Favourite Things: October Edition

Posted on by M.E. Bond Posted in Favourite ThingsTagged , , , ,

This month I’ll be linking up with Leigh Kramer on her monthly “What I’m Into” post (link-up opens Fri, Oct. 30).

Food: Carrot and Red Lentil Soup. Turns out I love anything that has garlic and ginger in it, and I could eat bowl after bowl of this soup. (I wish I knew the source of the recipe, but I photocopied it out of a book years ago and neglected to write down the title!)

Novel: The Truth According to Us by Annie Barrows.

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This nearly 500-page behemoth is a multiple-viewpoint story that begins when a Senator’s daughter gets herself hired to write a local history for a West Virginia town during the Great Depression. The family she boards with is full of characters who have their own issues (past and present) to deal with, including twelve-year-old Willa, her father Felix who disappears for days at a time, and her aunt Jottie who takes care of everyone. This is a complex story with a climax that is satisfying without tying everything up neatly. I kept thinking about the characters after I finished reading.

Kids Chapter Book: One Year in Coal Harbour by Polly Horvath

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I discovered this sequel to Everything on a Waffle when browsing at a library branch I hadn’t visited before. Polly Horvath mixes ridiculous characters with thoughtful takes on serious issues, like foster care, environmentalism, and marriage. I love the voice of the narrator, Primrose Squarp, and the idiosyncratic recipes at the end of each chapter. (Salade Nicoise with Mini Marshmallows, anyone?)

Picture Books:

Games:

  • Hoopla, a cooperative version of Cranium played with cards and a twenty-minute timer.
  • Qwirkle, a tile game where you create sequences based on shape and colour. The best part is saying “qwirkle” when you complete a sequence of six (plus you get extra points, of course).
  • Sushi Go, a card game with cute pictures of little sushi rolls in which the hands get passed around the table.

News: There’s a new baby giraffe at the Calgary Zoo! I haven’t seen it yet, so I’ll have to go back in November.

Bible verse (Old Testament): Psalm 126:6
He who goes out weeping,
bearing the seed for sowing,
shall come home with shouts of joy,
bringing his sheaves with him.

Bible verse (New Testament): 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12 To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

I hope you’ll share your favourite things from the past month!

14 thoughts on “Favourite Things: October Edition”

  1. Reply
    Emily says:

    I would like some of that soup, please, and I need to read One Year in Coal Harbour, asap! Also The Truth According to Us.

    My favourite things this month are:
    curried butternut squash, apple, and lentil stew (http://www.vodkaandbiscuits.com/2014/09/22/curried-butternut-squash-lentil-stew/)
    the pumpkins and mums on my front step
    candles burning on the mantel
    visiting Civil War sites
    roasted chicken with grapes
    sweater weather and fall foliage
    washing off the paintbrushes in the evening when the room is painted and I’m done until tomorrow.

    1. M.E. Bond
      Reply
      M.E. Bond says:

      Yes, you must read those books. Your stew sounds good, too. I tend to puree my vegetable soups, so I should try that for a change. Do you have a recipe for roasted chicken with grapes? It intrigues me.

  2. Reply
    Beverly Troup (A good friend of Joy Ayer) says:

    My favourite event in October . I was teaching 13 year olds in my Sunday School class and remarked that I wasn’t feeling too well today and the class would be shortened . The MOST wildest,most disruptive kid in the class came over to me and gave me a hug!!

  3. Reply
    Lisa K. says:

    If I made a list of my favorite things from this month, it would have to include the photograph of the giraffe at the top of your blog post. It’s gorgeous!

    Then there would also be: long walks with my dog in the cooler weather and getting to see the beautiful autumn leaves in our neighborhood and also getting to attend two amazing author panels at a local, independent bookstore.

    1. M.E. Bond
      Reply
      M.E. Bond says:

      I wish I could take credit for the giraffe photo, but I’ll just have to say that I’m thankful for all the amazing free stock photos available online!

  6. Reply
    christinaemoss says:

    I love both Qwirkle and Sushi Go (which is a great way to get the basic dynamic of Seven Wonders without the more complicated elements)! And I love both Cranium and cooperative games, so Hoopla sounds amazing. Do you think it would be possible to just modify a regular game of Cranium with Hoopla rules?

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