Re-discovering poetry: The Best British Poetry 2014, edited by Mark Ford

Salt, 2014

The Best British Poetry 2014 is the first book in my journey of rediscovering poetry (you can read more about my reasons for doing this here). It basically boils down to the fact that I’ve felt excluded from poetry in the past and so have been left feeling as if it just isn’t for me. I don’t want to give up though, and I’m excited to start discovering it again, without the restrictions or constraints of school, and hopefully give myself more confidence in talking about poetry.

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Review: He Wants – Alison Moore

He Wants – Alison Moore
Salt, 2014
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Alison Moore’s The Lighthouse is one of my favourite books, so when I heard that Moore’s new book would be published in August, I bought a copy of it as soon as I could.

He Wants is the deceptively simple story of Lewis, a retired RE teacher who has lived in the same village all his life, even though he’s long dreamed of living by the sea. His grown up daughter brings him soup every day, although he would prefer pizza or ‘the excellent beef Wellington he had in a restaurant once’. He wonders whether he should have chosen a more exciting subject to teach – perhaps chemistry instead of RE. A novel that expertly explores the themes of loneliness, regret, and missed opportunities, He Wants shows Lewis’ daily routine and habits disturbed when his childhood friend Sydney arrives.

Rereading Books – Part 2

I’ve been a bit absent on the blog since my last post, but I spent a lovely week or so visiting family. It was great to spend time away from the internet and computers, and instead enjoy spending lots of time outdoors and catching up with family.

I didn’t even manage to get that much reading done. I started and finished Amy Sackville’s Orkney which is beautifully written, and I started Robert Galbraith’s The Cuckoo’s Calling which I just finished yesterday and I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the series. I’ve got a couple of reviews of books I finished before I was away to publish, but you can expect my thoughts on Orkney and The Cuckoo’s Calling in the not too distant future I hope.

Anyway, here’s part 2 of my Rereading Books post I published earlier! If you missed part 1, you can read that here.