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Saturday, May 30, 2015

Birthday brunch in Braidwood

Spike, ordering breakfast
We drove to Braidwood at Spike's request, as part of her extended birthday celebration. Several places on the must-visit list were either closed (the most popular breakfast place was having its floor sanded and varnished ... on a Saturday ... go figure) or not wheelchair accessible. But we found a delightful cafe set off the road behind a gallery. 

The name 'Dee-liscious' did not bode well but I was pleasantly, delightfully surprised. It's a warm, welcoming place with good food, friendly staff and a laid-back atmosphere. We found a table inside - away from the giant cat with a squashed, flat face, the countless dogs (all well-behaved) and six strutting chickens.  With a narrow range of veggie options to choose from we ordered freshly squeezed juices, coffee for Spike and Chai for me then ate like hobbits on smashed eggs, mushrooms and goats' milk curd on toast. Delicious. Truly. And well worth the drive.

Thursday, May 21, 2015

It's in The Guardian so it must be true

Earlier today I read a short article by Natalie Haynes in The Guardian's Books section. The article is headed March of the megabooks: it's all Donna Tartt's fault and can be read here.

The gist of the short piece is that very long novels (900 to 1,000 and more pages) seem to be in vogue.  Ms Haynes writes that she has nothing against long novels per se but that some of the recent crop demonstrate the want of a good editor.  She adds that "a book can be any length, if the words earn their keep on the page" and suggest that we might be overlooking short novels, citing two examples of fine writing: The Testament by Colm Toibin and The Man Who Planted Trees by Jean Giono, which she describes as "the most beautiful book I read last year".

I've never heard of Jean Giono nor - obviously - have I read his short book. On the strength of Natalie Haynes glowing praise, however, I have just ordered a copy (in hardback with woodcut illustrations) from the Book Depository. We shall see soon if it lives up to the recommendation.