Simply by being female I was excluded from the lists of potential usurpers, since no woman could ever sit on the Council of the Commanders; so on that front, ironically, I was safe. My life might have been very different. If only I’d looked around me, taken in the wider view. If only I’d packed …
This is my second book by Mona Chollet, and I am still surprised none of her writing has been translated into English. The first book was Wiedźmy. Niezwyciężona Siła Kobiet (Witches. The Invincible Power of Women). It moved me, made me angry and pushed me out of the apathy. That's also where I found the …
Mariusz Szczygieł is a Polish journalist, at some point more known from his TV presence (he chaired one of the first Polish talk-shows) in the 2000s he focused again in writing. This is his third book I'm reading. I loved Gottland, his tribute to Czech Republic, blending beautifully the funny absurdities with quiet despair. Nie …
This is my first book by Anne Applebaum. She is a journalist and historian, but this one is certainly written more from a journalistic perspective. What drew me to this book is the fact that Applebaum is closely associated with Poland (her husband was at some point a Minister for Foreign Affairs in Poland). So …
In the second half of August I finally managed to get from the UK back to my family home in Poland. For a well deserved two weeks of holidays. With my mum we decided to lazy in our lovely house, instead of risking going anywhere. As it was vacation it was also time for lighter …
I never had any particular beef with Richard & Judy book club. Mostly because I don't own a TV, and I didn't go out of my way to find out. So I had no exposure to it. Now things have changed. Now we do have a problem. After this book I will actively avoid the …
I have mentioned of few other occasions that I do tend to fall back on John Grisham when in need of dependable but not to challenging read. He is just reliable, has his ups and downs, but never goes below a certain standard. So as I started my two weeks laziness finally (after 6 months …
I bought this book few months ago on Amazon sale. It came, landed on my TBR bookshelf and patiently waited for its time. It finally came after I read several books in a row revolving heavily around women and their lives. I felt it is time to dive into a different subject matter. And the …
Continue reading The Secret Barrister: Stories of the Law and How It’s Broken – The Secret Barrister
Another book that has been lingering on my shelves for a few years. I read Alice Munro right after she received the Nobel Prize in 2013 and I enjoyed her dreamy, but at he same time matter of fact style immensely. This one is touted as a novel. Which is very unusual for Alice Munro, …
Another one bought from a second-hand bookshop at AbeBooks. With a hideous cover basically consisting of a still from the movie. I've actually seen the movie years ago and liked it a lot. Even if I don't remember much of it now. So I was naturally curious about the book. The story is quite simple …
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