Cover Reveal! Babushka is Homesick by Carola Schmidt

My regular readers know that I was born and grew up in Russia. My genetic pool is, however, a mix of Russian, Ukrainian, Cossack, German and French origins. We also think there is some Asian blood present on my Dad's side (Kalmyk perhaps, or even Turkish, as the Cossacks often married women from Turkey whom they brought home as spoils of war), judging by my Grandma's looks.
When I was a kid, we spent summer holidays, visiting both Grandmas who lived in the south of Russia, and we also visited some distant cousins in the Ukraine.

OK, what is this trip down the memory lane, you might ask? It all has to do with the title of the book "Babushka is Homesick". I can certainly relate to that.

Today I'm super excited to be able to reveal the cover of Babushka is Homesick by Carola Schmidt.
Ta -Da!

This is my first cover reveal ever, so bear with me.

You might know that Babushka means Grandma or Nana in Russian/Ukrainian.

Plot synopsis:
Babushka hadn't been in her homeland since she was a child. She went to the church with a suitcase, and the whole way, Babushka thought about how she would feel in Ukraine after so many years. She sang, and then she prayed. Amen. But Babushka was thinking of her trip instead of the Lord's grace. After a long time pondering what to expect - if she would feel a sense of belonging - Babushka arrived in her homeland. Babushka had a lot of fun, but she felt like something was missing. She was homesick. "Babushka is Homesick" is a story about memories, family, and the true meaning of the word "home".

"Babushka is Homesick" is the second children's book in the Babushka series. Everyone has their own stories, history, and the desire to belong. The first book, "Tell me a story, Babushka", is a best-selling new release in Children's Multicultural Literature on Amazon USA (Aug 2019), in which kids and adults will enjoy fun adventures and identify their own stories.
This folktale is ideal for ages 4-11 and perfect for teachers.

About Carola Schmidt:
Pediatric Oncology Pharmacist & award-winning author. Author of children's multicultural literature, such as Babushka series, and children's books about cancer, such as Chubby's Tale: The true story of a teddy bear who beat cancer, and Bald is Beautiful: A letter for a fabulous girl. Springer Nature author with several scientific books published on pediatric oncology.

Social media links:
Twitter: @_CarolaSchmidt and @LovelyBabushka
Facebook @MyLovelyBabushka

The Babushka series is illustrated by Vinicius Melo.

So, what do you think of the cover? Isn't it super-cute, eye-catching and adorable? You're immediately drawn to the cosy figure of Babushka. You just know she has a lot of stories to share with you.

Purchase Links:

US - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0848BP2SH

UK - https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0848BP2SH

Thank you to Carola Schmidt and Rachel's Random Resources for inviting me to host this cover reveal.

Photo diary: week 5, project 366

There's a feeling in the air that the spring is just round the corner. Our garden is awakening, with snowdrops spreading like fire, there are crocuses and hellebore adding a bit of colour.
Yes, I'm avoiding talking about politics, as the last time I mentioned the sad state of affairs, it didn't go down well.

I often visit several charity shops on Mondays, and inevitably end up buying some books. There is a charity shop on Corn street which sells children's books for 10p each. I don't know why they don't increase the price, as surely they don't make any money from that.
Eddie is a big fan of Goosebumps series, and by now we've got so many I needed to take a quick snap of what he's got (there is also a separate box of 19 HorrorLand books). I was hoping to find something for his collection, but only got one of Captain Underpants books for 10p.
This was the only photo I took on Sunday.

Spotted this purple kalla in Waitrose, such a strange colour. I'm not a big fan of this flower, as they're associated with funerals.

My Lumix camera doesn't seem to like taking photos of bright objects in the dark. With the Moon, it's always better to snap it at semi-dark, or the camera will be giving it extra halos around. I do choose the right scene mode, with the night scenery, but I probably need to find somewhere instructions on how to do it properly to improve my night photos. Any suggestions on what articles to read?

