with some darker details. A real gem of a book.

Always the Bridesmaid by Lindsey Kelk. This is Lindsey’s first stand-alone novel in a long time and I wish, with all my heart, that is was actually a series, so we could go back to Maddie’s world again. Certainly one of her best books, Always the Bridesmaid will make you giggle non-stop!

The Silent Hours by Cerca Major. Set in France during the Second World War and based on a historical event, it tells a powerful and moving story about life during war. With different points of views, I felt like I was part of the story too.

So this are the best books I've read so far this year. I don't know how I'm going to pick my top ten at the end of the year if the books continue being so amazingly good. Not that I'm complaining! What are the best books you've read so far?

Blurb: Maddie Fraser has never been anything other than the girl in the background: golden boy Dan’s little sister, crazy Shona’s minion, workaholic Sebastian’s ex and now she’s also the girl in the middle of her warring best friends.

Lauren has announced she’s getting married – just as Sarah’s husband asks her for a divorce. Nothing in Maddie’s career in event organising has prepared her for this particular combo of planning and real pain. The news that her ex is also tying the knot is the final straw. While the magazines say she should be leaning in, all she wants to do is sleep in. But whether she likes it or not, everything is about to change for Maddie. For better or worse, this grown-up bridesmaid is taking centre stage…

Review: I think by now you already know that I love Lindsey Kelk. She hasn't written a single page I haven't loved. So when she announced that she was releasing a stand-alone novel this year, I was over the moon. I was also very curious to discover a brand new heroine by this fantastic author. Would I love her as much as I love Angela from the I Heart Series or Tess from the A Girl Series? The answer is a resounding yes!

Lindsey Kelk is the master of the first person narrative. She always manages to make me love a character within the first two pages. In Always the Bridesmaid, Maddie Fraser is writing a Bridesmaid journal as she has been asked to be one for her best friend's wedding. As she is an events organiser, she is also helping (doing everything) with the planning of the wedding. But this is not the only task at her hands, she is opting for a promotion at work and has to prove herself working extra hard and her other best friend is getting divorced so she needs a shoulder to cry on. Multitasking or what? Oh, and there might be a new love interest in Maddie's life!

The Bridesmaid journal entries are just hilarious. Maddie unloads all her worries and stress in its pages with a hint of irony that had me giggling non-stop through its pages. It's incredible how this girl manages to find herself in the most absurd situations. And her crazy clients at work do not help to the cause. You don't want to miss the lengths she goes to to make them happy.

Maddie's life is a case of if it can go wrong, it'll go wrong. But soon you realise that she is a strong enough woman to handle it all with grace (well... let's leave it at handle it all with more or less grace). But this only makes you love her more and root for her. She really is one of those characters you would like to meet in real life and hug.

Lindsey Kelk at her best, Always the Bridesmaid will not disappoint old fans and I am sure that if you are new to this fantastic author, you'll fall in love with her hilarious and witty style. I hope that this is not the last we hear from Maddie as I am sure she still has more adventures to share with us! 

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