Unless you have recently experienced the train service in the UK for yourself, you cannot imagine the chaos, disruption, misery and downright lack of crowd safety which has become normal over the last 10 years. At Vauxhall Station – a draughty, lonely place despite being peopled by many – I managed to find coffee and […]| Volatile Rune
Monday 20th October to Sunday 26th October sees readers coming together for the 1925 Club Challenge hosted by Karen of kaggsybookishramblings and Simon at Stuck in a Book. I haven’t read any Agatha Christie before so this was my first book from the world famous author. Thank you 1925 Club for making me finally get […]| Volatile Rune
Monday 20th October to Sunday 26th October sees readers coming together for the 1925 Club Challenge hosted by Karen of kaggsybookishramblings and Simon at Stuck in a Book. The challenge is simply to read a book or books from the year in question then review, comment or otherwise share out views. My choice of book […]| Volatile Rune
As we gallop towards the end of the year crying it can’t be October (or November/ December… whichever applies) literary challenges abound. It’s nearly time for a new classics club…| Volatile Rune
This classics club list is the idea of The Classics Club blog which is to encourage the reading of classic literature – definitions can be broad but books should have been published mor…| Volatile Rune
Nonfiction November Novellas in November I have almost sorted out my reading for the November challenges Nonfiction November (#NonFicNov25) starting 27th October and hosted by Heather, Frances, Liz…| Volatile Rune
This book was recommended by Kim @ Traveling in Books The best stones have gone, taken to form the cornerstones of farmhouses. Old pagan rocks holding the new world on their shoulders. The on…| Volatile Rune
A short post for a very long reading experience! Talking about the number of books I read in September is a brief matter because the answer is two. One was the 1250 page-er The Eighth L…| Volatile Rune
It seems there has barely been time to wave a wistful farewell to the warm days of summer – and any holidays we were fortunate enough to take – before the days shorten, wardrobes acquir…| Volatile Rune
Moonlight Express: Around the World by Night Train, Monisha Rajesh. (2025) I found out about this book from Liz Dexter so hop over to her blog to read her review of it. First may I say I am in awe of young people – their curiosity, courage and empathy and Monisha Rajesh has bucketloads of […]| Volatile Rune
At last our National Trust cards got some exercise on a recent trip to Cornwall. We visited Cothele which has long been on my to do list. “It was a magical time for us. During the latter years of the War, … as one of the grandchildren of the time I have vivid memories of […]| Volatile Rune
I reviewed another book on here recently and received a comment from a reader that the book had not been good, but that most reviewers were not willing to admit it. I understand that reluctan…| Volatile Rune
This week as part of Nonfiction November, the prompt is Stranger Than Fiction. For this prompt I have chosen to look at Raynor Winn’s third book Landlines. “These paths that cross our l…| Volatile Rune
After I finished by #10BooksofSummer I thought I would read something for #WomeninTranslation month. Lesson to be drawn from that is – do your research properly before leaping to the download…| Volatile Rune
I have completed my reading of this remarkable book by Umberto Eco. Thank you to Annabel for suggesting the readalong. Please read Annabel’s excellent assessment of this boo…| Volatile Rune
*** Poet Sue Hubbard is probably best known for her sublime art installation/poem ‘Eurydice’ which stretches the length of the tunnel from Waterloo Station to Waterloo Bridge – or used to I have no…| Volatile Rune
This is book 8/#10 Books of Summer hosted by Annabel and Emma. Having already read and reviewed two of her other Books, Black Narcissus and China Court, I’m becoming a bit of a fan of this author.&…| Volatile Rune
Rumer Godden (1907-98) grew up in Narayanganj, India now part of Bangladesh. She lived much of her life in India, in Calcutta and Kashmir. For twenty years she ran a dance school in Calcutta. *** …| Volatile Rune
For this Classics Club challenge we are told to read book number 11 on our Classics Club list by 24th August. I got it into my head that it was 4th August. This is book 7/10 Books of Summer hosted …| Volatile Rune
China Court is my second Godden book and my fifth review for 10 Books of Summer. Black Narcissus by the same author was a psychological drama concerning loss of faith and deteriorating mental and …| Volatile Rune
I’ve noticed an increase in traffic to a post I wrote reviewing Raynor Winn’s third book Landlines, an increase attached no doubt to the recent controversy surrounding Winn as author of the best-se…| Volatile Rune
“I arrived at the Humboldt University in Berlin imagining that I’d be among people who shared my enthusiasm for antiquity. But if they did, most of them hid it really well.” So writes G…| Volatile Rune
For many years 20 Books of Summer was hosted by Cathy@746 books (thanks Cathy for sterling work). But when Cathy stepped back from hosting last summer the challenge was taken on by new hosts Annabe…| Volatile Rune