Sam's Fireside - Cosy Book Reviews & Recommendations

Lolita was January’s read for an online Classics Book Club. I began by listening to the audiobook, read by the amazing Jeremy Irons who narrated it brilliantly. I started just after Christmas while working on my Harry Potter diamond art. Talk about diverse! From fantasy witches and wizards to a classic from a Russian/American novelist. To be completely honest, I rarely read a synopsis of a book before I dive in and I had zero idea what Lolita was about before I put those AirPods in. There were a lot of ‘what the hell am I listening to’ moments until I finally settled into the story. I switched towards the end and read the final third from my beautiful Penguin Clothbound copy. I know that people’s views and reviews of Lolita vary, and are sometimes contentious, but there can be no mistaking the beauty of the imagery which Nabokov portrays.  Lolita, despite the difficult subject matter, was exquisitely written. There were many, many words that I didn’t understand, but I was too inv...

 Favourite Book Quotes "Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again." This is the first line from 'Rebecca' by Daphne Du Maurier and is my most loved book ever. I can honestly say, that apart from Enid Blyton books when I was a child, it is the only book I have read more than once. The novel begins in Monte Carlo, where our heroine is swept off her feet by the dashing widower Maxim de Winter and his sudden proposal of marriage. Orphaned and working as a lady's maid, she can barely believe her luck. It is only when they arrive at his massive country estate that she realizes how large a shadow his late wife will cast over their lives--presenting her with a lingering evil that threatens to destroy their marriage from beyond the grave. I can't remember ever having read Anne of Green Gables but I love this quote so much. It brings fresh joy and hopes into your life and if you've had a bad day, then there is always tomorrow. Anne Shirley is an eleven-year-o...