Like most people, I am familiar with the term 'mansplaining'. I've also heard a fair bit of excitement about Rebecca Solnit as an interesting writer. Her essay Men Explain Things to Me is the origin of the term, something I only learned seeing the word in circulation - when it first became a thing there… Continue reading Men Explain Things to Me and Other Essays by Rebecca Solnit (2014)
Tag: 2014
The Tropic of Serpents by Marie Brennan
As you can tell I am steaming ahead with the Lady Trent series! I finished book one, A Natural History of Dragons, and went straight into book two - The Tropic of Serpents. This one is set three years after book two, and Isabella is on another foreign expedition to study dragons. This time she… Continue reading The Tropic of Serpents by Marie Brennan
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Exploring genres with A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan
I generally read 'literary' or historical fiction, and I've wanted to reach out into more genre fiction for a while. While browsing in Waterstones a few weeks ago I wandered with my boyfriend up to the sci fi/fantasy section, and came across the Lady Trent series by Marie Brennan. Lady Trent is a 'dragon naturalist'… Continue reading Exploring genres with A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan
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In Which I Read The Book of Strange New Things by Michel Faber and Had Some OPINIONS About It
My sister gave me this book for my birthday, so I really really wanted to like it. I'd heard a lot of good things. I wasn't sure what I'd think of it. I went in with hope. Some basic premise for those who don't know: our main character is Peter the priest, who is recruited… Continue reading In Which I Read The Book of Strange New Things by Michel Faber and Had Some OPINIONS About It
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A Trip Down Memory Lane with Anjelica Huston
As a rule I rather like reading memoirs, though I must say I am picky about whose I read. I've read mostly literary memoirs or those about an ordinary person who had an extraordinary experience (such as Wild or The Rules of Inheritance). I don't think I've ever read a memoir of a celebrity before.… Continue reading A Trip Down Memory Lane with Anjelica Huston
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BookTube: The Last Asylum by Barbara Taylor (first booktube review!)
Hi all, as I'm sure you know BookTube is a really big 'thing', and I follow a fair amount of booktubers, so I decided to give it a go! So here I go...
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The Mighty Dead: Why Homer Matters by Adam Nicolson
Well. This is a review I have been avoiding for a while. I finished reading The Mighty Dead about two weeks ago. I’d made some notes, but it is hard to put them together and get to the point of what I really think about this book. The fact is I feel quite strongly about… Continue reading The Mighty Dead: Why Homer Matters by Adam Nicolson
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Hideous Creatures by S. E. Lister
Well this was an odd one. Purchased on a whim (something I do quite rarely these days) and never before heard about, I decided to take a chance with Hideous Creatures. And boy was it taking a chance. The premise is relatively simple: ‘youngest son of an illustrious line’ Arthur Hallingham flees from scandal in… Continue reading Hideous Creatures by S. E. Lister
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Fancy A Little Gothic With Your Christmas?
'Tis the season for all things Christmas, but I for one am still thinking about Halloween and all things Gothic... partly because I love Halloween, but also because I recently did two things that have made the Gothic stick in my mind: attending the Terror and Wonder: The Gothic Imagination exhibition at The British Library,… Continue reading Fancy A Little Gothic With Your Christmas?
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In Praise Of: Sad Stories
When we learn about trauma, we also learn about catharsis, about 'getting it out' and finding closure. About having a cathartic experience. This is why we read books about war and suffering, why survivor testimonies are always popular books in whatever form they may take - from the wonder of writers like Primo Levi, to… Continue reading In Praise Of: Sad Stories
These Little Words 