Tag Archives: Books

Writing Dickens

Today marks 170 years since Charles Dickens advertised what would become his latest novel to his public. That novel was Hard Times, one that he would serialise between April and August 1854 in his periodic journal Household Words. We are so used to reading Dickens’s novels as whole books that it is sometimes difficult toContinue reading “Writing Dickens”

A Quick Review of The Little Match Girl Strikes Back

LITTLE MATCH GIRL STRIKES BACK by Emma Carroll My rating: 4 of 5 stars This is an empowering re-telling of a Hans Christian Anderson story of an impoverished match-seller struggling to make a living selling matches on the freezing streets. Subverting the tragedy of Anderson’s tale, this transposes the story onto the streets of London,Continue reading “A Quick Review of The Little Match Girl Strikes Back”

The Kindness of Catherine Cookson

Those of you that follow my blog know that I have recently made quite an effort to read some of Catherine Cookson’s extensive catalogue of novels. Having recently moved back to the North East, I wanted to read books that evoke the heart and the spirit of the land that I now, once more, callContinue reading “The Kindness of Catherine Cookson”

My Thoughts on Home Going by Yaa Gyasi

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi My rating: 5 of 5 stars I came across this book after a recent episode of This is Us featured Rebecca and Randall discussing it. Both Randall and Rebecca confessed to sobbing at a key moment in the book. Deciding that I needed to get a hold of this book, IContinue reading “My Thoughts on Home Going by Yaa Gyasi”

The Branded Man by Catherine Cookson

The Branded Man by Catherine Cookson My rating: 4 of 5 stars Continuing on with my immersion in the works of Catherine Cookson, I delved into The Branded Man. Published in 1997, one year before she died, I think in this work, more than in her previous, we can really tell that she was strugglingContinue reading “The Branded Man by Catherine Cookson”

A review of Dear Evelyn by Kathy Page

Dear Evelyn by Kathy Page My rating: 5 of 5 stars An expansive, yet shatteringly intimate portrait of a long-term marriage, Dear Evelyn is one of those books that got under my skin. It is a masterpiece of characterisation, with both Evelyn and Harry portrayed with almost careless skill, both characters growing and developing asContinue reading “A review of Dear Evelyn by Kathy Page”

Catherine Cookson’s Plainer Still

Plainer Still: A New Personal Anthology by Catherine Cookson My rating: 4 of 5 stars This is an interesting addition to the vast body of work produced by a prolific writer, but very different to her usual story-telling novelistic form. Comprised of a series of poems, essays, recollections, and snapshots of her life, the bookContinue reading “Catherine Cookson’s Plainer Still”

Review of Trans by Helen Joyce

Trans: When Ideology Meets Reality by Helen Joyce My rating: 5 of 5 stars This is not an academic review. I read this book because the issues are important to me, and I prefer to have an informed, considered, opinion, rather than one incubated on the toxic platform of Twitter. The opinions I express hereContinue reading “Review of Trans by Helen Joyce”