The Chronicles of Ancient Darkness

This month I have become a little obsessed with The Chronicles of Ancient Darkness, a series aimed at Young Adults (i.e. older children) but I, a woman in her twenties, enjoyed it immensely. This is a series of six, set in the Stone Ages- before farming, writing or the wheel. At first I was attracted … Continue reading The Chronicles of Ancient Darkness

The Millennium Trilogy

Greer once said ‘women will never know how much men hate them’. The Millennium Trilogy seeks to correct this. The books are, in my opinion, an exposé of day-to-day misogyny, as well as violent hatred against women on a grand scale. The male characters who perpetrate the violence or general patriarchal attitudes are either weak … Continue reading The Millennium Trilogy

Book Club the Sixth – Amended Order

Book Club the Sixth - BOOKELF - 05-05-2010 Agreed on: The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga (BookElf) Discussed: - The Island by Victoria Hislop - The Owl Killers by Karen Maitland - Dracula by Bram Stoker - Millenium Trilogy by Steig Larsson Right, down to buzz-y-ness. As I only completed our first topic book after … Continue reading Book Club the Sixth – Amended Order

Oh dear…reading the greats

As part of the Once Upon A Time Reading Challenge I have spent my bank holiday reading Virgil. I know this makes me sound like a right clever swot-girl, but in my defence, it wasn't the original poem in Latin or anything like that, but the first four books of The Aeneid, translated for Penguin … Continue reading Oh dear…reading the greats

The Land of Fire, Ice, annoying volcanos…and a great literary tradition

Now I know that Iceland isn't massively popular at the moment. For one thing, they've just banned lapdancing clubs full stop, so that's another load of stag parties' plans scuppered, then they go an elect a woman as Prime Minister who is not only a massive environmentalist and feminist (you'd have never guessed by the … Continue reading The Land of Fire, Ice, annoying volcanos…and a great literary tradition

Book Club the Fifth

Book Club the Fifth - BOOKN00B - 18-04-2010 Agreed on: The Island by Victoria Hislop (BookN00b) Discussed: - Firman by Sam Savage SPECIAL GUEST STAR - Lela - who is now 100 pages into The Book Thief! BOOKN00B hated the first chapter, which enraged her, resulting in her casting aside the book for about a … Continue reading Book Club the Fifth

Bloody Men – Wendy Cope

Bloody Men Bloody men are like bloody buses — You wait for about a year And as soon as one approaches your stop Two or three others appear. You look at them flashing their indicators, Offering you a ride. You’re trying to read the destinations, You haven’t much time to decide. If you make a … Continue reading Bloody Men – Wendy Cope

Percheron-it

N loves Sci-Fi (or whatever the kids are calling it these days) and fantasy. I don't. The last sci-fi fantasy read N lent me I rather rudely rejected after about 50pages because I literally couldn't tell what was more annoying, the characters or the dialogue between them, which was so contrived and far-fetched not only … Continue reading Percheron-it

Borrowed Books

Never lend books, for no one ever returns them; the only books I have in my library are books that other people have lent me. - Anatole France One of the best things about being friends with other book lovers, is that you invariably start to swap (diversion - it pains me that swap is … Continue reading Borrowed Books

The Lake Isle of Inishfree – W.B. Yates

The Lake Isle of Inishfree I WILL arise and go now, and go to Innisfree, And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made: Nine bean-rows will I have there, a hive for the honey-bee; And live alone in the bee-loud glade. And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping … Continue reading The Lake Isle of Inishfree – W.B. Yates