Le scaphandre et le papillon was recommended to me some years ago by a French-speaking English student who thought I might enjoy reading it in the original language. I have not so far managed to do that, but I have finally read the English translation, and I was blown away. It's an extraordinary document of … Continue reading #20BooksofSummer23: The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Just a reminder that a chapter-a-day readalong of the book by Jules Verne is starting today, with discussion in French on the Discord channel hosted by Emma of Words and Peace. Let me or Emma know if you'd like to join the group! If you want to read in English (or another language) that's fine … Continue reading Readalong of Voyage au centre de la terre
When I picked out Thomasina to read for a cat-themed reading event at Literary Potpourri, all I knew about it was that the title character was a cat, and the author had also written Mrs 'Arris Goes to Paris, a book I'd recently enjoyed. I didn't pay attention to the subtitle ("the cat who thought … Continue reading #ReadingtheMeow2023: Thomasina
It's my pleasure this year to join in the readalong of Ursula K. Le Guin's Hainish fiction hosted by Calmgrove, focusing on the works that I have never read or can't remember reading. So far, that means I've read four novellas published in the 1960s and 70s: Rocannon's World, Planet of Exile, City of Illusions, … Continue reading #LoveHain: Worlds of Humanity
My e-library used to have this excellent feature where I could recommend books they didn't have in the catalog. Mostly these got ignored, but some were added. Unfortunately, by then my burning desire to read them had usually passed and I didn't borrow them after all. Now that recommending books has become more difficult (you … Continue reading Make me read it: Books I recommended to the library
I was thrilled when the Folio Society chose The Neverending Story by Michael Ende as a book to produce in celebration of their 75th anniversary. I find it a most suitable choice, because it's a book about the power of reading and the imagination. He picked up the book and examined it from all sides. … Continue reading At Shiny New Books: The Neverending Story
I've continued to send out my poems to online and print publications, and I'm thrilled that some of them have been published in the last few months. Here are links to poems you can read online: "Time Change" - poem in Amethyst Review "Mother" - a poem in The Way Back To Ourselves (previously published … Continue reading “A poem’s not a thing” – Some recent poetry publications
I haven't been writing full reviews of the spiritual memoirs I've read in the last few months, but I want to give at least a short update on each of them. Here are the last three: A Pilgrimage to Eternity: From Canterbury to Rome in Search of a Faith by Timothy Egan A mix of … Continue reading Spiritual Memoir Challenge update
Here's another link to an essay of mine that was just published in Kosmos Journal: "A Cosmic Twist: The elemental art of spinning." Look up into the clear night sky, and after a time you will perceive how the stars rotate around a central axis, as if on a great wheel. The ancients saw this … Continue reading Another essay: A Cosmic Twist
I'm delighted to announce that my article with the above title was included in a recent issue of the Authors Publish Newsletter. Here's how it begins: In my mid-thirties, shortly before my son was born, I sold two essays to national magazines and thought my writing career had finally been launched. Then, postpartum depression and … Continue reading 7 Ways Blogging Helped My Writing
