Category Archives: outwith

The Book of Disquiet by Fernando Pessoa (translated by Margaret Jull Costa)

Posted on January 18, 2018 by bookbii

I started reading The Book of Disquiet during that very quiet, reflective period immediately after Christmas and it was both the perfect and the worst time to start it. Perfect because I was in exactly the right frame of mind … Continue reading →

Posted in fiction, memoir, outwith, translation | 6 Comments

Gift from the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh

Posted on December 25, 2017 by bookbii

“I believe that true identity is found, as Eckhart once said, by ‘going into one’s own ground and knowing oneself.’ It is found in creative activity springing from within. It is found, paradoxically, when one loses oneself. One must lose … Continue reading →

Posted in gender, non-fiction, outwith, personal reflection, self-help | 4 Comments

Consolations of the Forest by Sylvain Tesson (translated by Linda Coverdale)

Posted on November 21, 2017 by bookbii

I can’t believe that I have failed to blog about this book before, but I’ve checked both this blog and my old blog and somehow this little gem has slipped through the cracks. Consolations of the Forest by Sylvain Tesson … Continue reading →

Posted in comfort books, memoir, nature, non-fiction, outwith, re-read | 7 Comments

The Body Artist by Don DeLillo

Posted on April 5, 2017 by bookbii

Stashed inside my copy of The Body Artist is a postcard, a faded yellow card with a simple line drawing in turquoise ink of an outdoor scene and some kind of creature on it, a muskrat perhaps, cheerfully stepping over … Continue reading →

Posted in fiction, outwith, philosophy, re-read | 2 Comments

Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard

Posted on March 19, 2017 by bookbii

There are moments in reading that catch you just so, that transform a book into an experience. Perhaps it is just a matter of timing, that you’ve achieved just the right blend of vulnerability, receptiveness and desire and the writer … Continue reading →

Posted in Classics, nature, non-fiction, outwith | 7 Comments

Essays in Idleness and Hōjōki by Kenkō and Chōmei (translated by Meredith McKinney)

Posted on March 7, 2017 by bookbii

“Where can one be, what can one do, to find a little safe shelter in this world, and a little peace of mind?” February has been a patchy reading month, it has been interesting and a bit wild, and I’ve … Continue reading →

Posted in Classics, Japanese, outwith, philosophy | 6 Comments

Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson

Posted on January 15, 2017 by bookbii

I was first introduced to Marilynne Robinson via a library loan of Home one of her books set in the fictional town of Gilead, which she has explored in some depth in subsequent books and which, perhaps, have become her better known … Continue reading →

Posted in Bildungsroman, comfort books, death, fiction, nature, outwith, philosophy, re-read | 9 Comments