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
I had wanted to be a writer. But after the events I am about to describe, I studied engineering geology and became a building contractor. This was my first Orhan Pamuk. I had fairly high expectations. To say I was underwhelmed is an understatement. We start with a young man, fatherless for all intents and … Continue reading The Red-Haired Woman | Orhan Pamuk #ReadtheNobels
Independent Scottish publisher Canongate Books brings together some of the world’s finest writers, in the Myth series, each of whom has retold a myth from various cultures in a contemporary and memorable way. The project was conceived in 1999 by Jamie Byng, owner of Canongate, who hopes that 100 titles will eventually be published in the … Continue reading The Penelopiad | Margaret Atwood #CANnovella
Given the ridiculous amount of books I have on the go at the moment, the idea of starting yet another, seems rather ridiculous. But I struggle to pass up any opportunity to join a readalong at the best of times, but when it also means reading along with Jean and Cleo, then how could I … Continue reading The Illustrated Golden Bough | Sir James George Fraser #Readalong
I recently read and loved The Song of Achilles, and couldn't really understand why I had waited so long to read a book that was so obviously designed to appeal to my reading temperament. Ancient Greek mythology, historical fiction, women's issues and award winning book all packed into one delightful package. I was determined not … Continue reading Circe by Madeline Miller
I'm not sure why it has taken me so long to get my thoughts together about The Song of Achilles, but sitting down to write about my response to this amazing story is probably a story in itself!It was during my early high school days that my love of history developed. My first history class … Continue reading The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
I like to think that I have taken my 'what to read whilst travelling' choices to an inspired level of brilliance, but I really outdid myself with our recent trip to Japan. Reading Murakami in Japan now feels like the ONLY place to read Murakami!Not only does the usual Murakami weirdness make sense when you're … Continue reading Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami
The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree has been attracting my attention for several months now, however it took its recent longlisting for this year's Stella Prize to finally make me pick it up. I'm nothing but a Stella groupie!The cover alone might have been enticement enough (a collage of three of Azar's art works), but … Continue reading The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree by Shokoofeh Azar
As most of you know, the past couple of months or so has been rather trying for me and my family. As a result I've been searching through my rather extensive (okay, out of control) TBR piles for comforting, cosy, entertaining reads to ease me through this time. The Essex Serpent came highly recommended to … Continue reading The Essex Serpent | Sarah Perry
I am proud to say that I managed to read half of this year's Booker shortlist before the winner was announced.Do Not Say We Have Nothing was an epic multi-generational family saga, His Bloody Project was a psychological historical fiction crime story, but Hot Milk was...?Two days later, I'm still not sure what it was.Hot Milk was definitely … Continue reading Hot Milk by Deborah Levy
I've managed to get to this point without reading any reviews for The Buried Giant. Therefore, when I began reading it last week I had no idea what it was about or what to expect. There is something very thrilling & even a little daunting about opening a new book by such a well-known, well-regarded … Continue reading The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro
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