Katie at Never Not Reading wrote a great post on whether Literacy and Reading is inherently valuable, and while I was reading the post, a secondary question popped up: is it important that we are well-read? Honestly, I think one major issue in any discussion about reading and the relative value of books is the… Read More Discussion Post: Is it important to be well-read?
I’m ending this mini-series of Eva Ibbotson book reviews with a reread of my favourite: Journey to the River Sea. I can’t remember when I found the book, but I definitely bought it in school and have loved it ever since. Journey to the River Sea takes place in the Amazon, which is where Maia… Read More Rereading: Journey to the River Sea by Eva Ibbotson
Hello to my first Classic Remarks post of 2021! This one is such a fun one and I could not pass it up, although writing it proved to be much harder than anticipated. While I like a lot of authors and the Golden Age of Mystery in general is a favourite, it’s always hard to… Read More Classic Remarks: My Favourite Classic Mystery Writers
Once I finished the two YA Ibbotson books that I bought, I decided to move to her children’s fiction – The Dragonfly Pool. Like The Morning Gift, The Dragonfly Pool is set in the WWII era, but unlike The Morning Gift, The Dragonfly Pool focuses on the value of friendship. The Dragonfly Pool starts with… Read More Book Review: The Dragonfly Pool by Eva Ibbotson
I thought it’d take some time before I can open a new tea, but I managed to finish the Santomi Black tea! One tea out, one tea in, so I decided to open Tea & Toast, a very intriguingly named tea from Bird & Blend Tea Co. This was part of the Autumn Sampler Pack… Read More Tea Review: Tea & Toast by Bird and Blend Tea Co.
I have always loved The Secret Countess (aka A Countess Below Stairs) and it is my second favourite Ibbotson book after Journey to the River Sea. So obviously I had to get myself a copy when I saw it being sold at an extremely reasonable price. The Secret Countess is about Anna, one of the… Read More Rereading: The Secret Countess by Eva Ibbotson (and comparing it to The Morning Gift)
One amazing thing I found on BookXcess were several titles from Eva Ibbotson. I really loved Journey to the River Sea and The Secret Countess, but I only own Journey to the River Sea. So I took the chance to get a few more books from her and this week will be very much dedicated… Read More Book Review: The Morning Gift by Eva Ibbotson
Living in a city, it’s perhaps unsurprising that I’ve been fascinated with something that doesn’t exist in my very Asian, very urban hometown: cottagecore. According to the BBC’s article on Cottagecore, such impulses may be due to a desire for simplicity and anti-modernity (though this is acted out on the Internet). But at any rate,… Read More Books with Cottagecore Vibes
After some pretty good experiences with other Alison Weir books, I was pretty confident in buying more of her biographies. I’ve read a bit about Isabella of France from Helen Castor’s book, She-Wolves, so I was excited to delve into the life of this fascinating woman. Born to a royal line, French Princess Isabella is… Read More Book Review: Queen Isabella by Alison Weir
Late last year (well actually it was just over a week ago), Ethel and I went to try the Premium Magical Afternoon Tea at Anti:Dote! I’ve heard a lot of good things about anti:dote so I was really excited about this. Food Review The amuse boche was probably the strongest part of the savouries so I… Read More Premium Magical Afternoon Tea @ Anti:Dote (Fairmont Singapore)
