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18 November 2023 by Helen Blunden Leave a Comment

Some Thoughts About The Writing of Annie Ernaux

Here’s the latest video I shared on YouTube about some thoughts of the writing of Annie Ernaux. I pontificate about her style of writing, her openness sharing her entire life to the public. Why does the written word evoke so much “rawness” rather than say, watching some vlogger online share their world to the public?

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Filed Under: Blogging Tagged With: 2023, Book Reviews, Books, French Literature, Literature, Modern Literature, Reading

13 November 2023 by Helen Blunden Leave a Comment

The Next Big Thing by Anita Brookner

Here’s the latest book review that has just been published on YouTube.

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Filed Under: Books Tagged With: 2023, Anita Brookner, Books, Literature, Reading

2 November 2023 by Helen Blunden Leave a Comment

Another Second Hand Book Haul

I bought some more second hand books yesterday. Here they are:

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Filed Under: Books Tagged With: 2023, Book Reviews, Books, Fiction, French, Reading

31 October 2023 by Helen Blunden Leave a Comment

Birdies, Bogies & Books: The Bookclub I’ve Started

A couple of weeks ago, I asked if my golf club could promote an idea I had in their newsletter for the members. It was a book club for our golf club. Our golf club has different clubs within it for members to socialise. There’s pilates, card games, charity events and lots more….but there’s no […]

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Filed Under: Books Tagged With: 2023, Book Club, Books, Golf, Literarure, Reading

30 October 2023 by Helen Blunden Leave a Comment

Book Review: French Braid by Anne Tyler

My latest book review has been published. This one was a Book Club Book and the latest by this author. I’ve read a couple of her books n years past but I can’t remember what they were about. This one had plenty of discussion with the members. Here’s what I thought.

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Filed Under: Books Tagged With: 2023, Anne Tyler, Book Review, Books, French Braid

23 October 2023 by Helen Blunden Leave a Comment

A New Haul of Old Books

Recently I went into a Savers store here in Melbourne which is a thrift store. It had a superb collection of classics and literature so I went a bit wild and spent some money – all up about $10.

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Filed Under: Books Tagged With: 2023, Books, Classics, Fiction, Literature

9 October 2023 by Helen Blunden Leave a Comment

Book Review: They by Kay Dick

After being disturbed from doing my book review, (always a danger to do these on weekends when my husband is home), I finally reviewed this book.

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Filed Under: Books Tagged With: 2023, Books, Dystopia, Fiction, Kay Dick, Literature, Reading, Science Fiction

3 October 2023 by Helen Blunden Leave a Comment

I’m Eligible for the YouTube Partner Program

adult app channel connected

So after a little while (it’s taken over two years of creating short book review content), I get this notification from YouTube that I’ve reached enough to monetise my channel. They invite you to join the YouTube Partner Program which entitles you to receive resources and monetisation features which allow you to have a share […]

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Filed Under: Blogging, Books Tagged With: 2023, Book Reviews, Books, Making Money, YouTube, YouTube Channels, YouTube Partner Program

2 October 2023 by Helen Blunden Leave a Comment

Book Review: Look At Me by Anita Brookner

Here’s my latest book review. It’s another book by Anita Brookner which is my 5th read of hers this year. I love how she writes and her subject matter. I would say that this book is one of her better ones with big themes such as loneliness, servitude, popularity and jealousy.

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Filed Under: Books Tagged With: 2023, Anita Brookner, Book Review, Books, Literature, Reading, Reads

24 September 2023 by Helen Blunden Leave a Comment

Book Review: Nailing It by Rich Hall & Some Ideas about My YouTube Channel

Time for a new book review that I just hit ‘publish’ on in YouTube. After Zamyatin and Dostoyevsky, Rich Hall’s was a welcome change. I also tried Bundaberg Rum for the first time in my life (I’m more a G&T person than rum….) Where Am I At with YouTube? On another note, I checked my […]

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Filed Under: Books Tagged With: 2023, Book Reviews, Books, Comedy, Fiction, Nailing It, Reviews, Rich Hall

18 September 2023 by Helen Blunden Leave a Comment

Book Review: WE by Yevgeny Zamyatin

This one was a doozy. It’s the book touted as the one that inspired George Orwell to write 1984 and in fact, there’s a lot of similarities. Written in 1921 it’s set in the 26th century in a dystopic panopticon society which works on Taylorism and has banned art and any individuality of any sort. […]

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Filed Under: Books Tagged With: 2023, Books, Dystopia, Literature, Novels, Panopticon, Russian Literature, Science Fiction, Yevgeny Zamyatin

