Sunday.

Yesterday was a typical Sunday. Slow. Lie-in. Some bad TV (Back to the future 2. Seriously). Supermarket. Looking at glasses. Some yummy food:

Roast veg couscous with grapes. This is so easy. And so gorgeous. For those who speak Swedish as a second, third or 14th language, here's an approximate translation:

4 dl couscous (uncooked)
400g cherry tomatoes
200g green grapes
small aubergine
a couple of red peppers
raw chorizo (we used 6 small ones)
a fennel or cauliflower (definitely fennel!)
a leek and/or onion
couple of parsnips
150g feta cheese
greek yoghurt.

Now the recipe says don't cook the couscous first, but I did and it was great so that's what I'd recommend. Spread the couscous over a largeish (deep) baking tray, cut all the veg and stuff and cover the couscous. Crumble feta cheese on top. Pop in the oven for near enough an hour. Serve with yoghurt (recipe says 'and coriander' but I say coriander should never be eaten so I'd say 'and basil or other fresh herb).

We've just put in whatever veg we've had in the fridge really so don't worry if you're missing any of the ingredients above. Don't miss the fennel + grapes though!

Check out Om jag var din hemmafru for more great recipes (and use the google translate function...)

30 – Your favourite book of all time

I have so many. Please don't make me choose! I think I've mentioned Agatha Christie earlier as a favourite. She's always a winner. I'm just now reading The Almost Perfect Murder by Hulbert Footner. Now this might be mighty famous but I'd never heard about it until I went hunting for free books for my kindle. And gosh is it good!! It's rather Christie-esque in its set up, a book of short stories with a stunningly beautiful detective beating the crims each and every time. Just my type of book! But is it my favourite? Well, yeah. At the moment it is. Is it my favourite of all time? Possibly. But then so are a lot of other books.

27 – The most surprising plot twist or ending

Sister - Rosamund Lupton.

This is one I read quite recently. I'd been looking at it for a while whenever I've been in a shop that sells books - it's been on the charts for a good couple of months I'm sure. But I've been put off buying it, thinking it looked a bit... well, a bit dramatic.

But it's fantastic. Jeffrey Deaver described it thusly:

"[...]SISTER exists in that rare place where crime fiction and literature coincide"

...and that's not exactly a negative comment.

But anyway, this post is meant to be about a surprising twist. And this book's got one. If you're after spoilers you'll have to look elsewhere cos I do want you to read it!

22 – Favourite book you own

I've got about a billion books (it's almost true - ask Mike). And about a million of them are my favourites. Can't bear to get rid of them, can't stop buying more.

So picking just the one isn't easy. But I'll stop moaning about my own indecisiveness and tell you about The Help by Kathryn Stockett. I read it a few months ago now and through all the books I've read in the interim this is still one I think about a lot.

I'm sure there have been plenty of books around the same theme, racism in a 1960s USA where black people were mostly, well, 'the help'. And I'm sure this one isn't telling us anything new. But it's just incredibly well written and the characters are very vivid. I don't claim to know much about this period of our scarily recent history, or the struggles of people in this situation (still today, in parts of the world) but it left me feeling like I'd been part of it. I realise that sounds pretty damn conceited and very middle-class but Stockett very much succeeded in bringing this story to life. Two thumbs up!

19 – Favourite book turned into a movie

I always try to view films based on books and the books they are based on as separate entities. Because there is no way a film can contain all that a book can. There's no way they can bring a character or a story to life in the same way.

If I had to choose whether to only read books or only watch films for the rest of my life I would pick books. No contest.

Having said that, there's a whole lot of films based on books that I do like.

East of Eden is one of them. It's based on John Steinbeck's 1952 novel which he saw as his best work. I'm inclined to agree.

17 – Favourite quote from your favourite book

The young people think the old people are fools, but the old people know that the young people are fools.

15 – Favourite male character

Now I know what I'm expected to say here. At least I know what you're not expecting me to say. But lordy, isn't Jack Reacher just dreamy?

Ok, ok.

I have to say I really like Holden Caulfield. Cliche - yes. Predictable - yes. Sue me.

14 – Favourite book of your favorite writer

Why I like them all!

But I think Miss Marple is a tad better than the other characters.

And I think the earlier ones are tad better than the new ones.

And I think Murder at the Vicarage is one of the best.

10 – Favourite classic book

Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert. We had to read this in college (as in high school for any American readers ;) ) and it was just amazing. So amazing in fact that I'm going to re-read it this weekend - thank you for reminding me of the existance of this gem!

There's just something about these French writers that's irrestistable... Try it. You know you want to (plus it's only a penny on the link above! Or free from sites like manybooks.com)

xx