Bookcase Credibility Rating – How Never to Have to Worry About it Again Plus a Bookish Tour of the Far East
Do you find yourself scanning the bookcases in people’s rooms when you’re on zoom, looking to see what titles they have on their shelves? Do you worry that others are doing the same to you? I’d never thought about it before, so it came as somewhat of a surprise to me when I discovered (article […]
Ancient Goddesses, Modern Magic and The Trials of Writing
“When the Moon rose in the Third Northern Hall I went to the Ninth Vestibule to witness the joining of the Three Tides.” It is sixteen years since Susanna Clarke published her debut novel Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell that she had begun writing in 1992. It was longlisted for the Man Booker prize in […]
“The Market Will be Merciless. Politics will be Deceiving, Divisive, Confrontational and Extreme. People Will Feel Anxious,Uncertain, Fearful …” Sound Familiar? This Book Will Explain Why
One of the few crazy benefits to come out of lockdown is the ability to take part in a bookclub in Florida when you live in London. Thank you ladies for inviting me. We have been studying Jonathan Sacks book ‘Morality’. Although the title sounds slightly worthy, the book is astonishing in its cultural and […]
Raise Me with Sunrise: A Review of ‘My Name is Why’ by Lemn Sissay
Raise me with sunrise Bathe me in light Wash all the shadows That fell from the night. Imagine having to piece together your life and your identity from a series of index cards and minuted committee meetings! Imagine finding out age 16 that even your name is a lie. This is the experience that poet […]
4 Books on the Power of Transcendence and Vision in a Divided World
I shall be leaving fiction for a while and returning to non-fiction, specifically philosophy and biography. Here is a list of four books that I shall be reading and reviewing over the coming weeks. Wild Silence Raynor Winn (author) Hardback (03 Sep 2020) | English I am beyond excited to be awaiting my copy of […]
Surviving Bad Books
I don’t often write negative reviews. I try to avoid doing it . But as a second generation holocaust survivor with a polish grandfather, the background against which this novel is written is something I know a bit about. This is my history too. And whatever I was looking for in these pages, I didn’t […]
Challenge, Challenge, Challenge! Women in Translation Month August 2020
It’s not over till the fat lady sings as Will Smith said in Independence Day. But nine titles read and only four weeks left to complete my 20 books of Summer . I have to be honest it looks like it might be 15 books of summer for the Rune. What to do if you […]
All the lovely silence has gone: A Review of ‘Ash before Oak’ by Jeremy Cooper
Lockdown was a situation that could not continue nor should it. It has caused far too much suffering. But there were a couple of benefits – a slowing down and some peace – if not peace of mind then peace and quiet. Birdsong too. The birds are back fighting a losing battle with horrendous building […]
20 Books of Summer – for a Less than 2020 Summer
It’s been a tough week here down at the old Rune stead with not a lot of reading getting done. I have parked a snail on top of my TBR pile – a glass one, not a real one. He’s there to represent the speed at which I am coursing through my list at the […]
The Double Edged Sword of the Literary Prize – and The Legend of The Tiger’s Wife
Prizes can be a double edged sword. Yes it’s great to win them, the publicity, the fuss, the champagne, what’s not to die for? But maybe this draws attention away from equally worthy writing. But then we have to live in the real world, which costs money, etc. So I go round in circles. I’m […]
