Recipe link: click here
Setting: Somerset (recipe…”A Taste of Somerset in a Scone”)
I wonder how many different scone recipes I can try?!?! I believe, however, this is the best one!!! Oh my word! Ah-ma-zing! Converting British recipes is sometimes challenging; however, the measurements in this recipe worked perfectly. I used fresh picked apples from Wisconsin (got from a mutual friend of a friend) and cheddar cheese from Trader Joe’s.
Book synopsis: (from Amazon)
Reclusive author Vida Winter, famous for her collection of twelve enchanting stories, has spent the past six decades penning a series of alternate lives for herself. Now old and ailing, she is ready to reveal the truth about her extraordinary existence and the violent and tragic past she has kept secret for so long. Calling on Margaret Lea, a young biographer troubled by her own painful history, Vida disinters the life she meant to bury for good. Margaret is mesmerized by the author’s tale of gothic strangeness—featuring the beautiful and willful Isabelle, the feral twins Adeline and Emmeline, a ghost, a governess, a topiary garden and a devastating fire. Together, Margaret and Vida confront the ghosts that have haunted them while becoming, finally, transformed by the truth themselves.
This is one of my all time favorite books!!!! I read it a few years ago. I was suggesting the book to a friend when I told her I loved the book but couldn’t remember all the details. I loaned her the book for her book club and then re-read it when I got it back. This is the only book I have ever re-read for enjoyment (and can re-read again)!
I can’t speak too much about the book without giving away details; however, if you love gothic literature, I strongly suggest this book! Even if you do not like gothic literature, this is a must read. The storytelling is one of a kind.
Another aspect I love the second go-around was the inclusion and references to all kinds of other (similar) books in the story. I think I missed this aspect the first time I read the novel probably because I was reading it so quickly to find out the story (so eager I missed this great detail). I have previously written about The Turn of the Screw. I love Jane Eyre (one of my favorites). I have not read The Woman in White but have read Wilkie Collins’s The Haunted Hotel. I actually incorporated The Moonstone in my World History class last year (made them read the beginning then we watched a trailer of a BBC version of the story). I bought The Woman in White to read AFTER I read Setterfield’s Once Upon a River. I am not sure why I haven’t already purchased her other two books. I am also glad I decided to follow her on Twitter since she posts different book suggestions.
I had a such a terrible headache today (which I rarely get). I am not sure if it was a tension headache (I am teaching during COVID ) or one as a result of reading three hours into the night last night. Just another reason why I am glad I chose to exit out of the doctoral program after my specialist. Reading for fun: it is what I do…it is what makes me happy…it is the gift I can share with my kids…it is the gift I can share with my students…it is the gift my mom gave me!
