Connecting ‘The Other’ Through Music and Memory
Connecting ‘The Other’ Through Music and Memory This weekend, my choir took part in a service at the local Methodist chapel. I’m used to singing in the lovely village church, one with stained glass windows, candlelit altars, and all the rich, resounding acoustics of a place that feels grand and steeped in history. We love […]
Book Review of Sandi Toksvig’s Friends of Dorothy
Book Review of Sandi Toksvig’s Friends of Dorothy I am a huge fan of Sandi Toksvig, as you’ll discover from my book review of her memoir, Between the Stops. Therefore, it was a relief that Friends of Dorothy met and probably exceeded my expectations, proving to be just as good, if not better, than I […]
Book Review of Sarah Penner’s The Lost Apothecary
Book Review of Sarah Penner’s The Lost Apothecary Sarah Penner’s The Lost Apothecary was a good choice for our book club, blending past and present in a way that kept us hooked while also providing plenty to debate. Set in both eighteenth-century and modern-day London, the story follows Caroline Parcewell, a woman reeling from her […]
Book Review on Douglas Stuart’s Young Mungo
Book Review on Douglas Stuart’s Young Mungo After reading Douglas Stuart’s Shuggie Bain, I expected Young Mungo to be another gritty experience. However, I was surprised to find it more uplifting than his earlier work, which had notably divided one of my book clubs. The two books share many similarities: both are set in Glasgow […]
Book Review of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is not the type of book I would expect to pick up in a million years. I only did so because it was my book club’s choice. Frankly, the thought of following the glamour of a Hollywood sensation and reading about her failed love affairs held as little appeal to me as watching Love Island. My unconscious, or perhaps semi-conscious, bias led me to think it would be badly written, entirely superficial, and dull. How wrong I was. I have to say that I am now recommending The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo to anyone who passes my front door.
Book Review on Maggie O’Farrell’s The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox
Although I’ve read Maggie O’Farrell’s much acclaimed Hamnet, I haven’t read any of her other works. It was a pleasure to read The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox, which was my book club’s choice.