I have certain friends who are a) good storytellers and b) seem to get into situations that led themselves to good stories. There are many aspects to what makes a good storyteller, but for the best voices it is often difficult to pin down what makes them so successful. For me, a good storyteller mustContinueContinue reading “Book Review: ‘Not a Perfect Fit: Stories from Jane’s World’ by Jane A Schmidt”
Category Archives: books
Book Review: ‘A Sweet Wild Note’ by Richard Smyth
When I turned the pages of this book for the first time, as when I open any new book, I couldn’t help but smell that gloriously comforting and inviting aroma of freshly published manuscript. All pages have their own smell, but it is something that few of us truly appreciate. Similarly, all landscapes have theirContinueContinue reading “Book Review: ‘A Sweet Wild Note’ by Richard Smyth”
Book Review: ‘The Old Ways’ by Robert Macfarlane
There is an area of south Essex that I have always dreamed of visiting, a place so remote and with such transitory terrain that it seems impossible that the edges of London are just 30 miles away. Nonetheless, between the Rivers Crouch and Thames is situated a mysterious footpath, in my mind one of theContinueContinue reading “Book Review: ‘The Old Ways’ by Robert Macfarlane”
Book Review: ‘H is for Hawk’ by Helen Macdonald
Before reading this book I knew very little of the life of TH White, acclaimed author of The Sword in the Stone (1938) and schoolmaster at Stowe for many years. He is a central character in Helen Macdonald’s story, for he was a trainer of hawks, and published The Goshawk, with a mixed reception, in 1951. Macdonald readContinueContinue reading “Book Review: ‘H is for Hawk’ by Helen Macdonald”
Book Review: ‘The Dirty Life’ by Kristin Kimball
When you set out in your early adult life it is tempting to establish goals or to second guess the direction in which your life might head. It seems that, for my generation, we expect or are expected to be high achievers in every ‘area’ of life – career, relationships and gaining that apparently ohContinueContinue reading “Book Review: ‘The Dirty Life’ by Kristin Kimball”
