The Enchanted April – Elizabeth Von Arnim Oh I loved this. Two duty bound, dull women trapped in boring and possibly loveless marriages decide on a whim to rent out a villa in Italy for a month. They invite two other women to come with them and they all have to learn to get along.… Continue reading September reading
Author: SusanEBarsby
Bronte Festival of Women’s Writing
There was no possibility of taking a walk that day.* At least not in Nottingham. But as I drove up the M1 the rain cleared and a sliver of blue sky appeared through the clouds. I was on my way to Haworth, or to the Bronte Festival of Women’s writing, put on by the Bronte… Continue reading Bronte Festival of Women’s Writing
August reads
I had the luxury of reading an entire book in a weekend this month – something that never happens usually. It was due to a combination of Bank Holiday at my in-law’s house, losing the knitting pattern I was working on and nothing on the TV. What bliss. Otherwise the month was as usual –… Continue reading August reads
Word up
The Oxford English Dictionary is asking for people the world over to vote for their most disliked word. It’s an interesting exercise as I imagine more people will be able to come together over what they don’t like than what they do. But after thinking and discussing this a little, I think people select words… Continue reading Word up
My July reading
I got waylaid this month by a friend going to see the Harry Potter play so I started re-reading them all. (There’s no re-reading option on Goodreads so my reading challenge figures are wrong…) I’ll talk Harry at the end. Otherwise… Rowan Coleman – We Are All Made of Stars I wrote last month about… Continue reading My July reading
June reading list
A late posting this month – events have overtaken me. But here’s what I read last month. Noonday – Pat Barker The final part of Barker’s second war trilogy, ending in the Blitz and focusing mostly on the character of Elinor, estranged from her husband and in vague contact with Kit Neville. I wanted to… Continue reading June reading list
Writing as catharsis
Do you view your writing as somehow cathartic? I’ve been pondering this subject in the last few days. A lot of people use writing to deal with the world, especially though journalling or writing therapy. And some of those writing tip memes that you see flashed around the internet often talk of living life first, experiencing… Continue reading Writing as catharsis
In May I read…
This has been a good reading month, an interesting and absorbing reading month. Here’s my review: Shamim Sarif – Despite the Falling Snow I only realised when I got this home that it’s a film cover; I picked it up because it sounded intriguing. A spy-love story from Krushchev’s time, interspersed with some modern day reminiscences,… Continue reading In May I read…
April reads
It seems a long month. But a nice range of books this month. I even ventured briefly into non-fiction. The Year of Living Danishly – Helen Russell After so many war books last month I couldn’t face something serious to start the month so I decided to read about Denmark instead. This is an Englishwoman… Continue reading April reads
In March I read…
The return of the monthly reading round-up. And I must say, aside from the first book, this month’s reading all appears to be themed around childbirth, pregnancy, and the consequences of both. This month I read: Melissa – Jonathan Taylor I reviewed this earlier on the blog so I won’t repeat it here but if… Continue reading In March I read…
Susan E Barsby 