Category Archives: Non-fiction

“Angela’s Ashes” by Frank McCourt (1997) – a blistering if controversial tale of an unforgettable childhood

Posted on March 28, 2016 by nicolaliteraryramblings

That was the month (of March) that was, and ‘Tis an understatement to say how frustrating it was that reading had to take such a back seat. Have relished following so many stories of everyone’s Irish Reading Month adventures and … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews, Non-fiction | Tagged , , | 13 Comments

“Cider with Rosie” by Laurie Lee (1959) – poetry in motion

Posted on November 30, 2015 by nicolaliteraryramblings

Nothing whatsoever to do with “Under Milk Wood”, in fact couldn’t be a more innocent portrayal of youth in many ways – and there’s nothing even remotely as flamboyant about this man’s somewhat idyllic childhood in a remote village set in a … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews, Classics Club Challenge, Non-fiction | Tagged , , | 20 Comments

“The C-Word” by Lisa Lynch (2010) – telling it like it is

Posted on October 30, 2015 by nicolaliteraryramblings

It’s not bloody right. Have just finished reading “The C-Word” and am feeling indignant and fed up with the injustice of it all. Lisa Lynch was diagnosed with breast cancer at just 28 after having already experienced the heartbreak of … Continue reading →

Posted in Non-fiction | Tagged , | 3 Comments

“I Am Malala” by Malala Yousafzai (2013) & “Creating Room to Read” by John Wood (2013) – hope springing eternal

Posted on September 11, 2015 by nicolaliteraryramblings

In these uncertain times of mass migration and seemingly solution-less problems, I have been bowled over by two very different yet parallel stories of hope in a world that is now struggling to deal with global issues on a scale … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews, Non-fiction | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments

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

Posted on July 21, 2015 by nicolaliteraryramblings

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

“Teatime in Paris: A Walk Through Easy French Pâtisserie Recipes” by Jill Colonna (2015) – book review

Posted on May 26, 2015 by nicolaliteraryramblings

Well, what a turn out for the books! Bit of a departure from the norm for me, but simply too good to resist… Found myself by sheer coincidence in just the right place at the right time last week: took … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews, Non-fiction | Tagged , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

“Love, Nina: Despatches from Family Life” by Nina Stibbe (2013) – book review

Posted on May 5, 2015 by nicolaliteraryramblings

Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha. HAHAHA.  Laugh-out loud funny. Thank you for the recommendation, S. Not since the original Bridget Jones hit the shelves back in 1996 has a book made me cackle so merrily. Helen Fielding had us all … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews, Non-fiction | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Wellcome Trust Book Prize – winner announced 28th April 2015, and “The Iceberg: A Memoir” by Marion Coutts (2014) – book review

Posted on April 30, 2015 by nicolaliteraryramblings

The 2015 winner of the perhaps not so well known “Wellcome Book Prize” has just been announced from its shortlist. Established all the way back in 1936, the Trust is the UK’s largest non-governmental source of funds for biomedical research, … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Prizes, Book Reviews, Non-fiction | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

“Do No Harm – Stories of Life, Death and Brain Surgery” by Henry Marsh (2014) – book review

Posted on April 4, 2015 by nicolaliteraryramblings

“What a bloody, splendid book” (The Observer). If K had not recommended this book, I probably couldn’t have touched it with a barge pole. Famous in the family for fainting and banging my head on radiators when children have picked … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews, Non-fiction | Tagged , , , , | 14 Comments

“Rebecca” by Daphne du Maurier (1938) and “Daphne du Maurier” by Margaret Forster (1993) – book reviews

Posted on April 2, 2015 by nicolaliteraryramblings

Dare I say it – we got there first… Read of the month for our book group in March 2015 was none other than the British classic “Rebecca”. Some of us were revisiting it, others were coming ‘fresh’ to Daphne … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews, Books on the Big Screen, Non-fiction | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments