I first heard about Wilding when I came across an article by Isabella Tree in The Guardian. It was an article about the environmental impacts of eating livestock that was reared in a natural environment compared to the environmental impacts of intensely farmed vegetables, and the descriptions of the Knepp estate caught my eye. When… Read More Book Review: Wilding by Isabella Tree
What makes the English village so unique? Why does have have such a romanticised image in the minds of so many people (including me, although I’m not even a citizen of the UK)? And is it really dead? In The Village News, Tom Fort visits twenty-two villages in England and declares that the village isn’t… Read More Book Review: The Village News by Tom Fort
I think the Fairacre series is the closest thing that I’ve come to binging nowadays. Although I am reluctant to read them too fast because once I’m done, I’m done! But since I won’t be able to head to the library for a while, I guess I won’t be going back to Fairacre village anytime… Read More Book Review: Village Centenary by Miss Read
I normally spread my Fairacre reads out a little because I want them to last, but it’s the period for comforting reads like this series. Expect one more review of these books coming up soon! At the start of The Fairacre Festival, the village of has been struck by a huge storm, causing major damage… Read More Book Review: The Fairacre Festival by Miss Read
Miss Read leaves her precious village of Fairacre for Greece! Further Afield indeed! The summer holidays were meant to be relaxing, but unfortunately for Miss Read, she starts by breaking her arm! Just as she’s getting better, Amy hears that her husband wants a divorce – so that he can be with his mistress. To… Read More Book Review: Further Afield by Miss Read
I normally try to read the Fairacre series in order, but when I saw this, I knew that it had to be read in the Christmas season. Christmas with Miss Read is a collection of stories that are, in some way, linked to Christmas. Some of them, I think I’ve already read (The Fairacre Ghost… Read More Christmas with Miss Read
We’re back in the world of Fairacre! I really enjoyed my first Wodehouse and it’s gentle British humour reminded me of another cosy read – the Fairacre series. Sadly, the library didn’t have the next book in the series [insert title] so I had to borrow the next available one. Tyler’s Row introduces what proves… Read More Tyler’s Row by Miss Read
I shouldn’t even have to explain why I borrowed this because I mean… the moment I saw this in Tampines Regional Library (cool library but on the other side of the world Singapore) I immediately picked it up and borrowed it. This isn’t a collection of ghost stories or a novel about ghosts – instead,… Read More The Ghost: A Cultural History by Susan Owens
I guess my UK-trip inspired interest in history is still continuing because I just finished She-Wolves by Helen Castor. After the death of Edward VI, England faced the prospect of female rule, something they considered unnatural. But as Castor shows, that wasn’t the first time England was in the hands of women. Before the Mary… Read More She-Wolves by Helen Castor
One thing about me is that if I decide to make something happen (e.g. study in Japan), I do my best to make things happen. This is probably a recurring theme if I continue talking about travels and other bits of my life (it’s not always a good thing) and this is one of the… Read More Are Private Tours Worth It? A Review of Mountain Goat’s Private Lake District Tour