Ali Smith’s How to be both
Book Review of Ali Smith’s How to be both Challenging conventions of literary style and full of philosphical questions, Ali Smith’s How to be both is excellent, but difficult. Ali Smith’s How to be both was fascinating and troubling. It is a story of two halves that can be read (and have actually been published in different […]
Kamila Shamsie’s Home Fire
Book Review of Kamila Shamsie’s Home Fire Following the structure and themes of Antigone, Kamila Shamsie’s Home Fire is a wonderful book that is well deserving to have been the 2017 winner of the Women’s Prize for Fiction. It is topical yet timeless – an almost impossible combination to execute effectively, (I have explored the relevance of […]
Jeanine Cummins’ American Dirt
Book Review of American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins American Dirt begins by describing a shoot out at a barbeque where a woman’s entire family, other than her son, are murdered by a cartel. Sixteen people are killed. The opening is tense, frightening and focuses on the emotions of a young boy and his mum hiding […]
Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice
Book Review of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice Set around the time of the Napoleonic Wars, but making little reference to it, Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, as most people know, follows the romance of snooty, unapproachable Darcy and high spirited, generous Elizabeth Bennet. Darcy is proud and Elizabeth is (in my opinion rightly so) prejudiced. Of […]
What it Means to be Cool
What Does Cool Mean? Some people seem just effortlessly cool? But are they? One of the dangers of having time on our hands is over thinking things. This week I was invited by a friend to join in with one of those facebook challenges that are going round where you are asked to show your […]
Using Board Games to Choose your Career
The Board Game Algorithm Hmmm… I like playing Scrabble so therefore I am not going to give up on being a successful writer one day just yet! Yesterday I called a family meeting. The girls looked anxious! As a rule family meetings are reserved for fairly serious discussions and announcements, but this was just a […]