Sally Rooney’s Normal People
Book Review of Sally Rooney’s Normal People Sally Rooney’s Normal People has been very popular as a serialized tv show too. I first read and enjoyed Sally Rooney’s Normal People a few months ago. I remember thinking the level of the self-reflection and introspection by the main characters, Marianne and Connell were intense. Somehow it put me […]
Madeline Miller’s The Song of Achilles
Book Review of Madeline Miller’s The Song of Achilles I love how it is Patroclus who takes centre stage in this partial retelling of Homer’s Iliad. I read The Song of Achilles as part of a challenge to read all of the winners of the Women’s Prize for fiction. (Naomi Alderman’s The Power and Eimear McBride’s A Girl is a […]
Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre
Book Review of Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre I love how quizzical and intelligent Charlotte Bronte appears in this image. Many people already know the story of Jane Eyre, but my hunch is that Jane Eyre isn’t widely read these days, at least not in the UK. Even though it is quite a humdinger of a […]
Maths Anxiety(2)? – Let the Tutor take the Strain
Helping Maths Anxiety Haha!! Image courtesy of http://clipart-library.com/clipart/kcMK4b8Ai.htm I blogged the other day about my self-revelation that Betsy has probably been suffering from maths anxiety for her whole school life; I did make a basic parent error of not checking with her before posting and I’m not sure that she is completely ok with me, not only […]
Celebrations, Cards and Can’t be Bothered
Celebrations there’s nothing worse than when only one half of the partnership remembers cards! It was my wedding anniversary today (23 years!) and I was very lucky to receive a lovely card and gift from the old fella. This has gone hand in hand with compliments and kindness throughout the day. I’m feeling a bit […]
Why Read Aloud?
Why Reading Aloud Matters? From sharing Roger Hargreave’s Mr Men stories with Year 1 children, to reading Shakespeare’s Hamlet with Year 13, I have never had any doubt that reading aloud is hugely valuable. This is a common view, and certainly one that I imagine all librarians and lovers of books share. The benefits of reading aloud […]