In a year where my reading goals are all about learning from history - this is a line up I couldn‘t ignore. Such diverse topics that all sound fab!

https://www.wolfsonhistoryprize.org.uk/2022-shortlist-announced/?utm_source=soci...

Garthwaite has put Cecily in the room! Her voice is loud her influence deep and her intelligence instrumental in shaping the royal succession. She‘s bold, creative and daring. She suffers loss and her heart is wounded but her ambition maintains constant. This is a fab creation of her fictional life - the lens through which we should view all history - one where the woman are key players

Great article - especially love the description of the ‘actor‘ making a whole act of every word on the page - and in doing so loosing the story!

Tagged is a book I loved on audio!

https://www.vulture.com/2022/05/audiobook-performer-actor-reader-good-bad.html?u...

So parcel number 2 is on its way. I hope this one arrives! 🤞🏼

(you‘ll know the difference Lynn - the goodies inside parcel 1 are wrapped, but they‘re unwrapped inside parcel 2!)

First afternoon of the year that I‘ve sat on the patio and read - #nearlysummer !

Fascinating histories ( all in tiny bite sized chunks!) as well as fab photos! Love this book!

I thought I‘d dip in to this book but once I started I was so absorbed I read it cover to cover! It‘s a wonderful mix of micro histories- stories of ordinary people doing ordinary things- placing the context of London and Londoners into world events, alongside really beautiful images of treasures found along the rivers foreshore.

One of the best opening paragraphs I‘ve read for a long time. 🙏♥️🙏♥️

What a gem - one I‘ll be recommending to everyone and popping in lots of birthday bags! It‘s terrifically humble, observant and full of warmth and humanity. It‘s fab to see older women on the page and her writing and the transition is divine. A one sitting book that will stay with me a very long time, principally for the courage some of the residents of Marzahn display in their everyday lives.

Lives devastated by the horrific actions of a serial killer are portrayed here with empathy & sensitivity. However the book claims to reverse the trends of crime fascinated readers focusing on the serial killer, yet the whole arch of this book, the narrative structure & the segments of the women lives are dictated by the actions, behaviours & timing needed of the serial killer. So whilst a good read, it wasn't as victim focused as I was hoping.

Up next - after my last read which was far too up in the clouds - need a grounding read with a timeline and story I can understand! 🤣

The world building is good it feels like you've dropped into a fully formed complicated world, where politics & family demand allegiances, create conflict & assume power. But the structure! Chapters form alternating time lines which break the reading flow pulling you reluctantly away from a plot line & create confusion. At times I was super lost, frustrated and close to giving up! Written in a different format and I think id be heading into bk 2.

Even Woodford is struggling to keep up with this one 🤨

I‘m about half way through this book and I‘m just not sure …… sophisticated snacks help though! And only the Japanese would ensure the box turns into a neat little snack holder - holding them at just the right grabbable angle! 👍🏼

I‘ve already dipped in to the milk cookie ( yum!) but these are THE best reading snacks ( or movie snacks says Mr K!). Thank you Lynn for such a thoughtful and bountiful box of loveliness. Next up mango sweets, socks and a half hour curled up looking at my new books. The tagged looks Fabulous! 😘
#speculativespringswap

The tagged book is a fab choice - thank you sooo much @wanderinglynn and honey - you spoil me with stationary! I love everything and can‘t wait to stick, stamp, sticky note, book dart and page flag my life! Xxxxxx
#speculativespringswap

Super overwhelmed by my gorgeous #speculativespringswap from the very thoughtful @wanderinglynn - this will span 3 posts! The books ( & tote and mug) are amazing. Something I‘ve had my eye on and then a few things that are new and so thoughtfully chosen I can‘t wait to dig in 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

Oh I‘m definitely an idler crossed with the devotee and a little town crier thrown in for good measure ! And you …?

https://slate.com/culture/2022/04/in-praise-of-good-bookstores-jeff-deutsch-of-t...

This is the best tool @Chrissyreadit - and it fits right inside my little foraging bag! 👍🏼

Look what arrived today @Chrissyreadit - such a wonderful, wonderful care package. The best garden tool ever, salve for my weary bones, amazing bath salts, marzipan and the best paperweight! I‘m in heaven. Thank you so much xxxxxxx

The pandemic sharpened our focus on where our food comes from & reignited a respect for farmers. This book thoughtfully & with critical compassion& empathy shows us what that life is like for this elusive, mythologised & isolated group. From the knackerman, to the paperwork, from subsidies to succession mediation, from country based dating sites to large animal vet practices Bathhouse shows us what really how complex decisions shape our land.

For the first time in 2 years I‘ve been doing what I love best today - #readingonlocation ! I used to do it ALL the time - find the right place to read the right book, I loved those reading time. Hopefully more on the future 👍🏼

This should not have been so good! 300 pages about rich people making obscene amounts of money, living billionaire lifestyles with no regard for law - a world that repulses me. Yet this account of colossal hedge fund fraud is compelling. Kolhatkar is an amazing journalist, compulsive story teller and makes complex financial manoeuvres easily understood. A five star read!

Having a slow start today - lots of pup cuddles and a strangely addictive book!

