My thoughts about books, writing, life and so many other things….Judy Leigh/ Elena Collins.
For those whom we remember and those we will never know. Spring prayer after winter These months have been brick cold and here Threadbare blankets hold ice, soft from our mouths’ sucking Two were taken out this morning, stiff As dawn frost and blue white Their coughing clogged in the night with their breath. …
As 2015 draws to a close, it is a time for reflection. In that spirit, here is a countdown of the top 12 books that I have read in the past year, out of at least a hundred! Note: they need not necessarily have been published in 2015, and certainly haven't been read in this order. …
I don't have a sister and I never really wanted one. People have told me that older sisters can be bossy and younger ones sometimes behave in a tetchy and clingy way. Of course, these stereotypes are not real and they are perhaps often fuelled by sibling rivalry. What about the older sister who fights …
Continue reading Sorority in literature? Fear it, my dear sister.
When Hamlet tells Polonius he is reading 'words, words, words,' I think he is implying that each page is the same, that the words written there have no relevant meaning and go on and on for the reader with no real impact or benefit. Sarah Winman's novel 'A Year of Marvellous Ways' is a delight of words. She is in …
If I were to find myself in a position where I would write a thesis about someone who had a creative and intriguing life, a contender for my research and attention would be the priest and poet, Gerard Manley Hopkins, (1844-1889). He had a fascinating and tragic time on earth: his life was short and his experiences harsh, but …
Continue reading Hopkins’ poems: sprung rhythm and ‘unmanly grief’?
That quintessence of dust 