Lady Tremaine by Rachel Hochhauser - a retelling of Cinderella

Cinderella is one of those stories that everyone knows and accepts the basic premise: cruel stepmother, exploited stepdaughter, bullying stepsisters, a fairy godmother, and a prince to rescue Ella from the ashes. Some modern versions provide a heroine who focuses on self-actualization over marriage as a form of rescue but those are less likely to find favor among little girls who love the Disney princesses. So I was intrigued to hear about this book which tells the Cinderella story from the point of view of the stepmother.

Six Degrees of Separation — from Second Place to H is for Hawk

It’s time for #6degrees, inspired by Kate at Books Are My Favourite and Best. We all start at the same place, add six books, and see where we end up. This month’s starting point is Second Place by Rachel Cusk, a new book about an obsession with a famous painter. It is hard to tell where this book it set – the author leaves it vague, although it is inspired by a story that takes place in Taos, New Mexico.

H is for Hawk (Book Review)

Title: H is for Hawk
Author: Helen Macdonald
Publication: Grove Press, 2014, Hardcover
Genre: Memoir/Nature

Plot: When Helen Macdonald unexpectedly loses her father, the only way she can endure her grief is to take on the challenge of training a goshawk, using a little known book by the author of The Once and Future King as her guide and retreating from friends and colleagues to an isolated cottage, where she can immerse herself in falconry – and where she becomes as feral as the creature she is trying to tame.