I recently read a book called The Undertaker’s Daughter. It is the memoir of a woman, Kate Mayfield, whose father was indeed an undertaker. She grew up in a ‘funeral home’, as they call them in the States, and was thought of for a long time as the daughter of the undertaker and not much else.… Continue reading More Than A Daughter: The Problem With Simplifying Women
Tag: Fiction
Breakfast at Tiffany’s by Truman Capote (Part of the Capote Readathon)
Like most people, I think, I saw the film version of Breakfast at Tiffany's before I read the book. The film itself is so famous, so remembered for the iconic images of Audrey Hepburn with her pearls, and her sunglasses, and her cigarette in its holder, that I think sometimes the details of the story… Continue reading Breakfast at Tiffany’s by Truman Capote (Part of the Capote Readathon)
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The Collector by John Fowles
What makes a book a 'classic'? What makes it last, what makes publishers choose to reprint it for years? Popularity is certainly a huge factor; but what about 'cult classics' or those that are a little under the radar? Take for instance The Collector by John Fowles - what made Vintage reprint it in 2004… Continue reading The Collector by John Fowles
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Capote Readathon: Short Stories (Part Two)
For those of you who have been following the Summer Capote Readathon that I've been doing with Kirsty of The Literary Sisters, you'll know that we are reading from The Capote Reader - a sort of compilation of his best short work, including twelve short stories. We wrote about the first six of these at… Continue reading Capote Readathon: Short Stories (Part Two)
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Man at the Helm by Nina Stibbe
I must say that reading Man at the Helm was quite a departure for me. As my boyfriend and, I'm sure, my readers will testify, I usually read sad/serious books. Apparently someone always dies and/or cries. There's a fair bit of crying in Man at the Helm, and a small amount of death, but on… Continue reading Man at the Helm by Nina Stibbe
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Summer Crossing by Truman Capote (Part of the Capote Readathon)
This post is part of the Summer Capote Readathon with The Literary Sisters. Have you read Summer Crossing?I'm glad I've never had to be in the position of Alan Schwartz, Truman Capote's friend and lawyer. In his Afterword to Summer Crossing he explains that in his will Capote "left everything including his literary properties to a… Continue reading Summer Crossing by Truman Capote (Part of the Capote Readathon)
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An Experiment
Right. I'm going to admit it. I'm a massive cliche. I studied English Literature, I work in publishing, and I'm a blogger. And I write. Fiction. CLICHE. But let's give it a go, ok? Inspired by Hannah of Hannah Reads Stuff and Christa of A Voluptuous Mind, I have had a snoop around writingexercises.com for,… Continue reading An Experiment
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Top 5 Books of 2014… So Far!
Already we have reached the sun of the year, the hot nights and outdoor lunchtimes that tell us it’s summer. Already it is July! We are about half way through 2014, and so it is a good time to look back at the year so far and assess what we’ve done, what we liked and… Continue reading Top 5 Books of 2014… So Far!
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Bookshelf Adventures: Colette
As regular readers will know, I have been thinking (and writing!) a lot recently about how difficult it can be to know what to read next, how to deal with pressure to keep up with new books, and the importance of going back to our bookshelves. With this in mind, I raided the bookshelves at… Continue reading Bookshelf Adventures: Colette
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WWW Wednesday: I’m finally joining in with a meme!
WWW Wednesday is the brainchild of 'MizB' over at Should Be Reading. Every Wednesday loads of book bloggers join in and I've enjoyed reading their posts, so thought I would finally get involved. The rules are very simple: all you have to do is answer three questions. What are you currently reading? What did you… Continue reading WWW Wednesday: I’m finally joining in with a meme!
These Little Words 