Monthly Archives: July 2015

The Man Booker Prize 2015 Longlist has been announced!

Posted on July 29, 2015 by

The race is on: the international Prize’s Baker’s Dozen of contenders has been whittled down from its original list of 156 to just 13 titles. The shortlist will be mid September, with the grand finale winner divulged a month later. … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Prizes | Tagged , , , | 15 Comments

“The Song of Achilles” by Madeline Miller (2011) – tales of the unexpected

Posted on July 27, 2015 by

To say this is not the Iliad we all vaguely know and love is a slight understatement. The Trojans are indeed waging war in the background, and we are faintly aware that Penelope must be by now weaving furiously at … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

Literary Trail III – books based in and on the Big Apple

Posted on July 25, 2015 by

Simone de Beauvoir is apparently often quoted for maintaining that “There is something in the New York air that makes sleep useless“, while Groucho Marx infamously declared that “Practically everybody in New York has half a mind to write a book – … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Lists, Literary Trails | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Literary Trail II : or “10 reasons to want to instantly decamp to New York”…

Posted on July 24, 2015 by

 10 reasons – there could be a hundred…. 1: The Strand Bookstore – 828 Broadway, on the corner of 12th. Arguably the biggest bookshop in the world, and certainly one of the best have ever set foot into, The Strand … Continue reading →

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Literary Trail I – New York: Helen Mirren, “The Lady/Woman in Gold” & “The Audience”

Posted on July 21, 2015 by

Miracles never cease. If D hadn’t pulled off an amazing one-time-only week of work placement in New York, and if N hadn’t mentioned the idea of going to the cinema there and seeing “The Woman in Gold” before it came … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews, Books on the Big Screen, Literary Trails, Non-fiction | Tagged , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

“The Undertaking” by Audrey Magee (2014) – book review

Posted on July 19, 2015 by

Every now and then a book comes along that gets under your skin and literally knocks you off your size sixes. “The Undertaking” is such a novel, and it is going to stay with me for a very long time. … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

Book Group III – the Global Nomads

Posted on July 17, 2015 by

The “Global Nomads” have been meeting to discuss books from all over the world since 2010. Many thanks to Julie for letting me have this varied list to add to the growing collection of books read and still to be read, … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Group | Tagged , | 6 Comments