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March is Women's History Month, and if you're like me you'll be thrilled with how women's history has exploded as a subject over the past few years.

I'm not even that old, I was born in 1985! But I remember how much history at school was focused on men and their achievements. The change has been very welcome, for me at least.

Books I read in May 2022

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As you'll see from the books this month, I've been on a bit of a Second World War kick.

I can't really explain why, I'm not normally much of a recent history fan. And actually the second one, about the Home Guard, was read this month because I borrowed it from my local library so needed to read it before returning it. Had it been a book I'd bought it would no doubt still be sitting unread on the bookcase.

I did cheat a tiny bit and still write it in my "to be read" section in my planner, just so I could have the pleasure of ticking it off. I also returned it to the library before taking a photo for the blog.

Books I read in April 2022

This post contains affiliate links. These links do not cost you money, but if you purchase something after clicking them I get a small fee for sending you there. The information below is an honest review, if I don't like something I will tell you!

In case you haven't picked up on it from my previous posts about books, I am a bit of a history fan. Most of the books I read tend to be history non-fiction, with the occasional foray into fiction when I need a bit of a break.

This month it's all European history! And it's covering pretty broad periods of time too.

Books I read in March 2022

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I thought I would manage to hit 4 books this month as we started off March with a little holiday at Center Parcs and took a pile of books with me.

But typically the first week back at work absorbed so much time that I ended up reading a lot less for the rest of the month.

As with previous posts, these were all books on my "to be read" list in my planner, and this time they were all new reads!

Books I read in February 2022

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As I mentioned in my post about books read in January, I am on a self-imposed book buying ban until I work my way through a good chunk of my "to be read" list.

I've made myself a list in the back of my planner and the opportunity to tick things off is proving to be a decent motivator. Some of the books are re-reads as I'm not sure if I want to keep them and at the very least I'm finding that this is a good way to make me read the new ones I haven't touched yet!

Despite this there is one re-read that wasn't done for decluttering purposes, but purely because I felt a need to have a little brain reset. Sometimes after reading a bunch of new books I need to read something familiar and that I enjoy in order to dive back into the pile of the unknown!

Books I read in January 2022

This post contains affiliate links. These links do not cost you money, but if you purchase something after clicking them I get a small fee for sending you there. The information below is an honest review, if I don't like something I will tell you!

Like many people my December featured a pile of new books for Christmas. My "to be read" list is now so big that I'm on a self-imposed book buying ban until I get through a good chunk of the list.

Naturally with a week off in January I managed to get through several, but as you'll see - one of them was so big it took me most of the month to wade my way through it!

Review: Blue Eyed Boy

This post contains affiliate links. These links do not cost you money, but if you purchase something after clicking them I get a small fee for sending you there. Despite this the information below is an honest review, if I don't like something I will tell you!

Blue Eyed Boy is a novel from the popular author Joanne Harris, the author of “Chocolat” (turned into a film starring Johnny Depp and Juliette Binoche). As with many of Harris’ books this one is written from several different points of view, the real twist comes from two characters actually writing from four different viewpoints between them.

The story starts with the character “blueeyedboy”, an internet persona who posts on a web journal called a “WeJay”. Each section is started with a box similar to that of an online blog, it notes the author, whether the entry is public or restricted (something you have to check as the story develops otherwise you may become a bit confused), what they are listening to and their mood. Each “public” chapter also ends with comments left by other online personas that follow the WeJay.

Blueyedboy is one of three boys whose mother assigned them different colours in order to make buying clothes for them easier; Nigel the eldest was given black, Brendan was assigned brown, and Benjamin had blue. As the story develops you quickly learn that colour is a major running theme in this story as every person is assigned a name that relates to a colour; “Mrs Electric Blue”, “Emily White”, “Doctor Peacock”. The colours are specific to the development of the character and their persona, for example the name “Emily White” suggests a young girl, the character is around six years old so this fits perfectly. “Doctor Peacock” gives you a vision of an intellectual professor type who collects things and has an old-fashioned mentality. As the book moves on you realise how well these names fit the characters. Blueeyedboy is very much an anti-hero, he’s manipulative and scheming and has little to no empathy. However when you realise just how abusive his mother is you feel a bit of sympathy for him (although it’s sympathy that won’t last long!) and his situation.