I had so many things planned that day, to declutter around the house, yet I was glued to the book, and just had to finish it. The Girls Beneath by Ross Armstrong has an unusual main protagonist, a London PCSO who was shot in the head, and his brain started to function differently. He lost his ability to recognise faces, but is able to spot the details which are missed by his "normal" colleagues.

The river Windrush...

It was the National Carers' Day on Thursday apparently, and Eddie's school organised an indoors picnic for Young carers club. Parents were also invited. There were tables with tea and cakes, games and different activities, so we paid Dobble and did some colouring.
Eddie was very happy to skip lessons (it was during the school time). I have mentioned in the past that Eddie's school has a Young Carers' Club, which organises trips and activities for children who have siblings or parents with disabilities and special needs.
This is such a great initiative, as these children often have to adapt their lives around those members of their families who have special needs. In our case, most activities we do as a family are built around Sasha's needs and behaviours. Eddie never complains about it, he takes it all in his stride, and I'm proud of him.
That evening we watched Kung Fu Panda 3. It was on at Christmas time, when Eddie was in Italy. I was Whatsapping to Eddie then, and he said he wished he watched it with me, so we finally got to do it, a month later. I've seen this animation several times, and it always makes me smile. There are some great jokes, and the music is fabulous.

On Saturday we accompanied Sasha and his Dad again to their favourite café, and Eddie has picked another Coke bottle with a funny message. He though the message was about him. He does make me laugh, my comic relief.

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Blood On His Hands by Ian McFadyen #Blogtour + Giveaway

"So, what's happening?" enquired Rachel as she and her boss sped out of the police station car park.
"We're heading over to the C of E church in Moulton Bank," Carmichael replied. "That was Barney Green on the call at the station. He reckons a man has just come into the church with blood on his hands, claiming to have committed a murder."

Blood on his hands by Ian McFadyen is a murder mystery, featuring DI Carmichael. It is the 8th book in the series, which reads perfectly well as a standalone.

It begins with a dramatic entrance - a stranger with blood on his hands sets foot into the church and approaches the vicar. As the vicar calls the police, the stranger flees.

"I realised that all wasn't well as soon as I saw him at the back of the church. He had such a haunted, troubled look on his face. I asked him if he was all right, at which point he just said, "You need to help me, I've just killed someone." It was then I saw his hands, which were stretched out palms upwards. They were stained with blood", tells the vicar to the police.

The mysterious stranger seems to have disappeared without any clues to his identity. DI Carmichael and team are trying to find out where he has come from and which route he went.
Could the incident in the church be a sick practical joke?
Then, less than 24 hours later, a corpse is discovered in the boot of a car abandoned in a quiet country lane. The victim has bloodstained hands.

And this is just the beginning of a shocking killing spree. The victims are from different walks of life, and don't seem to be connected.

Will DI Carmichael and his team discover the motive behind the murders and catch the killer?

This book was my first meeting with DI Carmichael, and I will try to find the previous books in the series.
He is a flawed but likeable character.
There is also a crew of supporting characters, who are convincingly drawn, and some ancillary plotlines, with Carmichael's daughter and the school bullies who make her life miserable, and background insights into the police team.

Intricate, pacy plotting and a creditable grasp on police procedure are combined to produce a real page-turner.

This gripping tale of revenge feeds on our dark fantasies of what we'd like to do to our bullies. The covert personal vendetta acquires an almost artistic flair, with a taste for dramatic effect.

Fast-moving and compelling, Blood on his hands has twists galore.

Author Bio:
Ian McFadyen lives in Bishops Shortford, Herts and has published seven books in the Carmichael series so far. McFadyen has built up a strong following and is particularly well supported by library borrowers - being positioned in the top 10% of most loaned authors in the last few years. Favourably mentioned alongside Wilkie Collins and Colin Dexter, McFadyen's titles are all available in paperback and on kindle.

Social Media Links:
Facebook.com/ianmcfadyenauthor
Twitter @ianMcFadyen1

Many thanks to Ian McFadyen, The Book Guild Ltd and Rachel's Random Resources for my copy of the book!
This post is part of the blog tour, please check out other reviews:

If you like the sound of this thriller, now you have a chance to win a copy for yourself.

