Posts by Kimberly Sullivan
All lanes lead to Rome: Golden Gala 2019
Every year it rolls around again. All track lanes lead to Rome for the world’s top track and field athletes who descend on the Eternal City to take part in the Golden Gala each year. This is Rome’s edition of the Diamond League – the elite track and field meets that take place all around…
Read MoreBook review : Fog Island
I picked up this novel for the same reason I suspect many other readers did. I read the author biography, and was curious to see how the author would handle a thriller set in a modern-day cult. The novel’s author, Mariette Lindstein, is a Swede who spent twenty years in Scientology, including years at their…
Read MoreCooling off in Lac de Ste-Croix, France
I’ve written a lot about the beautiful places we’ve visited on a few trips to France’s stunning Provence region. One of the must go-to spots is its own “Grand Canyon” – Gorges du Verdon (you can see my earlier post.) Two summers ago, we made a return visit to this impressive canyon, and since it…
Read MoreOur terrible, horrible, no good, very bad May
A nod to Alexander of the beloved children’s story, but even poor Alexander only had to suffer through one bad day. We’ve had a whole month of awful days. Cold. Grey skies. Rain. Lots and lots of rain. In Rome, May is one of our most beautiful months, but not this year. Think London with…
Read MoreSurrounded by rolling hills and the flowing Nive in Bidarray, France
We were in this pretty little town in France’s Pays basque region on a cheese-buying mission. We were staying in the coastal town of Guethary and travelling to the picturesque medieval town of Saint Jean-Pied-de-Port, an important stop on the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, when we stopped off in tiny Bidarray. A friend who…
Read MoreWomen’s Prize for Fiction 2019 shortlist out!
Yes, it’s that time of year again. The formerly Orange prize/formerly Bailey’s Prize/currently Women’s Prize for Fiction 2019 shortlist has been announced. I haven’t read any of these, so I have a lot to look forward to in coming months. I always pick a few new reads off this annual shortlist of female authors worldwide.…
Read MoreTurn-of-the-century elegance in San Sebastian, Spain
During our holiday in France’s Pays basque, we also enjoyed crossing into Spain’s Pais vasco. I’ve already written about the regions’s Bilbao and its Guggenheim Museum. We also had an enjoyable tome visiting beautiful San Sebastian – or Donastia, in the Basque language. This elegant city is close to the French border, and was the…
Read MoreBook review: The Great Alone
I didn’t love the only novel I’d read by author Kristin Hannah, The Winter Garden. To me, it seemed a pale copy to Helen Dunmore’s much more impressive The Siege. But I was intrigued by the storyline of The Great Alone and decided to take a chance on this novel. I’m glad I did. I…
Read MoreFrom lunatic asylum to ideal escape from the lunacy of NY: Randall’s Island
Randall’s Island – actually the conjoined islands of Randall’s and Ward’s – is an ideal city escape in New York’s Manhattan. Located in the East River, at the height of Harlem and Queens, this peaceful oasis allows you to feel far, far away from the chaos of daily life in New York. Not surprisingly, this…
Read MoreBook review: The Rosie Project
I enjoyed reading The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion, an amusing, lighthearted novel about a highly intelligent but socially awkward man who has devised a ‘foolproof’ test for finding a wife. I always have a soft spot for novels about social misfits, and Professor Tillman fit the bill perfectly. What is perhaps most interesting about…
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