I decided I wanted to read this book on a bit of an impulse. I'd read Witches: James I and the English Witch Hunts by Tracy Borman and been left unsatisfied, so wanted to read something else to supplement my knowledge of English witches and those that persecuted them. I love these kinds of old… Continue reading Witchfinders: A Seventeenth-Century English Tragedy by Malcolm Gaskill
Category: Reviews
The best books of 2015
My apologies for the mixture of photos in this post - I have lent out some of the books featured so wasn't able to take a nice photo of them and had to find images of the covers online. Not ideal, but there you go... Somehow 2015 is over, and I have naturally been… Continue reading The best books of 2015
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Sagan, Paris 1954 by Anne Berest
On the publisher's website, Sagan, Paris 1954 is described as am "intimate narrative" and I think that is the best way to describe it. "Intimate" because it is a deeply personal book for the author, Anne Berest, and it explores her relationship with Francoise Sagan as a reader; and "narrative" because it tells a story.… Continue reading Sagan, Paris 1954 by Anne Berest
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Truth and Identity in ‘Lady Audley’s Secret’ by Mary Elizabeth Braddon
How do we know what is true, and what is not? How do we know that people really are who they say they are? Are you ever only one person? These were questions I asked myself while reading Lady Audley's Secret recently. The novel starts off simply enough with a few chapters to set things… Continue reading Truth and Identity in ‘Lady Audley’s Secret’ by Mary Elizabeth Braddon
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‘Alias Grace’ and the Concept of the Fallen Woman
Any reader of Victorian literature, or any student of the history of the period, will be aware of the concept of the fallen woman. If not, the Wikipedia page is a good place to start. It's a depressingly detailed page. For an era in which society began to move away from the government of Christianity… Continue reading ‘Alias Grace’ and the Concept of the Fallen Woman
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Wildflower by Drew Barrymore
I'm not usually one for celebrity autobiographies. I think Anjelica Huston's memoir was the first I actually read (that I can remember), and I only read that because I love Huston's work, and the book seemed down to earth and non-sensationalist, which it was. It was a journey through a life. I decided to read… Continue reading Wildflower by Drew Barrymore
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We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson (1962)
I had been wanting to read this for a while and finally got round to it last week... and it was just so brilliant. So weird. So good. Suffice to say, I gave it five stars on GoodReads. Even before reading I loved the premise, what I knew of it, and as with The Haunting… Continue reading We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson (1962)
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Re-reading: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
Last year I wrote about wanting to re-read some books that I either loved, or had sort of forgotten but was sure I liked. Jane Eyre wasn't on that list, but for some reason I recently felt compelled to re-read it. It might be because I wanted to finally get around to reading my copy… Continue reading Re-reading: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
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Meeting Persephone Books: Cheerful Weather for the Wedding by Julia Strachey
I purchased Cheerful Weather for the Wedding while out with other bloggers and book-tubers when we visited the lovely Persephone shop on Lamb's Conduit Street in London, and it is the first Persephone I have ever actually read, despite having admired their books for some time. I would encourage a visit to the shop if… Continue reading Meeting Persephone Books: Cheerful Weather for the Wedding by Julia Strachey
Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen
In my last post I mentioned that I had been away on holiday and therefore hadn't blogged in a while, but promised to be back soon. But then I got food poisoning and was off grid practically the whole week. Bloody perfect. So this is a delayed 'return' to the blog. Finally! It's been too… Continue reading Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen
These Little Words 