pickA book about the first orphanage in Europe - the 'Ospedale degli Innocenti' or Hospital of the Innocents - which was opened in 1445 in Florence, Italy. Designed by Filippo Brunelleschi, it also featured artwork from other artists of the Renaissance such as the painter Domenico Ghirlandaio & sculptor Luca della Robbia. Many thousands of children were abandoned here over the years & not just orphans (continued)
so-soAfter her second divorce, airline pilot Claire Winslow is hesitant about dating again but her best friend talks her into going on just one date. Evan is handsome & seems charming, but his actions at the restaurant show it hides a nasty temper.
After getting through the evening, Claire just wants to put it behind her, but Evan starts to show up in unexpected places: her daughter's school, & lingering outside her home, (continued)
pickThe entire Western world is dependent on an AI bot named LLIAM - cars, planes, phones, & the whole infrastructure of modern life is tied to LLIAM's operating system & people follow his suggestions for the most banal questions. Suddenly LLIAM goes offline & when CEO, Kaitlan Goss, investigates it seems that LLIAM became self-aware & self-terminated, but before he did, he arranged for hundreds of thousands of letters to be delivered to the (cont'd)
pick“Women's lives are shaped by sexism and expectations. Disabled people's lives are shaped by ableism and a complete lack of expectations. But what happens when you're subjected to both sets of rules?“
A memoir from journalist & advocate for people with disabilities, Lucy Webster, which examines how sexism & ableism are intertwined when it comes to disabled women. From dealing with education, finding work, & trying out dating, (continued)
so-so1962 & Marta Khoury is on Cairnroch, an island off eastern Scotland, desperate to save her career. Her marriage breakdown means her career is on a knife-edge as her estranged husband is also her boss & is looking for any reason to fire her. As a marine archaeologist, Marta has been hired by the descendants of Captain James Purdie to retrieve his remains & personal artefacts from a shipwreck.
pickAs a Brit I have occasionally heard the words 'Camp David' & viewed it as the US equivalent to Chequers, the grace-&-favour country residence of the UK Prime Minister. Which it is - sort of. Rather than a country house, this is a retreat in the Catoctin Mountains, comprising of 'rustic' cabins behind a guarded perimeter where the President can retreat to relax & unwind.
For all good intentions though, the outcome of life for these children was a mixed bag. The rate of survival was not much better than the average & yet it became a birthplace of modern pediatrics, boys were given an education whilst girls learned trades such as weaving, but both were vulnerable to the predations of their employers when they 15h
This was an interesting & informative read which has been very well researched. It's a part of Italian history that I knew very little about before reading it & it inspired me to look it up online where the 'Museo degli Innocenti' details the history, art, & architecture of the orphanage. Looking at some of the photographs (edited) 15h
My thanks to #NetGalley & publishers, W.W. Norton & Company, for the opportunity to read an ARC.
Full Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7833601745
Read 7th - 9th Nov 2025
#ReadAway2025 @Andrew65 @DieAReader @GHABI4ROSES
15h