11 September 2023 by Helen Blunden Leave a Comment

Review of House of the Dead by Dostoyevsky

I’ve been reading Dostoyevsky this year and he’s one of my favourite authors. I think I’m turning into a book snob 🤣 because 2023 has been a year of some brilliant reads of literary fiction that when I pick up a current popular read book, I get bored. If a book isn’t making me toss […]

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Filed Under: Books Tagged With: 2023, Books, Dostoyevsky, House of the Dead, Literature, Russian Literature

4 September 2023 by Helen Blunden Leave a Comment

More New (& Old Books) Come My Way

Some more classic and literature books have come my way. Since making this video, I have already read Dostoyevsky’s House of the Dead (brilliant), The Collector by John Fowles (superbly creepy) and Look at Me by Anita Brookner. I’m reading like there’s no tomorrow. A book is always in my hand or in my bag […]

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Filed Under: Books Tagged With: Book Reviews, Books, Classics, Fiction, Literature

3 September 2023 by Helen Blunden Leave a Comment

We Are All Collectors Nowadays (Even Though We Think We Aren’t)

I’m three quarters through a book called The Collector, the debut novel by John Fowlers published in 1963. I’m calling it out to be one of my best reads in my life with themes that are oh so relevant in today’s age and society. It’s a struggle between the classes, power, control, obsessive love, passion, […]

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Filed Under: Books Tagged With: Book Reviews, Books, John Fowles, The Collector

29 August 2023 by Helen Blunden Leave a Comment

Book Review: The Alarming Palsy of James Orr

Here’s my latest book review of a novella I read recently. Not a bad story as it kept me intrigued throughout.

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Filed Under: Books Tagged With: Book Reviews, Books, Fiction

21 August 2023 by Helen Blunden Leave a Comment

A Run in the Park

Here’s the latest book review that has been published on my YouTube channel this morning. It reminded me of the time I tried the 5K app which in some way, helped me through a time of difficulty when we were in lockdown. I share my story here. However you can also read it below. My […]

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Filed Under: Books Tagged With: 2023, Book Review, Books, Couch to 10K, Couch to 5K, Parkrun, Run, Running

8 August 2023 by Helen Blunden Leave a Comment

More Books!

Andrew had a gift voucher for a bookstore and he used the funds on that to buy books for us today. He’s a Stephen King and Matthew Riley fan (and bought their latest books) but I’m all about the literary classics and I put in my order for some Russian literature. (Perfect for winter days). […]

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Filed Under: Books Tagged With: Books, Fiction

5 August 2023 by Helen Blunden Leave a Comment

The House of the Dead

I’m back to reading Dostoyevsky. After piss farting around with other novels, I felt compelled to go back to the big ones. I needed another “War and Peace” experience where I had to have a book that I scribbled in, took notes, lived in. I checked my shelves. Brothers Karamazov? Crime and Punishment? I didn’t […]

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Filed Under: Books Tagged With: 2023, Books, Dostoyevsky, Fiction, House of the Dead

31 July 2023 by Helen Blunden Leave a Comment

Video Book Review of A Start in Life by Anita Brookner

My new review is now up online. I try and do a review every week.

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Filed Under: Books Tagged With: 2023, A Start in Life, Anita Brookner, Book Reviews, Books, Fiction

24 July 2023 by Helen Blunden Leave a Comment

Video Review of Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Finally, I bit the bullet and read this book. I let go of my own pride and prejudice of this book and was pleasantly surprised.

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Filed Under: Books Tagged With: Book Reviews, Books, Classics, Jane Austen, Literature, Pride and Prejudice, Reading

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  • Meet Griffith
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  • Ladies Night at the French Film Festival 🇫🇷
  • We Had Our First Book Club Author Event for 2025
  • How I Take Notes When Reading a Book
  • Transferring All My Blog Posts
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  • Our 19th Wedding Anniversary
  • Extracting 1498 Blog Posts One by One
  • Changing Ways
  • The Moon & Sixpence Book by Somerset Maugham Book Review
  • Flâneur Friday ~ Patterson Lakes
  • Spending Time with Mum
  • My Annual YouTube Analytics
  • Happy New Year!
  • My Year in Books – Reading in 2024
  • What I’m Reading
  • Book Review of She and Her Cat by Makoto Shinkai
  • Book Review of Ghost Wall by Sarah Moss
  • Visit to New and Old Parliament House in Canberra
  • Futuro House
  • Creating a Reading Journal
  • Book Review: Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead
  • Last Book Club Chat for the Year
  • New Book Review: Home by Toni Morrison
  • Golf Trip to The Dunes
  • A Week of Golf and Cleaning
  • Book Review: Leonard & Hungry Paul

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