The community that “blueeyedboy” posts on is called “BadGuysRock” and it is here that he posts little murder-mystery stories written from his perspective. The other members leave their comments on the stories, and in his restricted entries we learn more about his “fans”; a woman obsessed with her celebrity crush, a troll masquerading as a religious fanatic who insists the author will burn in hell, an overweight girl that yo-yo diets and falls for abusive men, and a commenter whose comments are repeatedly deleted.

The story follows multiple murders, all published as public stories on the web community. It is only through blueeyedboy’s restricted, non-public posts that the connections are made and the real story unravels. About a third of the way in he is joined by “Albertine”, who tells her own side of the tale in a similar way. Her public stories are not about murder, but are instead posted from the view of a small blind child called Emily White, and again they are explained and unravelled through both her private postings and those of blueeyedboy.

Having read quite a lot of Harris’ previous works I’m used to her adept juggling of different viewpoints. However this time I struggled. The use of public and restricted-viewing posts threw me off once or twice, you really do need to read the top of each chapter carefully so you know what you’re meant to be reading. Four different viewpoints is a little too much for one book, especially when you throw in a whole host of additional characters, quite a few of which have names related to the colour blue and thus eventually blur in to one big (blue) blob. It makes for a very good story, but it’s not the kind that you can read when you’re tired and not fully concentrating because you really do need to pay attention to what you’re reading.

However the book does include one of Harris’ usual big twists and that makes it all worthwhile!

I would thoroughly recommend this book to anyone who has read Harris’ previous works. For a new reader however it may not be the best tale to start with, the jump from viewpoints can get a little tiring and if you’re not used to her style of writing (and knowing that sooner or later she’s going to shove in a decent twist that surprises you) then you might end up giving up on the story early on. Stick with it however, the ending will make your spine tingle!

Buy this book from Waterstones.

Review: Nothing to Envy

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I bought this book a couple of years ago, and since then I will occasionally go back to reread it, particularly during times when North Korea is in the news. When I originally purchased it I ended up devouring ut within 2 days as I simply couldn't put it down, and each time I reread it I find it just a compelling as that first read.

Background

The author, Barbara Demick, is a journalist for the Los Angeles Times who spent time in South Korea from 2001 onwards. During her time she interviewed North Korean defectors, those who had escaped from the North in to either China or South Korea. Over the years she spoke to over 100 former North Koreans, primarily those from the city of Chongjin.

In the opening to the book she explains that she chose Chongjin as it's further away from the capital Pyongyang. North Korea's capital city is kept as the equivalent of a trade-show to Western tourists, those that live there permanently are smart, attractive, from high-status families or are part of the Workers Party. By choosing former residents of Chongjin, Demick gets a more authentic tale of life in North Korea.

The book

The story focuses on six main "characters" from a diverse range of backgrounds. There's "Mrs Song", who used to be fully dedicated to the Workers Party, Mi-ran the school teacher, Mrs Song's daughter Oak-hee who managed to escape an abusive husband, Jun-sang whose Korean family decided to repatriate from Japan and settle in the North, Hyuck the orphan whose arrest ultimately decides his fate, and Dr Kim whose Chinese-born father leaves her with an invaluable gift. They cover a range of ages and different social classes, for example Mi-ran's father is actually South Korean, a Prisoner of War who was never allowed to leave, while Mrs Song is married to a journalist which makes their family remarkably well-off in the grand scheme of things.

In between all their stories are explanations about the North Korean way of life. You would think that a true socialist society would have no class structure, and yet North Korea's system is worse than the social structure of India, with those on the bottom unable to rise and their children condemned with them. Likewise the economic situation is explained early on, I never knew that after the Korean War, the South was far worse off than the North. Demick also explains the propoganda, the daily indoctrination, the "voluntary" tasks such as spending one day a week in self-criticism, and the way neighbours spy on each other.

