The View from Here: Christmas in a Box

… much as I love Christmas and despite the melancholy which often accompanies the passing of the season, all good things should draw to a proper close before they outstay their welcome

Epiphany.  A favourite word. Today is the Christian Feast of the Epiphany – the reveal of Christ by the Magi – and an occasion marked by tradition and celebration in many countries as well as by religious services.  Today is also known as Little Christmas among Irish and other Christians when men traditionally took on the household duties for the day and women spent the day together.  Mostly I think of it as the day after Twelfth Night: the end of the twelve days of Christmas and the day by which decorations must be taken down and put away. Continue reading “The View from Here: Christmas in a Box”

WWW Wednesday 16/10/19

IMG_1384-0WWW Wednesday is currently hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words.  Each week there are three questions:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

I was so late with this last week that I thought maybe I would skip today’s post.  But here I am, all good to go, so why not… Continue reading “WWW Wednesday 16/10/19”

Bone China by Laura Purcell

My own mind is not sound; I am the last person entitled to laugh at this unfortunate, deranged woman. But perhaps that is why I hate her so much. I see in her the damage a maid can do to her mistress. I see elements of myself.

My wish list is strewn with books written in recent years which fall into the historic/gothic genre, none of which I have so far managed to start.  I want to; it just hasn’t happened.  Bone China by Laura Purcell has finally got me over the starting line, courtesy of The Pigeonhole.  This is my first book by Laura Purcell and hopefully it’s clear that I’m not well-versed in the work of modern gothic writers in general so what follows should be read with those caveats in mind.  It’s also not easy to describe this book whilst avoiding spoilers but I can say with conviction that I loved it!  An excellent choice to kick off my RIP XIV reads. Continue reading “Bone China by Laura Purcell”

WWW Wednesday 9/10/19

IMG_1384-0WWW Wednesday is currently hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words.  Each week there are three questions:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

I missed Wednesday; almost made Thursday and now it’s Friday Saturday.  Ah well.  The answers are the same today as they would have been yesterday and the day before. Continue reading “WWW Wednesday 9/10/19”

WWW Wednesday 2/10/19

IMG_1384-0WWW Wednesday is currently hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words.  Each week there are three questions:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

This seems to be working well for me.  Even if I’ve not been able to post anything else, having one weekly post to produce has been manageable.

A month of disappointing September weather has departed, making way for some disappointing October weather (so far) and  leaving me with a streaming and debilitating cold.  Not what I would choose as an ideal start to autumn!  But there are always books.

Continue reading “WWW Wednesday 2/10/19”

Classics Club spin #21

The 21st Classics Club spin will be spun on 23rd September.  The book corresponding to the chosen number should be read by 31st October.  I was intending to add a sentence or two about how I do always read whichever book comes up from my list, I just rarely get the review written – but I see, reading more carefully, that the Classics Club post doesn’t actually ask for the review to be posted by then, merely that the book has been read.  This makes me very happy!  Continue reading “Classics Club spin #21”

A Single Thread by Tracy Chevalier

A Single Thread is a charming read.  It is a book I would happily read again

I have read all of Tracy Chevalier’s earlier books. (Girl with a Pearl Earring is a perennial favourite.)  But as can happen, I’ve gradually lost touch with her later books – always intending to catch up and never quite managing it.  Her latest book, A Single Thread, is my first foray into reading through The Pigeonhole – a new experience in itself – and at last, a return to this popular author.  It didn’t disappoint. Continue reading “A Single Thread by Tracy Chevalier”

Six Degrees of Separation: from The Paris Wife to …

It’s already time for Six Degrees again, hosted by Kate at booksaremyfavouriteandbest.

From the starter title provided by Kate, create a chain of six books, each one linked to the one before.  This month is a wildcard: we each start our chain with the book we ended on last month.  For me that was The Paris Wife by Paula McLain.  Although each book is only required to link to its predecessor, often a theme arises or a choice spins back to an earlier link.  This month is no different in that regard.  It is different in that beyond the starter book, none of the others are books that I’ve read; they are all books that I very much want to read.  So perhaps this chain will give me a nudge!  It also takes me on a whistle-stop tour across the globe, sampling cultures far removed from my own.  We begin in France. Continue reading “Six Degrees of Separation: from The Paris Wife to …”