Perfect dinner companion

It started a year ago yesterday, my first “Sunday dinner with”.

Valentine’s Day 2021 with Val McDermid. A pretty impressive meal. Although I still take a pretty dim view of Valentine’s Day…

… I did quite take to the idea of sitting down to a “proper” meal once a week.

And I had a pretty good run at it.

Lately, I fear, I’ve been an extremely Slack Alice (in many ways). It’s been some weeks since my last Sunday dinner with anyone. And, of course, yesterday was Monday, not Sunday, but it was also the first anniversary of the first fancy dinner on Valentine’s Day.

No half lobsters available at the local grocery store this year, so I went with fancy bangers and mash. This is traditionally a Christmas Eve meal, but it was also one of Mike’s favourites and, as he was my last “Valentine”, seemed appropriate.

The soundtrack was Gerry Mulligan and Thelonious Monk. Which could easily have been the soundtrack of my last fancy homemade dinner with Mike. He was definitely Mr Classical Music Guy. When we first got together it quickly became clear to me that, if I didn’t want to be annoyed by him wincing, I couldn’t play much of my contemporary music collection when he was at home. Then I discovered that he didn’t mind jazz. I already had some jazz CDs and went about expanding my collection so I could have music in the house.

So, bangers and mash and jazz, but who was my dinner guest? Well, who else on Valentine’s Day?

Amor Towles, of course. As previously stated, j’adore Amor. I’ve actually had this book since last November, a most welcome birthday present from my friend Irmani. What with other birthday and Christmas books, not to mention library and Bad Girls books which have a deadline, it’s taken me three months to get to this. Which isn’t to say this is my first dance with Mr Towles this year. One of my Christmas presents was a (signed!) copy of his novella Eve in Hollywood from my friend Jane. I hoovered this little book (which I’d thought was only available as an ebook) in one sitting. 

I am here to report that The Lincoln Highway is completely unlike his previous two novels, although the writing is still magical. I haven’t got to the actual road trip yet. I’m still in 1950s very small town Nebraska. This NPR review calls it a joyride and so far it is.

Looking forward to tucking in.