Little Boy Lost by Marghanita Laski Mrs Osmond by John Banville The Silent Companions by Laura Purcell The Shepherd's Hut by Tim Winton
Book Review – Fortune’s Wheel by Carolyn Hughes
When discussing the aftermath of the Black Death, many general history books mention that it was an historical turning point which ultimately brought about the demise of the feudal system. With possibly up to 60% of the population of Europe dead from plague, labourers were in short supply and despite laws intended to freeze wages … Continue reading Book Review – Fortune’s Wheel by Carolyn Hughes
Yay!
Well, I have finally done it. Last week I published my novel Forsaking All Other both as a paperback and an ebook. An historical novel with romantic elements, it is set in England in the mid-1580s and tells the story of a young woman's struggle to avoid an arranged marriage at a time when duty … Continue reading Yay!
My Reading – February 2018
A Dangerous Crossing by Rachel Rhys Pleasing Mr Pepys by Deborah Swift Fortune's Wheel by Carolyn Hughes
Book Review – Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders
On 25 February 1862, following his death from typhoid, Willie Lincoln, the 11-year-old son of Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States, was buried in the family vault of Judge William Carroll in the Oak Hill cemetery in Georgetown. Lincoln in the Bardo takes place over several nights following his funeral. It begins with two … Continue reading Book Review – Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders
My Reading – January 2018
Fools and Mortals by Bernard Cornwell Black + White: Race Politics and Changing Australia by Nyunggai Warren Mundine Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders If you have difficulty with any of the links Right-click on the link and open in a private window and it should work.
Book Review – Fools and Mortals by Bernard Cornwell
London 1595 and Richard, younger brother of William Shakespeare is a player in the Lord Chamberlain’s Men where William is both playwright and a sharer (a senior member of the company who shared both its expenses and its profits). Richard’s arrival in London a few years earlier was not welcomed by William. He packed Richard … Continue reading Book Review – Fools and Mortals by Bernard Cornwell
In My Garden – Moss Rose
The Moss Rose (Portulaca grandiflora) is a small and fast-growing annual. Originally native to Argentina, southern Brazil, and Uruguay, it is also found across South and South East Asia. It has a variety of names from Rock and Sun Rose to Time Flower (time fuul in Bangladesh) and Nine, Ten or Twelve O’Clock Flower (nau … Continue reading In My Garden – Moss Rose
One Minute Book Review – Shakespeare’s Restless World by Neil MacGregor
In 2012 Neil MacGregor, then Director of the British Museum, gave a series of fifteen-minute talks on Radio 4 called Shakespeare's Restless World which took twenty objects from the late Elizabethan/early Jacobean period and examined them in detail, setting them not only in their historical setting, but also in that of Shakespeare’s plays. This book, … Continue reading One Minute Book Review – Shakespeare’s Restless World by Neil MacGregor
Book Review – Into the Water by Paula Hawkins
Into the Water opens with a disturbing scene – a young woman is bound by two or more men and drowned in icy water. There is no sense given of when this happened or who she is other than her name, Libby. So, from the very beginning there is an undercurrent of danger. The novel … Continue reading Book Review – Into the Water by Paula Hawkins
