I acquired my slightly enormous paperback early copy of this book from the Penguin Bloggers Night (I will stop going on about that eventually) and it was one I was particularly eager to read. Having enjoyed Jennifer McVeigh's reading and having chatted with her at the event, I had high expectations for The Fever Tree.… Continue reading The Fever Tree by Jennifer McVeigh
Year: 2012
Is It Still Wrong To Say Gals?
To say that feminism is 'still' an issue is like saying that we 'still' have to pay for the bus. It's pointing out the obvious. People (both men and women) say it's 'still' an issue because it's been an issue for almost a hundred years - but in the grand scheme of things that really… Continue reading Is It Still Wrong To Say Gals?
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Pub Walks in Underhill Country by Nat Segnit (Guest Post)
This is a guest post by Hannah Gillow Kloster. The Penguin Book Bloggers night was, as host Joe Pickering suggested, a whirlwind literary festival: 12 authors, 12 novels, three minutes each. One of the readings that most captured my attention was Nat Segnit reading from his novel Pub Walks in Underhill Country. Hilariously describing a small marital spat in… Continue reading Pub Walks in Underhill Country by Nat Segnit (Guest Post)
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Henry and June: The Unexpurgated Diary of Anais Nin
As those who read my review of Nin's novel A Spy in the House of Love will know, I have always heard of this strange and exotic writer but have never known much about her. This edition of a section of her unexpurgated (uncensored) diary therefore promised to teach me more about the elusive Anais.… Continue reading Henry and June: The Unexpurgated Diary of Anais Nin
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Not my usual literary hoohah but I have a great respect and girly love for Marilyn, mad as her life may have been. She was a mess, and she was wonderful. And damn it she was really, really beautiful.
Marilyn Monroe.
What a diamond. Champagne lover, literature fiend, blonde bombshell, femme fatale, one woman wonder, super star and all round beauty queen.
Here’s the best of Miss Marilyn Monroe. Those curves, that smile and some precious pearls of wisdom that should make you loud, proud and ready to shine. Life is short. Get out there and grab it.
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‘The Cellist of Sarajevo’, Steven Galloway
This book was one of several I bought in what I now admit to being a binge on Amazon. I bought it because I liked the cover and the title sounded interesting. Plus, I had never heard of it and thought it might be worth a go. How naive I was. Firstly, when it arrived,… Continue reading ‘The Cellist of Sarajevo’, Steven Galloway
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In Cold Blood by Truman Capote (Guest Post)
This is a guest post written by Hannah Gillow Kloster. When I picked up (by which I mean downloaded for free and converted to Kindle) my copy (file) of Truman Capote's In Cold Blood, I knew almost nothing about the book. I knew about Truman Capote, of course. I also saw Phillip Seymour Hoffman in London once.… Continue reading In Cold Blood by Truman Capote (Guest Post)
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Penguin Bloggers Night, Thursday 8th March 2012
A rather splendid moment in any book blogger's blogging career is being invited to brilliant events like this one. Penguin holds a special night for book bloggers every year and this year, for the first time, I was invited. In typical me fashion I arrived late, but luckily it was all chat, wine and canapes for a… Continue reading Penguin Bloggers Night, Thursday 8th March 2012
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Nightwood by Djuna Barnes
I came to hear of Djuna Barnes when I started reading Anais Nin, who was influenced by her. I read a little about Barnes and liked what I read - she was an American in Paris in the 1920s, wrapped up in the Modernist scene. I read recommendations from TS Eliot. This was enough to… Continue reading Nightwood by Djuna Barnes
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Blue Nights by Joan Didion
Blue Nights is a funny little book. The hardback is beautiful, with a blue background and lettering, a black and white photograph of a young Quintana covering the back. Beautiful, but funny. It is several things; but should not be viewed as a sequel to The Year of Magical Thinking. The earlier book was the literary actualisation of… Continue reading Blue Nights by Joan Didion
These Little Words 