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Three Women of Herat by Veronica Doubleday
I think I share a common conception, or misconception, of Afghanistan, a country that has always seemed distant, alien and mysterious to many of us, which is more likely to…
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Thunderstone by Nancy Campbell
Lockdown wasn’t easy for most people, but Nancy Campbell left her home and relocated to a caravan on the outskirts of Oxford. This may sound idyllic, but Campbell’s account of…
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The Hill of Devi by E. M. Forster
To my shame I hadn't read anything by E.M. Forster, but there was something about The Hill of Devi that I found encapsulating, enigmatic in its description that encouraged me…
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The Past is a Dangerous Driver by Neal Mason
Neal Mason is a mature poet who has been publishing collections of his work since the early 1990s and has appeared in many poetry magazines. I had not previously come…
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Antarctic Pioneer The Trailblazing Life of Jackie Ronne by Joanna Kafarowski
Jackie Ronne reclaims her rightful place in polar history as the first American woman in Antarctica. The aim of this book is clearly to set the record straight and to…
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Woman, Watching – Louise de Kirilene Lawrence and the Songbirds of Pimisi Bay by Merilyn Simonds
Woman, Watching - Louise de Kirilene Lawrence and the Songbirds of Pimisi Bay is a remarkable title, but I now understand that Mrs Lawrence was quite a remarkable woman. Biographies…
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Shalimar: A Story of Place & Migration by Davina Quinlivan
I wasn't sure what to expect with Shalimar: A Story of Place & Migration, the wonderful debut novel from author Davina Quinlivan. I've read a fair bit on areas such as…
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Bittersweet: reflections on ‘home’
Do you want to go home?’ my partner asks. By ‘home’ she doesn’t mean heading back to the house after a trip out, as we are already there, sitting on…
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Finding The Mother Tree by Suzanne Simard
The Yucatan jungle is on either side of the road as I finish reading Finding the Mother Tree. Throughout my four-hour journey through the Mexican south, I’ve been idly looking…
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The Ghost in the Garden by Jude Piesse
In her wonderful book, The Ghost in the Garden: in Search of Darwin’s Lost Garden, author Jude Piesse observes that gardens have the unique distinction of being created by people as…