Saying Goodbye to Simply Karah

All good things come to an end. Some mediocre things come to an end too.

And it's time for Simply Karah to end.

I (Katherine) will be starting a new blog which I will link at the end of this post. It's going to be more book orientated, more faith orientated and a much more real honest blog than this has become.

Thank you to everyone who has read SimplyKarah over the past year and a half.

THANK YOU!

Katherine // Ex Simply Karah

P.S. If you want to come across to my new blog you will find me at sincerelykbo.com

My Favourite Place // Barter Books

If you don't like books or an overload of photos then I would probably recommend not reading this post.

My favourite place in the world is Barter Books. Barter Books is a huge second hand bookshop in the old railway station in Alnwick, Northumberland. It truly is my happy place.

Basically they turned an old railway station into a huge bookshop complete with cosy sofa's by the fire and tea shops. What more could a book lover ask for?

Along the top of the bookshelves in one of the rooms are train lines with trains going along them, it's such a awesome nod to the buildings past and all the kids (and adults) love watching for the trains.

What follows now is a whole host of pictures of Barter Books. I won't be offended if you don't look at them all, there are quite a few. But there is no way to show this place off with only a few pictures. So book lovers (and train lovers) enjoy!

Look out for a Barter Books haul coming soon!

Kate // SK

Book Haul // January & February

I've picked up a few books in the past couple of months and I thought I would show you. These are a mix of Amazon marketplaces purchases and library books I've borrowed.

Bought

The Tiger in the Well - Philip Pullman

A Curious Beginning - Deanna Raybourn

How To Be A Woman - Caitlin Moran

The Suffragettes - Various Authors

Borrowed

The Recruit - Robert Muchamore

All We Shall Know - Donal Ryan

Asking For It - Louise O'Neill

It's only this month I've got my library card renewed and started using my local library again. I think it's important to use your local library and it will also save me money (double win!)

Kate // SK

What I've Been Watching // FILMS

So recently a couple of my friends and I have been upping our game when it comes to watching films. We're trying to watch more of the classic films that we've heard of but not actually seen.

Cinema

 La La Land - an aspiring actress and a man determined not to let jazz die out

Arrival - aliens have landed and a brilliant linguist is called in to communicate with them

The Accountant - a maths genius cooks the books for some of the most dangerous criminal organisations.

Rogue One - how did the alliance get the plans for the death star? This is their story.

DVD

Sicario - follows an FBI agent as she works alongside a CIA team to take a stand against the war on drugs

Fight Club - The formation of and events surrounding fight clubs

Birdman - follows the story of an actor (famous for his portrayal as a superhero) as he puts together a Broadway show, he has to battle his own ego to truly succeed.

Reservoir Dogs - 6 strangers are brought together to pull of the perfect crime. The robbery turns out to be an ambush and they realise someone in their crew is a police informer.

A Time To Kill - following a white lawyer defending a black man who killed his daughters white rapists (race is important in this one)

Spotlight - journalists uncovering the historical sexual abuse of children by Catholic priests in Boston

I would go round these films individually and give my rating but honestly? I loved them all.

If I had to pick a top 3 for enjoyment it would be: Rogue One, Arrival and La La Land.

If I had to pick a top 3 for an incredible film they would be: Reservoir Dogs, Birdman and La La Land.

Overall winner -  La La Land. If you haven't seen it yet then get your act together and go!!!

Kate // SK

The Kitchen Cabinet // PODCAST

2 and a half weeks ago I was lucky enough to be able to go to the recording of "The Kitchen Cabinet" podcast by BBC Radio 4.

I went with my dad and neither of us had a clue what it was going to be like.

The Kitchen Cabinet is one of the few BBC podcasts which moves around, this means that instead of always being in London or Manchester this one came to Stirling which is a very handy 20 minutes away from me.

This is the one and only photo I took at the podcast, we were asked to turn our phones off during the recording to prevent feedback with the mics and I forgot to take more photos at the end. But really a podcast is all about the audio rather than the visual so I don't think it's a massive loss.

The recording lasted about an hour and around 30 minutes of that will be used in the final broadcast.

If you're interested in listening to the broadcast it went live on the 11th and you can listen to it and other episodes here.

The whole event was so relaxed and the hosts were all more than happy to talk to the audience afterwards. There was no celebrity/fan culture it was just people who liked to talk about food. I'm not even a big foodie but I found everything interesting. I learnt what a cardoon was, how best to smoke a salmon and the reasons why there is an old property nearby with a giant stone pineapple on it (seriously not joking look here).

I cannot recommend going to a podcast recording enough. It was so much fun. The panel and host (Jay Rayner) were so good at engaging the audience and the whole hour had me completely hooked.

Kate // SK

Top 5 // All Time Favourite Books

I love lists and I love hearing lists about books, so I'm going to start a new little series which I'll do twice a month(ish).

Today I thought I would start off with my top 5 favourite books ever. You know something nice and easy (NOT).

My favourite books change all the time so this is my current top 5 favourite books.