Giveaway to win one of 5 paperback copies of Blood on His Hands (UK only)

T&Cs:
UK entries welcome.
Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below. The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email.
If no response is received within 7 days, then Rachel's Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner.
Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.
Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners' information. This will be passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel's Random Resrources will delete the data.
I'm not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

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Breakfast & On the Go Degustabox (January 2020)

It felt like January will never end, but here we are, ready to say Good bye to the grey winter month. The evenings may still be rather dark, but have you noticed the mornings are getting light earlier?!
For many people January was the month of abstaining - perhaps you've also joined in the Dry January and Veganuary.
January Degustabox is a reflection of these two food trends - it is alcohol-free and has several vegan products.
This monthly food and drink subscription box is an excellent way to discover new products which have only just appeared in the shops, or those which might have been around for a while, but you haven't had a chance to try them yet.
Thanks to Degustabox, I have found new favourites to add to our shopping list, including some products which I probably wouldn't have tried otherwise.
Each time the monthly box arrives, it's a total surprise. You get a good selection of foods and drinks. If you haven't tried Degustabox subscription box yet, and would like to have a go, I have a whopping £7 off discount from your 1st box (and you can unsubscribe any time), just use a code 8EVI8 when you place an order.

What did we receive in Breakfast & On the Go box?

Sun-Pat peanut butter (£1.79) is the nation's best tasting peanut butter. Packed with 96% peanuts, Sun-Pat is a great source of protein to fuel you through the day.
It is a palm oil-free product, and is suitable for vegetarians and vegans. Subscribers will receive 1 of 2 items, while reviewers get both varieties.

Enjoy it in a classic peanut butter and jam sandwich, on toast or crackers, or use as an ingredient in baking (how about a batch of peanut butter choc chip cookies?).
I used a jar of smooth peanut butter to bake peanut butter and chocolate brownies.

Eat Natural Simply vegan peanuts, coconut and chocolate (£1) is a gluten free bar, which combines chunky peanuts, coconut shreds and creamy seeds.
Unsulphured apricots add a note of sweetness and chewiness, while roasted chickpeas deliver an extra protein boost. An undercoating of dark chocolate turns this healthy snack into a more indulgent one.
Available at Sainsbury's, Tesco, Waitrose, Boots and WHSmiths amongst others.

Bounce Energy Ball Peanut (£1.79) is "the alpha-male of the Bounce Ball range". Weighing 45g, this gluten-free ball contains an impressive 13g protein, with healthy fats and antioxidants.
Nutritional information: 184kcal and 13g of sugar per ball.
I'm not a big fan of protein balls, but my husband said it was good.
Available at Waitrose, Ocado, Holland and Barrett, Planet Organic, BP and Shell.

Yorkie More & KitKat Chunky More (£1.29) are the latest addition to the range.
Kit Kat Chunky includes a layer of raspberry & hazelnut, while a chunky Yorkie bar has a layer of Oats, apple and cinnamon.
Both have 30% less sugar than similar chocolate bars, contain real fruit and are a source of protein, with Yorkie also being a source of fibre.

While I am all in favour of less sugar in chocolate products and do love fruit, I cannot say we were very enthusiastic about the added fruit.

Whitworths Shots Berry & white Chocolate (£1.60) is a tasty mix of dried cranberries sweetened with fruit derived syrup, raisins and creamy white Belgian chocolate buttons.
Each pack contains 98kcal and 15.7g of sugar. It's a handy little snack to keep in a bag for when you're feeling peckish.

Kallo Organic Honey rice and corn cakes (£1.89) is a new addition to the Kallo range. Long gone are the days of the boring rice cakes.
Honey rice and corn cakes contain 37kcal per cake, no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives, are low in fat, gluten free and vegetarian friendly. Taste-wise, they are mildly sweet and pleasant.
Lovely for breakfast or when you're feeling peckish.

