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Books

‘The Colonel and the Bee’ by Patrick Canning

We are so excited to have once again on the blog today a review requested by an author who very kindly sent us his book. The Colonel and the Bee is a short novel bursting with energy and excitement. The author, Patrick Canning seems to have pulled from many references and genres, ranging from Charles Dickens, Angela Carter and Jules Verne. More than anything, I was left with the feeling that this was the tale I wish I had had as a young girl myself. The novel follows thirteen-year-old Beatrix as she runs away from the circus with a man,…

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Books

New Beginnings – Guest Post by Johanna Nield

Today’s post is an incredibly interesting one. Most often, I’m on here talking and writing about stories, what has happened in them, how they made me feel and the impression that they leave. Yet, in all that time, a question I do not seem to ask nearly enough is, how did the writer feel while creating this story and these characters. A big debate in the literary world is whether the author’s intentions actually matters. Some say that the initial intentions should be dismissed, for once the book leaves their hands into that of the reader, it is no longer…

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Books

Time for a Mental Declutter – ‘Meditation Time’ Review

The end of summer, for many, marks a return to rules, regulations and an orderliness that we had neglected a bit during the summer months. Whether a student, working professional, self-employed or a parent, the lax days of summer, when the sunshine put everyone in a bit of a better mood, the days are shortening signalling the coming of the next season. As a child, and if I am honest as an adult as well, the new school year was my favourite time of the year. I loved everything about it from the new books, new stationary and a chance…

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Books

Canongate Myth Series: The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood

Margaret Atwood is one author whose name every Canadian child will hear about growing up; I am no exception. She is frequently touted in schools, dinner parties and every bookshop you walk into will be sure to have her books in prominent view. Probably best known for her dystopian novel The Handmaid’s Tale, Atwood’s writing has always taken on topics of complexity and import, and The Penelopiad is no different. From the previous Canongate Myth Series novellas, I have read, I had begun to recognise a pattern. They were not, as is their most usual identifiers, simple retellings of Greek…

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Books

Booker Prize Longlist 2019

It’s that time of the year again, and the Booker Prize (formerly known as the Man Booker Prize) longlist has been announced! Also known as the Booker Dozen (ironically as there are 13 books on the nomination list), this year’s nomination list seems unlikely to follow last year’s trend of diversity as the list includes many big names.  Margaret Atwood – The Testaments  Kevin Barry – Night Boat to Tangier  Oyinkan Braithwaite – My Sister, The Serial Killer  Lucy Ellmann – Ducks, Newburyport Bernardine Evaristo – Girl, Woman, Other  John Lanchester – The Wall  Deborah Levy – The Man Who…

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Books

Organising Your Bookshelf

Is there a right way? There comes a time in every bookworms life where you are faced with a rapidly growing pile of chaos in the form of your To-Be-Read, Already-Reads and Re-Reads. There’s a certain satisfaction to the messy book reader aesthetic, but as a generally meticulous person, I can only maintain it for so long before it drives me crazy. And it is during these fits characterised by an intense desire for organisation that I tend to rearrange my bookshelves.  Now you might be under the impression that an organised bookshelf simply means making sure all your books…

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