Through each person you get a rich picture of daily life in North Korea, and then the terrible years of the Great Famine and the situation that developed after it. You understand why it's so difficult for many to walk away, and why there is now an increasing number of people defecting. More than that, you'll start to realise the enormity of the task that South Korea will face should unification ever become a possibility, and just how much China will fight tooth and nail to prevent it happening.

Worth buying?

If you have ever had any inclination to finding out about North Korea, then buy this book. If you ever see the old photos of people weeping at the funeral of Kim Il-sun or King Jong-il, and wonder how they can cry like that, then buy this book. If you wonder why the country doesn't just rise up in it's own version of the Arab Spring, then buy this book. If none of those things sound interesting to you, then buy this book anyway.

"Nothing to Envy" is the perfect title, because at the end of it you will come away realising how lucky you are to be born in a wealthy country, and you will never be able to think about North Korea again without mentally adding the words "those poor sods".

Buy this book from Waterstones.

Review: Gentlemen & Players

This post contains affiliate links. These links do not cost you money, but if you purchase something after clicking them I get a small fee for sending you there. Despite this the information below is an honest review, if I don't like something I will tell you!

Gentlemen & Players is a crime novel written by the very talented author Joanne Harris (author of Chocolat). Normally I am not a fan of Harris’ crime writing, I prefer the magic that is involved in some of her other work. But after a few pages I found myself easily drawn in to this one, and struggled to put it down.

The story is set in a fictional private school named St Oswalds. As with many of Harris’s other books the book is written from two points of view, in this case from the point of view of the child of a former porter, named Snyde, and the Classics professor Rob Straitley.

Straitly is a very old fashioned character, he is the last Classics teacher left in the school, hates computers and whiteboards and prefers to use his pigeon hole and a blackboard with chalk. He has been at the school for over 30 years and is rapidly approaching his “centenary”, his 100th term as a teacher. He is a crotchety character, uncomfortable around women (he has never married), scornful of some of his colleagues and very protective of his students. He is also one of Snyde’s main targets, as he was a witness to an incident many years ago that led to the death of one of his students.

Snyde on the other hand is very modern, adept with mobile phones and computers, using them to leave a trail that incriminates various staff members with pornographic images and fake browser histories. Snyde was also a witness to the death of a student, Leon Knight, and through the book the story is slowly pieced together by these two characters.

The whole thing starts, as most school books do, in September with a new school year and a new term. New staff members, including Snyde under a new name with a fake CV, and reorganisation with some of the classrooms. Straitley’s year does not start well as he finds his office has been taken from him and given to the languages department, and during the term that the book covers other aspects of his teaching are eroded. You get the feeling that he would actually be a better head of the languages department as he is aware of the other teachers and their personal problems, and cares less for politics and Health and Safety and more about those he works with and those he teaches.

Snyde on the other hand is a predator, bent on destroying the school and Straitley, using one pupil to this end. Jackson Knight is in Straitley’s form and feels bullied and victimised, although both teachers agree that he is mostly just another spoilt brat who thinks the world should revolve around him. At one point he accuses Straitley of anti-Semitism, claiming the teacher is picking on him for being Jewish. I will not, obviously, ruin the rest of the book for you.

During the term Straitley is slowly pushed towards increasingly dangerous health problems as the speed of the story picks up, stolen items, accusations from pupils, graffiti on the fence of his home. Likewise the story about Snyde picks up, the past, the parents (including an absent mother) and Straitley’s role in everything and what he did to deserve such torment. Harris balances both characters well, ending each chapter with enough information to make you go “and...!?” before swapping back to the other character, so you are compelled to turn the pages and find out more. I also like the fact that she set the book in a school with an old history, but kept the book in the present day, where teachers are facing pressure to keep up to date with increasing workloads, the latest teaching technology, and the out-of-school arguments between pupils that often start on social media platforms beyond the school's remit.

