H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald It seems like the memoirs that really appeal to me, especially recently, are ones like this: brilliant, well-read women who do interesting things. Helen Macdonald is a falconer, but she’s also an academic with a taste for literature. When Macdonald’s father dies, she sees the book Goshawk by …
Tag: England
May 17
Book Review: At Home, A Short History of Private Life
At Home: A Short History of Private Life by Bill Bryson I have adored quite a few of Bill Bryson’s books, especially In a Sunburned Country and A Walk in the Woods, which I found both uproariously funny and full of fascinating anecdotes. I expected to like this one just as much, and got the …
Dec 01
Book Review: Never Let Me Go
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro I read THE REMAINS OF THE DAY, and was blown away by how spot-on the English butler felt, so I picked this up, having no idea what it was about. It took me a good half a chapter before I realized there was anything science-fiction or dystopian about …
Jan 29
Book Review: The Girl on the Train
The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins This is the second book I’ve read that’s been described as being similar to GONE GIRL, but this one actually comes pretty close. It starts with Rachel Watson, an unemployed alcoholic who is maintaining the illusion of a normal life by continuing to commute daily to London. …
Nov 25
Book Review: The Remains of the Day
The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro This was an extremely depressing but brilliantly performed audiobook that I could not listen to without thinking of Downton Abbey. It alternates between Stephens, the long-time butler of Darlington Hall taking a road trip through England and Stephens thinking about his past and about Miss Kenton, a …