I think I was initially drawn to this book because of the William Morrow hardback cover on GoodReads - it makes The Summer Wives look like a glamorous and mysterious society tale, which, in a way, it is. But I have to say that when I actually got round to reading it, The Summer Wives… Continue reading The Summer Wives by Beatriz Williams (2018)
An update – May 2019
Hello dear readers! As I mentioned in my first post of the year, I'm pregnant and this is taking up pretty much all of my time and energy at the moment, so I've haven't posted since March... but I am going on maternity leave at the end of May so I will have some time… Continue reading An update – May 2019
No Place to Lay One’s Head by Françoise Frenkel (1945), trans. Stephanie Smee
I came across Bookish Beck's review of No Place to Lay One's Head last month and knew I just had to read it. It is the memoir of Françoise Frenkel, a Jewish woman from Poland who opened the first French-language bookshop in Berlin, in 1921. She had studied in France, and when on a visit… Continue reading No Place to Lay One’s Head by Françoise Frenkel (1945), trans. Stephanie Smee
She-Wolves: The Women Who Ruled England Before Elizabeth by Helen Castor (2011)
She-Wolves was one of those books that I had heard about for ages, and kept meaning to read, but for some reason never got around to - laziness, too many other books to read, a million reasons. So I decided to put it on my wish list for Christmas and birthday books last year, and… Continue reading She-Wolves: The Women Who Ruled England Before Elizabeth by Helen Castor (2011)
Back again for 2019!
Hello dear readers! As you may have noticed, I have been very quiet on here recently, but I am glad to say that I am now back for 2019. My last posts in November 2018 were about the Young Writer of the Year Award, for which I was on the shadow panel. I kept meaning… Continue reading Back again for 2019!
Shadow winner for The Sunday Times / Peters Fraser + Dunlop Young Writer Of The Year Award, in association with The University of Warwick announced!
As you may have read on Twitter, on the award website, and my fellow shadow panel member's blogs, our winner for the Young Writer of the Year Award has been announced! And the winner is... The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock by Imogen Hermes Gowar! I reviewed the book here, and I have to say I… Continue reading Shadow winner for The Sunday Times / Peters Fraser + Dunlop Young Writer Of The Year Award, in association with The University of Warwick announced!
Elmet by Fiona Mozley (2017) – shortlisted for The Sunday Times / Peters Fraser + Dunlop Young Writer Of The Year Award, in association with The University of Warwick
Elmet has been nominated for a lot of awards, most famously the Man Booker Prize in 2017, but I have to admit I hadn't heard of it before it came to me as part of the shortlist for the Young Writer of the Year Award 2018. Once I started reading I wasn't surprised that it… Continue reading Elmet by Fiona Mozley (2017) – shortlisted for The Sunday Times / Peters Fraser + Dunlop Young Writer Of The Year Award, in association with The University of Warwick
The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock by Imogen Hermes Gowar (2018) – shortlisted for The Sunday Times / Peters Fraser + Dunlop Young Writer Of The Year Award, in association with The University of Warwick
The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock continues the trend of historical novels that are filled with rich detail, the glamour and grunge of the city, and a vivid cast of characters. This novel also brings in a slightly fantastical element with the mermaid, which I think makes it a bit more original than some other novels… Continue reading The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock by Imogen Hermes Gowar (2018) – shortlisted for The Sunday Times / Peters Fraser + Dunlop Young Writer Of The Year Award, in association with The University of Warwick
Kings of the Yukon by Adam Weymouth (2018) – shortlisted for The Sunday Times / Peters Fraser + Dunlop Young Writer Of The Year Award, in association with The University of Warwick
I had not heard of this book when it was shortlisted for the Young Writer of the Year Award, and I was pleased to have the opportunity to read it - I have always liked travel writing, and I love to read about places and things I know nothing about, but still find interesting. Kings… Continue reading Kings of the Yukon by Adam Weymouth (2018) – shortlisted for The Sunday Times / Peters Fraser + Dunlop Young Writer Of The Year Award, in association with The University of Warwick
The Haunting of Hill House (2018) on Netflix
Regular readers will know that I love the work of Shirley Jackson. In 2015 I read and loved her novel The Haunting of Hill House, so I was very intrigued when I heard that there would be a Netflix series based on it. It's been adapted into a film before, in 1963 and 1999, so… Continue reading The Haunting of Hill House (2018) on Netflix
