Being a proud Scarborian, I was more than a little chuffed to discover that for the last five years my home town has been hosting a cracking little literature festival. This year's line up is to be honest extraordinarily good. When I first looked at the website I let out a small sob of joy … Continue reading Scarborough Lit Fest
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Books, my Mum, and Me
My mum and I, when I was about five. I am sporting my 'Josie Smith' haircut. Every time I look in the mirror I see my mum starring back at me. That never gets any less weird. When I first started primary school, I couldn’t read. I had been read to every single night of … Continue reading Books, my Mum, and Me
Young Fagin….
Recent times have seen a dearth of literary re-workings, from Charlie Higson's excellent Young Bond series (if you've got a 13 year old spy-addict who hasn't read Silverfin yet then get on it!) to this week’s revelation that Jennifer Garner shall be playing a young lithe (American?) Miss Marple. No matter what you think of … Continue reading Young Fagin….
Hello old friends
Ok, so this isn't really a blog post, per se...but I hope that you find it interesting none the less! As I am still on my poetry kick, I've been looking up poems I first discovered as a kid. Here are a few of my favourites. I'll start with a quickie. CS Lewis, from The … Continue reading Hello old friends
The Looking Glass Wars
I'll admit this straight off; I'm not the biggest Alice in Wonderland fan in the world. Don't get me wrong, I love the book. My Dad read it to me as a kid, I've re-read it at least ten times since as an adult and it has a warm place in my heart. But I'm … Continue reading The Looking Glass Wars
Oh the suffragette and the librarian can be friends…
This is a response to something I read on a blog (linked in title-warning it is a link to a political party blog, this is no way infers my support for that political party I just saw it on twitter) quoting ANOTHER blog (though the linked article was a response against that blog) comparing the … Continue reading Oh the suffragette and the librarian can be friends…
Poddy the third – Let’s Get Classical!
* * *PODCAST* * * Usual spoiler and language warnings apply! The one where we finally get stuck into the Bronte Sisters and Jane Austen, discussing The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte, Jane Eyre by her sister Charlotte, and our favourite Jane Austen's - AVIDREADER on Pride & Prejudice while BOOKELF dissects Persuasion. … Continue reading Poddy the third – Let’s Get Classical!
South Riding-Tiny Mini Pre-Rant
So this is a pre-rant to the main event because I finished South Riding last night and cannot keep it in! ***SPOILERS LOADS AND LOADS OF SPOILERS*** Why South Riding the Book SERVES South Riding the TV Series 1) Sarah Burton. Oh how I love Sarah Burton. Don't get me wrong, mega loves and girl-crushes … Continue reading South Riding-Tiny Mini Pre-Rant
The Cry of the Go-Away Bird – A chat with Andrea Eames
A few weeks ago, after a glowing recommendation from a friend, I read 'The Cry of the Go Away Bird' by Andrea Eames. This atmospheric book is set in Zimbabwe during the late 1990's, covering the increasingly volatile political and economic situation through the eyes of a young teenager - sorry, a young white teenager, … Continue reading The Cry of the Go-Away Bird – A chat with Andrea Eames
50 Books A Year?
This is my own personal response to the story that came out today about the Education Secretary's proposal that children should be expected to be reading 50 books a year. I do not speak for all members of Leeds Book Club on my opinion of this matter So Gove wants school children to read 50 … Continue reading 50 Books A Year?
