'Lost In A Book' Tag

Hi all!

I hope you're having a great evening (or morning/afternoon/night, depending where you are)!  Today I'm doing the 'Lost in a Book' tag. No one has nominated me to do this, but I look reading and all things literature and I really wanted to do this! I don't have any of my books with me as they are all in my student flat so I won't be able to take pictures of any of my favourites, but I'll do my best to discuss the answers fully. Ready?

1. Do you have a certain place at home for reading?

When I was younger I could read anywhere - lying in bed, on a sofa, in a car etc. But now I find it really hard to concentrate on reading sitting anywhere other than an armchair. I know that's really strange but I just can't read when I'm not sitting with a straight back and arm rests. I can also read on trains but not buses for this reason. I know, I'm odd. I just think chairs get me in the right frame of mind for reading.

2. Where do you like to read?

I travel a lot - part of my family lives in North Scotland, and the other part live near London, so I'm often on trains with terrible wifi, and so I really like to read on train journeys. Yesterday I had a five hour trip and I started and finished a book in that time. 

3. Bookmark or random piece of paper?

I never use a random piece of paper. I do have this bookmark which I love from the V&A:

But this is usually stuck in one book while I'm reading another. I am mainly - whisper it - a corner folder! Please don't hate me! 

4. Can you just stop reading or do you have to stop at a chapter?

I tend to just stop reading. Obviously not in the middle of a sentence, that would be madness! But I don't have a problem with just finishing a sentence and folding over the corner. Unless I am particularly hooked, but in that case I'll probably finish the whole book in one sitting!

5. Do you eat or drink whilst reading?

I never eat while reading, but I usually have a cup of tea for the ultimate relaxation. Although it's usually gone cold by the time I remember it if I get too involved in the story.

6. E-reader or real book?

Nothing will ever beat a real book. The smell, the pretty cover, the browsing a book store for something new, and I love seeing my book collection grow. It is, however, very handy sometimes to have the kindle app on my iPad. Sometimes I can't get to a book shop if I'm desperate for a particular book, or it'll be much cheaper on Amazon. Also, reluctantly, I guess I am running out of space for all my books.

7. Music or TV while reading?

Neither, I like silence when I'm reading. I can't read words and hear words at the same time without getting the two confused.

8. One book at a time or several at once?

I'm someone who can't not finish a book, even if I really don't like it. Recently, I was reading Luckiest Girl Alive which I was definitely not a fan of, and so I started another book. I did go back and finish LGA, but I was not happy about it haha. But usually, I would only want to read one at a time.

9. Reading at home or everywhere?

Mostly I'd say I read at home, As I've already said, I do read a lot on trains, but I guess the majority of times I read at home. I don't really get the opportunity to read anywhere else.

10.Reading aloud or silently in your head?

Definitely silently. Sometimes I find myself reading the same sentence over and over again, and if that happens I'll read it aloud so it sinks in, but that's only if I'm not concentrating. 

11. Fiction or non-fiction?

Definitely fiction. I was just thinking earlier that I really wish I read more non-fiction books, like sciencey or psychology ones, but they don't interest me all that much. I read as a form of escapism, to get away from reality!

12. Do you read ahead or skip pages?

I hate it, but I can be a bit of a skipper! I'm like it with films and TV shows too, I'll often be watching something and Google the ending. I don't care about spoilers that much, and I usually find it easier to concentrate if I know roughly how it'll turn out. Weird, I know!

13. Break the spine or keep a book like new?

Oh gosh I wish I could keep a book like new! I am a spine bender through and through! I can't read properly if the book isn't flat in my hand, and it usually doesn't get enough light if the spine isn't bent. My best friend is very particular about not bending spines, and I remember I didn't know this, I was looking at her book and just bent the spine right in front of her! She looked like she was going to kill me!

14. Do you write in your books?

Never. It feels so wrong to me, I used to hate it in school when we were made to do it, I know it is good for revision, but there's never enough room for coherent notes anyway so I don't see the point.

15. Your favourite book?

That's such a difficult question! My favourite genre is crime/detective books. There are obviously lots of books which I love, but my favourite author right now is Lars Kepler and his Joona Linna series: The Hypnotist, The Sandman etc.

It's the perfect mix of grit and crime and mystery and I just love it. My other favourite book right now is Under the Skin by Michel Faber. I wrote about the sexuality in this book for my dissertation and I just loved all the political and social discussion and implications.

The concept is so bizarre but there are so many interesting cultural observations on today's society that it makes for such a fascinating read!

And that's it! I really enjoyed writing this, I love books and literature and this was something really fun to do to reflect on my life through the books I love, Let me know some of your answers, or do this tag yourself.

Until next time,

Jo.

The Best Day In Woodbridge

Hi all!

