About the Book: Seventeen years ago, King Odysseus sailed to war with Troy, taking with him every man of fighting age from the isle of Ithaca. None of them has returned, and the women of Ithaca have been left behind to run the kingdom. Penelope was barely into womanhood when she wed Odysseus. While he … Continue reading Book Review: Ithaca by Claire North
The Week That Was…
It's Christmas at my house now. The decorations are all up and the Christmas movie festival has begun. So far, we've watched Love Actually and Last Christmas. The adventures of the naughty Christmas Elf have also commenced... Even Zeus is fully embracing the Christmas spirit... Joke of the week: What I've been watching: Not just … Continue reading The Week That Was…
Book Review: Not Now, Not Ever by Julia Gillard
About the Book: Ten years on from the speech that stopped us all in our tracks – Julia Gillard’s misogyny speech. Where were you then? And where are we now? On 9 October 2012, Prime Minister Julia Gillard stood up and proceeded to make all present in Parliament House that day pay attention – and … Continue reading Book Review: Not Now, Not Ever by Julia Gillard
Book Review: Bliss on Toast by Prue Leith
About the Book: What's more comforting and satisfying than toast? And if you top it with a few cleverly paired ingredients, it can be a full meal, not to mention pure bliss. These 75 recipes for things on toast will help you make quick, delicious and versatile meals year-round – for working–from-home lunches and cosy … Continue reading Book Review: Bliss on Toast by Prue Leith
A Month of Reading: October
Throughout October I read six books, four I rated at five stars and two I rated at four stars, so once again, quality is winning out over quantity. A couple of them were actually pretty thick too, 600 pages and 400 pages, so I felt like I definitely got more reading time in this month, … Continue reading A Month of Reading: October
Book Review: Is This a Cookbook? Adventures in the Kitchen by Heston Blumenthal
About the Book: Is this a cookbook? Well, it's full of Heston's typically brilliant, delicious and inventive recipes, including green gazpacho, beetroot and pea salad, quinoa with vegetables, Moroccan pasties, hemp panna cotta, banana and parsley smoothie, tomato and coffee muffins, parsnip granola, rice ice cream, sherry vinegar posset, cricket ketchup and thyme and orange … Continue reading Book Review: Is This a Cookbook? Adventures in the Kitchen by Heston Blumenthal
Book Review: Horse by Geraldine Brooks
About the Book: A discarded painting in a roadside clean-up, forgotten bones in a research archive, and Lexington, the greatest racehorse in US history. From these strands of fact, Geraldine Brooks weaves a sweeping story of spirit, obsession and injustice across American history. Kentucky, 1850. An enslaved groom named Jarret and a bay foal forge a … Continue reading Book Review: Horse by Geraldine Brooks
Book Review: These Days by Lucy Caldwell
About the Book: April, 1941. Belfast has escaped the worst of the war - so far. Over the next two months, it's going to be destroyed from above, so that people will say, in horror, My God, Belfast is finished. Many won't make it through, and no one who does will remain unchanged. Following the … Continue reading Book Review: These Days by Lucy Caldwell
The Week That Was…
How quickly I fell out of the routine of writing my weekly updates. The last one was in early September, right before my son had his knee surgery. We're now at the sixth week of his recovery and hoping that he will be able to get off the crutches and back to normal living. Six … Continue reading The Week That Was…
Book Review: Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng
About the Book: Twelve-year-old Bird Gardner lives a quiet existence with his loving but broken father, a former linguist who now shelves books in Harvard's library. He knows not to ask too many questions, stand out too much, stray too far. For a decade, their lives have been governed by laws written to preserve 'American … Continue reading Book Review: Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng
Theresa Smith Writes 