My Favourite Reads
- Jane
Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
- a classic, in more ways than one. It's a love-story, a tale of the triumph of the human spirit...what more could one ask for? - The
Awakening - Kate Chopin
- for the sheer, seductive poetry of the sentences. - Fugitive
Pieces - Anne Michaels
- this book is beautifully written. It is written by a poet and it shows: not one word is wasted. - Little
House in the Big Woods - Laura Ingalls Wilder
- the whole series of Little House Books is worth reading. It's a series you can grow up with and grow old with. - The
Whales' Song - Dyan Sheldon and Gary Blythe
- a children's picture book. The illustrations take my breath away.
Book Quest
Can You Help?
Time for another 'Book Quest', I think. A friend of mine says she would like to rediscover some books of her childhood. I'll reproduce her request here, in the hope that someone might be able to help:
"I have a literature query - I read a book in about 1978 that I really loved and I don't remember the name. What I do remember is the protagonists were all sort of dwarf creatures, and had wonderful names. I'm pretty sure one was a character called Bumdumpling. Do you have any ideas?"
I am almost reluctant to ask you to e-mail me, if you can recall 'Bumdumpling'! However, if you really can help, see the link below. Thanks.
Good librarian that I am, I have archived the old book reviews.
Click here to read them:
The Bookshelf
So, what's on my bookshelf at the moment? Or, more to the point, what's not on my bookshelf, because I'm reading it?
This is where you can readbook news and reviews. I mostly read novels, plus some poetry and the occasional non-fiction book. I am particularly fond of children's novels, novels by Scandinavian authors and anything that makes me laugh, cry or think. That's the kind of thing you can expect to read about, here.
Top of the Pile:
'LaCucina', by Lily Prior.
'La Cucina' is Lily Prior's first novel. It is set in Sicily and tells the tale of Rosa, a librarian with a passion for cooking. A sensual book, it combines the cookery, images and fragrances of Sicilian life and weaves them into a tale of love lost and passion rediscovered.
This book made me laugh out loud, although it isn't just a comedy. The story of how Rosa loses her first love is both heartbreaking and frightening.
Rosa's grand cookery sessions are described in mouthwatering detail and the author makes you feel as if you have been to Sicily.
A couple of times I found myself laughing out loud and wondering if that was really the author's intention. For example, Rosa's main 'seduction scene' had me in hysterics - and I'm not entirely sure it was meant to. There are a few stereotypes in there - a repressed librarian and an English man with bad teeth, for example, but Lily Prior somehow manages to make them convincing - perhaps because she builds a character around each one. Besides which, the English man turns out to be a great lover, so there are a few stereotypes busted, as well.
All in all, the book was a very enjoyable read; one that I couldn't put down and that I finished within two days.
Read it if:
- you enjoy reading about food, landscapes and people;
- you like a good story;
- you like the idea of a book in which the two main characters do not match conventional ideals of beauty (one for fans of 'Jane Eyre' and 'The Enchanted Cottage', I think!);
- you don't mind your seduction arriving with a bit of humour!
Links:
'Lily Prior.com'Here you can read excerpts from the book, learn Rosa's recipes see details of forthcoming titles by Lily Prior and even contact the author herself!
'Holidays in Sicily'You're going to want to go there, once you've read the book, so here you can plan your holiday from the comfort of your own PC.
