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This Reading Life

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  • Australiana
    • Australian Novellas
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      • Australian Literature
      • Eclipsed : Two Centuries of Australian Women’s Fiction | Connie Burns & Marygai McNamara (editors)
      • Penguin Anthology of Australian Women’s Writing
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      • Her Selection | edited by Lynne Spender
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  • Brona’s Books
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    • Short Story Collections
      • Ray Bradbury Stories Volume 1
      • The Big Book of Christmas Mysteries | edited Otto Penzler
      • The Penguin Book of Italian Short Stories | editor Jhumpa Lahiri
      • The Penguin Book of Japanese Short Stories | editor Jay Rubin
      • The Penguin Book of Spanish Short Stories | editor Margaret Jull Costa
      • The Penguin Book of the Modern American Short Story | editor John Freeman
      • The Penguin Books of French Short Stories
      • The Story: 100 Great Short Stories Written by Women | chosen by Victoria Hislop
      • William Trevor | Short Stories
    • Overseas Challenge
    • The Great Big #MustReadEverything Author Challenge
      • Godden, Rumer
      • Simenon, Georges
      • Trevor, William
      • von Armin, Elizabeth
      • Woolf, Virginia
      • Zola, Émile
  • The Classics Club
    • Children’s Classics
    • Classic ReReads
    • Classics Club List #1
    • Classics Club List #2
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Tag: Hilary Mantel

The Mirror and the Light | Hilary Mantel #Readalong

8 June 202124 May 2023 ~ Brona's Books ~ 10 Comments

Once the queen's head is severed, he walks away. Didn't Anne die in the previous book? And didn't we deal with the time immediately after her death already? Is this opening line a signal that a big recap is coming? Yes and no. As it turns out The Mirror and the Light is an overlong … Continue reading The Mirror and the Light | Hilary Mantel #Readalong

The End #WolfHallReadalong2021

31 May 202131 May 2021 ~ Brona's Books ~ 10 Comments

Did you make? Three mammoth books about a fascinating time in history, full of dastardly deeds, changing allegiances and power struggles. A time when loyalty was the name of the game. Treason was the crime. Death by execution the end result. We are all dying, just at different speeds. The pall of death and dying … Continue reading The End #WolfHallReadalong2021

#WolfHallReadalong2021

30 April 202128 April 2021 ~ Brona's Books ~ 18 Comments

“We are all dying, just at different speeds.” The end is nigh. For our Wolf Hall trilogy readalong and for Thomas Cromwell. I hope you enjoyed your Tudor mini-break throughout April; I certainly did. But I am now more than ready to tackle the final episode in this courtly drama, The Mirror and the Light, … Continue reading #WolfHallReadalong2021

Bring Up the Bodies | Hilary Mantel #Readalong

27 April 202124 May 2023 ~ Brona's Books ~ 12 Comments

His children are falling from the sky. Part of my desire in (re)reading Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies was to refresh my memory, so that I could have it all front of mind for my very first reading of The Mirror and the Light. As I started BUTB, I realised that Mantel helps … Continue reading Bring Up the Bodies | Hilary Mantel #Readalong

#WolfHallReadalong2021 Update

31 March 202118 March 2021 ~ Brona's Books ~ 16 Comments

Here we are at the end of March, and hopefully, the end of our (re)read of both Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies. A road trip holiday has delayed my ability to finish BUTB on time, but I'm close. Very, very close. My (re)read of Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies has reminded … Continue reading #WolfHallReadalong2021 Update

Wolf Hall | Hilary Mantel #Readalong

18 March 202124 May 2023 ~ Brona's Books ~ 13 Comments

Right from page one, it is obvious to see (as I (re)read), that Mantel is setting up the story to show Cromwell in a favourable and sympathetic light. The first chapter of Wolf Hall graphically, and unforgettably, describes a young Thomas Cromwell being severely beaten by his father, Walter. This is not a one-off event … Continue reading Wolf Hall | Hilary Mantel #Readalong

Bring Up the Bodies | Hilary Mantel

12 June 20126 April 2022 ~ Brona's Books ~ 5 Comments

From what I have read, we know a lot about Thomas Cromwell's deeds but not a lot about his motivations, feelings or thoughts. This is what Hilary Mantel gives us with Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies. Mantel gives Cromwell flesh, heart and thoughts. Via these two novels we see Cromwell's desires, his disappointments and … Continue reading Bring Up the Bodies | Hilary Mantel

Book Beginnings on Fridays

26 May 20125 April 2022 ~ Brona's Books ~ 1 Comment

Although it is strictly speaking, no longer Friday where I live, I figure it is Friday still somewhere in the world! Book Beginnings on Fridays is hosted by Rose City Reader. This week I am reading 'Bring Up the Bodies' by Hilary Mantel. The opening lines (after several pages of cast of characters and family … Continue reading Book Beginnings on Fridays

An International Feast

27 June 201120 March 2023 ~ Brona's Books ~ 6 Comments

My previous post was all Aussie. Now for the adult fiction update from around the world. I'll begin with one of my favourites - When God Was a Rabbit by Sarah Winman. Funny, poignant, heart-warming, up-lifting. A truly human drama full of surprises, quirks & tragedy. A great holiday read; one you will want to share … Continue reading An International Feast

  • Spell the Month in Books | June
  • The Seven Skins of Esther Wilding | Holly Ringland #AWWfiction
  • The Fire and the Rose | Robyn Cadwallader
  • 100 Best Books Written by Women
  • May 2023 | The Books
  • Nothing Special | Nicole Flattery
  • 20 Books of (Summer) Winter 2023
  • The NSW Premier’s Literature Award 2023
  • Stories & Shout Outs #60
  • Katherine Mansfield: A Secret Life | Claire Tomalin
  • A Year With William Trevor

  • Nordic FINDS (Jan)

  • The Japanese Literature Challenge 16 (Jan - Feb)

  • Eliot Readalong - Adam Bede (1 Jan – 24 Feb)

  • Australian Women Writer’s Gen 5 Week (15 -22 Jan)

  • Reading Wales Dewithon (March)

  • Reading Ireland Month (March)

  • Zoladdiction (April)

  • 1940 Club (10 - 16 April)

  • Eliot Readalong - Silas Marner (24 April - 14 May)

  • Daphne du Maurier Reading Week (8-15 May)

  •  20 Books of Summer Winter (1 June - 1 Sept)

  • Paris in July

  • First Nations Literature Reading Week (2-9 July)

  • Austen in August

  • AusReadingMonth (Oct)

  • 1962 Club (16-22 Oct)

  • Novellas in November

  • Dean Street December

  • A Literary Christmas

  • Rumer Godden Reading Week (3 -10 Dec)

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15th Anniversary of Brona's Books6 July 2024
13 months to go.
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