My one complaint about this book is that it is a bit too long, but the ending will literally blow your socks off and make you flick back through the previous chapters going “how on earth did I miss that?” so it is definitely worth taking the time to read it.

This is a very good book writing by a very good author, if you like crime novels with a bit of a twist then I highly recommend you pick this up. It's been out for a number of years so you'll probably find it in a charity shop if you don't want to pay full price.

Buy this book from Waterstones.

Volume 1

Right, so, time for me to be excited!!

A few months ago I started writing a bunch of small biographies about various women in history. This was primarily inspired by my Mum asking me to explain a few things about Catherine of Valois. She didn't want to read a large book with huge amounts of historical context, she just wanted the interesting bits.

Since then it's grown quite a bit, I now have a long list of women to write about. So with that in mind I decided to turn it into a series which I have "creatively" labelled "30 Women in History".

Yesterday, after spending several days wrestling with ebook formatting, I finally uploaded it to Amazon and this morning it went live!

You can find it on Amazon.com or Amazon UK as well as Australia, Canada and Europe! It's affordable, and designed for each chapter to be fairly short so you can pick it up and put it down when you need to.

I'm already working on Volume 2, not sure when it will be out but it will definitely be this year!

Have a nice day everyone!

Book Review: A Cat, A Hat And A Piece Of String

I mentioned last week that I recently revisited my local library and came away with a large armful of books. At the moment I still haven't sat down properly with the recipe books I borrowed, but I have read another of the fiction ones I was reading.

A Cat, A Hat and a Piece of String is a new short story collection by Joanne Harris. She's one of my favourite writers, along with Philippa Gregory and Terry Pratchett whose books I have reviewed in the past. If the name sounds familiar but you can't place why then it's probably because you've seen the movie "Chocolat" starring Johnny Depp and Juliette Binoche, which was based on the book "Chocolat" written by...Joanne Harris! (As an aside, the sequel to Chocolat, The Lollipop Shoes, is one of my favourite books).

As I mentioned above, this is a collection of short stories. Rather typically of Joanne Harris they're mixture of nostalgia, sweetness and downright creepy. Sweet is covered by two of the stories about Faith and Hope, two little old ladies living in a care home (also, while the story is sweet it does also give one an alternative glimpse into old people's homes that makes you hope you never end up in one). Nostalgia, to an extent, is the man who celebrates Christmas all year round. LITERALLY, all year round. And as for creepy, let's just say the baby made of cake and the ghost on Twitter made me reconsider eating sugar and indulging in social media.

While some of the stories are a little improbable, they are very well written and easy to dip in and out of. The only real problem is that you'll probably struggle to put the book down.

Book Review: A Nurse At The Front

This post contains affiliate links. These links do not cost you money, but if you purchase something after clicking them I get a small fee for sending you there. Despite this the information below is an honest review, if I don't like something I will tell you!

After a few months of sticking to my own bookshelf, and re-reading the same books again and again and again as a result (which I do a lot anyway, but this was excessive) I finally returned to my local library. Luckily after a break of a few months I found some new books there that caught my eye and which were duly borrowed.

One of those books turned out to be a good but occasionally heart-rending read; A Nurse At The Front - The First World War Diaries of Sister Edith Appleton.

Edith Appleton was an English nurse who spent the First World War in France and Belgium, looking after wounded soldiers, both Allied and German. The information about her was originally published on a website, and recently her diaries were published in the above book.

If you're of a sensitive disposition then you need to avoid this book. What makes it a good read is that Edith Appleton didn't pull any punches with regards to what she experienced, including soldiers who were maimed or paralysed, or who spent days in agony before they finally died. But she also paints a beautiful picture of areas of northern France before they were devastated by shelling, and the stories of everyone clubbing together to make Christmas decorations make you realise that despite the horrendous numbers of casualties people still tried to make sure that life went on as normally as possible.