It's been a while since I last wrote a post, I'm sorry! I've been really busy applying for jobs (and mainly getting nowhere) and I haven't really done much besides that. On Tuesday 10th, however, I went to stay with my boyfriend in Ipswich for a couple of days, and it was such beautiful weather. It was so nice to spend a few quality days with him, as - as I've written about before - we do not get to see each other as much as I'd like. On Thursday it was such a lovely day, and so we decided to go to nearby Woodbridge for lunch.

Woodbridge is such a lovely harbour town in Suffolk, with many cute little boutique shops and bars. I love to have a stroll around there on a sunny day, it's a beautiful place with a real mix of people. We went to The Riverside restaurant, which is an adorable place right next to the harbour. 

In this picture, James is wearing my sunglasses, don't worry they're not his! I had a refreshing Pimms and he had a pint of beer. We had wonderful service, the man and woman working that day were extremely friendly and accommodating.

We had an oyster each to start, which was my first ever experience with oysters, and in all honesty probably my last! They were nice enough, but just tasted too much like I was swallowing sea water, and I don't understand the point in spending money- £3 for two oysters - on something you don't even chew!

For main, I had the Seafood Stew and oh my gosh it was amazing! It included a piece of cod, mussels, scallops, prawns, potatoes and spinach! I'm sure there was some other kind of seafood in there too but I can't remember exactly. It was honestly delicious and I would definitely order again, even though as I have mentioned in a post before I am someone who likes to try a different dish each time. It was £17, which may be a little steep, but I do think it was worth it for such excellent cooking, I was definitely pleased! James had fish and chips and he said his was lovely too. All in all, I would definitely recommend The Riverside if you are looking for a really tasty meal; people sitting near us ordered tapas and the selection looked wonderful and they all commented on how delicious everything was.

This is my favourite picture of the day, I think it's hilarious! There is a little ice cream stand in the seating area of the restaurant, and I had mango sorbet and James had raspberry ice cream - still wearing my Willy Wonka sunglasses! Again, it was lovely and refreshing to have this on such a hot day, and we ate these while strolling along the harbour and sitting watching the water. It was so lovely to just have a relaxing afternoon, and I'm so happy when we get to have these days because it is great quality time. We then went back to his house and laid in the garden and chilled out.

Until next time (which hopefully won't be so far away),

Jo.

Bo Drake Review

Hi all!

Today's post is a review of Korean restaurant Bo Drake. Bo Drake is located in Soho on Greek Street, and is a inconspicuous but raved about eatery. Described on their website as 'combining sweet and pickled influences from East Asia alongside slow cooked BBQ methods from the Americas and Europe', it is just the kind of food I adore. On a recent trip into London, my partner and I were keen to try this restaurant as we had heard great things.

On entry into the dining area, the first thing we noticed was the atmosphere. Darkened and quiet, it is a nice place for a calm meal. As we went at lunch time, it was fairly quiet and we were seated by the door, which was fine, but we could see a further set of maybe twelve tables through into an alcove, which I can imagine would be a lovely place to sit for an evening meal. 

The waitress was lovely and accommodating. I ordered a lemonade (£3.50! London prices are steep!)  which we lovely and fresh with a very sharp lemon taste, and James ordered a beer, which he enjoyed but was not his favourite. We then ordered a selection of foods to share.

 

This was the Smoked Rib Stack, and this was amazing! It was wonderful and sweet with a slight spice, and the meat fell right off the bone. One of my favourite things to order in a restaurant is ribs, and these were some of the best. However, for £15.50 for maybe 5 or 6 ribs is very pricey. Once again though, it was quality food and in London you are not going to get quality for a cheap price.

This was the Bo Ssam, or rather Smoked Pulled Pork.This was also a really nice dish, served with Ssamjang, Kimchi, Spring Onion Oil and lettuce. I sometimes find pulled pork can become rather dry, but this was lovely and succulent, and the sweet and spicy ssamjang sauce was my favourite, whereas James really liked the kimchi. Again, at £14.80 it was quite expensive for a small lunchtime dish, but you get what you pay for.

These were amazing! This was the Korean Fried Chicken, with soy garlic, grapes and rosemary. Thet were delicious and sweet, and as a lover of all things chicken this was favourite dish. It was beautifully cooked and the flavours all complimented each other fantastically. At £9 for 6 or 7 chicken wings, it was probably the most reasonably priced dish as well. A favourite of both myself and James!

Along with this, we ordered boiled rice, which was tiny portion for £3, but was a nice addition. Overall, we had a lovely lunch at Bo Drake, but a lunchtime meal for two for nearly £60 was a bit too much for our liking, especially as the portions were very small, and this was not made clear on the menu. However, it was very good quality, and I would definitely consider returning for an evening meal. I am a bit of a food explorer though, and I think I will continue searching for the perfect restaurant which is not as pricey.

Until next time,

Jo.