Wholesums Fresh Veg Popped Chips (£1.75) are a first to the market innovative snack. Made from whole potatoes, whole peas and whole carrots, they leave none of the good stuff out.
Wholesums are only 86kcal per serving, as well as being Vegan and gluten free.
You will receive 1 of 4 flavours in your box,
22g bags are available from Sainsbury's local.

Chescots SuperGut Porridge Pots (£1.99) are on-the-go porridge pots. Chescots brand was founded by the doctor and nutritionist Dr Jamie Mills. SuperGut pots contain half of your daily fibre and prebiotic fibres to support your gut, with over 3x the average fibre content of the other porridge pots.
It comes in two delicious flavours - Raspberry or Blackcurrant & Coconut.
They are vegan, dairy free and gluten free.
You will receive 1 of 2 pots in your box.
Available on Ocado, chescots.co.uk and Amazon.

PrepCo Mediterranean Couscous/Indian Rice/Thai Green Curry/Mexican Rice (£2) are a solution to a quick an easy lunch break dilemma. Convenient to take with you as an office lunch, it just needs some boiling hot water and a few minutes to make a quick and easy meal.
Made with tasty natural ingredients, they contain enough veg to tick off one of your 5 a day.
You will receive 1 of 4 flavours in your box.
Available at Sainsbury's and on Ocado.

I used a pot of Mediterranean couscous as an ingredient for stuffed peppers, which I roasted in the oven.

Zest Vegan Basil Pesto (£2.20) is another vegan product to bring to your attention. It's made of the leaf of the basil and without cheese, or any other animal products.
Free from anything artificial, suitable for vegans and vegetarians, this product is available on Ocado, Amazon, Morrisons and independent stores.
Ingredients include basil, rapeseed oil, ground cashew nuts, white wine vinegar, garlic puree, concentrated apple juice, salt, black pepper, toasted sesame oil and chilli powder.

Crafted Blueberry & Blackberry fruit juice drink (£1.50) is a fragrant refreshing blend of fruit and water. Best served cold, or over ice.
All Crafted juice drinks are made from natural ingredients, with no added sugar, sweeteners or preservatives. They are certified by the Vegan Society and count as one of your five a day.
A pleasant drink, not overly sweet and very flavourful.

And finally, product of the month:
Nescafe Gold Almond Latte (£2.98) is a delicious dairy alternative almond latte, made with a blend of high quality coffee and almond. Each sachet is easy to use and prepare, just add some hot water and stir well.
It has a smooth creamy taste.
Available at Tesco and Ocado, and soon will be available in ASDA, Morrisons, JS and Co-Op.

Disclosure: we receive a monthly food box for the purposes of reviewing.

Photo diary: week 4, project 366

It seems only yesterday we were greeting the new year, and January is almost all gone.

Last Sunday we all went out together, helping Sasha and his Dad in the café. While we were in a long queue to be served, Eddie has spotted Diet Coke bottles with the urban lingo messages, like Totes Emosh to appeal to the YouTube generation. He found it funny. And before anyone says anything, Eddie doesn't drink Cola or Pepsi (his choice), it was a drink for Sash.

It was a misty blue morning on Monday. This photo of St Mary's church is taken without any filters, it was just blue like that.
Eddie had to go back to the dentist to have the work on his tooth finished. It cost an arm and a leg - over £800. I'm still reeling from this crazy amount. In comparison, it's more than Sash's PIP and my carer's allowance taken together per month.

Walking in the garden on a frosty Tuesday morning, all fallen leaves on the ground and plants were covered in frost.

Spotted this little book in the local vintage shop, with a bit of info on king Edgar. Unfortunately, it was in a pack of  five books for £25, and this month I'm officially broke.

This tree with the evergreen creeper at the neighbours' garden always reminds me of an elephant on its legs, roaring into the sky, a sort of crazy Dumbo. In summer "the elephant" disappears under the foliage.

Catkins are known in Russia as "earrings". That's the hazel tree in our garden.

