Book Club – Gone Girl Review

After reading and loving Dark Places I decided to read the highly reviewed Gone Girl, also by Gillian Flynn.

I was gripped at the start and loved the way the story was written going between the 2 main characters each chapter. Flynn has a great way of pulling the reader in and keeping them in suspense and wanting to know more.

I was struggling to put the book down and I NEEDED to know what happened. However after I discovered the truth my interest sort of waned and I struggled to read to the end.

I have to admit I was a bit disappointed with how the book ended. As it took me so long to finish I’m not sure if it was because of the length of time between me reading the end sections but I felt a small bit let down after all the build up.

I’d say this is a good read but I feel the ending could have been better for me.

Book Club – Darkplaces Review

The second book in our book club was Darkplaces by Gillian Flynn This is a book about a woman called Libby who lost her family to a tragic murder when she was a small child. Throughout the book she visits her Darkplaces to find out what really happened that night.

The book reminded me of watching one of the crime/murder documentaries, which I love watching. I was gripped, I wanted to know what happened as much as Libby along with being intrigued as to what makes people act the way they do.

The story goes back and forth between the present day and the day of the murder, you get to see the mindset of the family and are constantly guessing who carried out the murders that day. I have to say I would have never guessed the ending, which was a pleasant surprise.

I’d recommend this as a very good read, if crime is something you’re into that is. I’ll be taking a look at some other books by Gillian for my future reads.

Salem’s Lot – Book Review

This was my first Stephen King book and I was excited to get reading. The length was a little daunting as my usual reads aren’t this long but I got straight in to it.

My first impression was that King is a very descriptive writer, this at some points made the story feel long but at others gave such a great level of detail to enhance that image in your head. I enjoyed seeing things from a lot of people’s views, but the timeline did get a little confusing at times. Especially the start and end mini stories.

Overall I enjoyed some sections of this and can see why Kings books make a good movie, but it wasn’t one of my best reads. I may try another King book sometime but I’m not sure they’re for me.

My Food Bibles

Since I’ve never been much of a cook I’ve found that cook books have been a great help with gaining confidence in the kitchen. They give you guidance with what to cook and instructions on how to not completely mess up your dinner!

Cook books have especially been helpful when trying out a more plant based diet. I’m not completely plant based right now, but I try to make a lot of plant based meals and snacks. I’ve gotten so much out of these so I thought I’d share my 6 food bibles with you.

The book I first started with was Cook like you give a F*ck by Thug Kitchen, my husband got it me as a Christmas present a couple of years ago, which was mainly because it looked fun, not because it was fully vegan. I have to admit I didn’t make loads from the book to start with but it did get me into the kitchen cooking up a nice mango curry, from scratch!!! I’m also in love with the Vegetable Noodle Soup with Ginger Miso Broth, it’s easy, so tasty and full of goodness.

When I made the decision to start really looking at my diet I discovered Deliciously Ella, straight away I needed her cook book and it really started my love of cooking and healthy food. I started with her second book Deliciously Ella Every Day and then quickly got her app too, you can also find lots of recipes on her blog here. Her overnight honey oats are the best and are amazingly quick and simple and her mushroom stuffed peppers are sooooo delicious  (yes they deserve that many o’s, if not more!).

As I looked around and started to watch quite a few youtubers I found Niomi Smart, and I also found she was about to release her first cook book (which I obvs HAD to get). Niomi is a great inspiration when it comes to changing your diet and lifestyle, the recipes in her book are yummy and simple. I really love making an Acai bowl in the morning and topping it with all the yummy healthy goodies, including the cacao granola which is also in this book.

Now we’re getting more into cooking for ourselves and eating more plant based/vegan food my husband also ordered the 2 other Thug Kitchen books. These have even more tasty meal ideas and they also have some extremely helpful tips at the back of them, which will seriously help you out if you’re new to this whole cooking thing like I was. These tips include all the basic food items, what they are, where to find them and how to cook them. I also have to say the thing I love about thug kitchen is that they make everything fun, but also don’t mess about and will tell you to get off your lazy arse  (or ass since they’re american) and get into the kitchen.

I’d really recommend you taking a look at some of these if you’d like to get started in the kitchen and are looking to get some healthier food into your life. These really have become like bibles to me, whenever I’m stuck for meal ideas I get them out and have a look through. They’re becoming a little worn and definitely have some pages covered in ingredients.

Since I drafted this post I found Ella’s first book at a bargain price of £8 in Lakeland, which I had to buy of course. I’m loving this and working my way through each section. I like to fold the corners down when  I find a recipe I really like, I think most pages have turned corners now!!