The Little Paris Bookshop - Nina George

I've 100% talked about this book before. It's a book about books. Monsieur Perdu prescribes books as medicine for the hardships of life. This book follows him as he takes his bookshop barge down the canals of France to try and find peace with his past.

Silent In The Grave - Deanna Raybourn

I chose the first book in this series but really I don't know if I could decide between the first three books in this series.

The book follows Lady Julia Grey as she tries to solve the mystery of her husbands murder with the help of the mysterious Nicholas Brisbane.

The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett

This is classic children's book following Mary Lennox as she goes to live on the Yorkshire moors with her Uncle following the death of her parents.

The perfect book to read on a grey rainy day.

The Night Circus - Erin Morgenstern

Le Cirque des Rêves arrives with no warning or advertisements. One day it's not there the next it is.

I'm not going to give anything away about this book but I've never met anyone who hasn't enjoyed it. The descriptions in this book are so vivid you feel as if you were there.

Eat Sweat Play - Anna Kessel

I haven't even finished this book but I already know it's going to be one of my favourites.

This is the kind of book that you have to read bit by bit because you keep stopping and just having to sit and take in what you're reading.

Kate // SK

NB: This Top 5 series is an idea I have nicked from Booktube. I think the Top 5 Wednesday videos started with Lainey at GingerReadsLainey and has spread since then.

Lasagne From Scratch / FOOD

There's something so satisfying about making a meal completely from scratch. I'm talking making the bolognaise sauce and the white sauce etc (not rearing and killing my own beef, I'm not that keen).

I LOVE lasagne, like really love, so if I'm going to spend time cooking instead of sleeping it's going to be lasagne I make.

This is lasagne as I like it, which means it is packed with vegetables rather than just being meat and tomato sauce. I really struggle to get my five a day so smuggling vege into a lasagne is perfect for me.

Basics

Pre-heat the oven to 160C

Prep time: 1 hour

Cooking time: 45 minutes

Ingredients

Meat Sauce

250g mince

1 onion chopped

sprinkling of garlic granules (or one clove of garlic)

1/2 carrot chopped

1/2 red pepper chopped

4 small mushrooms chopped

1 tin of chopped tomatoes

1 squeeze of tomato puree

1 glass of red wine

Sprinkling of Rosemary, Sage, Thyme or other herbs

Black pepper

White Sauce

85g of butter

85g of plain flour

1 1/4 ml of milk

Grated cheese for the top

Lasagne sheets

Cooking Instructions

I always make the meat sauce first because then it can simmer away while I give all my attention to the white sauce.

1. Heat up oil in a frying pan and then bung in the mince, onion and garlic. Let that cook away until the mince is browned.

2. Add in the tomatoes, carrot, pepper, mushroom, wine and all the herbs and black pepper and let the whole thing simmer away for 30 minutes

3. White sauce time. In a pan melt the butter and then add in the flour. STIR THE WHOLE TIME, this stuff burns quick!

4. Whisk in the milk slowly and once you've added it all bring the mix to the boil

5. Once it comes to the boil turn it right down and stir it for a couple of minutes until it thickens then take it off the heat

6. Time to put it all together. Start with the meat sauce layer in the bottom of your dish, then a layer of lasagne sheets, then white sauce. Continue this pattern until dish is full, finish with a white sauce layer

7. Add on the grated cheese and shove it in the oven for around 45 minutes until the cheese is nice and golden and the pasta is cooked through.

8. ENJOY

Kate // SK

BuJo // February Set Up

I have majorly reduced my monthly spread in February. I've found myself not using my bullet journal as much as I was and I'm hoping that by taking it right back to basics it might encourage me to pick it up everyday again.

 I'm sticking with my monthly spread as it has been for a good while now because it works perfectly for me.

 My daily spreads have been dramatically reduced to just one page per week. I'm actually really liking this, my one issue is that the set up for it is more effort than I want to put in (which admittedly isn't very much).

And that's it, very short and sweet this month.

Hopefully next month I'll have more to show you!

Kate // SK

February TBR // January Wrap Up

January Wrap Up

The Little Shop of Happy Ever After: Finished

I gave this book 3 stars, I thought it was good, it was just a bit cringy and I wanted more character development.

Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone: Finished

Need I get into it? 5 stars, I love it. The illustrated edition is absolutely gorgeous.

Binocular Vision: Started

I'm enjoying this collection of short stories I just find that it takes me longer to read because I don't get sucked into it in the same way I do with a full length novel.

A Lineage of Grace: Started

I absolutely love this book, it's such a clever way of telling the stories of well known bible characters.

Audio Book: I finished The Book Thief this month and really enjoyed it. It's a beautifully written book and so well read but it's devastating.

February TBR

As well as finishing A Lineage of Grace and Binocular Vision I'm hoping to get to:

Moranthology - Cailtin Moran

Caitlin Moran gets chatty about everything from political to social issues. I cannot wait to read this.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - J.K. Rowling

The second book of the series, it's been a good while since I read this one.

