Jack's Story Growing Up in Balmain by John Thomson

This slim little self-published memoir has become an instant best seller in Balmain. Our local Indy book shop can barely keep up with demand and Jack has to stagger his book signing sessions to avoid writers cramp!

Jack's Story is a collection of vignettes as remembered by Jack, a local Balmain resident since 1927.

He has grouped his recollections together loosely in chronological order and scattered a few old family photos into the mix. The addition of of a few old photos of Balmain from the public archives gives the book particular interest for anyone currently living in Balmain, or for anyone with a connection to Jack and his extended family.

Jack's Story is the kind of book you want to have in your pocket as you walk the local streets.

You want to check the addresses, parks and corner shops mentioned throughout to see what it looks like now and to try and picture what it looked like when Jack was growing up.

I got so carried away one weekend, that I tracked down all the houses he mentioned that he had lived in at one point or another.

11 Ann Street

I imagine that some of these homes have barely changed their external features at all since Jack lived there, whereas others would be changed beyond Jack's wildest imaginings!

25 Vincent Street

66 Short Street

12 Grove Street

13 Grove Street

Jack's parents were married in the Presbyterian Church in Campbell St (below) in February 1927.

Jack married Marcia in August 1954 in St John's Church (below) just around the corner from where they lived their entire married life in Cove St.

Cove Street

Looking down Thomas Street into Grove Street

Corner of Rowntree and Cameron Streets - one of the areas that still gives a hint of what old Balmain may have looked like in Jack's youth.

Secrets of the Red Lantern by Pauline Nguyen

Secrets of the Red Lantern was one of the books I tracked down after my Easter visit to Vietnam. Mr Books and I loved the food whilst in Vietnam - so fresh, so tasty and so much variety. We loved the casual, shared style of cooking and eating.

We have eaten at the Red Lantern restaurant in Surrey Hills before with great pleasure, but when I spotted that Pauline had a cookbook memoir, I knew I had to give it a try. I wanted to create some of their famous healthy, delicious dishes myself.

Preparations

I have been dipping in and out of Pauline's story ever since, but have failed to try any of the recipes.

Curiously, it has been #AusReadingMonth and #nonficnov that finally got me to have a go at one. On Thursday evening I made Cha Ca - ling fillets marinated with dill and tumeric - with great success.

I love any chance to use my granite mortar and pestle, so I was delighted to crush the garlic, spring onions, tumeric and curry into a smooth paste.

The aromas that wafted around the house were so sublime they drew Mr Books down from his office to partake of the process!

The recipe was easy to follow, easy to recreate and very, very easy to enjoy.

Dinner!

Secrets of the Red Lantern is much more than a cookbook with great recipes though. It is also a substantial family memoir.

Generously littered with family photos and stories, we follow Pauline's immigration to Australia at a young age with her family after the war in Vietnam, to her early life in Australia, the importance of food in maintaining family connections and the opening of the first Red Lantern restaurant with her brother Luke and (now) partner Mark Jensen.

The book is sumptuously put together.

Each chapter begins with another part of Pauline's life story and a few family photos. Beautiful, simple photos of the food follow with one recipe per page. Brief chef suggestions by Luke and Mark accompany each recipe.

It really is an aesthetic delight from start to finish.

This post is part of #AusReadingMonth, #nonficnov and #weekendcooking.