I have been very slack on the blog for the last few weeks and the old reading schedule has gone out the window a bit too. This is mainly because my little sister is home from New Zealand for a month long visit and as she hasn’t been home in 4 years, there is a lot of catching up to do!
The McNally girls hit London!
We had a lovely trip to London filled with shopping, galleries and cocktails! We saw the Chanel exhibition at the Saatchi Gallery, the fabulous Imelda Staunton in Gypsy at the Savoy and bought beautiful fabric at Liberty.
During an evening walk down The Cut, we stumbled upon the fantastic Calder Bookshop and Theatre, which specialises in theatre books. THEATRE BOOKS. Books are bad enough for me, but theatre books? It’s like catnip! Seeing my palpitations, my sister took pity on me and bought me an early birthday present. The girl knows me well…
Shiny new books!
The Blog Awards Ireland also happened while I was on my trip and the pain of not winning was considerably lessened by the fact that I was drinking mimosas on the South Bank as my name wasn’t announced!
Cheers!
Honestly, I wasn’t expecting to win – I was just so delighted to make the final list. A big congratulations to the blogs that did win though – Irish in the American Civil War; A Patchwork Quill and Scannan– they are fantastic sites and well worth a read.
Congratulations also to my pal Niall (and co-host of Reading Ireland Month) at The Fluff is Raging, whose short story ’19 Ways to Say I Love You’ won the Hennessey new Irish Writing in the Irish Times this month. You can read it here.
I have still been reading though. I devoured Tender by Belinda McKeon, a fantastic story of an all comsuming friendship between Catherine and James set at Trinity College in the 90s. It is a wonderful book – beautifully written, immediately recognisable and totally un-put-down-able!
The epigraph of Belinda McKeon’s Tender
I’ll save the review for Reading Ireland month in 2016. I’m also halfway through The Thirteenth Tale, but still waiting for it to really grab me and I am also reading Jez Butterworth’s Jerusalem.
So hopefully the site will be slightly more busy this month, I’ll get back to reading all your wonderful blogs and the 746 pile will be a few books smaller. Well, that’s the plan anyway!
What are you all reading at the moment? Do you find that life has a tendency to get in the way of books?!
Fun times! When my life gets busy and I can’t read as much, I always feel refreshed when the madness dies down, and I can enjoy a new book.
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Indeed. I’m looking forward to a slightly quieter month!
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I read Tender when it was released and absolutely loved it. It was like being punched in the gut by my undergraduate years, while also strangely reassuring (the knowledge that someone else has made bad romantic decisions, even if it’s a fictional someone else, was soothing.) Can’t wait to read your review of it!
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Exactly Elle, it was made worse for me by the fact that I went to University in Dublin in the 90s. It was all too recognisable 🙂
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Oof. Although I always like it when authors write about Oxford and get it right–it’s like a little nostalgia trip–so I imagine it must have been fun to location-spot in a similar fashion…
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I adored Tender – one of my books of the year. It lived up to the sky high hopes Solace had inspired.
Lovely photos, Cathy. It sounds as if you had a brilliant reunion!
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I agree Susan, Tender would be close to my book of the year too, I loved it. I haven’t read Solace yet, but I know it is in the local library so I hope to get to it soon.
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Sounds like you had a lovely time! If it wasn’t for Calder I would be far, far richer than I am now….
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I’d never been before and we just stumbled across it! I LOVED it! I’m glad I live far away….
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Family always comes first, and I’m glad that you’re having such a good time with your sister. And I’m glad to hear that Reading Ireland is coming back next year. Is it too early to start making a list? 😉
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Well I’ve started my list so…..no. Never too early!
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Glad to hear you have been having a good time and that you’ve been on such a good trip with your sister.
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Thanks Denise, dreading saying goodbye next week though…..
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I loved hearing about your month with your sister (and seeing the pictures)! I’m glad you had a wonderful time, and, really, what you were doing in London sounds like way more fun than sitting at an award ceremony, even if you had been the winner. You know, in my opinion. 🙂
After what you wrote, and reading all the comments about it, I will have to read Tender!
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Oh Naomi, I think you will LOVE Tender! Do read it, I want to know what you think!
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Is Tender one of the 746?
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I’m afraid not Guy. One from the library….
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I need to stay away from the library for a while or work on the 746 is going to stall 🙂
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Sometimes there are moments in life when ‘real’ people are better than books – rarely, but sometimes and your sister visiting is a very good reason 🙂
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Indeed Cleo. I’ll play catch up this month!
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Sounds like you had a wonderful time with your sister! 🙂 I’m currently reading Second Hand Smoke by Thane Rosenbaum for my modern literature class. I’m only one chapter in, so there’s not a lot I can say about it yet. Hasn’t really gripped me so far, but that could still happen!
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I usually have a 100 pages rule. If a book hasn’t got me by that point it probably never will 🙂
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That’s a good rule. 🙂
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I’m reading Julia Quinn’s The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cleever. Many of my favorite, historical romance authors turned to modern day, romance suspense so I wanted to find new historical authors. I tried out Julia and got hooked. Yes, life gets in the way. For me, I sometimes have to choose because I knit and like to try out new recipes as well.
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It’s hard to juggle your time isn’t it? I love knitting too but haven’t had a project on the go for ages!
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Sounds like you had a wonderful trip yo London. I haven’t read Tender, but James Salter’s Light Years (quoted in the epigraph) is a favourite novel. Have you read it? If not, it’s worth considering. 🙂
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I wondered about it Jacqui, I must see if it is in the library.
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Let me know next time you come to London. I’m glad you had fun. You may not have won, but I really like your blog 🙂
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Thanks Alex! I might be back over in the New Year….
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Enjoyed this but v impressed by mimosas on South Bank – you obviously frequent a much higher class of establishment than I do!
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Col, it was a wee outdoor pop-up pub. It was so mild we were able to sit outside at 11pm!
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There are thousands of books to read but only one sister. You made the right choices!. PS which month will reading ireland month take place?
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Thanks! Reading Ireland month will be March 2016. I’m planning already!!
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Excellent. oddly I woke up this morning with an idea to do an Irish reading month and was going to ask if you would be interested in the idea. Should have known you would be there before me
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Thanks for the shoutout about my story. You’re a star
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A pleasure!
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I’m so glad you got to spend time with your little sis! You do look happy to be reunited. Has she met the Twins already? 😀
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She last saw them when they were 4 months old so quite a change. Although we skype all the time. She’s away back to New Zealand again – a month wasn’t enough time!
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