I didn't think my Christmas post would be another Covid Chronicles update. However, our planned family Christmas gathering at our holiday home in the mountains quickly went pear-shaped on Christmas Eve when B21 woke up feeling unwell. A rapid antigen test (RAT) came up positive. He went off to a private clinic to try and … Continue reading So, this is Christmas: The Covid Chronicles #15
I am a novelist, and I suppose I have made up this story. I write ‘suppose’, though I know for a fact that I have made it up. The Heavenly Christmas Tree was initially published as The Beggar Boy at Christ’s Christmas in 1876 in A Writer’s Diary. It's fair to say that it reflects the religious conversion … Continue reading The Heavenly Christmas Tree | Fyodor Dostoevsky #RUSshortstory
The other day I saw a wedding ... but no, I had better tell you about the Christmas tree. To continue my Literary Christmas reading challenge, I have left behind Mary Gaunt and Australian shores to head off to pre-revolutionary Russia. A Christmas Tree and a Wedding is a short story by Fyodor Dostoevsky. It … Continue reading White Nights and other stories | Fyodor Dostoevsky #RUSshortstories
Little did I know when I started posting these chronicles of our times back in March last year, that I would still be doing so nearly two years later. It was December 2019 when we first started hearing about a nasty flu virus in Wuhan in China (although apparently our governments had been talking about … Continue reading The Covid Chronicles #14
It was a comfortable place, the wide verandah at Warwingie, a place much used by the Warners on all occasions, save during the heat of the day - but the long hot day was drawing to a close now. For this year's A Literary Christmas, I decided to hunt down some seasonal short stories. Most … Continue reading The Moving Finger | Mary Gaunt #AWWshortstories
My Week: Christmas shopping done - tick!Mr Books & I enjoyed our first night out at the movies since Feb 2020. We dined beforehand, then enjoyed a rather large glass of rose during the screening of Dune!I decided to reinstate the sending of Christmas cards this year. It felt like the right thing to do. … Continue reading Stories & Shout Outs #45
What a lovely way to start December - with a week dedicated to all things Godden! Hopefully, you've enjoyed your week in India, England and France in the very capable hands of Rumer Godden. A big thank you to all of you who contributed reviews and comments, here and on Twitter. It has been a … Continue reading #RumerGoddenReadingWeek2021 Wrap Up
'When the lotus comes it is time to go.' That is what we say in Kashmir. My copy of Coromandel Sea Change (Pan Macmillan 2013) includes a short non-fiction piece at the back called Summer Diary: The Herbogowan. It is undated. The only information provided is to be found on the title page, stating that … Continue reading Summer Diary: The Herbogowan | Rumer Godden #ReadingWeek2021
Rumer Godden Literary Trust Today, December 10, Rumer Godden would have celebrated her 114th birthday. To celebrate, I have pulled together a few well-known quotes attributed to Godden. For more photos, please click on the link to the Literary Trust above. On Writing: To me and my kind life itself is a story and we … Continue reading Happy Birthday Rumer!
Last month I feature a few of the prayer/poems from Carmen Bernos de Gasztold's collection called Prayers From the Ark. These simple French poems had been rediscovered by Rumer Godden and then translated into English during the 1960's. The second collection of poems, The Creatures' Choir (1965), errs more on the side of poetry than prayers. … Continue reading The Creatures’ Choir | Carmen Bernos De Gasztold #poetry
Saturday was change-over day at Patna Hall. For my inaugural Rumer Godden Reading Week, I chose Coromandel Sea Change, first published in 1991, as I was keen to read one of her novels set in India. This was her third last book before dying at age 90 in 1998. My edition comes with an Introduction … Continue reading Coromandel Sea Change | #RumerGoddenReadingWeek
Rumer Godden's birthday is on the 10th December. To celebrate I will be hosting Rumer Godden Reading Week from Saturday 4th December to Sunday 12th December 2021. Joining in #RumerGoddenReadingWeek2021 is easy. Simply read and review one of the many books written by Rumer Godden and leave your link here (for a mini bio, full … Continue reading Rumer Godden Reading Week is Here!
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