Cosy, Eerie, and Splendid, a writer’s blog

May Tea and a Book: Doreen, by Barbara Noble

The featured Persephone title for May is Doreen (1946) by Barbara Noble. I'm rather obsessed with narratives concerning child evacuees during WWII, and this novel did not disappoint. From Jessica Mann's introduction at the Persephone website: In 1946 the theme of...

read more

April Tea and a Book: Brooklyn by Colm Tóibín

April calls for another unread book that has languished too long on my shelves, and thus I am sharing the lovely and unforgettable Brooklyn, by Irish author Colm Tóibín. I saw the film years ago and enjoyed it -- Saoirse Ronan is wonderful as Eilis -- but the book...

read more

March Tea and a Book: One Afternoon by Sian James

My featured Persephone title for March is One Afternoon (1975), by Welsh author Siân James. How I LOVED this book! From the Persephone blog: One Afternoon is precisely what we want a Persephone book to be: intensely readable and unputdownable but about many, many...

read more

February Tea and a Book: V for Victory, by Lissa Evans

Last month I shared a Persephone novel -- Young Anne (1927), by Dorothy Whipple. This month's featured contemporary novel is V for Victory (2021), by Lissa Evans. This novel is a sequel to Evans' Crooked Heart (2014) and shares backstory with Old Baggage (2018). In...

read more

January Tea and a Book: Young Anne by Dorothy Whipple

Just before Christmas, Steve and I spent some time in Bath, and I was excited to finally visit the shop for Persephone Books. Here's an introduction from the website: Persephone Books reprints neglected fiction and non-fiction, mostly by women writers and mostly...

read more

Folk Horror options for your Halloween Viewing

What is Folk Horror? Wikipedia offers a helpful explanation: Folk horror is a subgenre of horror film and horror fiction that uses elements of folklore to invoke fear and foreboding. Typical elements include a rural setting, isolation, and themes of superstition, folk...

read more

August Tea and a Book: Lanny, by Max Porter

August's "Tea and a Book" offers Lanny by Max Porter, published in 2020 and long listed for the Booker Prize. This is a strange book with an experimental narrative style, but it swept me up so completely that I finished it in a day. (See more professional accolades...

read more

July Tea and a Book: The Wild Hunt, by Emma Seckel

For July's "Tea and a Book" I'm recommending The Wild Hunt, published in August 2022 by Tin House. Author Emma Seckel is a Canadian photographer and writer who has studied at St. Andrews and Cambridge. (No slouch, this one! Check out her website.) Seckel's debut novel...

read more

June Tea and a Book: In the Night Wood, by Dale Bailey

June's offering is a novel I devoured a couple of years ago and lately was tempted to reread, particularly because of its folk horror elements. (I didn't know much about that genre when I first encountered the book.) I so enjoyed revisiting In the Night Wood and was...

read more

May Tea and a Book: The White Hare by Jane Johnson

Here I am again at the last minute with May's horror reading recommendation. Continuing with last month’s theme of folk horror, I offer a mysterious and romantic tale set in Cornwall shortly after World War II. Check out this synopsis from the publisher: In a Cornish...

read more

April Tea and a Book: Wylding Hall by Elizabeth Hand

This month I have another Gothic offering to enthusiastically recommend: Wylding Hall, by Elizabeth Hand. [Is the above the UK cover? The PB edition? Not sure, but I like it.] Synopsis (from the publisher): When the young members of a British acid-folk band -- known...

read more

March Tea and a Book: Weyward by Emilia Hart

Before I tell you about this wonderful new book, I wish to celebrate the fact that I've read more this month than I have in a long time. I've struggled to focus on novels for a while now, and in most cases it was very slow going. This month, however, things have...

read more

Follow By Email

Categories

Archives

My Blog List