I wanted to start a new series this year called My Favourite Books...in which I will share with you a collection of my favourite books with the same theme, setting, or genre. First up, I wanted to begin with My Favourite Books....Set in Italy because I recently reread Diana Athill's A Florence Diary (which absolutely makes my list) and was to remember some of my other favourite books with Italy as the setting. I am a trained Italian language teacher and spent time in my early twenties living and travelling in Italy. It is a place that holds a very dear place in my heart and has inspired many writers, artists, musicians and creatives over the centuries, from the composer Giuseppe Verdi to artist Michelangelo to writer Italo Calvino. Overseas travel isn't in our plans at the moment but when I feel that longing for Italy, these are the books that I turn to. Of my list, the first three are non-fiction, and the following seven are fiction. I hope you enjoy my top 10 favourite boo...
When I read this quote by Eric Carle I knew I wanted to include it in my Bitesize Inspiration showcasing the wonderful author and artist, Carle. Doesn't it just convey all the best things about home, whether you are a child or an adult? A sense of security is just exuded from this brief sentence. How do you feel when you get in the door? Is there a sense of overwhelm because the laundry hasn't been folded, the breakfast dishes are still sitting on the sink and no one seems to remember to put their shoes back where they belong? Even if that may be the case (though I truly hope it isn't), there is still room for warmth, holding hands, toys and a sense of love and security throughout the house itself. In our world of visual stimulation, picture-based learning and constant representations of what home "should" look like, we have to remind ourselves that even the most perfectly curated picture of "home" cannot possibly have a feeling. That is something we...