We went to meet the solicitor to try to figure out what we need to do to get a power of attorney for Sash. It sounds rather convoluted, and there's a lot of hoops to jump through. I'm so not looking forward to all the palaver. But it has to be done this year.

If you remember the photo I posted earlier this month of a jar, where I am growing a hyacinth bulb, here is the progress. The flower bud has "sprouted", it's such an intense bright pink colour.

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Peanut butter and chocolate brownies

Peanut butter and chocolate is a classic combination, and there are plenty of recipes online which look tempting. Years ago, in 2011 to be precise, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall wrote an article with Brownie recipes for The Guardian.
I cooked the peanut butter and chocolate brownies only once, they were pretty good, and it was time to revisit the recipe. I don't have the magazine cutting any longer, but the Internet is a wondrous thing, you can find anything you want.
I have adapted Hugh's recipe by cutting down the amount of sugar and also almost halving the cream cheese. I used one pack of Original Philadelphia, and it was plenty. Mixed with peanut butter, it gave a lovely fudgy taste and consistency of a cheesecake. Not sure more cream cheese would necessarily be a bonus, but do check out Hugh's recipe (link above).

Peanut butter and chocolate brownies
Ingredients:
for the chocolate brownie layer:
2 x 100g chocolate bars (I used one milk and one dark bar), broken into pieces
100g butter, diced
90g caster sugar
2 medium eggs
1tsp vanilla extract
120g self-raising flour
1tsp baking powder
a pinch of salt
1/2tsp ground cinnamon

for the peanut butter cheesecake layer:
1 tub of Philadelphia Original
1 jar of 200g smooth peanut butter
80g caster sugar
2 medium eggs
1tsp vanilla
2tbsp plain flour
1tbsp cornflour

Melt broken chocolate and diced butter in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water until smooth and glossy. Set aside to cool.

Beat the eggs with the sugar and vanilla. Sift in the flour and baking powder, add a pinch of salt and cinnamon. Add the chocolate butter mix to the batter, and combine well.

In a separate medium sized bowl prepare a peanut butter layer by beating together cream cheese with peanut butter and sugar. Add the eggs, vanilla, flour and cornflour and mix well until well blended. You can skip the cornflour, and add an extra tbsp of flour instead.

You will now have two dough types.

Pour the chocolate brownie dough into a greased brownie tin (I lined it with a foil, so that it's easier to take out of the tin once the brownie is cooked), leaving about 1/4 separate.
Then spoon in the thicker peanut butter layer over the brownie layer.
Dot the peanut butter layer with chocolate brownie mix.

Using a wooden toothpick, make swirls through the chocolate batter, making a pattern.

Place the brownie tin in the oven preheated to 180C, bake for about 30+ minutes, until the edges are firm and puffy. If you like gooey brownie, take out now, if you prefer it slightly more set, keep it in the oven for another 5 minutes, though you do want the fudgy texture.
Cool on the rack before slicing into pieces.

The brownie got mixed reviews from my family. While my husband and elder son loved it and asked for seconds, my younger son wasn't very enthusiastic and said he prefers my salted caramel brownies.

In this recipe I used a jar of Sun-Pat smooth peanut butter, as found in the latest Degustabox food box delivery. It's packed with 96% peanuts and is palm oil-free. It's a good source of protein too.

If you don't have this particular brand of peanut butter, use any other peanut butter, preferably without palm oil. You can also use a crunchy peanut butter, though it would change the texture of the brownie.

Anca from CookStyle made a variation of these brownies, using a coconut yogurt rather than cream cheese. Have a peek at her Peanut butter cheesecake brownies, don't they look delicious?!

The Factory Made Boy by Christine Nöstlinger

"Are you glad I'm here, Mummy?" Conrad asked.
Mrs Bartolotti looked at Conrad. Needs affection, she thought. Well, of course he does - everybody needs affection! And he's very nice too..."

It's not often you start reading a book, and fall in love with it at once.
The Factory Made Boy by Christine Nöstlinger (English translation by Anthea Bell) is a pure joy of a book. The story is wonderfully playful, whimsical and empathetic, with the most endearing characters.

