Last year, for DDM reading week with Heavenali, I only had time for one short story. I chose The Birds, the first story in one of my beautiful Virago Designer Classic editions. This year I was more organised and finally finished the rest of the collection. The other stories include: Monte Verità (pp. 44-113) "They … Continue reading The Birds and Short Stories | Daphne Du Maurier #DDMreadingweek
20 Books of Summer Winter with Cathy @746 Books is an annual blogging event that I simply cannot resist, despite the fact that the only way I complete it each year is by swapping out some of the books from my original list! But that's half the fun. There are always a handful of books … Continue reading 20 Books of (Summer) Winter
Better late than never right? "This happened back in March of 2010, when the Philadelphia train station still had the kind of information board that clickety-clacked as the various gate assignments rolled up. Serena drew stood directly in front of it, gazing intently at the listing for the next train to Baltimore." Title: French Braid … Continue reading April Mini Reviews
What's On My Mind: After my holiday, I flirted with the idea of giving up blogging.I'd run out of scheduled posts and I thought, that's that.I've got nothing left to say write.I backed up my blog and logged off.It lasted a week! What I'm Reading: The Birds and other Stories | Daphne du MaurierOctober | … Continue reading Stories & Shout Outs #49
It's not easy to find unemotive reports about what is happening in Ukraine right now. The history of Europe and the West with Russia is a long and complex one and the seeds of the current war can be found in this historic relationship. Modern day leaders, politicians, oligarchs, journalists and historians all play a … Continue reading Understanding Ukraine Master Post
The President of the Chamber remained standing until the faint stir caused by his entry subsided. Then he took his seat, saying rather nonchalantly, in a quiet voice:'The sitting is open.' As always, I am facsinated by translation choices. Above are the opening lines from Brian Nelson's recent 2018 translation of Son Excellence Eugène Rougon, … Continue reading Son Excellence Eugène Rougon | Émile Zola #Zoladdiction
The sunlight of late September filled the pale, formal streets between Portland Place and Manchester Square. The sky was a burning blue yet the still air was chill. The first point I wish to highlight about Margaret Elizabeth Jenkins are her birth and death dates - the 31st October 1905 and the 5th September 2010. … Continue reading The Tortoise and the Hare | Elizabeth Jenkins
The Self-Help Books For about a decade of my life, roughly 25-35, I struggled to work out what this whole thing we call life was actually for. I'm not the first person to ask such questions, and I'm sure I wont be the last. Which is no doubt why the self-help section at your local … Continue reading Shelf Life #8
This week sees us reading books with Simon @Stuck in a Book and Karen @Kaggsy's Bookish Ramblings that were first published in 1954. And what a stellar year it was! Looking through the various online lists, I see that I have read and reviewed an impressive number of books from 1954 already. From children's fiction, … Continue reading The 1954 Club
The unfolding situation in Ukraine is distressing and worrying for so many of us. When my home state of NSW is not in the middle of another major flooding event, our news is full of what is happening in Eastern Europe. The what and where is easy to see. But it's hard to get a … Continue reading I Stand For Peace Reading Event May – Sept 2022
My Month: My writing hiatus is mostly a reviewing hiatus. The words to describe my reading journey have deserted me, for now.Instead, I have been tidying up behind the scenes.And catching up on my Classic Club duties.In case you were wondering, it's still raining! What I'm Reading: His Excellency Eugene Rougon | Emile ZolaThe Tortoise … Continue reading Stories & Shout Outs #48
182 years ago today, Émile Édouard Charles Antoine Zola was born in Paris and for the past nine years, Fanda @Classiclit has hosted Zoladdiction throughout April. I joined in the first two with the only Zola's on my TBR pile - Germinal (1885) and Nana (1880). At that point I didn't really understand how the whole Rougon-Macquart thing … Continue reading Zoladdiction 2022
Yesterday, I posted a mini review for the fiction titles I read during March. Today we a take a quick peek at the non-fiction. It has been a great reading month. My March book club read was Archie Roach’s Tell Me Why. It was a moving, honest account of his life. Archie Roach is a … Continue reading March Madness 2 #minireviewsnonfiction
Yes, I'm on a writing hiatus, but I couldn't just let my March reads disappear off the blogging radar completely. One of the reasons I have this blog is keep track of what I've read. Many of my books have not been purchased by me - they are reading copies from work. Therefore, they are … Continue reading March Madness 1 #minireviewsfiction
Life has been pretty hectic this year, one way or another, and my writing mojo seems to have gone missing in action. Lately I’ve been resorting to old, half finished drafts to keep my blog active. You know those posts...started in good faith a while ago but never quite let out in public because you … Continue reading A Little Hiatus
bronasbooks.com 
You must be logged in to post a comment.