September was a quiet month in terms of reading and screen viewing but busy in other areas. Let’s crack on. Life I celebrated a birthday this month, and loved the family dinner, party and lovely gifts. Getting on a bit,  I've realised that spending time with loved ones is the most important thing of all. I enjoyed it all, but in maudlin middle age I also find there's that bittersweet tang, because as they saying goes, 'time moves slowly, but passes quickly.' If I had a penny for every time someone said to me that 50 is just a number, I think I would have about 38p. I've never known ..read more

There goes August in all its..er…Autumnal glory. Someone said to me on the first of September was meteorologically the start of Autumn, and I replied that was wrong because it had started three months ago. And I get how bad other countries have had it weather wise. But if I was in charge of tourist Ireland I would be pushing our mild climate to tourists: Come to Ireland, where it’s always Autumn. Don’t worry if the sun’s out - things will turn to shit again before long. We talk too much about the weather. As I am too. Onwards Books A cracking month for reading, if I do say so. A couple of fin ..read more

First Friday of the month, so time for #6degrees of separation, hosted by Kate over at Books are my favourite and best. Each month a book is chosen as a starting point and linked to six others to form a chain. A book doesn’t need to be connected to all the titles on the list, only to the one next to it in the chain. The first book in the chain is ‘Passages’ by Gail Sheehy, which is a class self-help book from the seventies that looks at the changes that happen when we reach various age milestones in life. As someone with one of those ‘big birthdays’ coming up later in the year, it might be a ..read more

As detailed here, I successfully completed the 2022 Nonfiction challenge. It encouraged me to read more widely throughout the year, and though there were times I had to push myself, I really enjoyed it. So much so, that I’ve signed up again over at the Book’dout 2023 Nonfiction challenge hosted by ShelleyRae. The rules are quite simple. HOW IT WORKS You can select, read and review a book from the categories listed below during the year for a total of up to 12 books; OR select, read and review any nonfiction book. A book may be in print, electronic or audio format. Choose a goal: Nonfiction Ni ..read more

First Friday of the month, so time for #6degrees of separation, hosted by Kate over at Books are my favourite and best. Each month a book is chosen as a starting point and linked to six others to form a chain. A book doesn’t need to be connected to all the titles on the list, only to the one next to it in the chain. The first book on the chain is ‘Trust’ by Hernan Diaz which I haven’t read. It’s set in the 1920’s about a Wall Street tycoon and a wealthy and influential family. I immediately made a connection with the character of Vincent, who was involved with a wealthy investor called Jonat ..read more

First Friday of the month, so time for #6degrees of separation, hosted by Kate over at Books are my favourite and best. Each month a book is chosen as a starting point and linked to six others to form a chain. A book doesn’t need to be connected to all the titles on the list, only to the one next to it in the chain. Beach read by Emily Henry is the starter book this month. I haven’t read it, but naturally the beach makes think of summer. One of my favourite books from last year contained scenes set in an idyllic English summer in the 1970’s, which was…. . ‘Bad relations’ by Cressida Connoll ..read more

A few bits and pieces to get to in July. The photo above indicates that the rain is certainly keeping the place green, and looking at other parts of Europe, it feels like a blessing. There’s a lot to be said for a mild, temperate climate, though I’ve no doubt Ireland will also face climate challenges in the year ahead. Books Five books completed this month, a decent amount. Finally finished ‘ A little life’, before it finished me. A book like no other, but approach with caution. ‘Quiet’ by Susan Cain was fascinating and a validating balm for my introverted self, whilst ‘Winter people’, p ..read more

First Friday of the month, so time for #6degrees of separation, hosted by Kate over at Books are my favourite and best. Each month a book is chosen as a starting point and linked to six others to form a chain. A book doesn’t need to be connected to all the titles on the list, only to the one next to it in the chain. First book up is one I haven't read Time shelter by Georgi Gopodinov. From the description it seems to be a book which explores contemporary Europe, with one foot in the past and the other towards the future. It immediately made me think of a book I read last year called…… ‘Gran ..read more

It’s been a decent month of weather in June, clear blue skies and plenty of sun. Back to overcast days now with the occasional light curtain of warm summer rain but sure it’s easier to sleep and the farmers and gardeners are a bit happier, so we’ll take it. We had a spell of three weeks without rain, and I love that smell from the earth when it starts again. I had to look this up because I’d read it somewhere before, but it’s called Petrichor, and was coined by two Australian scientists back in the sixties. It comes from the Greek words for ‘Blood of stones’. Of course, wardrobes change as th ..read more

Some of the TBR Pile on my bookshelves. Picture doesn’t give true indication of the kindle’s weight, under which the shelf began to slightly buckle I've been getting anxious about my TBR pile as we move into the summer months. It's accumulated over the past two years, and I don't seem to be making any headway with it. So I thought the best way to deal with it was to sit down and write a blog post; that’ll sort it out. Of course, first I went for a walk to let the relevant points I wanted to make filter through my consciousness, in the hope that an answer would reveal itself. It's not a major ..read more