books

I believe that the best thing that we have done for our children is reading to them.  A story at bed time calms children, offers time to bond with them and is a foundation for all future learning.  Although Fjord (age 10) sometimes listens in on Acacia’sn (age 7) bed time story he is now an avid reader.  I’m always …

I’ve decided that since I’m so against spoilers my book reviews cannot be particularly meaty so I’m going to do a monthly post covering what I’ve read during the month. It’s only in recent years that I’ve developed an appreciation for Chick Lit, I  was a bit judgemental in the past.  Erika James is one of the authors in this …

Entering the parking area at Hyde Park Corner I knew that the book launch of Jacques Pauw’s book The President’s Keepers would be unlike any other.  I circled the parking lot for about 20 minutes trying to find a parking space.  At 6.30 pm this was highly unusual.  By the time that Domi and I reached the Exclusive Books area …

The Little Red Chairs by Edna o’ Brian is one of very few books which I’ve wanted to re-read before turning the last page.  Rich, weighty, powerful and beautifully written it challenges on so many levels. It’s hard for me to choose reading books, with an aversion to spoilers I rely on recommendations and random choices. I refuse to read …

https://www.instagram.com/p/BTvqlUeAeae/?taken-by=sulaskimmingstones How strange that I closed the last page of The Deathly Hallows, the final Harry Potter book to see posts on Facebook and Twitter celebrating 20 years of Harry Potter.  Just over 20 years ago my older children wanted to enter the world of Harry Potter.  I was not sure if I should endorse this as many Christian friends …

Our chicks are about 2 months old now.  They are so tame and sweet the Black Australorp Angel looks like a hen and Lucky looks like it may become a rooster.  Does anyone know a bit about chickens and chicks who can confirm this?  We’re pretty much just going by the size of the comb.  Actually we were told that …

On Saturday I attended the book launch of my cousin Jackie Barnard’s book The Monster Living within.  After reading the book I feel so proud of her, not only for writing and publishing the book but for her bravery and will to take every possible positive lesson from this shitty hand dealt to her by Multiple Sclerosis. Jackie is one …

The biography of Leonard Cohen I’m Your Man by Sylvie Simmons, is a journey in the shoes of a man of greatness, a man with the ability to capture the elusive in word and song.  One word stops me in my circular tracks.  That word is ‘longing’.  It comes up repeatedly from the title of his poetry book “Book of Longing”,  to …

At the Kids Emporium Bloggers breakfast, Pamela Power was one of the speakers.  I loved her humour and frank manner.  After jumping a few technological mental block hurdles I bought her e-book MS Conception (also available in paper) on Takealot. Modern motherhood is cloaked in misconceptions.  Social media generally projects motherhood in rose tinted hues.  Most mothers present the painted face of …

The Zone of Interest is a beautifully written, terrible book. On Goodreads I gave it 5 stars (and I’m mean with those stars) but I cannot recommend that anyone near or dear read it. At a book lovers gathering I was given the book on condition that I read it. It took over a year to meet the challenge, after …