Monthly Archives: November 2016

Books I Ought to Read No. 4: The Awakening by Kate Chopin

Posted on November 30, 2016 by bookbii

“One of these days,” she said, “I’m going to pull myself together for a while and think – try to determine what character of a woman I am; for candidly, I don’t know. By all those codes which I am … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Books I Ought to Read, Classics, fiction | 10 Comments

An attempt at deeper reading

Posted on November 24, 2016 by bookbii

In recent months there’s been a sense of something growing in me, a dissatisfaction, a sense of needing to dig deeper into things. I think this feeling is a consequence of many things. The political environment is disturbing, there’s a … Continue reading →

Posted in personal reflection | 20 Comments

Looking for Transwonderland: travels in Nigeria by Noo Saro-Wiwa

Posted on November 20, 2016 by bookbii

In Looking for Transwonderland, Noo Saro-Wiwa returns to Nigeria as a tourist, determined to explore her unpopular and little visited country to discover its charms. Saro-Wiwa is a British-Nigerian national, raised and educated in UK but subjected to annual unwelcome … Continue reading →

Posted in history, non-fiction, travel | 6 Comments

How to be a Heroine (or what I’ve learned from reading too much) by Samantha Ellis

Posted on November 16, 2016 by bookbii

I first heard about this book from HeavenAli’s blog and knew immediately that I needed to read it. How to be a Heroine is part memoir, part literary criticism, part feminist exploration of the impact of reading on the female … Continue reading →

Posted in comfort books, gender, memoir, non-fiction, writers | 14 Comments

The Book of Tea by Kakuzo Okakura

Posted on November 13, 2016 by bookbii

First published in 1906, The Book of Tea is a neat little book about the art of the Japanese tea ceremony, as well as the history and philosophies that have shaped it. The tea ceremony is a fascinating aspect of … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Classics, comfort books, non-fiction, Penguin Books | 11 Comments

Autumn by Ali Smith

Posted on November 9, 2016 by bookbii

“’I’m tired of the news. I’m tired of the way it makes things spectacular that aren’t, and deals so simplistically with what’s truly appalling. I’m tired of the vitriol. I’m tired of the anger. I’m tired of the meanness. I’m … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, fiction, Uncategorized | 7 Comments

Absence of Mind by Marilynne Robinson

Posted on November 5, 2016 by bookbii

I’ve probably mentioned now and again how much I admire Marilynne Robinson. She’s not a prolific writer, but she’s a brilliant one. Famous for her books centred around the fictional town of Gilead: Home, Gilead and Lila, as well as … Continue reading →

Posted in essays, neurology, non-fiction, psychology, religion, science | 5 Comments

Books I Ought to Read No. 3: The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton

Posted on November 2, 2016 by bookbii

I’ve tried to read The House of Mirth before. It wasn’t really a very serious attempt; I started reading and thought ‘this is interesting’ and then put it down and read something else. After my last books I ought to … Continue reading →

Posted in Books I Ought to Read, Classics, Love, Penguin Books, Uncategorized | 11 Comments