"The Uncommon Reader"

During these past days when I didn't have to go to work I realized how I've missed reading. I didn't have (or take?) any time for reading these past months as I was so busy with my job and baking ;-). I do love cooking and baking, but I have got a degree in linguistics and literary studies and haven't even read one novel since the summer!
I want to change that now and I'll try to post summaries, quotations I like, reflections and personal thoughts on the books I'm currently reading on this blog, too.
Gladly I got some books for Christmas and I started reading the first one: Alan Bennett's "The Uncommon Reader". I'm about half way through now and even if I don't particuraly like this book (I must say, I find it rather boring and definitely not well-written) it was a wonderful feeling to find myself sitting down in my favourite chair and hold a book in my hands that does not deal with didactics or cooking.
"The Uncommon Reader" is about the Queen who , by a coincidence, starts reading and becomes so obsessed with books that she begins to neglect her public duties. It is supposed to be funny, witty and reflect a lot about literature, but apart from naming a few famous authors I don't see any of that. I'l see how the second half is.

the hummingbird bakery cookbook

I bought (another...) cookbook while I was in England. It's "the hummingbird bakery cookbook" and it includes recipes for cakes, cupcakes, muffins, brownies, cheesecakes, cookies and pies. All the pastries are frosted with icings in pretty candy colours which gives them a very special look. I'm planning to try one or two recipes this weekend.

That's life- finding scrapbook inspiration in the everyday

Although I don't particularly like the layouts presented in this book, I find the actual ideas for "every-day scrapbook pages" very inspiring.
My favourite is: "What is going to happen to the last banana in the fruit bowl?"
-left until the spots take over and being thrown away
-banana muffins (not so likely)
-being put in a lunch-box only to be returned in a worse state (and ultimately being thrown away)
-...

Is it true what they say about Shakespeare?

In Stratford-upon-Avon, we found this book by Stanley Wells in which the author addresses many myths and legends about Shakespeare, e.g.:
He had a shotgun wedding.
He was gay.
He was lame.
Christopher Marlowe wrote his plays.
His daughters couldn't write.
He was a Roman Catholic.
He was a heavy drinker.
He smoked cannabis.
He neglected his wife and children.
True? You will find out as you read the book.