About Me

I am an expat American living in the UK.  I have a primary teaching degree and I love to draw, cook, and read.  I did some pretty strenuous Literature in college, so I don’t find myself feeling obliged to read heavy books just because. There are so many books, and so little time, that you have to prioritize what will make you happy. I find myself often rereading books I loved as a child or young adult.  If I do read a book for the first time, it is usually a children’s book (or a classic mystery).  I tend to gravitate towards older and more nostalgic books, and I like to focus on celebrating the seasons and old-fashioned festivals.

How it works

I will read (or reread) a book, and review it with an eye to its applicability to real life.  Could you share this book with a child?  What age? What educational material could you get from it, and is there any concerning material?  But if you don’t have kids (like me), there may well be something valuable that adults can get from the book as well.  So I will often set myself (and you, dear reader, if you’re up for it!) an assignment based on the book.  That will usually be something as simple as eating a popsicle or planning a picnic.

I also try to make a recipe inspired by the book, directly or indirectly.  I use old-fashioned measures because that’s how I roll, so cups and tablespoons, not ounces or grams.  Here are some simple conversions:

3 teaspoons (tsp) = 1 Tablespoon (Tbsp) = 1/2 oz
8 oz = 1 cup = 1/2 US pint = 1/4 quart
1 tsp = 5 ml
1 Tbsp = 1/2 fluid oz = 15 ml
1 US pint = 0.8 imperial pint
1 cup = 8 fl oz (1/2 a US pint)= 250 ml
1 oz = 30 g
1 pound = 450 g