Author Archives: Beth Wren
Review: The Name of the Wind, Patrick Rothfuss
“I have stolen princesses back from sleeping barrow kings. I burned down the town of Trebon. I have spent the night with Felurian and left with both my sanity and my life. I was expelled from the University at a younger age than most people are allowed in. I tread paths by moonlight that others […]
Exploring Dresden: Moritzburg and Pillnitz
Two castles in two days, and a lot of photos. My parents came to visit at the beginning of this week and we did a lot of lovely things in Dresden, including visiting Schloss Moritzburg and Schloss Pillnitz via the Dampfschifffahrt (I love the German language – how many English words have a triple ‘f’ in the middle?!), both […]
Exploring Dresden: Bastei
Oh hey there. Did I really go all dark and deep in my last blog post, and did I really describe my social anxiety as ‘a rare cheese of the anxiety world’? Why yes, yes I did. Fortunately I’m back now to some light-hearted discussion of my life in Germany, and a handful of carefully-edited […]
Living With Social Anxiety
This one’s a bit long. You might need a cup of tea and a biscuit.
The 7 Things I Least Appreciate About The German Language
Help, I’m stuck in the impenetrably dark forest of German Grammar.
Review: Gone Girl, Gillian Flynn
“Who are you? What have we done to each other? These are the questions Nick Dunne finds himself asking on the morning of his fifth wedding anniversary, when his wife Amy suddenly disappears. The police suspect Nick. Amy’s friends reveal that she was afraid of him, that she kept secrets from him. He swears it […]
Exploring Dresden: Zwinger
After having lived in Dresden for nearly a month, and having visited the Zwinger a couple of times, I have to admit that I am still a little unsure exactly what it is. The best way to describe it would probably be a sort of palace/garden hybrid built in the Rococo style by Augustus the […]
Review: The Luminaries, Eleanor Catton
“It is 1866, and Walter Moody has come to make his fortune upon the New Zealand goldfields. On arrival, he stumbles across a tense gathering of twelve local men, who have met in secret to discuss a series of unsolved crimes. A wealthy man has vanished, a whore has tried to end her life, and […]
Exploring Dresden: The Elbe
Last week we were graced with a couple of days of lovely warm weather here in Dresden, and I used the opportunity to explore some of the city’s beautiful outside spaces. The river Elbe winds it way through the heart of the city, and with cycle and footpaths close to both sides of the river banks, and […]
Exploring Dresden: Großer Garten
Just when I was beginning to fear that winter had decided to throw caution to the wind and jump forwards a couple of months, today thankfully proved me wrong, and the entire city has been bathing in a glorious autumnal sunshine. With more good weather promised to come, I decided to make the most of it and […]
Bethany Wren 