It also gives you the other side of the war. Most published diaries are from the soldiers themselves, whether they were frontline infantry or vicars who were running Sunday services and holding burials on a daily basis. In this diary you get the views not only of a woman, but a woman who at times was remarkably close to The Front. While she may not have had to deal with rats or contracted trenchfoot, she did have to deal with soldiers who bled to death, or suffocated as gas ate away at their lungs. The nurses who served in France had to be as tough as the soldiers, and Edith's diaries do occasionally mention those women who struggled to cope.

Overall this is an excellent read, and I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in the First World War.

Singer Sewing Machine

On this day in 1851, Isaac Singer was granted a patent for his sewing machine.

Sewing machines weren't new at the time, but Singer's was more practical to use and could be adapted to use at home (according to Wikipedia).

Vintage Singer Sewing Machine Instruction Booklet by sewmuchfrippery

Singer 66k Sewing Machine by HomeRetroUK

Happy birthday Singer sewing machines! I think they're pretty iconic, the very old vintage ones certainly are.

Have a nice evening!

Book Review: The Plantagenets

This post contains affiliate links. These links do not cost you money, but if you purchase something after clicking them I get a small fee for sending you there. Despite this the information below is an honest review, if I don't like something I will tell you!

A few months ago I reviewed the book Queens Consort, about the various wives of England's kings from Matilda of Flanders through to Elizabeth of York. One thing this book highlighted, for me, is that I also know very little about the Kings themselves. My history is mostly the ancient world, and what I learned at school was distinctly more modern, covering both world wars and the Russian revolution.

While I was wandering around Waterstones at the beginning of the month I spotted a book called The Plantagenets by a historian named Dan Jones. As the title suggests, it covers the Plantagenet line of Kings in England, starting with Henry I and finishing with the usurped Richard II.

This book is big, it has to be since it's covering quite a lot of history. But it's also a good read. It is split into seven parts, each one then divided into much smaller chapters. It's easy to cover a couple of chapters on your lunch break, so you feel that you're actually getting somewhere and have easy stop-off points when you need a break. It's written in a way that makes it quite easy to read, key players are mentioned without you getting confused between multiple Lord Williams and Lord Edwards.

Probably my biggest gripe with it is that sometimes the focus is a little too narrow. For some Kings their problems were exacerbated by the relationship between their Queens and the public, but this is barely touched on. Except to mention the popularity of weddings as festive occasions, and the births of heirs and subsequent children, consorts and families are rarely mentioned. Obviously this isn't a huge problem, this book is about the Kings not their wives, but I can't help but feel that it would have helped give a bit more context to the problems each ruler faced.

The second biggest annoyance with this book is that my copy has completely fallen apart! All I did was read it at home and transport it to work in a backpack, but the first page through to page 357 have completely come away from the spine and the rest of the book. I'm rather disappointed by the quality, I have vintage books over a hundred years old that survived better than this, but hopefully I simply got a dud copy and all the others will be fine.

Frankly I think Dan Jones needs to do a Part 2, he finished with Richard II, but the line continued in a more muted form with Richard's cousin who became Henry IV, and the Wars of the Roses that eventually followed.

Despite my problems reading a broken book, it really was a very good read and something I'd highly recommend to someone who wants to learn more about the Royal family in the medieval period but doesn't want to get something that will make them feel bogged down in details.

Beatrix Potter

On this day in 1866, the English children's writer Beatrix Potter was born! Naturally this means I'm going to have to rewatch the film "Miss Potter" this afternoon.

Along with publishing children's books, Potter helped preserve the country landscape of the Peak District by using her money to buy up farms and their land, and when she died in 1943 she left most of it to the charity National Trust. The land is now part of the Lake District National Park, an area that I intend to visit at some point in my life.

Beatrix Potter Tales and Nursery Rhymes by VintageCuriosityShop

Most children grow up with some of Beatrix Potter's work on their bookshelves, if you search on Etsy there's quite a few vintage copies of her books (including the three above, which are from a shop located in the UK) as well as some lovely items made with fabric and prints of her artwork.

Have a nice day!

10k Views!

On Thursday this blog hit the 10k views mark! I feel like it hasn't been that long since I was celebrating 7k views.

