“It’s Monday! What are you reading?” is a weekly event hosted by Sheila at Bookjourney to share with others what we’ve read the past week and planning to read next.

  

 And so I am a grand old 36!
  
With two noisy little boys in my house, my idea of a lovely birthday morning isn’t sleeping in, but it’s about having a quiet breakfast by myself, even if it’s before 7 on a Saturday. I made myself some softly scrambled eggs, toasted a slice of bread and settled down to read Kate Atkinson’s A God in Ruins with my cup of tea. Half an hour of peace could have been longer but eh, I’ve got to take what I can get!

  
We tried out a new-to-us Japanese restaurant in Burlingame for lunch. It served izakaya-style food and we ordered some skewers of grilled stuff – corn, duck breast, chicken wings, bacon-wrapped asparagus – as well as a couple of bentos, and a variety of small plates like croquettes, hamachi ‘carpaccio’, soft shell crab salad, and the husband’s favourite, yaki onigiri or grilled rice balls. The kids had such a thrill taking their shoes off to sit at the low tables!

 

 

 

 

Currently…

 

Reading:

 

 

 

A God in Ruins – Kate Atkinson

It’s more of a companion book than a sequel to Life After Life as its main character is Ursula’s brother Teddy. It’s not bad so far.

Accumulating:

  

   
 So the library had its book sale over the weekend, which happens three times a year at this stuffy little building at the central park. The husband took the kids to the playground while I got to spend some quality time buying books! I had a nice haul for both myself and the kids for $15.

  

 I was especially pleased with this lovely copy of Katherine Mansfield stories, selected by Elizabeth Bowen and cover artwork by Leo Lionni!

 

 

 

Watching:

Angel Season 2, New Girl Season 3.

Ok so I watched the first episode of the new season of Orange is the New Black when it first released but have not moved on to the next one yet. Am I hanging on and not binge-watching because I know that the wait until the next season will be a long one? Or is it because I’m not so into this anymore? I haven’t quite figured out yet.

 

Eating:

  

My excellent birthday cake – chocolate banana!

Drinking:

Rooibos and honeybees tea with a squeeze of lime

Cooking:

 Stewed pork belly with steamed buns

Soya sauce braised chicken, some kind of stir fried vegetables, steamed rice

The four-year-old has been asking for mac and cheese. I guess I have to make it soon! Or maybe a baked pasta like this Chicken Pasta Bake with Spinach & Parmesan from The Kitchn. I like that it uses yoghurt. 

Browsing:

The Millions’ Most Anticipated Books of the second half of 2015

The Rumpus’ great interview with Jay Rubin, who translated most of Haruki Murakami’s works into English (but not Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage)

Paste Magazine’s 20 best book covers of 2015 so far

“I try to live in the moment of memory. The past stays alive even in the present. I have no knowledge of the exact mechanism of remembering, but it has become an integral part of my life and my writing. I do this every morning, and then I turn to my morning ablutions.”

– The Art of Remembering your Entire Life (Lit Hub)

Caustic Cover Critic reveals the lovely Elena Ferrante covers that Australian readers get! I want them too!

Best ballet books over at Booklist Reader

Last week:

I read:

Wild Blue Yonder – Mike Raicht
Passage (Sharing Knife #3) – Lois McMaster Bujold
The Serial Garden: The Complete Armitage Family Stories – Joan Aiken

(all are available on Scribd)
I posted:

Bone by Fae Myenne Ng

Mini reviews (Shadow Scale; Life of a Banana)

Top Ten Tuesday: Hyped Books I’ve Never Read