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Blog2019-08-09T17:33:17+10:00

WORD OF MOUTH BLOG

Latest news and literary food moments

Daphne du Maurier’s Christmas feast in Cornwall

Iconic literary food moments
One of our recommended reads for the Josephine Moon episode was Daphne du Maurier's My Cousin Rachel - suspense on steroids. The book is full of food, herbs and tisannes, which in the hands of the irresistible Rachel are weapons of power - rituals that lift the world from the mundane to the sublime. The Christmas dinner is one of the most memorable scenes in the book, highlighting how life can shift around a dinner table; and to honour the mix of Italian and Cornish influences, we have created a pasty bolognaise.
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Straight from the authors’ mouths

Recommended reads
Crime, drama, historical fiction - the choice is yours from the Josephine Moon episode's round of recommended books. Suspense and ambiguity set the tone for all three picks. Josephine kicks off with The Music Shop, a novel by Rachel Joyce, set in Margaret Thatcher's dystopian England. From there, the Word of Mouth TV foodies roll out a luscious, mouth-watering round of cookbooks. The predominant theme is Italy, which is appropriate given the Tuscan setting of Three Gold Coins. Let us know your thoughts.
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Josephine Moon shares her love of food and Italy

Author Q&A
Josephine Moon reveals herself as something of a foodie in our author Q&A. Not only does food play a central role in all of her novels but at home as well, where she lives on acreage with her family and horses. She also gives us a sneak peak into her next novel, to be published in March, which is themed around coffee (for coffee addicts everywhere!), and shares some of her mother's tips on how to make the perfect potato salad. We'll be incorporating these tips into our Christmas repertoire this year for sure.
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Three Gold Coins – Josephine Moon

Kate's review
A warm-hearted contemporary tale set in Australia and Italy, Three Gold Coins is the first book written by Josephine Moon that I have read but it won’t be the last. I just loved the skilful twisting together of romance and suspense, chick-lit and family drama. This is a novel which celebrates family ties, food and the importance of kindness, all things which I passionately believe in.

 Josephine Moon sensitively explores themes of depression and mental illness, psychological abuse and violence, which give her story extra gravitas to balance the charm.
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Natasha Lester’s luscious lowdown on food and writing

Author Q&A
Natasha Lester has answered our Q&A with gusto. She regales us with her journeys through Parisian ateliers, the Theatre du Palais Royale and the Hotels Particulier in the Marais. She was no doubt dining on glorious French baguettes and cheese all the way and we agree that no finer bread is to be found in all the world than the baguettes made in France. I am sure authors everywhere will be making a mental note to set their next novel in Paris.
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Byron on the marriage of women and lobsters

Iconic literary food moments
Our recipe for this episode was a simply divine lobster and salmon mousse. A little bit of research on the subject revealed that lobsters have long held a rather peculiar and persistent fascination to the literary community. One only has to think of Lewis Carroll's Lobster Quadrille, Annie Hall, or the dark comedy Lobster. But the most iconic literary food moment would have to be awarded to Lord Byron, and we added a lobster reference from Elizabeth Gilbert for good measure.
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Straight from the authors’ mouths

Recommended reads
It's been raining - hooray!! And there's nothing better for rainy days than curling up with a great book. This week, Natasha Lester leads off Word of Mouth TV's latest book recommendations with Louise Allan's Sisters' Song, and we finish off with some fantastic cookbooks - because rainy days are also perfect for a bit of kitchen fun.
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The Paris Seamstress – Natasha Lester

Kate's review
A dual-timeline novel that moves between the 1940s and contemporary times, The Paris Seamstress is a gorgeously rich and romantic novel about young women finding their way in the world. The story begins with Estella Bissette, a young apprentice seamstress working with her mother at a fashion designer’s atelier in Paris. She dreams of designing her own dresses but the Nazis are closing on France, and no-one knows what the future will hold.
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The pancakes revelations: Holly Ringland answers all

Author Q&A
Holly Ringland has generously answered Word of Mouth TV's Q&A and we think you'll find the answers very interesting. In the process, Holly uncovered an unholy obsession with pancakes, so much so, that from here on out, we are considering dubbing the Q&A the pancake revelations. This Q&A swings from the depths of trauma to the dizzying heights of culinary joy - perhaps there's a link?
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D.H. Lawrence’s Figs poem very juicy in its day

Iconic literary food moments
Poets have immortalised food, particularly fruit, over the centuries, tantalising the senses at every turn. One thinks of Pablo Neruda's Tomatoes, or Thomas Campion's Cherry Ripe. For Holly Ringland's edition, we have chosen D.H. Lawrence's Figs, given it is a warmer climate tree, and because it reminds us that, at the heart of all existence, lies desire and passion.
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Straight from the authors’ mouths

Recommended reads
No doubt you have all polished off the last round of book recommendations and are hungry for more. Never fear, Word of Mouth TV is here. Holly Ringland serves up our first vegan cookbook recommendation, and a lovely non-fiction book about friendship, which is so fitting given Word of Mouth TV is about food, books and friendship. Happy reading!
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Big changes to copyright laws set standard

News bites
In the first major update to copyright laws in 20 years, the European Parliament has voted in favour of copyright reforms for the digital age. The Directive on Copyright in the Digital Single Market strengthens news publishers and authors’ copyright. The most significant change applies to news infringements and will come as a blow to giant international sharing platforms and aggregators such as YouTube, Facebook and Google.
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Word of Mouth TV is the first series to combine food, books and wine. Your hosts, Kate and Sarah will be interviewing and cooking with top authors from Australia and around the world.
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