So to celebrate I've added a coupon code to TheBibliophile! Use code 10KVIEWS at the checkout to get 10% off purchases! This code is valid until 27th July (next Saturday).

The Adventures of Philip by TheBibliophile

For those who haven't used Etsy before, you can only use the code in TheBibliophile, you cannot use it in another Etsy shop.

Have a nice day everyone!

Independant Booksellers Week

From today through to 6th July is Independant Booksellers Week here in the UK!

Help celebrate this week (and support your local economy) by visiting your local bookshop. I wanted to post a photo of mine here in Kew but my camera is still out of action :(

Flowers Shown To The Children by RummageRomy

So instead have a vintage book from a UK shop on Etsy!

Have a nice day everyone!

Marlowe & Seymour

Once again browsing Wikipedia for things to blog about, and it appears that today is the anniversary for two important (or possibly just interesting) events.

Vintage Christopher Marlowe Book by FlossysTreasures

On this day in 1593, the writer Christopher Marlowe was stabbed to death by Ingram Frizer. There has been a lot of controversy about his death, as he had recently been brought to court after a warrant for his arrest was issued. The actual charge isn't known for certain, but is believed to be heresy. He had been told to report to the court every day until they could speak to him, but he was never formally tried or questioned (as far as records show) before his murder. An inquest was held at the time, and ruled that he had Ingram Frizer was innocent on grounds of self defense, he and Marlowe had been arguing and witnesses said that Marlowe had dealt the first blow.

But there is some controversy around this as Ingram and his two companions were connected to England's network of spies and informers, there is even some belief that Marlowe himself was part of this network. What actually happened will never be known, but you can visit the plaque set up in St Nicholas churchyard in Deptford, he was buried in an unmarked grave so the proper site is unknown.

Tudor Doll Queen Jane Seymour by MrsTiggywinkleDolls

Today is also the day that King Henry VIII married his third wife, Jane Seymour, in 1536. Jane had been a lady in waiting to both Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn, Henry's previous wives. Anne herself had been executed a mere 11 days before. Jane went on to give Henry the son he desperately wanted, but died 9 days later.

Have a nice evening everyone!

Vintage Book Love

I had a surprise yesterday when I sold another vintage book. That makes it four book sales in less than two weeks, and in all honesty I've done bugger-all marketing for The Bibliophile in recent months except for put the link on here on occasion.

Last night's sale was a small copy of Shakespeare's play "As You Like It". I thought that today I might spread the sale love and point you towards another vintage book shop on Etsy.

The Comedies of Shakespeare by EAGERforWORD

This shop is another one full of vintage books in varying conditions. I chose this Shakespeare one to feature because of yesterday's sale, but there's plenty of other titles from famous names including Louisa May Alcott, Charles Dickens and Charlotte Bronte.

Have a nice evening everyone!

Plato

Happy Sunday everyone! We're having a Bank Holiday weekend here in the UK, which means that I also have Monday off :)

Despite my bad dentist luck this week my bank account is starting to feel a little bit healthier as The Bibliophile has had a few sales! Not sure how that's happened as I've been focusing on Creative Classics recently. If any of my purchasers are reading this, thank you for your support as you've helped cheer me up massively :)

My most recent sale is a book about the ancient Greek philosopher and mathematician, Plato! He was the student of Socrates, and the teacher of Aristotle.

Be Kind Typography Poster by TypePlace

A decent number of Plato's works have survived over the years, including his Socratic Dialogues (literary works involving discussions on a variety of topics, the main character in these is often Socrates) which includes "The Republic", a discussion on justice and the way to create a "just" city-state (Greece was not a united country but rather a collection of cities and their surrounding area, it's like treating London and Manchester as two different countries).

Love Print Poster by SacredandProfane

If you're interested in philosophy then Plato is generally a good place to start, along with Socrates and Aristotle he is considered one of the found fathers of Western philosophy. Hopefully the person that bought the book about him from me will enjoy it.

Have a nice day everyone!