Medieval Stylings at Literary Lodge www.etsy.com/uk/shop/literarylodge Medieval, vintage and antique stylings are very on-trend at the moment and add a touch of sophistication to any living space. The Bayeux Tapestry is both a historical document, detailing the story surrounding the Battle of Hastings and the struggle for the English throne after Alfred the Great's death, as well as being an impressive piece of medieval art. Religions of the Middles Ages were also sources of some beautiful art, shown by this beautiful geometric design and through stained glass windows, which depicted various events and characters of religious significance. This cushion contains an illustration (with stained glass effect) of one of the stained glass windows at Leicester Cathedral, which has been existence in various forms since before 1086, when the original Saxon church was replaced with a Norman one. Leicester Cathedral is now most famous for being the place where Richard II

Goodbye Mr Bond… Hello, Vera Kelly. Book Club Review - ‘Who is Vera Kelly?’ by Rosalie Knecht    For a number of years now, the debate over who the next James Bond should be has raged. Should Bond be played by a BAME actor, a woman or a WOC? Then, there are those who have argued about whether James Bond can be played by anyone other than a straight white male without substantially changing the character. Perhaps though, we are asking the wrong question. Does this debate not reveal that James Bond is a character that belongs to bygone age, and its time for Bond to step aside and let another take centre stage? Step forward Vera Kelly.   Vera Kelly is a spy for the modern age - sophisticated, carefully constructed and part of a cynical world that is aware that intelligence services are not angels vs devils, but half angels vs half devils.  We are a generation fully aware of the political intrigues that both the West and the East played in various theatres during the

Literary Lodge Book Group - Catch-up So, I've been busy over the last two or three months, getting my shop set and marking GCSE exam papers, and because of this, the blog has been a bit neglected.  I am going to making a few posts this week to catch up on everything I've missed, including today doing an round-up on the books we have covered in the Literary Lodge book group. Brighton Rock by Graham Greene Brighton Rock begins dramatically from the very first line: "Hale knew, before he had been in Brighton three hours, that they meant to murder him."  What follows is a tense and unsettling chapter in which Hale is chased by Pinkie's gang.  One of the characters Hale meets on his unsuccessful escape attempt is Ida Arnold, a boozy, but crafty woman who is best summed up by a line where she outlines her values: "Justice, an eye for an eye, law and order, capital punishment, a little bit of fun now and then".  Pinkie is initially portrayed as a monster

Monthly Book Club - Pilot Meeting: The Name of the Rose A quick update today to introduce the monthly book club, which began last night in The Rising Sun, Manchester, to discuss Umberto Eco's The Name of the Rose. The Name of the Rose is, essentially, a murder-mystery novel, that uses the plot to debate philosophical ideas about truth, interpretation, power, religion and political rule.  It is told in first-person by a medieval monk, Adso, who has accompanied an older monk William of Baskerville (note the Sherlock Holmes connection) to an old and grand monastery where William will act as a judge in a dispute between the Pope and the Holy Roman Emperor.  On arrival at the monastery, they discover a young monk has taken in own life in mysterious circumstances and this is quickly followed by another death, this time a murder.  William and Adso are given the task of discovering the murderer before the Pope and Emperor arrive. There were five of us last night to discuss the

The Beast from the East has given us the perfect excuse to stay in and read on World Book Day... Well World Book Day is a bit of chilly one here in the UK - Winter is Coming (Or has already arrived)!  But this is the perfect time to put the fire on, or crank the heating up to the max, and enjoy a good book.   So if your school, college, work has closed and you're stuck at home, here are some books that will either evoke the snowy weather you can see outside your window; or, if you'd rather banish thoughts of snow and ice and have your imagination whisked away to sunnier climes, there are some suggestions for you here as well. If You're a Snowy Owl, Try: 1. A Song of Ice and Fire, George R.R. Martin So you've probably seen the TV show, but have you read Martin's series of books?  It's a long wait until HBO's final season - if you can't wait until then for your next dose of Westeros, you could use the time to read through Martin

2. ‘It’s alive!’ - Reasons to Study Literature: ‘When you’re working in the money markets, what good are the novels of Wordsworth.’ (Four Weddings and a Funeral) Whilst the above quotation may make even those with only a passing interest in literature shiver, it highlights a view about education in the arts that is far too common - that while it be nice to learn about fine art and works of literature, it is essentially useless.  Few people express this view about science, because with an education in science you can become a doctor; if you choose to study law, parents will beam at the thought of having a solicitor or a barrister in the family.  However, if you tell your parents that you want to go to art school or write for a living and many parents will furrow their brows and internally judge their offspring, as though they had expressed a wish to join the circus.  Say you wish to audition for X Factor and many parents will encourage and support, but say you want to becom