Zoe Somerville’s historical debut The Night of the Flood was an atmospheric exploration of a secret Cold War base in Norfolk and a tangled love story. Her follow up, The Marsh House, is also set in an atmospheric historical Norfolk and has spooky ghostly elements. It is 1962. Malorie has fled London and her marriage… Continue reading Review: The Marsh House by Zoe Somerville
Author: SusanEBarsby
Review: The Language of Food by Annabel Abbs
When I was little my Mum had a huge volume of Mrs Beeton’s Guide to Household Management. She may still have it, I suppose. I can’t remember what we used it for – some of her recipe books fell open to the most frequently used page – but it was always there, this massive tome,… Continue reading Review: The Language of Food by Annabel Abbs
January reading round up
Before we start, I published December’s reading round up and then promptly finished reading another book that I hadn’t included. So in the interests of completion, here is one further book I read last year: A Winter Away – Elizabeth Fair This is a reissue of a book published originally in the 1950s and one… Continue reading January reading round up
Bibliotherapy: Persuasion by Jane Austen
It was such a joy to see bibliotherapy in mainstream action recently. Philippa Perry, the psychotherapist who also does The Observer’s Agony Aunt column recommended a dose of Persuasion to one of her correspondents. Persuasion is Jane Austen writing for grown ups. Pride and Prejudice and Emma etc are all very well but have an… Continue reading Bibliotherapy: Persuasion by Jane Austen
Grist to the Writing Mill
I’ve been going to an online writing group for the last four months. It’s been run by Vanessa Gebbie, writer and teacher extraordinaire, and is called Grist to the Writing Mill. Essentially, for one evening each month we sat on Zoom and wrote all sorts of exercises for two and a half hours, using a… Continue reading Grist to the Writing Mill
December reading round up
I have read very little this month. I never do manage to get through much in December – the week between Christmas and New Year is not for reading as we’re always visiting people and the rest of the month is hectic. So this will be a short round up: A Thousand Tiny Disappointments –… Continue reading December reading round up
Review: The Winter Guest by WC Ryan
A cold night. You, curled by the fire, glass or mug of something warming by your side and in need of a good read to match the atmosphere as winds howl around your house. May I recommend The Winter Guest by WC Ryan? Funnily enough, it wasn’t that long ago that I was ranting about… Continue reading Review: The Winter Guest by WC Ryan
Christmas character book tag
Today I thought I’d a festive book tag to share with the Christmas Character Book Tag. This tag was designed by Anthony from Keep Reading Forward but I got it from @AndOnSheReads Santa Claus – A gift you received or want this yearWell, I’ve asked for the new Nigel Slater and the Barack Obama and Bruce Springsteen books,… Continue reading Christmas character book tag
Books of the Year! 2021 round up
Happy end of 2021! Isn’t it amazing how every year now feels less like the passing of time and more like a major achievement to tick off? I hope this blog post finds you well or at the very least, managing, which feels like as much as we can expect. So I come to my… Continue reading Books of the Year! 2021 round up
November round up
As I write, an icy blast is sweeping the country and it feels the right time to curl up with a book. The below is what I’ve got through this month: The Uninvited Guests – Sadie Jones I got this out of the library, having recognised her name from somewhere – she is loved by… Continue reading November round up
Susan E Barsby 