I love to read and books have always been a very important part of my life. I read to learn new things; sometimes to gain new knowledge but more often to experience a new perspective. I feel like books are also a great way to go on adventures or to take a quick “brain-break” while … Continue reading The (Audio) Books that Got Me Through Busy Days
The Gull House – Suburban Seagulls and Life in Dublin
One morning I opened the patio curtains and there, in the centre of the small patch of frozen grass and weeds that is our lawn, was a slice of bread. It seemed unnaturally large and white lying there under the late winter sky. I was puzzled. Surely the cats wouldn’t bother stealing bread. Or would … Continue reading The Gull House – Suburban Seagulls and Life in Dublin
Hi, I’m still here…
Cherry blossoms, Dublin, Ireland I’ve been quiet on social media and the Wild Library blog. The last two months were busy... I started writing a new blog post this morning, and it’s good to put my thoughts on paper again. I’m also very behind with book reviews, so I might do a series of short … Continue reading Hi, I’m still here…
Thoughts on Moving House and How We Fill Our Lives
Early morning - 05:00. I’ve always been an early bird but, at the moment, as a parent to a young child, my internal clock doesn’t always align with my need for more sleep. Usually, when I’m awake at 05:00, I’m awake for good and I might as well get something done. So here I am, … Continue reading Thoughts on Moving House and How We Fill Our Lives
Reading Inspiration: My 2021 Reading List
It’s fun to look back at the books I’ve read (and listened to) during 2021. I think it’s a diverse list but two major themes are history and nature. No surprises there! I’m glad I read more poetry and I hope to keep it up in 2022. Jamaica Kincaid’s At the Bottom of the River … Continue reading Reading Inspiration: My 2021 Reading List
Finding Wildflowers the Old Fashioned Way
After ten months of identifying wildflowers in Ireland, I think it’s time to give a brief overview of how I go about this process. The first question most people ask me is, ‘Do you use an app?’ No, I haven’t used an app. Yet…
Surfacing by Kathleen Jamie – Book Review
Surfacing by Scottish author, Kathleen Jamie, is a collection of essays about memories, history, and the natural world. Jamie explores what it takes for history to resurface and become part of the present through wide-ranging triggers that are arresting in their own right: rising temperatures melting the Alaskan tundra; shifting dunes revealing a neolithic village on an Orkney island; a voice, a memento, a dream...
Enchanted by Trees – Finding Wildflowers in September and October
I’m fascinated by trees, like many other humans. For many years their charisma and mystery, their relatively long lives and comparatively sheer size have enchanted and inspired the human imagination. Fred Hageneder writes of this relationship in The Living Wisdom of Trees: “The entire spectrum of human existence is reflected in tree lore through the ages: from birth, death and rebirth to the age-old struggle between good and evil, and the quest for beauty, truth and enlightenment.”
Sugar Money by Jane Harris – Book Review
Martinique. 1765. Emile and Lucien are given an impossible task. Their French master, Father Cleopas, needs more slaves to manage and work the new sugar plantations and rum distillery. His plan is anything but simple: the two brothers have to return discreetly to Grenada, the island they were born on but that's now under British rule. There they have to convince the slaves, who are now considered British property, to return with them in secret to Martinique to work for their former French masters. The task seems far-fetched and exceptionally dangerous to the older Emile. But Lucien, who is just entering his teen years, looks forward to reconnecting with his brother during what he feels can only be a heroic adventure. Despite their personal feelings and reservations, the brothers have no choice but to obey their master and set off to Grenada…
Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke – Book Recommendation
I can’t believe it’s taken me so long to get round to this one. I’m often late to the party and the fact that I only read Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell (JS&MN) by Susanna Clarke (2004) in 2021 is proof of this. Clarke's debut fantasy novel divides readers between those who loved it and … Continue reading Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke – Book Recommendation
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