I don’t remember reading all that many books as part of the elementary or high school curriculum that had much of an impact on me. I read The Old Man and the Sea, I think, and some Shakespeare – probably Julius Caesar. Other than that…. I couldn’t really tell you. I was so busy doing READ MORE
Year: 2025
TOP TEN TUESDAY | LOOOOOONG BOOKS
I have to admit that I do tend to be put off by long books. It’s not fair – I have read some that were absolutely fantastic and earned their page count. I think it just comes down to that reticence to commit to something that will take that much time and effort from me. READ MORE
LINK-UP | IT’S MONDAY! WHAT ARE YOU READING?
Another busy week, but I have managed to do some reading! I also got a lot of work done in the garden. It was time to start cutting back some of the straggly plants, re-plant the front beds by the front door that were looking a bit sad and start clearing out the dying borage READ MORE
THE SUNDAY REVIEW | GABRIEL’S MOON – WILLIAM BOYD
I was excited about this one when it came up on my BookTube Prize Quarterfinals judging pool. I love stories of intrigue and espionage ( MI-5, or Spooks, is one of my all-time favourite shows), and I liked the twist that this one features a writer who kind of accidentally becomes entangled in the world READ MORE
BOOK BLOGGER HOP | LITTLE FREE LIBRARIES
I love little free libraries. I really want to get one myself, now that I live in a home that has a street-facing driveway I could put it at the end of! I am dropping hints and hoping that someone handy in my life might help me put one together at some point, but we READ MORE
WEDNESDAY BLOGGING CHALLENGE | WHAT I READ WHEN I’M NOT FEELING WELL
If I’m being totally honest, I am probably quite unlikely to read anything when I’m feeling ill. Usually that’s when I’m too tired and feeling too yucky to expend the energy needed to actually engage with the printed word. So instead of books, I turn to TV and movies, and I tend to re-watch ones READ MORE
TOP TEN TUESDAY | BOOKS TO END A SLUMP
The prompt for this week was “books guaranteed to end your book slump,” and while I’m tempted by that thought, I really don’t know if those books exist. Partly because there is so much variation between readers – what one person finds gripping, another will want to take a nap while reading. But also because, READ MORE
LINK-UP | IT’S MONDAY! WHAT ARE YOU READING?
The weeks are just zooming by, and don’t seem to have that much reading time, unfortunately! I’m starting on my BookTube Prize reading, and I started with the long book, so it’s slow going. I’m not able to say what I’m thinking of it so far, but I’m hoping to finish it this week. Other READ MORE
THE SUNDAY REVIEW | LONG ISLAND – COLM TÓIBÍN
I’ve only read one other Colm Tóibín book, The Magician, which I also read for The BookTube Prize in 2022. I admired the writing style, even if the story was a little dense for my liking. This one is a sequel to one of Tóibín’s most famous books, Brooklyn. I’ve not read Brooklyn, so I READ MORE
BOOK BLOGGER HOP | NATIONAL BOOK LOVER’S DAY
To be perfectly honest, until I saw this prompt I had no idea it was National Book Lover’s Day tomorrow. Not being in the nation that celebrates it might have something to do with it. But now that I know, I suppose I’ll just try to find a little bit of time around family commitments READ MORE
WEDNESDAY BLOGGING CHALLENGE | BOOKS I READ IN SCHOOL & DIDN’T LIKE
I don’t remember most of the books I read in school. I vaguely remember reading Animal Farm, which I didn’t hate, but also didn’t love. I think I liked the discussion after the book more than actually reading the book itself. I did French Immersion up to grade 8 or 9, so I also read READ MORE
TOP TEN TUESDAY | GENRE FREEBIE
This week’s prompt is a genre freebie. At the moment, being summer and high time for plants and gardening, I’m obsessed with gardening and nature books. But I already did a post about the nature and gardening books I’ve read, am reading and want to read this summer, and I don’t want to get too READ MORE
LINK-UP | IT’S MONDAY! WHAT ARE YOU READING?
Still not feeling that great and have been busy this week – what spare time I had I spent trying to catch up on some of the chores that have been neglected because I’ve been busy hanging out with my kid and sleeping because my meds are making me feel icky! But I am hoping READ MORE
THE SUNDAY REVIEW | SIPSWORTH – SIMON VAN BOOY
I knew I’d like this one. I had already purchased it before it came up in my BookTube Prize quarterfinals reading list, so I was excited to read it. (Plus it helped that Sue had recommended it to me several times!) It’s a small book, but with one that tackles some big topics. It’s a READ MORE
BOOK BLOGGER HOP | MY CURRENT READS
I’m currently reading a few different books, so this is a tough one to answer! I’m between the fifth and sixth books in the Wings of Fire graphic novel series, thanks to my kid who has been reading and re-reading them for months. They’re favourites, and I was lent some to read – I’m actually READ MORE
WEDNESDAY BLOGGING CHALLENGE | BOOKS I NEVER WROTE REVIEWS FOR
There are so many books I’ve read and not reviewed. A lot came pre-blog, but there are ongoing books I read and don’t review for all kinds of reasons. Most often it’s that I read the book, I get busy, I don’t write the review and then I can’t remember the details without re-reading the READ MORE
TOP TEN TUESDAY | BEACH READS I’D RECOMMEND
This week’s prompt is books that take place at a beach or books you’d like to take to the beach. I’m not a beach person. At all. They’re too hot, the good ones are usually difficult to get to, they’re too hot or too windy, and inevitably sand gets far too intimate without any consent READ MORE
LINK-UP | IT’S MONDAY! WHAT ARE YOU READING?
Another busy week of ups and downs. I’ve got another lung infection, which I’m trying to keep in check without more antibiotics as I’m worried about how often I take them and the effect that has on my body and their effectiveness. It’s unpleasant but not getting worse, so I’m really hoping I’ll start seeing READ MORE