It was my Mum who asked me if Eddie and I have read this book. She mentioned a book review which she had recently read and thought we might enjoy it. I haven't heard of this book, and cannot understand why this book and author have escaped my radar before.

Mrs Bertie Bartolotti is an artist who creates colourful rugs. She lives on her own, surrounded by a creative chaos and bright colours.
She has a gentleman friend, Mr Thomas, who visits her twice a week and they go to the cinema or theatre together. Bertie is content with her life. She can wear as much make-up as she wants and choose bright clothes, have a family pack of ice cream for dinner and be free from anyone's censure or judgments.
"Mrs Bartolotti never told anyone how old she was, so no one knew, and that meant she was several different ages."
She is also known for having a weakness for ordering things by post, whenever she comes across an order form in a newspaper or magazine, most of them totally random, like an animal encyclopaedia in 17 volumes, a subscription to a fish-breeders' magazine or a nudists' journal.

One day she signs for a big parcel. She is puzzled, as she doesn't recollect anything that she might have ordered in this size. Inside the parcel there is a big tin. Reluctantly she opens it.

"It was a very good thing the kitchen stool was just behind Mrs Bartolotti, because she got a considerable shock... She swayed, and collapsed on to the kitchen stool.
The creature who was crouching inside the tin can said: "Hullo, Mummy", and gave her a friendly nod".

It's a seven-year old Conrad, who comes complete with a birth certificate.

Though Bertie is horrified, she kindly accepts Conrad's presence in her life. She knows she has never ordered a child from the manufacturer, but thinks the order might have been placed a long time ago by her ex-husband.
The letter which accompanies the boy, tells that all manufactured children are "particularly easy to handle and control, and being the products of a highly developed technology, are quite free of those faults or defects which can occur in nature".

Bertie is overwhelmed by her new responsibilities. She is a free spirit, and doesn't know much about children. In a delightful spree of shopping, she tries to buy things that she thinks would please Conrad, but gets it spectacularly wrong. He expects to wear grey trousers and checked shirts, while Bertie presents him with the most colourful outfit she could find in the shops.

Conrad is a very sweet boy, who wants to be loved and gives love freely in return.
He is "made" to be a perfect child, he goes to bed early, doesn't want to leave any food on his plate and refuses sweets, he gets upset at the mere notion of rude words or slightly inappropriate songs.
Needless to say, for the freedom-loving Bertie, her whole world is reshaping fast, with the arrival of Conrad.

Her boyfriend Mr Thomas is smitten with the polite and obedient boy, and wants to be his father. Unlike Bertie who thinks children should enjoy life, do naughty things and make mistakes, he cannot find fault with anything about Conrad.
In a way, Mr Thomas and Conrad are kindred souls, they like order and quiet pastimes. They are also pretty conventional in their way of thinking.
For example, Conrad asks Bertie if it's right for a girl to protect a boy.
To which wise Bertie replies:"It doesn't make a bit of difference, Conrad... It's all nonsense about boys having to do the protecting! The important thing is for the person who needs protection to get it".
What a strong message! And how modern it sounds, considering the book was written in 1975.

Bertie Bartolotti is my hero. She comes up with a sage advice: "Now, you listen to me! Some things in this world are far more important than other things... and one thing there is no need to bother about at all is what other people say!"

Conrad goes to school and becomes friends with his neighbour Kitty (she protects him from bullies in school).

And then one day they are shocked when a letter arrives from the manufacturer: there was a mistake, and Conrad will be taken away to go to the correct parents.

Conrad's wishes are not taken into consideration by the factory, he is their property, and legally Bertie and Mr Thomas cannot do anything.

Will they submit to the merciless decision or fight for the right for their special boy to stay with them?

This quirky magical tale was the winner of Hans Christian Andersen award in 1984. It is captivating, original and full of heart.

We absolutely adored this book. My son said he wished there was another book of Conrad's adventures.

