SwallowsFrom their precarious nest-cup The swallows whitewash our turf-stack. When we set fire to their excrement They will be crossing the Sahara.Michael Longley
Read: The Colony by Audrey Magee ★★★★☆ 📚
engrossing exploration of colonisation & its woes in Ireland. 1979 adventures of an English artist & French linguist appropriating, each in their own way, the culture of an Irish isle are interspersed with reports of death in the north.
Read: Oh William! by Elizabeth Strout ★★★☆☆ 📚
I think I liked this better than the original Lucy and not nearly as much as the Olive books. I think I prefer her older characters.
Read: The Woman of Troy by Pat Barker ★★★☆☆
Read: The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel 📚★★★★★
Amazing multi viewpoint story. Writing had me invested in each of the diverse characters as they came into focus. Then their stories slowly fitted together. Beautiful. Really catches the way people imagine different lives.
Read: Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan 📚 ★★★★★
A beautiful wee book that drew me in quietly & has stuck in my mind. Ireland 1985, A gentle slightly troubled man digs deep. “Hunters in the Snow” on the cover seems fitting as the village approaches a snowy Christmas.
Read: In the House of Lies by Ian Rankin ★★★☆☆ 📚
Usual enjoyable stuff Rebus retired and sticking his nose in.
Read: The Terracotta dog, by Andrea Camilleri ★★★☆☆ 📚
Another Montalbano, easy read, and 99p. The food is the best part. I might read a more recent one to see how things develop and call it quits with this series for a while.
Read: The Mercies by Kiran Millwood Hargrave ★★★☆☆ 📚
Really interesting setting & background, remote 1600s Norway & witch hunting following the pattern of King James. The story flowed along but no real surprises.
Read: The Shape of Water, by Andrea Camilleri ★★★☆☆ 📚
Turns out I must have read this years ago. And seen the episode of the T.V. series I think. A light read somewhat non-woke language here and there, mouthwatering food descriptions.
