Here’s a piece of good news that I like to read. “A recently rediscovered personal copy of the novel’s first edition, containing Woolf’s handwritten notes and amendments, now offers a tantalising glimpse into her private thoughts about her fraught opus, and her writing process.” Virginia Woolf’s first novel was recently found in the science section […]
How Can You Read So Many Books?
A friend of mine sent me this snapshot of a tweet last night and asked if my husband and I could provide an answer. As I’m not on social media anymore (and likely not to ever get back on it), I answered her directly (and not the tweet obviously). My average for books read every […]
Book Review of Anti-Fragile by Nassim Nicholas Taleb
Time for a new book review. I’ve been reading a lot of classics of late. Jane Eyre, Pride and Prejudice and even some Anita Brookner books but I decided that I needed to get back to Taleb’s Incerto series and continue reading the books there. (I have two more to go). I picked out Anti-Fragile, […]
My Female Crush: Anita Brookner
This week I read Anita Brookner’s Hotel du Lac. I bought the book from a local second hand book store for $3 and at the time, I was deliberating whether or not to buy it because it won the Booker Prize in 1984. I’m not a fan of Booker Prize winning books. Every time I […]
Bits and Bobs For The Week
I finally finished my seamless jumper! This one was designed using a tutorial on “how to design your own sweater” using any yarn and using some basic mathematics to determine how much yarn I had to use and stitches to cast on. Knitting a square and then determining its tension and with a measuring tape […]
How to Read
Continuing onto the second skill highlighted in Robin Good’s article “What We Really Need to Learn to Be Successful in Life – Part 1″ is How to Read. Reading is my most favourite activity. Reading is critical thinking for me. However, it’s also HOW we read that is the most important skill and I believe […]
New Book Review: Lessons in Chemistry
Here’s a new book review of a book that many people are reading at the moment. Highly enjoyable and immersive story.
Stuff I Write in My Personal Diaries
Relax. It’s nothing exciting. I’m in my 50s and life has become a tad less thrilling. Today this is what I wrote and cracked up with myself. Emily is my niece. If anything, my diaries are random collections of thoughts that I would otherwise not express publicly. Mostly self deprecating or self loathing but almost […]
New Video Book Review: Seeing Other People By Diana Reid
Here’s my new book review that was published on YouTube yesterday.
Book Review of Creative Differences & Other Stories by Graeme Simsion
Here’s my new book review of this book of short stories. I really enjoyed this one!
New Second Hand Book Haul
Needed a convenient excuse to get out of the house so I just said I was going to the supermarket. I HÂTE going to the supermarket. I went to my local second hand book store. A little tiny shop filled with stacks of dusty books that are precariously placed on top of each other creating […]
Reading All Day
Now that I’m not working anymore, I have so much time in the day that is spent doing pretty much nothing at all. I have days where I plan for golfing, French studies, going for long walks, house work and helping my parents with their errands too. However there are other days where nothing is […]
We’re Drowning in Old Books!
This post on the Washington Post was amusing to me. What are we to do with our flooded shelves?— Read on www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2022/12/19/used-books-stores-donation-fran-lebowitz/ “They’re more like friends than objects,” one passionate bookseller says. Now that’s something I understand. As much as I try not to buy too many books (those I do buy are specifically for […]
2022 Goodreads Reading Challenge
I have been doing the Goodreads Reading challenge since 2012 and this year, I had set myself the challenge to read 70 books which I achieved. The books I read this year were heavily focussed on authors from other countries (mainly Belgium, France, The Netherlands, Spain, Argentina and Japan) and a spattering of literature. There […]
Initial Thoughts On War and Peace
I’m sitting in bed on a Tuesday afternoon reading this tome. Here’s some initial thoughts:
New Book Haul & Some Philosophical Reflections
I’ve uploaded my latest video where I show some new books I bought in the last couple of weeks in the sales. Through filming it, there was a dawning realisation of the types of themes and topics I’m interested in – all being about trying to ask those deep questions about life and how I’m […]
War and Peace
So far I’m halfway through Volume 1, Part 2 153 pages in, taking my time to get to know all the characters and wondering why all the men want to be heroes in battle like Napoleon. Tonight, as one of the characters (Andrei) réalises in the heart of battle that war isn’t what it’s cracked […]
War and Peace
I thought it best to tackle this book, Tolstoy’s War & Peace this year for a bit of a challenge. I love watching the Hardcore Literature channel and Benjamin shared his 2023 Book Club books. It’s part of his online book club (which I’m not a member but would love to but don’t have the […]
Book Reviews Up On YouTube
I have a couple of book reviews up on YouTube that have just been published. One was a recommendation from a good friend (as I’d never have chosen to read this book myself and another selected because there were times when I wanted this same thing for my own life). Seven husbands? Or an easy […]
Lack of Focus
I’ve been struggling to read this year. I don’t know why but ever since the beginning of this year, my reading has slowed down drastically. I set myself a target to read 80 books this year but already, I’m way behind. However part of me isn’t too concerned because in its place, I’ve been knitting […]