Dear Thief by Samantha Harvey

Dear Thief – Samantha Harvey
Vintage, 2015

I saw Samantha Harvey’s latest book in the ‘new in’ section of my local library and immediately picked it up. I’ve read The Wilderness twice (review here) and have wanted to explore more of Harvey’s writing.

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A year in books: 2015

2015 wasn’t the best reading year for me. I struggled with a large and lengthy reading slump around the middle of the year, and while I think it has passed, I have to say it doesn’t necessarily feel like my reading has picked up and resumed its earlier pace.

Reading and blogging resolutions 2016

Happy New Year! As 2015 drew to a close, my thoughts turned to the year ahead and how I’d like my reading to go in 2016 so I drew up some bookish resolutions. 

The Art of Asking by Amanda Palmer

The Art of Asking – Amanda Palmer
Little, Brown, 2014

This post is less of a review, more a personal reaction to this book, a journal entry on how it has affected me and made me look at my life. The Art of Asking had been sitting on my to-read list for a while, and I only wished I had read it sooner. But in some ways, reading it when I did felt like one of those moments when you read the right book at completely the right time.

Why I love Channel 4’s 24 Hours in A & E

I’ve been watching Channel 4’s 24 Hours in A & E for some time now, and when a new series started again recently, I was so happy to see it back on our screens. For those who have never watched it, cameras are fixed into the A&E department of a busy London hospital (this series and the last it’s been St. George’s in Tooting) and we see patients brought in after (sometimes horrific) incidents and treated by the doctors there. But the programme isn’t one that sensationalises injuries or dramatizes accidents. It’s a programme that focusses on the essence of being human. And I love it.

Grief is the Thing with Feathers by Max Porter

Grief if the Thing with Feathers – Max Porter
Faber & Faber, 2015

I was still struggling through a reading slump when I read about Grief is the Thing with Feathers online. Something about the title drew me in, and reading the synopsis pulled me in even further. At the time the book hadn’t been published, but I bought it soon after its release.

Buying Books: Books and Identity

When I was a child, the primary place I found my books was the library. My parents didn’t instil in me a habit of buying books; instead, it was a treat. I think this is why I can vividly recall many of the occasions as a child when I would buy books, and I look back on them fondly. I remember the book fair coming to school and seeing bookcases being wheeled through the playground into the school hall where we’d usually have assemblies and lunch, but, for that afternoon, would be a makeshift bookshop.

June by Gerbrand Bakker & Weathering by Lucy Wood

Unfortunately the number of books I read during my reading slump/unintentional blogging break hasn’t been high, but I thought I’d write a short roundup of the two standout books I did read.

Bonjour Tristesse by Françoise Sagan, translated by Heather Lloyd

Bonjour Tristesse – Françoise Sagan
Translated by Heather Lloyd
First published 1954
Penguin, 2013

This book came to my attention when I read Max’s wonderful review of it which inspired me to add the book to my to-read list instantly. In an attempt to lift myself from my recent reading slump I looked over my list and, remembering how I felt about the book when I added it, I reserved a copy at the library.

The Happy Reader

I first found out about Penguin’s The Happy Reader magazine on Lucy’s blog The Literary Relish and it sounded wonderful. How could a magazine all about books not? Plus, it’s only £2 per issue. Because I couldn’t wait to delve in, I paid a little extra to receive the current issue (Spring) instead of waiting until Summer.