Writing Blog
Book review: I leoni di Sicilia
We all know the old adage that we shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. But when lockdown ended in Rome and I could walk around and visit bookshops (!!) when they were one of the first non-essential businesses to be allowed to open, I couldn’t resist the stunning cover of I leoni di Sicilia.…
Read More2020 Booker Prize Longlist announced
Readers, this one’s for you. The Booker Prize 2020 has announced its longlist. Congratulations to the thirteen novelists who made this first round of selection. A lot of these novels and novelists are new to me, so I look forward to exploring these selections. You can see the full longlist here. Have any of you…
Read MoreLockdown reading
I’ve always been an avid reader, but this passion became even more important during our time of severe lockdown in Rome. During that time, we were expected to mostly stay in our home, with rare excursions out, and no more than 200 meters from your residence. I was teleworking, and Rome was experiencing a perfect…
Read MoreFlying the friendly skies in the age of Corona virus
I used to be a seasoned traveler, but in the age of Corona virus, all bets are off. I took my first trans-Atlantic fight since this pandemic broke out, and it felt odd to be back in then skies. My first leg was a European flight within Shengen. The Rome airport was eerily empty, and…
Read MoreDiscovering ancient literature & 18th century opera online
During lockdown, I found myself with a lot more time on my hands. I was teleworking, but with an inability to go out to take part in activities I usually enjoy, I was looking for something different to keep me busy and mentally active. Perhaps I’m late to the game, but I was pleased to…
Read MoreBeach reading 2020
As everyone in the world has certainly realized during the first months of 2020, this is not a normal year … Usually I scramble for a free Saturday or Sunday in March to hit the beach, and to enjoy the annual tradition of cracking open a paperback while I breathe in the fresh, sea air…
Read MoreHappy first day of spring! Celebrating with beach reading. Or not
The sun is growing warmer, the birds filling the morning air with their chirping, and the flowers are beginning to bloom. It’s all gearing up to be a beautiful spring season. What I usually do at this time of year is grab my kids and make our first beach outing, usually going for a day…
Read MoreLove (& life) in the time of Corona virus
With a nod to the brilliant Gabriel Garcia-Marquez whose title I shamefully borrowed and updated for our troubling times. But history (and literature) repeat themselves. Today’s Italy is beginning to feel like Florentino and Fermina’s unnamed city (Cartagena) in their unnamed Latin American country (Colombia). The lock-down has moved from Italy’s north to the whole…
Read MoreCongrats to the 2020 PEN/ Faulkner Award Finalists
I always follow the major literary awards shortlists (and sometimes longlists) as I’m looking for new reading material. That’s why I was happy to see that the finalists for the 2020 PEN/ Faulkner Award for Fisction have just been announced. Congratulations to all the finalists. the final award will be announced in early May. In…
Read MoreQuarantine – a word comes full circle
I’ve always loved history and etymology, so not surprising I was attracted to both elements with the word quarantine. The English word quarantine comes from the Italian term ‘quarantena’. The term derives from the number ‘quaranta’ – meaning forty. During the period of the Bubonic Plague, or Black Death, that spread around Europe from the…
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