facttime

Regular readers will know that my family hail from the Black Country. And I've been spending even more time in Wolverhampton over the past two years since  Wolves tickets became easier to obtain. When I've needed a coffee stop, I have tended to break my journey in Birmingham, visiting spots like Tilt , Quarter Horse  and Faculty . Well, perhaps Wolverhampton speciality coffee shops are like buses because two of them have now come along in quick succession. Medicine Bakery I haven't been to the original Medicine Bakery & Kitchen in Codsall, just outside Wolverhampton, but have stopped by their New Street café in Birmingham for a takeaway coffee a couple of times. And it was thanks to fellow coffee blogger Brian  that I found out about their new spot in central Wolverhampton, which opened in May. (For more details about the  New Street  and  Codsall  locations, check out Brian's blog.) My next challenge was getting to Wolverhampton from London early...

Another two months have passed (how?!), which means it's time for my bimonthly book recommendations. I read 19 books in July and August, taking my total for the year to date up to 78. I enjoyed so many of the books I read over the past two months and it was really hard to select just five favourites...but here they are. 1. Yerba Buena by Nina LaCour YA author Nina LaCour's debut adult novel is a beautiful, evocative love story between two young women growing up in California. Sara runs away from her home, and a world of tragedy, as a teenager and eventually finds success as a cocktail mixologist in LA. Emilie struggles with consistency, switching majors and then careers as often as she changes her clothes, but meets Sara while she is working as a flower arranger. The novel darts between different time periods, showcasing vignettes from Sara and Emilie's lives, together and apart. The relationship between the women is exquisitely portrayed, and the novel is a real treat for...