This is the third and final discussion post for the North & South readalong hosted by It's All About Books, Jenni Elyse & Kami's LIbrary Thoughts.Discussion post two is here.Discussion post one here.I have been a little rebellious by not waiting to answer the questions posted by Suey, Kami & Jenni. However I write most … Continue reading North & South by Elizabeth Gaskell
I may have over-commited myself when planning my 2014 reading challenges!I very nearly threw my hands up in despair last week when I started spotting 2015 challenges. I was adamant - NO! Not again.But then I spotted Behold the Stars British Reading Challenge & Adam's TBR Challenge...and I started wondering....Did I really do so badly … Continue reading 2015 – Challenges – Will I? Or Won’t I?
I've read so many varied reviews of Olive Kitteridge over the years, that I knew that this was probably going to be a 'love it or hate it' kind of book. Given my enjoyment of Strout's The Burgess Boys, I was expecting to love it. Here was another story with all my favourite themes - … Continue reading Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout
For Angela Carter Week I've been reading my way through her short story collection, The Bloody Chamber. I've already reviewed the title story, The Bloody Chamber and the three cat stories. This post is dedicated to the remaining stories in the collection. The Erl-King was an unusual story based on a German folk story that … Continue reading Angela Carter’s The Bloody Chamber – the rest!
The Courtship of Mr Lyon and The Tiger's Bride are the next two tales in Angela Carter's The Bloody Chamber anthology. These two are based on the fairy tale of Beauty and the Beast.I was a little let down, but only a little, after the heady, gothic delights of The Bloody Chamber. They seemed less … Continue reading Angela Carter – the cat stories.
The Bloody Chamber is the main story in Angela Carter's short story collection, of the same name, first published in 1979.It turned out to be a tremendous way for me to start off Angela Carter Week. The general consensus seems to be that it is one of her most perfectly constructed tales. Full of evocative … Continue reading The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter
Well, this is a lovely little find.Caroline @Beauty Is A Sleeping Cat and Delia @Postcards From Asia are co-hosting an Angela Carter month on their blogs.I have a copy of The Bloody Chamber which I've been meaning to read for simply ages.(Actually, I started reading it years ago but for some reason I didn't finish it.)It will … Continue reading Angela Carter Week 8 – 15th June 2014
I can't believe I've let this gem of a book languish on my TBR pile for two years.Parisians is a wonderfully rich, engaging, engrossing stroll through the lesser known stories that populate the history of Paris.I say stroll deliberately.Robb has chosen stories that highlight the streets and buildings of Paris.We see a young Napoleon visiting … Continue reading Parisians: An Adventure History of Paris by Graham Robb
I'm a little in love with the amazing Maisie Dobbs.She's smart, thoughtful & reserved. She's a flawed character with a tragic past. She's strong, determined and above all, honest.Integrity, honour and justice are traits that she tries to live by and work with.Which can be challenging when you're a private investigator asked to check into … Continue reading Elegy For Eddie by Jacqueline Winspear
I wish these books had been around when I was a younger reader.They tick all my historical fiction/fictionalised history boxes beautifully.Elizabeth: A Tudor Princess's Diary 1544 is my first dip into The Royal Story series and I can't recommend them highly enough for young lovers of history.It's an easy to read diary format full of … Continue reading My Royal Story: Elizabeth by Kathryn Lasky
I've read The Fault in Our Stars and Paper Towns by John Green previously and thoroughly enjoyed both of them. So I was expecting quite a lot from An Abundance of Katherines.I was, therefore, disappointed when it didn't 'grab' me straight off.I found Colin annoying more than endearing and the dialogue with his friend, Hassan … Continue reading An Abundance of Katherines by John Green
It's that time of year - when the New Year challenge call goes out to those of us in blogger land. Will we, or won't we join up? How many challenges? Will I keep to my plan? Or is simply something else to fail at? So far I've avoided yearly challenges in my 5 years … Continue reading 2014 Challenges
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