Silent in the Grave - Deanna Raybourn

This is one of my favourite books. It follows Lady Julia Gray as she looks into the death of her husband with the help of Nicholas Brisbane.

Redeeming Sex - Debra Hirsch

The tag line for this is "naked conversations about sexuality and spirituality". This is a book written by a Christian and looks at a biblical vision of sex and gender that honours God and offers good news to the world.

I have already started this book a few months back but it was borrowed so I had to return it. I was really enjoying it so far so I'm looking forward to getting back into it.

Kate // SK

Bookish Opinions

I've been talking a lot about books recently. Whenever I talk to a fellow book lover the conversation inevitably comes around to our bookish opinions. It's a conversation that can easily become heated. We book lovers are an opinionated lot! So I thought today that I would tell you my opinions.

New books or Second hand books?

I love both. My collection is probably made up of around 50% new books and 50% second hand books. I love bookshops of all shapes and sizes. But there is something about second hand bookshops that I just absolutely adore.

Hardback or Paperback?

Generally I prefer paperbacks for 3 reasons: they're cheaper, they fit on my shelves better and they're much more comfortable to read.

Bookmarks or Dog Eared?

Bookmarks. I am totally fine with battered old copies of books but I CANNOT STAND when people fold over the corners of books to mark their spot. I don't know why it bugs me so much but it just does.

Collecting sets?

I love collecting books in sets. I love the red spine vintage classics as well as the children vintage classic collection. My absolute favourite books are my Penguin Clothbound Classics, they are beautiful beyond description.

Annotating books?

Nope, I can't do it. I wish I could but I can't. Maybe this will change one day but at this time in my life I just can't bring myself to do it!

Where do I buy my books?

Usually I buy my books second hand from the Amazon Marketplace, new books I generally buy at Waterstones. Ideally I would love to be able to go to a little independent second hand bookshop but there just isn't one near me (sob!). There is a small independent bookshop in my town which I have started using.

I would love to hear all your opinions on this. Even if they do disagree with mine!

Kate // SK

Music of the Moment

I thought today I would tell you some of the music I am loving at the moment.

My music taste is eclectic and what I want to listen to each day completely depends on how I'm feeling that day.

Lone Digger by Caravan Palace

This song would probably come under the genre of Electro Swing. Which in my opinion is one of the happiest and most likely to get me dancing genre there is. Listen to it. It may not sound like something you would enjoy but listen. Give it a go.

Smooth by Florida Georgia Line

The beginning of this song must be played loudly and through a good sound system. Enjoy.

Love$ick by MuraMasa ft Asap Rocky

Those steel drums though.

You And Me by The Unknown Neighbout (Axero Remix)

Tribe by Axero ft Billy Sax

I have no idea what they are saying in this song, but it sounds flipping good!

Kate // SK

Organising My Life

I'm not 100% disorganized but I definitely am not 100% organized. 

I'm trying to clean up my act in the whole organization side of my life, hopefully helping my stress levels along the way.

Here are a few things I've done recently to keep myself more organized.

Weekly Planner

I bought a weekly planner from Tesco in August and have only now gotten round to hanging it on my wall. It sits above my desk with each day of the week, split into three columns; Morning, Afternoon and Evening. It has a pad for lists and also a pad with stickers on it (who knows what I'll use them for). This helps me see what I have planned for the week coming whenever I'm in my room or, more, sat at my desk.

Trello

Oh this app! Kate introduced this to me the other day and I'm so, incredibly, in love with it. It's basically an app for lists. You make boards with tasks on them and score them off once complete. 

We have a board for the blog and also one for moving out, it makes us both super organized in the planning stages of moving out.

Keep a diary in your bag

I used to be pretty good at keeping a diary in my bag when I was at University but that seems to have changed ever since I graduated. I've now gone back to keeping my diary in my bag and filling it in every time I have a spare minute. Plus, whenever anyone asks if I'm free on a certain day then I've always got something to help me remember.

Tidying

Some of you might be thinking I'm daft but honestly, keeping your room or house clean really does help. It, somehow, let's you have a clear mind and instantly just makes you feel better. I know, tidying is relatively boring but it really does help your mental state.

Sleep
I'm so bad at getting a good nights sleep. I like being able to catch as much hours of the day as I can. I instantly regret this once it's time to get up, especially for work. Recently, though, I've been getting better at going to bed early and waking up less grumpy. My stress levels have reduced so much since getting a proper nights sleep.

Have you got any life tips on how to make your life more organized?
Twitter: @simplykarah10

Bekah // SK

TV shows // New Finds

I love watching TV shows. I may not watch as many as I used to but I love the thrill of finding a new show! Some of these shows are not brand new but I've just discovered them so they're new to me!

"A glimpse into an alternate history of North America. What life after WWII may have been like if the Nazis had won the war."

"Jane Doe is found in Time Square, naked with her entire body covered in tattoos"

"Following Queen Elizabeth II in the early years of her reign"

"Following the exploits of Miss Phryne Fisher as she solves crimes in 1920's Melbourne"

If you try any of them out, let me know what you think!

Kate // SK