Well, true to form, I’ve not finished a single book this week. I do have excuses – our fridge broke, then the new one we had delivered is also broken, and we lost three days in shopping for a fridge, waiting around for delivery and plumbers, waiting around for repair people to get in READ MORE
TOP TEN TUESDAY | UNREAD BOOKS ON MY SHELVES I WANT TO READ SOON
There are always a thousand books that I absolutely, definitely want to read next. The problem is that I can’t read them all at once, so I have to choose one and then the rest just sort of form an endless queue. I’m writing this a bit ahead of time, so I’m looking on READ MORE
THE SUNDAY REVIEW | THIS MUCH IS TRUE – MIRIAM MARGOLYES
If you have not encountered the incomparable Miriam Margolyes in the past, I don’t know how to describe her to you other than to say that she is a truly singular personality. She is a British dramatic legend who has spent most of her adult life on stage, in front of the camera or READ MORE
WEDNESDAY BLOGGING CHALLENGE | INTROVERT OR EXTROVERT?
Well, as confusing as it may seem, I’m going to have to say both. I always thought of myself as an introvert, but I then had a phase where I was going out all the time, had a bunch of different groups of friends I hung out with and was generally pretty good at READ MORE
TOP TEN TUESDAY | CHARACTERS (AND AUTHORS) I’D LIKE TO GO ON VACATION WITH
I’m going to cheat a bit this week because I had a hard time coming up with enough characters to fill a top ten list. But also I kept coming back to wishing I could include some of the writers whose work or interviews have left me feeling like they’d be interesting to have READ MORE
LINK-UP | IT’S MONDAY! WHAT ARE YOU READING?
Still not a prolific week! I somehow completely missed that it was Dewey’s 24-Hour Readathon this week until it was almost over, so I missed out on participating. I finished one book because I decided to join in for an hour or so. I really want to actually join in next time around because READ MORE
THE SUNDAY REVIEW | HENCH – NATALIE ZINA WALSCHOTS
This book was a fascinating reversal of our usual superhero tale. This one is not only told from the perspective of the villains of the piece, but, even more interestingly, from the perspective of one of their henchwomen. In this story, henches are often contract employees. The story starts with Anna, a novice hench, READ MORE
WEDNESDAY BLOGGING CHALLENGE | A MOMENT I WISH I COULD RE-LIVE
Life is so full of small moments, some that you barely register at the time, others that you know are momentous as they happen. One that I keep wishing I could go back to was the last time my baby fell asleep on my shoulder. The warm breath on my neck, the weight of READ MORE
TOP TEN TUESDAY | LGBTQ+ AUTHORS AND STORIES
I’ve been thinking about LGBTQ+ stories lately, as by chance I’ve been reading a lot of books that are either written by LGBTQ+ authors, feature these characters, or both. I’ve found these voices to be not only important representation of this group of people, but also of the human condition in general. People’s reactions READ MORE
LINK-UP | IT’S MONDAY! WHAT ARE YOU READING?
Another book-less week, unfortunately. Well, not entirely book-less, I just haven’t finished any. So instead of my usual “Just Shelved” section, I’m going to include a “Started” for the books I started and abandoned (“Currently Reading” will be the books I’m still going with but haven’t completed yet). Started READ MORE
THE SUNDAY REVIEW | THE KNITTING CIRCLE – ANN HOOD
I love knitting, and I also love the idea of a craft – particularly one that is traditionally women’s domain – offering both solace in and of itself during difficult times, and also an opportunity to connect with other women while learning and practicing the craft. Ann Hood is the editor of a couple READ MORE
WEDNESDAY BLOGGING CHALLENGE | BOOKS ON MY TBR THE LONGEST
Hahahahahaha…. oh, you’re not joking? Well, this is literally impossible for me to answer. I have so many books on my physical and virtual TBR that I could not possibly tell you which have been there the longest. There are a lot of classics I have kicking around that I haven’t yet read – READ MORE
TOP TEN TUESDAY | BOOKS TO READ ON A RAINY DAY
I’m doing a bit of a twist on this week’s April Showers theme and selecting some of my favourite books to read on a rainy day. The prerequisites are that it must be easy to read (no dense historical non-fiction or philosophical leanings here), it must feel at least a bit cosy, and it READ MORE
LINK-UP | IT’S MONDAY! WHAT ARE YOU READING?
Well, more time has gotten away from me and rather than reading, I’ve been watching BBC shows about plants, wildlife, nature, gardening and history (A House Through Time is a current favourite). I’ve also spent a lot of time out in the garden weeding and tackling two very large, very unruly rose bushes that READ MORE
THE SUNDAY REVIEW | THE AIR RAID BOOK CLUB – ANNIE LYONS
When this book starts, Gertie Bingham has just lost her beloved husband. She still has the bookstore that they ran together and her lovely dog, Hemingway, but she’s foundering. She’s lonely at home, adrift in her life, and can’t engage with the bookstore as she did when Harry was alive. When she’s there she’s haunted READ MORE
WEDNESDAY BLOGGING CHALLENGE | AN INTERESTING STORY ABOUT FAMILY OR FRIENDS
I have been thinking on this one for quite some time, and all the stories I’ve come up with are either inappropriate, would embarrass said family/friends, or aren’t that exciting. So the only thing I can think of is a story about a trip I went on when I was a kid. My mother READ MORE
TOP TEN TUESDAY | MOVIES & TV SHOWS THAT WOULD HAVE MADE AMAZING BOOKS
This is a tricky one. I know I’ve seen prompts like this before, but they’re usually going in the other way – books that would make good movies or TV shows. I’ve never considered going from screen to book! 13th As Time Goes By The Gilmore Girls Luther Skins Misfits Sons of Anarchy READ MORE
THE SUNDAY REVIEW | COASTING – ELISE DOWNING
I think most people who are in their 20s – or even 30s+ – can relate to the feeling that wherever you are in life, it’s not where you want to be. Life as a young(ish) adult these days is debt or a job that barely pays the bills or unemployment or relationships that READ MORE