whatcathyread

The Etymologicon – A Circular Stroll Through the Hidden Connections of the English Language by Mark Forsyth (The Inky Fool)

24/10/2012

Did you know that: International company Shell took that name because it originally sold shells before it diversified into oil; Wikipedia, etymologically speaking, means fast child; In golf, Bogey means a score for the hole of one over par whereas it originally meant par; Cappuccino evolved from Capuchin monks and pants from St Pantaleon; Torpedo … More The Etymologicon – A Circular Stroll Through the Hidden Connections of the English Language by Mark Forsyth (The Inky Fool)

The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes

24/10/2012

‘Too short for us’ ‘Too short’ ‘Not a novel’ ‘46,000 words is a novella’ Those are direct quotes from rejection letters about my first (go at writing a) novel. I mention this simply because The Sense of an Ending, at 150 pages, is about 46,000 words long, I reckon, give or take, which means by … More The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes

Small Island by Andrea Levy (what Cathy read when she broke her shoulder – part 2)

30/09/2012

My granddad liked a drink and a sing-song, and most of family stories about him have him indulging in one or the other or (more usually) both. Once, after a day on the ale during the Second World War – he’d fought in the First and was too old to be called up for the … More Small Island by Andrea Levy (what Cathy read when she broke her shoulder – part 2)

Day by A L Kennedy (what Cathy read when she broke her shoulder – part 1)

20/09/2012

I’ll hold my hands up: with Day it was a case of third time lucky. I tried to read it twice and gave up twice before finally making it all the way through from the beginning to the end. Admittedly both the failed attempts were made in the small hours of the morning through the … More Day by A L Kennedy (what Cathy read when she broke her shoulder – part 1)

A Scattering by Christopher Reid

03/08/2012

When someone we love dies we experience grief in four distinct stages. So it’s probably no coincidence that Reid’s poetry collection A Scattering, inspired by his wife’s illness and death, is in four parts. The first part, The Flowers of Crete, is concerned with a holiday during her final illness. However it is his wife’s … More A Scattering by Christopher Reid

The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry

25/07/2012

‘I did not know that a person could hold up a wall made of imaginary bricks and mortar against the horrors and cruel, dark tricks of time that assail us, and be the author therefore of themselves.’ So writes Roseanne McNulty, a centenarian patient in Roscommon Regional Mental Hospital, as she secretly puts pen to … More The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry

Paradise Lost by John Milton

23/06/2012

Paradise Lost? Are you kidding? How can you tackle Paradise Lost in a blog? Where do you even begin to start? That’s the voice of reason banging on inside my head. And that’s why it’s taken me so long to get my bum on the seat to write the ruddy thing. So, why Paradise Lost? … More Paradise Lost by John Milton

His Dark Materials Trilogy (Northern Lights, The Subtle Knife, The Amber Spyglass) by Philip Pullman

02/05/2012

Some years ago I spent two terms teaching English at a girls’ grammar school and during that time I tried as best I could to encourage my students to read for pleasure. At the start of one lesson with a group of Year 7s (that’s 1st year seniors in old money, so 11 and 12 … More His Dark Materials Trilogy (Northern Lights, The Subtle Knife, The Amber Spyglass) by Philip Pullman

Of Mutability by Jo Shapcott

22/01/2012

Ten years ago I had to submit a poetry portfolio for an MA in Creative Writing and cite my influences. When my tutor, Professor Newman, read my list she said I wasn’t stretching myself enough, which wasn’t telling me anything I didn’t already know. You see, I’m more of a prose than a poetry kind of … More Of Mutability by Jo Shapcott

Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson

21/01/2012

I never read this classic as a child and was prompted to rectify the omission by an extract in the Autumn 2011 edition of The Reader magazine. That, and the fact it was Christmas. Looking back, I’m not sure what train of thought led me associate pirates and a desert island treasure hunt with a ‘Christmassy’ read – unless it … More Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson

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