For Valentine’s Day, a list of the best books about love. Call me by your name (2017) André Aciman. Passionate first love set on the Italian Riviera. Many years later, Oliver and Elio meet again. While Oliver has moved on with his life, Elio can’t let go. Jane Eyre (1847) Charlotte Brontë. Says Jane to Rochester, ‘Do you think, because I am poor, […]
Continue ReadingBest Books of 2022
Ten of the best of my reading in fiction and five of non-fiction. Fiction The Trees (2022) Percival Everett. A detective novel that is harrowing and hilarious. Inspired by the real-life 1955 lynching of 14-year-old Emmett Till in Money, Mississippi. Literary fiction. Maps of our Spectacular Bodies (2022) Maggie Mortimer. A woman’s life told in part through the […]
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A year of skewed views and unreliable narrators; cli-fi and post-apocalyptic lands; and journeys of discovery. Ten of the Best in Fiction In no particular order: Best hypocrisy in small town America novel: Pew – Catherine Lacey Best unworldly young woman takes a false identity to resolve a mystery novel: Case Study – Graeme Macrae […]
Continue Reading9 Books on Labyrinths or Crumb Trails
House of Leaves by Mark Z Danielewski – a family move into a house to discover it is bigger on the inside than it is on the outside. Ariadne by Jennifer Saint – a modern retelling of she who gave Theseus the secret of how to slay the minotaur and escape the labyrinth, and of […]
Continue ReadingArchetypes: The Trickster
In Jungian psychology, the Trickster resides at the intersection of the subconscious and conscious. The archetype is essential for the individuation of a person, allowing the unconscious to rise to the surface, and the baser instincts to aspire to the divine. He is the collective unconscious that desires change. The Trickster myth occurs widely across various cultures, […]
Continue ReadingArchetypes: The Guardian
In Jungian theory, The Hero must be challenged with new ways (of thinking and being) to develop and progress along the journey. There may be many challenges along the way, all of which are guarded by a gatekeeper, or guardian. This Guardian (also known as Threshold Guardian or Liminal Guardian) is an agent of transformation. […]
Continue ReadingTen ways to expand your reading
As someone who reads in the region of 170-190 books a year, I often get asked where I find new reads. So, in no particular order I’ve put together a list of the different ways I discover books new to me. 1. Book reviews Newspapers, journals and magazines review books. The Guardian offers a weekly […]
Continue ReadingArchetypes: The Shadow
In Jungian psychology, The Shadow archetype (also known as the id) represents the unconscious repressed side of a personality, and is often associated with the dark side, in particular. The Shadow consists of all the emotions and behaviours an individual conceals from the world at large. Such emotions may be negative or otherwise. When hidden, […]
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A year of hidden gems, modern classics, and fungi. Of gothic, dark and twisted tales, and South America in translation. Of memoirs and the natural world, sci-fi and high fantasy. I discovered two authors who have become firm favourites, and gave a couple of others a second chance. Most of all, in this year of […]
Continue ReadingNorse, Celtic & Germanic Myths, Folklore & Fairy Tales in Fiction
American Gods by Neil Gaiman Days before his release from prison, Shadow’s wife, Laura, dies in a mysterious car crash. Numbly, he makes his way back home. On the plane, he encounters the enigmatic Mr Wednesday, who claims to be a refugee from a distant war, a former god and the king of America. Together […]
Continue ReadingChildren’s Collections of Myths & Legends
A brief selection of myths and legends for children. Tales of Long Ago (1965) Enid Blyton Tales of the Greek Heroes (1958) Roger Lancelyn Green. Puffin Classics Myths of the Norsemen (1970) Roger Lancelyn Green. Puffin Classics Grimm’s Fairy Tales (1981) Sharon Publications Arthurian Legends (1998) Marie Trevelyan Celtic Fairy Tales (1998) Joseph Jacobs
Continue ReadingGreek Myths in Fiction
Reworked, revisited, reimagined Greek myths in contemporary fiction. Beneath each book description, a short description of the original myth on which the book is based. Where different versions of the same myth exist, I’ve selected one, and list the other(s) under ‘See Also’. Falling Angel by William Hjortsberg The novel which became movie Angel Heart […]
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