Summer reading, books lost and found #20BOS26
It was a long, hot summer, but the end of the astronomical summer is nigh and the 20 Books of Summer #20BOS26 challenge has officially ended. How many of my 29 shortlisted books did I read? Did I read...
View ArticleEscape from Holland by Chris Hunt. Football, ballet, diamonds, May 1940
Q: What do former British footballers, journalists, Margot Fonteyn, the Sadler’s Wells ballet company, and £3 million in diamonds have in common? A: They were all on the Dotterel, the last boat to...
View ArticleSummer reading plans: 20 Books of Summer 2026
For the past few years, my summer reading plans have involved posting a list of 20 (usually more) books I want to read for the 20 Books of Summer Reading and blogging challenge. My shelf has been ready...
View ArticleClassics Club Book Spin List #44
Time to let a random number generator take charge of choosing a classic book from my shelf. Time to take part in my first Classics Club spin.
View ArticleClassics Club
Time to make a list of all the books on my TBR on the 1001 Books to Read Before You Die List. To be edited later to become my master list for the Classics Club.
View ArticleKeeping up with the book prizes
Every year I enjoy seeing what’s happening on the book prize circuit, even though I never get to see the majority of the nominated books. I enjoy the buzz in online discussions and on BookTube, but it...
View ArticleDonald and His Seven Cows, Angus Peter Campbell (2025) #NovNov25
This is a gentle but captivating story, building layer by layer. It has satisfying layers of Scottish folklore and tales of the fairy folk, but builds to something heartwarming and uplifting that...
View ArticleOff the Grid: Living Blind Without the Internet (2015, 2025), Robert Kingett...
Nonfiction books are one of the best tools for seeing the world through someone else’s eyes. Nonfiction November’s fourth prompt is to highlight a book that has opened your eyes to diverse...
View ArticleUnnerving November plans: dark reads, novellas, nonfiction and German lit
If you like a bookish challenge, then November is the month for you, with various bloggers challenging you to read novellas, nonfiction, German literature and more. It’s also the season for darker...
View ArticleNonfiction November 2025
Week 1 of Nonfiction November 2025 starts a little early and runs from 27 October to 2 November. It’s hosted by Heather at Based on a True Story and asks about Your Year in Nonfiction: favourites, new...
View ArticleGerman Literature Month 2025 #GermanLitMonth
November is German Literature Month #GermanLitMonth. Just read and blog about a book originally written in German from Germany, Austria or Switzerland. Optional weekly themes are: • genre week (1-9...
View Article1925 Club
After 10 years of Book Club challenges based on a specific year of publication, Karen and Simon chose 1925 for their 10th anniversary edition. I had a few options and found out some local history, too.
View ArticleShort Story September. A surprise quote, superb stories, translations online
Short story recommendations and collections on my TBR for the #ShortStorySeptember blogging challenge. Also includes tips for finding new short stories online, including translated stories from many...
View Article20 Books of Summer, extended. September plans
In my book, September is always sunny enough to be considered summer, so I will shamelessly continue reading my #20BooksOfSummer2025 for an extra month. What with a holiday, a jungle of a garden to...
View ArticleThe Echo Dies, Roger Teichmann #ParisInJuly2025
The Echo Dies by Roger Teichmann leaves plenty of food for thought and philosophical discussion about moral issues regarding loyalty, memory and forgetfulness, response to grief, the point of living,...
View ArticleSmall Boat, Vincent Delecroix, Helen Stevenson (translator) #ParisInJuly
Imagine an ambulance crew who decided they wouldn’t go to help a casualty because they’d seen one too many people injuring themselves because of drinking too much. It doesn’t seem likely. Yet...
View ArticleJune and mid-July update. Halfway for #20BooksofSummer25
Plans for 20 Books of Summer? What plans? Have I stuck to my original list? Yes and no. Am I as far as I’d like to be? No. I’m well on my way, but I haven’t read any of my own physical books yet, so my...
View ArticleChomp, Press, Play: Stories of a Sensory Self (2025), Elaina Battista-Parsons
“Maybe nectarines are just peaches in drag. Smooth. Magnificent.” This book has stuck with me far more than I’d expected and was an enjoyable reading experience. Some parts resonated more than others...
View ArticleThe Salt Path (2018), Raynor Winn: book review
Several of my friends were enthusiastic about this book, as was a Guardian review. Then I saw Raynor Winn interviewed by Kate Humble as she walked a section of the South West Coast Path. The scenery is...
View ArticleRaynor Winn and The Salt Path controversy: a storm in a salt cellar?
On 5 July 2025 an Observer article broke the scandal surrounding Raynor Winn and her husband Moth, starting with the accusation that they were using pseudonyms to cover up her embezzlement of thousands...
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