Bendigeidfran son of Llŷr was crowned king over this island and invested with the crown of London. One afternoon he was in Harlech in Ardudwy, at one of his courts; he was sitting on the rock of Harlech, above the sea, with his brother Manawydan son of Llŷr, and his two brothers on his mother's side, … Continue reading The Mabinogion: The Second Branch of the Mabinogi | Sioned Davies #Dewithon23
It’s time for another Classics Club spin. This is the Classics Club's 33rd CC Spin...and mine. Yes you read that correctly. I have participated in EVERY single Classics Club spin, along with Jean @Howling Frog. What is a CC Spin? Simply pick twenty books that you’ve got left to read from your Classics Club List. … Continue reading Classics Club Spin #33
What's On My Mind: An overnight trip to the mountains has suddenly made everything feel better. I suspect Mr Books and I are getting closer and closer to making the decision to move for good. What I'm Reading: The Mabinogion | Jeffrey Gantz (translator - Reading Wales) Thirst For Salt | Madelaine Lucas (April release … Continue reading Stories & Shout Outs #58
"I'm going to marry Damian." Joanna said. Claire wasn't paying attention. She smiled and nodded, intent on unravelling a ball of garden twine that had become tangled. I said: "Well, that's nice, or course. But Damian's married already." It didn't matter, Joanna said, and repeated her resolve. Joanne was five at the time. It is … Continue reading Marrying Damian | William Trevor #Begorrathon23
Lisa @ANZLit Lovers alerted me to this meme. She found it at Jennifer’s Tasmanian Bibliophile at Large who found it over at Jana's Reviews From the Stacks. Jana often includes a theme to add an extra spice to the challenge - this month it is Spring. Given I live in the Southern Hemisphere, I will turn the … Continue reading Spell the Month in Books | March
Tommy had intended to spend the last night at the old house sweating through three shirts and four pairs of underwear. I cannot remember the last time I devoured a book in a weekend. However, Michael Thompson has written an engaging, easy-to-read story with a fascinating premise that I couldn't put down. How To Be … Continue reading How To Be Remembered | Michael Thompson #AUSfiction
Affairs are a little like childbirth. Someone is always having one somewhere, usually right under the nose of a spouse because nobody knows everything that happens inside a marriage, not even the people in it. I have no idea how I'm going to respond to this memoir. To say Infidelity and Other Affairs has generated … Continue reading Infidelity and Other Affairs | Kate Legge #AWWmemoir
Photo by Adi Goldstein on Unsplash Balloons are not really the environmentally friendly thing to do these days, so digital balloons are my way of celebrating my birthday month in books! During February I finished reading: FebruaRY: TITLEAUTHORCOUNTRYGENREPUB DATEORIGINA Difficult Young ManMartin BoydAustraliaHistorical Fiction1957TBRThe Island of Missing TreesElif ShafakEngland/TurkiyeFiction2021TBRThe Kidnapping of Pearl ButtonKatherine MansfieldNew ZealandShort … Continue reading February 2023 | The Books
When I told Julian that I would write this book, the first intention was that it should be about my grandparents, but we agreed that it should also be an exploration of Dominic's immediate forebears to discover what influences had made him what he was, and above all to discover what in fact he was. … Continue reading A Difficult Young Man | Martin Boyd #AUSfiction
Dream: I am at my mother's house, though it is also a mansion, and she is also a mother I never had but always wanted, the kind who knows and sees. I should be writing reading responses to several other books that I finished a couple of weeks ago, but I'm starting with the most … Continue reading Little Plum | Laura McPhee-Browne #AWWfiction
What's On My Mind: As mentioned in an earlier post, February is my birthday month, as well as that of many of my family and some of my closest friends. It's hectic in a fun, chaotic kind of way. This weekend we are celebrating my dad's 80th birthday. But I'm tired. Very tired. My hormones … Continue reading Stories & Shout Outs #57
Photo by Yousef Salhamoud on Unsplash One of the things that caught my eye as I recently read The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak were the references to other authors and poets. Lawrence Durrell and C. P. Cavafy in particular. It turns out that Durrell spent some time in Cyprus from 1952 where he took up … Continue reading C.P. Cavafy | The City #poem
Once upon a memory, at the far end of the Mediterranean Sea, there lay an island so beautiful and blue that the many travellers, pilgrims, crusaders and merchants who fell in love with it either wanted never to leave or tried to tow it with hemp ropes all the way back to their own countries. … Continue reading The Island of Missing Trees | Elif Shafak
Lisa @ANZLit Lovers alerted me to this meme. She found it at Jennifer’s Tasmanian Bibliophile at Large who found it over at Jana's Reviews From the Stacks. I'm currently reading (way too many) books at once, but haven't finished any of them yet. Perhaps this weekend. In the meantime I thought I'd give this a try to … Continue reading Spell the Month in Books | February
Grace died. As Zoë replaces the lid of the electric kettle - having steamed the envelope open - her eye is caught by that stark statement. Unintentionally, the two stories I chose to read from Cheating at Canasta for Cathy & Kim's A Year With William Trevor, were both about adultery. The Room featured a 47 year … Continue reading Old Flame | William Trevor #IRLshortstory
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