#AW80Books: Mr Fortune’s Maggot – Sylvia Townsend Warner

by Sarah

Feeling in need of some escapism in the wake of recent political events, I thought I’d swan off to the tropical heat and swaying palms of the South Sea Islands – in my… Continue reading →

Should I stay or should I go now?

by Sarah

As the end of the year approaches, I’m finally picking up speed on Dorothy Richardson’s Pilgrimage, and have now finished the tenth book of the thirteen in the series, Dawn’s Left Hand.  With… Continue reading →

Welcome Fun and Frolics in the Snow

by Sarah

In Oberland, the ninth book in Dorothy Richardson’s Pilgrimage series, Miriam Henderson takes a fortnight’s trip to the Bernese Oberland region of Switzerland. This holiday, arranged and paid for by her employer, proved to not… Continue reading →

#German Literature Month -‘Inkheart’ by Cornelia Funke

by Sarah

As November is German Literature month (hosted by Caroline at Beauty is a Sleeping Cat and Lizzy at Lizzy’s Literary Life) I thought I’d join in the fun by writing a review or… Continue reading →

‘Most good men are something like chimpanzees.’

by Sarah

I’ve just finished reading Revolving Lights, the seventh novel in Dorothy Richardson’s Pilgrimage series, and while I can’t say I’ve had an easy time of it, it is a powerful book. In the first section… Continue reading →

Deliciously dark: Beryl Bainbridge’s ‘The Bottle Factory Outing’

by Sarah

When I heard about the Beryl Bainbridge Reading Week hosted by Annabel over at Annabel’s House of Books, I dusted down my copy of The Bottle Factory Outing that had been languishing in… Continue reading →

#AW80BOOKS: A Masterpiece on Suffering – Han Kang’s ‘The Vegetarian’.

by Sarah

Having read several reviews of Han Kang’s writing, I suspected that I was in for a disturbing time with The Vegetarian. I was right. The novel, translated from Korean into English by Deborah Smith, contains… Continue reading →

#AW80Books: What do you get if you let Merchant Ivory loose on ‘The Golden Girls’? Elizabeth Von Arnim’s ‘The Enchanted April’.

by Sarah

I’m not sure where or when I picked up a copy of Elizabeth Von Arnim’s ‘The Enchanted April’. I’m always on the look-out for the tell-tale Forest green of old Virago Modern Classics… Continue reading →

#AW80Books: Struggling with Ismail Kadare’s ‘The Fall of the Stone City’

by Sarah

I feel a bit of a fraud writing about The Fall of the Stone City as it was one of those thankfully rare experiences which didn’t go at all well. Try as I might,… Continue reading →

#AW80Books: ‘Roseanna’ by Sjowall & Wahloo

by Sarah

I’m afraid this review will be more ‘scanty’ than ‘Scandi’. It’s always more difficult to find time to write during the school holidays, but currently, I also have a poorly child struck down… Continue reading →