Book group: The Salt Path by Raymond Winn

It was my turn to host our book group this evening. Unfortunately Ridgeback13 and Winsford couldn't make it. Even without them, ArcLight, Christine, Melissa, Emma and I still enjoyed a good discussion. Our book was The Salt Path by Raymond Winn. This charts a very long and challenging walk by a homeless couple along the South West Coast Path.

The food that I prepared also seemed to go down quite well too:

- Hors d'oeuvres in the study (blipped)
- Chicken liver pâté (made on Saturday) and/or nut pâté
- Creamy mixed fish stew, green beans, and baby potatoes
- Hot winter fruit compôte with custard and/or crème fraîche

Afterwards we moved through to the sitting room for peppermint tea and chocolates.

The opinion of the book was mixed, though on balance mostly positive. ArcLight loved it, whereas I didn't really take to it. It's not badly written: indeed some sections are beautifully expressed. Rather the narrative is somewhat repetitive: walk, find camping spot, put up tent, describe the weather, and repeat. I also think that an opportunity was missed by the author to be more political about the issue of homelessess. I felt rather dislocated from the journey because I only know two locations along the route. Had the action been set in the Outer Hebrides, I expect that I would have enjoyed the book more.

Exercise today: 1 hour on the exercise bike.