It's a truly unforgettable story, and if you come across it in a charity shop or can source or on ebay, snap it.
It was first published in English by Andersen Press in 1976. You can find other editions online - from 1999 and 2012.

My only criticism is the translation. I don't see the point of anglicising foreign names in translated books for children. It annoyed me greatly when we read Astrid Lindgren's Karlsson on the roof trilogy.
Just why do the translators think it's a good idea? Do they think that the British children are not able to read foreign names? That would be rather patronising and galling.
Frau Bartolotti's boyfriend Herr Egon is renamed into Mr Thomas. Kitti Rusika becomes Kitty Robertson.
Even the name of the name character is slightly changed from Konrad to Conrad. I would like to know the translator's reasoning behind this.

Minor irritants aside, this is one of the best books for children we're read in the last few years.

Photo diary: week 3, project 366

I'd like to say something deep and profound at the beginning of my weekly post, but my brain doesn't co-operate.
Last week we were reading a wonderful story called A Factory Made Boy by Christine Nostlinger. The main character of the book, a boy called Conrad, is made at the factory and posted to his new parents in a big tin. It's so quirky but very sweet, with endearing characters. It's also amazingly feminist and modern, if you think that it was published in 1976.
While we were shopping on Sunday, Eddie pretended that he's on offer, asking me to buy him. He said he's a real bargain. And that's how we rock.

On Monday we walked through the fields, which later in the week got flooded yet again. Not surprising really, given the amount of rain we had.

That evening I had a surprise delivery, with tropical foods. This is a hamper I won after Christmas on Insta. You had to say what you were grateful for. I said that on Christmas day I wasn't planning on cooking anything special, as it was just two of us, and my son doesn't eat any Christmas food. I would have been happy with cheese and crackers and fruit. But my friends brought me a big hot plate - a whole Christmas dinner, with all the trimmings. And they also brought a delicious brownie with cream. So, I said I was grateful for having kind friends who care about me.

When I told Eddie how I won, he said it was a very sad story. Now I wonder if I have joined the ranks of people who post sob stories to try to win prizes. It wasn't meant to be a sob story, it was such a lovely thing really, and rather uplifting, I thought. This kind gesture of my friends truly brightened my Christmas.

On Wednesday morning we visited one of possible respite centres for Sasha. He's turning 18 soon, and sadly the place where he stays overnight twice a month is only available for up to 18, and now we have a huge issue of finding a new place. There are hardly any choices in the county. 

We visited the local one, in town. It's smaller than a place where he goes currently which wouldn't be too bad, but there is just not enough space. The dining room and sitting room are quite small, there is no play area (for obvious reason, as it's for grown-ups), the garden is tiny and has a table and benches, and nothing else. My worry is that Sash would be bored to death there, and ultimately he needs to enjoy a place where he would stay.

There are two more places to check out, both at a distance. One would take an hour and a half to travel by bus, another one we'd need to go to Oxford, take a train, then a taxi etc.

There is so much to do and organise in the next few months: we need to apply for the power of attorney, try to find a future college placement if possible for after 19, when the current school will come to an end, explore different respite options. So many worries.

I only took photos of the respite place that day, so here is a picture from the day before, taken in UE Roasters café.

Having helped Sash to get on the school transport early in the morning, I saw the crescent, and the bird looking in its direction, as if watching the Moon.

Friday snap - a shadow selfie, taken in the hall by the mirror.

I started the week with a photo of Eddie, and ending it with another one. It's not because I don't take photos of Sasha, but I feel reluctant posting his photos. Eddie gives his consent for now, who knows how he would feel about it when he is a teen.

Yesterday we walked all the way to McDonald's, which is on the outskirts of town. On the way back we stopped at the playground, which was so muddy, our boots looked awful afterwards.

Edgars Limited never ceases to amuse us, simple souls.

