2018 is my Nigerian authors year! I now the literary scene is vibrant there and as I have ties with the country, I wanted to discover more about its literature (both contemporary and less recent) . Stay with me was on my book wish list, and my friend Emilie was kind enough to gift it to … Continue reading Stay with me, by Ayòbámi Adébáyò
The Girl in the Tower is the second instalment of the Winternight Trilogy, brought to us by the talented Katherine Arden. You may remember how much I loved the first one (little reminder here). So you can imagine how excited I was to read more on Vasya's story. Here is the Goodreads blurb, my review … Continue reading The Girl in The Tower, by Katherine Arden
This book had been on my wish list like forever when I stumbled across Penguin UK's Instagram giveaway. I immediately got in and then forgot about it. How delighted I was when I learnt that I had won an ARC! So did The Toymakers live up to my expectations? Let's find out! Here is the … Continue reading The Toymakers, by Robert Dinsdale
My first attempt at a poem in English. I am used to writing in French only, but I guess I was inspired enough by the subject to find my words for this one... My english verses still need some polishing, but I enjoy working on it, so I'll try to craft more english poems in the future. (By … Continue reading Lovebirds
This is the first book of my 2018 "French classics" TBR. Le Père Goriot is one of the instalments of La Comedie Humaine, Balzac's monumental fresco. I found it in my mother's bookcase and decided to give it a try! Here is the Goodreads blurb, my review follows. 'Pere Goriot' is the tragic story of … Continue reading Le père Goriot, by Honoré de Balzac
I discovered John Steinbeck in junior high school. We read Of Mice and Men (a french translation), and it shook me. It was tragic, but not just bluntly tragic : all of the characters felt "true" and the building of the story towards the ineluctable ending sounded realitic as well. I guess that's what touched … Continue reading East of Eden, by John Steinbeck
This book was my favourite in 2017, closely followed by La Belle Sauvage (which I reviewed here). Here is the blurb, my review follows. In a village at the edge of the wilderness of northern Russia, where the winds blow cold and the snow falls many months of the year, an elderly servant tells stories … Continue reading The Bear and the Nightingale, by Katherine Arden
I do not know much about classic English literature so I have decided to start filling this gap . On my list there are the works of the Brontë Sisters and Jane Austen of course, but I was also very interested in what I heard about Trollope's books. I love social chronicles and satires; and … Continue reading The Warden, by Anthony Trollope
I love fairy tales - stories set once upon a time in imaginary worlds, that take children in unexpected adventures and often teach lessons for life -, and I am a huge fan of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials universe, so I could not resist this gorgeous edition that puts together four of the tales … Continue reading Four tales, by Philip Pullman, illustrated by Peter Bailey
After more than ten years, what a delight to be back in Lyra's universe! I remember being mesmerised by His Dark Materials and left in tears by its ending. I was so desperate that my twelve year-old self vowed to rewrite the ending! I had borrowed the French version of the trilogy at the local … Continue reading La Belle Sauvage by Philip Pullman