Spent the morning discovering a town near to our new home - it‘s the home of a British HorseRacing. It houses 3 but equine hospitals, the National Stud, 100s of horse farms, trainers and racing horses. There is even a dedicated sidewalk for horses to get around the town. The little second hand bookshop only sells horse related books!

As I finish one book I‘m usually so certain what I‘m in the mood for next… but feeling indecisive tonight ! Do I go for fictionalised historical fiction, longlisted Womens Prize title, obscure history with a feminist twist, a book with a stunning cover and lots of promise or a Book Riot True Crime recommended title! Arrgghhh…… I too much good stuff!

The author skilfully layers history and politics into his account of the use of poetry to garner thoughts and attack potential dissent in the GDR. The degree of control and manipulation the Stasi engaged in continues to both surprise and scare me. But what stands out for me with this book is how close we are to loosing the ability to talk, in person, with this generation - history that seems so distant and yet to near.

Book and bookmark matched - now to squeeze in chapter 1 whilst the house is quiet! 🤞🏼

Unpacked this months reading subscription book. Love the sound of this one and might just dive straight in!

So pleased that Katja Pantzar has written an essay for our photography collectives new book! Nervous to share this with the world - especially with our cover ( knowing how opinionated I can be on book covers - creating your own is super hard!!). Let me know what you think …https://www.map6.co.uk/shop/finland-the-happiness-project-book-and-archival-print

Another fun outing with Veronica and Stoker. This series really demands you walk around the house with your nose in a book until it‘s finished! Fun, smart and an original series - with a cast of characters, main and side, that delight. My only quibble with this one - it would have been good to have toned down the empire activity ( and if not - rework that narrative). But this is a fab series to get your reading game back in gear.

Starting something fun tonight. I‘m always a stickler for reading a series in order and I recently found out I‘ve miss out this book in the series! Once I got over the horror I tried to delight in the joy of another unread book in this series waiting for me!

I‘ve not tried gardening by the moon - has anyone here? So much to think about and try to be in tune with. Might give it a go for April

Seems I have a month of sea fog to look forward to - as the fog gathers over the cold North Sea and then daytime breezes move it inland! So no T shirts and shorts just yet!

I‘ve just finished the book and it‘s howling a snowstorm outside - so think a sneaky day time movie might be the order of the day!

The history of the treatment and abuse of women who society would rather not deal with in this novel based in the real setting of the Parisian Salpêtrière asylum is a stark reminder of what happens in a patriarch society when agency is lost. This story feels a little tame though. The anger and suffering seem muted and gentle. But a good read to re remember how delicate our freedoms are.

Such a shiny cover - very bling!

Choosing the perfect bookmark pairing is one of my rituals when starting a new book. Today I‘ve chosen a bookmark I picked up in Shakespeare & Co in Paris - seems fitting for this nineteenth century Parisian novel! 👍🏼

Fascinating world building from majestically shifting sands, to ecosystems underground. This book is the precursor to every modern sci-fi cult - waring houses, planets & actions at war over resources, humans with extra powers, double crossing, treachery & murder in the bucket load! There's alot to admire in this book - but lots of problems too! The emphasis on environmental collapse & small states breaking free from Imperial powers is compelling.

One of this years slimmed down reading goals is to read a few classics - starting out in this one today. 👍🏼

Looking what arrived today! Yipee….. counting down the days 😘 #speculativespringswap

🐰The Easter Bunny has started hopping across the globe 🐰

You know you‘ve made@great friendships when even the stamps are the PERFECT choice! ❤️ @Soubhiville

Recently watched a surprising engaging programme all about the Bayeux Tapestry- which I hadn‘t thought of since school! So of course - it‘s sent me down a rabbit hole with The Normans! Who said TV hurts reading! 🤣

#bookmail

I‘ve been searching for a reasonably priced hardback version of this for a while and it‘s arrived and I‘m not disappointed! The illustrations are beautifully rendered and I can‘t wait to get stuck in and learn about these 12 game changing manuscripts! 👍🏼

An expansive survey which has helped me link knowledge and fill in gaps! I‘m in awe of Bormann‘s vast knowledge and her ability to pull out the salient and at the same time engaging parts of each monarchs complex social, familial and political context. It‘s done a great job at directing where I‘d like to go next in terms of digging deeper around specific times / issues.

I‘ve learnt so much about these amazingly intelligent creatures & about a different way of looking at every species. The authors level of curiosity & wonder is infectious. It‘s a problematic book though - because her love for the creatures jars with her acceptance of their use & living conditions. I felt incredibly sad for these intelligent, creative & inquisitive creatures living in confined tanks & being sought in the wild for tourist pleasure.

Joyce made these notes when writing chapter 14. Each time Joyce used an idea he crossed it out in red or blue pencil. I love the Treasures Gallery at the British Library - there‘s something so special about being near the page that an author has touched!

One of the newest acquisitions of the British Library is the first draft of the tagged. The whole book is hand written with so many notes, annotations that it‘s an amazing insight into her thought process. Amazing!

I‘m reading about octopuses at the moment - so this drew me at the bookstore. There‘s a lot of discussion in my current read about octopus slime and here‘s a whole book on the subject! Another #covercrush