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Reading goals for 2020

Providence has delivered me of every worldly passion, save this one; the desire to acquire books, new or old books of any kind, whose charms I cannot persuade myself to resist.
John Henry Newman

I'm no saint, but when it comes to books, I share Newman's evangelical fervour.  I cannot resist buying books, even knowing I have mountains of unread paperbacks waiting for me at home. It's an obsession really.
I buy books online (The Book People is a great source of temptation). I try to find older editions on ebay. I scour the local charity shops every week, looking for something exciting.

Our local Waterstones shop has a wonderful team of people who love books and read extensively. I love their window displays as well.
One of my favourite window displays of last year was for The Way of All Flesh. They even bought a skull on ebay, especially for the occasion.

Gemma and Patti organise fun events - you might have seen my photos from the Harry Potter-themed evenings, when children would arrive dressed up as their favourite characters from J.K.Rowling's books. There were quizzes, prizes, sorting hat bakes etc.

Eddie as Newt Scamander

There is another Harry Potter event coming soon in February, and Eddie and I plan to attend.

Needless to say, I do spend quite a bit in the shop.

In the last weeks I've been reading passionate discussions online, with references to the arguments that book bloggers are not "real" readers, because apparently they are paid to read and hence they are happy to sell their souls to the Devil and praise whatever they read.

I've never been paid to write any book review. And I don't know anyone who is, unless they do it as a job, like writing for a magazine, or work as a PR promoting books.

I had a discussion with a friend recently, who saw a big stash on the window of our dining room - books I received for reviewing in the oncoming months. She asked me if I were paid for reading them, and then couldn't quite comprehend why I would agree to do it. I told her that I enjoy discovering new names, and many of the books which I received for reviewing, might have passed my attention otherwise.
For example, two books which I reviewed last year got into my top reads of 2019 list, and I haven't heard of the authors before. Storytellers by Bjorn Larssen is not just in my top 10 reads, I would say, it's no.1 (sharing with The Girl Who Speaks Bear).

A year ago I wrote a post about my reading goals, and looking at it now I see that my goals haven't changed - I still need to declutter, I would like to read more non-fiction, as well as books in Russian.

If you have a look at the list of books I read (and finished) in 2019, out of 77 books, only two are non-fiction. I did start several more, but either stopped mid-way, or decided I might return to them at some point again. So, I failed my goal of 5 non-fiction books.

I read only one book in Russian - My Siberia (Memoirs) by Anastasia Tsvetaeva (sister of the famous Russian poet Marina Tsvetaeva). That's also pretty abysmal, I really should make more of an effort.

As for the genres, I read 25 thriller/crime mysteries, 32 children's/YA fiction, 7 - romance.

I did slightly better with my goal of reading more classics with Eddie - Treasure Island, Around the World in 80 days (abridged) and Oliver Twist (so abridged that I didn't add it to the reading list).
Plus two classics of crime - The Iron Chariot and The Forest Lake Mystery - both of which are regarded as the classics of Scandi Noir.

It would be good to expand on the classics' promise. And to definitely try harder on reading non-fiction.

The Reading Challenge on GoodReads gives you all the stats you might want be curious about, though some of them are slightly arguable.
For example, The Ice Monster appears to be the longest book on my list. Yes, if you count the pages, but most of them have pictures, some with just a word or two, so if you do a word count, it won't come as the longest.
Apparently, Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief was the most popular book. We did love the book, and plan to read the next book in the series very soon.

Last year we went to several book-related events, and met three great authors - Sophie Anderson and Candy Gourlay, and Cressida Cowell.

I'm a big fan of Sophie Anderson. Her books are brilliant, and I can't wait for her third book.
She is also a very-very nice lady, and if you follow her on social media, you will know that she interacts with her readers with great kindness and enthusiasm.

Eddie was thrilled to meet Cressida Cowell, and he gave her a drawing of Toothless, which she kindly praised. She is a real trooper. The queue to have books signed was like a long serpent, we had to wait quite a bit to have a chance to talk to her.

She signed all books and also got up from her seat to have photos taken with everyone who asked for this chance.

I'm hoping we could attend more book signing events this year. That's a new goal for 2020.

Do you have reading goals and plans for the year?