Book after Book

By Louisa May Alcott Synopsis: Meg is the eldest and on the brink of love. Then there’s tomboy Jo who longs to be a writer. Sweet-natured Beth always puts others first, and finally there’s Amy, the youngest and most precocious. Together they are the March sisters. Even though money is short, times are tough and their father is away at war, their infectious sense of fun sweeps everyone up in their adventures — including Laurie, the boy next door. And through sisterly squabbles, their happy times and sad ones too, the sisters discover that growing up is sometimes very hard to do. Based on Louisa May Alcott’s childhood, this lively portrait of nineteenth-century family life possesses a lasting vitality that has endeared it to generations of readers. How did this book end up in my hands? I have read the Italian translation of this classic in my teens. I had received it as parting gift from a beloved teacher on my last day at primary school. I have more recently read it in English f...

Having recently been part of the audience at a literary event she took part in, I knew when I saw Viv Groskop ’s name that this episode was going to be hilarious. Needless to say that I was right! Even if you couldn’t care less about books, you’d still enjoy this episode of Book Off! purely based on the entertainment value of the banter between the two writers. The bubbly writer and comedian spoke about her new book - The Anna Karenina Fix - that she describes as a combination of memoir, literary criticism and self-help manual. The other guest of this episode was John Niven , whose latest book is No Good Deed . After listening to the anecdote that was the origin of the idea behindthe book , I just had to pause the audio and go straight to Amazon to add it to my wish list. How school dynamics keep replaying themselves into adulthood is a topic I find super interesting. I haven’t been to a school reunion in at least 15 years and I don’t plan on making that mistake again. Living ab...