Blaming by Elizabeth Taylor Can a novel be charmingly poignant? Blaming certainly felt so. Amy and her husband Nick are on a summer holiday in Istanbul; it’s not an entirely fun trip but they’re making the best of it. When Nick dies unexpectantly, Martha – a fellow traveller – steps in ...
A list of good things in September
It’s mid-September. I’m reaching for the blanket of autumn, while still snatching every chance I get to enjoy the expansive freedom of summer. It’s an in-between time, caught between the pleasures of the last few months, and the hopes of the next. It takes me a while to settle comfortably into this ...
Everything I read in August
August was a wonderful month for reading - from mornings on the beach and afternoons by the pool to a deckchair in my garden at dusk. I had adventures on a naval sloop and met some magical people in seventeenth century Massachusetts and a feminist version of the Wild West! Probably Ruby by Lisa ...
Everything I read in June
Excellent Women by Barbara Pym I always feel at home in a Barbara Pym novel. So warm, witty, and familiar – a twentieth century Jane Austen. Excellent Woman was a very happy re-read for me and I enjoyed it immensely this time around. Mildred is one of those ‘excellent women’ who is ‘capable of ...
What I’ve listened to lately
What ever did we do before podcasts? Listen to the radio, I suppose. I still do that, but also love having the freedom to slip on my headphones and drift off to a different world whenever and wherever I choose. Here's where I've been lately... Shrines of Gaiety by Kate Atkinson – audiobook on ...
Everything I read in May
Life After Lunch by Sarah Harrison In the summer her marriage turns 25, Laura embarks on an affair. Life gets chaotic as Laura’s passions get tangled up with the complicated lives of her (almost) grown up children. Witty and most enjoyable. Like a cross between Mary Wesley and Joanna ...
My month in books
April showers may have had us collectively wringing our hands, but left me with plenty of time to lose myself in a book. This month, my reads were pleasingly varied and included crime, historical biography and a good old fashioned ghost story. The Crossing Places by Elly Griffiths The first ...
MARCH BOOKSHELF
Magpie Lane by Lucy Atkins A twisty little thriller set in Oxford. Dee is a nanny in the dysfunctional household of the newly appointed Master of an Oxford College. Felicity, her young charge, is haunted, selectively mute, and deeply troubled. Dee wins her trust, but events spiral out of control ...
The Weekly Edit
Hello friends, it's been a while. This is the first time in over a year that I've felt like writing here. I very much hope to make it a regular thing again. Everything else has changed, so surely blogging is also due a renaissance of sorts? Here's a casual list of my thoughts and a few things to try ...
THE WEEKEND EDIT
Anyone else fighting the tiredness this week? Whether it's caused by the nights drawing in, or the looming threat of Lockdown 2.0, I can't be the only one in need of some weekend cheer. Here's a casual to-do list... Watch Love Life This romantic comedy series is an absolute joy. I binged the ...
OCTOBER STYLE #1
Autumn is here, and so too is transitional dressing. Otherwise known as LAYERS. One of my favourite looks for work, home and beyond is a midi dress plus a knit, tights, ankle boots and a long, lightweight coat. I'm wearing: Coat, £60, Monki. I bought this last year and it's still my ...
OCTOBER BOOKSHELF
Life has changed a lot since I last blogged. One thing, however, will always remains the same: the simple joy of a good read. Here's everything I've enjoyed lately... North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell Part social commentary, part smouldering romance, there’s nothing old-fashioned about this ...