One of the reasons I love readalongs is how they help me to get through a challenging book. They keep me focused and give my reading a purpose. The support of my fellow readalongers is an integral part of the process. But sadly, none of this is helping me get through Don Quixote. It reminds … Continue reading Musings of a Very Idle Reader
I love this chick!A lot.Marcela rocked the #metoo movement 500 years before the first hashtag even existed! After reading chapter XIV and Marcela's marvellous take down, I feel sure there are reams of essays and opinions about feminism and Cervantes out there, and if I ever feel up to searching them out and reading them, … Continue reading Don Quixote – Marcela
Yikes!Poems.I didn't know I would have to read poems to get through Don Quixote!I'm not averse to poetry; in fact, I love many, appreciate even more and adore a special few. But I've always struggled when authors insert poems, odes and songs into their work.The songs throughout The Lord of the Rings bore me to … Continue reading Musings of an Idle Reader
Historical fiction is my favourite of all genres. It's probably also why I love classic books so much. Even if they were contemporary stories when written a hundred years ago, they are now historical fiction to me.I'm not sure why I love being immersed in a time so far removed from our own, except I … Continue reading Now We Shall Be Entirely Free by Andrew Miller
So I figure the only thing to do to find my words again, is to simply start writing and see what happens!During this most recent blue funk, when writing left me and reading seemed too hard, I pulled out my next Maisie Dobbs book. She has seen me through quite a few meh times already. … Continue reading Maisie Dobbs Saves the Day
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
One of the reasons I love the Sydney Writer's Festival so much, is the way that it introduces me to new authors that I may not have otherwise come across.Rufin is a doctor who co-founded Medecins San Frontieres and has worked as an ambassador for France, which is interesting enough on its own. But he … Continue reading The Santiago Pilgrimage by Jean-Christophe Rufin
The Little People Big Dreams series is published by Frances Lincoln Children's Books.Written by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara and translated into English by Emma Martinez, this biographical series featuring iconic women for young readers is set to capture our hearts and imaginations big time.Starting with Coco Chanel and Frida Kahlo earlier this year, we can … Continue reading Little People Big Dreams
The Story of Ferdinand (1936) is a personal favourite. When I was teaching, one of my assistants would fall about in hysterical laughter whenever I got to the part about Ferdinand's mother being a very understanding mother "even though she was a cow"! Even now the thought of it brings a smile to my lips. Some … Continue reading The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf
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