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Margaret’s Year In Books

Margaret’s 2020 Year in Books

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Christopher Ryan

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Margaret Halliday

Goodreads Author

Born

The United Kingdom

Twitter

maghal44

Genre

Memoir, Travel, Fiction

Member Since

October 2016

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Margaret Halliday was born in England in 1949 with green fingers and itchy feet. She satisfied the former first, by a year's training in Hastings Alexandra Park, followed by a horticultural course at the West of Scotland Agricultural College.

She fell in love with Scotland, married a Scotsman and raised two children, while working in scientific research and studying up to doctorate level. She qualified as a teacher of biology and chemistry and taught in various schools and colleges in Edinburgh.

Her marriage broke up in 1986, partly because of those itchy feet. She went to live in Istanbul in 1988, where she taught biological sciences at Marmara University for five years. Following this she taught English in Budapest and Damascus, exploring t Margaret Halliday was born in England in 1949 with green fingers and itchy feet. She satisfied the former first, by a year's training in Hastings Alexandra Park, followed by a horticultural course at the West of Scotland Agricultural College.

She fell in love with Scotland, married a Scotsman and raised two children, while working in scientific research and studying up to doctorate level. She qualified as a teacher of biology and chemistry and taught in various schools and colleges in Edinburgh.

Her marriage broke up in 1986, partly because of those itchy feet. She went to live in Istanbul in 1988, where she taught biological sciences at Marmara University for five years. Following this she taught English in Budapest and Damascus, exploring these countries and their environs in her holidays. Then she returned to Turkey and taught biology at a school for gifted children near Istanbul.

Finally, at the age of fifty she ventured as far as India, undeterred by being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and the onset of osteoarthritis. She was an avid writer of diaries throughout and planned to expand them into short stories when she retired. These short stories have evolved into 'Prana Soup: an Indian Odyssey' which was published at the end of November 2013.

She continued to travel extensively and between her trips to India cycled round Ireland and the Scottish Highlands, despite her arthritic knees. After her Indian travels she spent a year flying round the world.

While in New Zealand she became a WWOOFer (a worldwide worker on organic farms), spending five months on both the North and South Islands and returning for a further six months the following year, when she bought a small van and travelled to locations off the beaten track.

Back in Scotland she continued life as a WWOOFer for three more years, travelling to places from the Scottish Borders to the Hebridean Islands. She worked in the walled garden of the Beshara School, near Hawick, where she later did a six-month course in esoteric education. This experience has enriched her world tremendously, giving her the inner strength to live with the pain of osteoarthritis and MS.

She is now settled in Edinburgh, virtually travelling through her writing, although she still goes on the occasional trip. She has completed a second book about her experience of being a single mother in the late sixties, 'Good Vibrations: A Story of a Single 60s Mum', first published in February 2015. She has written a third about her time as a WWOOFer in New Zealand and Scotland, published May 2016. Her first novel, The Belly Dancer, set in Istanbul, Turkey was published at the end of August 2018.
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Margaret Halliday’s books

Average rating: 4.55 · 11 ratings · 6 reviews · 7 distinct works

	The Belly Dancer 4.25 avg rating — 4 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Good Vibrations: a Story of a Single 60s Mum really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 2 ratings — published 2015 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Prana Soup: an Indian odyssey it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 2 ratings — published 2013 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	WWOOFing North and South it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Stranger than Fiction: True Stories from around the World 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	...and Tide: Book 2: A collection of work by Write You are by Lesley Atherton, Honor Blake, Margaret Halliday (Goodreads Author) it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Time...: Book 1: A Collection of Work by Write You Are by Lesley Atherton, Honor Blake, Margaret Halliday (Goodreads Author) it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Margaret Halliday's Blog

My Christmas Books

Christmas is coming and in these troubled times of travel restrictions you might be tempted to give a gift to a loved one where they can travel to far flung places in their minds.

My most recent book, Stranger than Fiction, True Stories from around the World , does just that. It’ll take you on a whirlwind journey around the world, from Bali to Jordan and Cuba to Canada. Then there’s Prana Soup, an

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Margaret Halliday wrote a new blog post My Christmas Books Christmas is coming and in these troubled times of travel restrictions you might be tempted to give a gift to a loved one where they can travel to far Read more of this blog post »
Dec 01, 2020 05:45AM · like
Margaret Halliday rated a book it was amazing 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in this Strange World by Elif Shafak (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Just incredible! Another amazing book from this wonderful writer. At first I was horrified at being confronted by a dead body but I soon got sucked in to Leila’s life, shocked by her and her mother’s treatment. Then there are the five friends, each of ...more
Sep 25, 2020 05:35AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in this Strange World by Elif Shafak. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in this Strange World by Elif Shafak <iframe id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Margaret Halliday rated a book it was amazing Mermaids in a Jar: Flash Fiction by Max Scratchmann by Max Scratchmann (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
A surreal read The wonderful cover opens into this beautifully written wee book which will transport you to other dimensions, both watery and otherwise.
Jul 17, 2020 04:41AM · like · see review
Margaret Halliday rated a book it was amazing The Music Shop by Rachel Joyce	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Dec 09, 2019 01:35PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Music Shop by Rachel Joyce. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Music Shop by Rachel Joyce <iframe id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Margaret Halliday rated a book it was amazing Eros and the Magician by Isabelle Moss (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Magical! I don’t normally read verse but I thoroughly enjoyed this wonderfully erotic vision of the intricacies of love and desire. The writing is superb and vividly portrays each scene.
May 31, 2019 12:24AM · like · see review
Margaret Halliday rated a book it was amazing The Embroiderer by Kathryn Gauci (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
A mammoth historical read This book spans around 150 years, including the Balkan Wars and the First and Second World Wars, in particular the effect on Greece and Turkey. It’s a fascinating read which follows a Greek family of embroiderers through thes ...more
May 28, 2019 12:30PM · 2 likes · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Embroiderer by Kathryn Gauci. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Embroiderer by Kathryn Gauci <iframe id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Margaret Halliday recommended The Bastard of Istanbul to Frances Ryan The Bastard of Istanbul by Elif Shafak (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
May 05, 2019 06:10AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Bastard of Istanbul by Elif Shafak. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Bastard of Istanbul by Elif Shafak <iframe id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Margaret Halliday rated a book really liked it Evanthia's Gift (The Gift Saga #1) by Effie Kammenou (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
An interesting tale of two generations of Greek-American families I enjoyed reading about the lives of these families, their romances and tragic histories. Greek food and its preparation was much in evidence which added to the flavour of the book. I c ...more
Jan 29, 2019 06:42AM · like · see review
Margaret Halliday rated a book really liked it The Secret by Katharine Johnson (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
A moving story about war-torn Italy, love and despair. This well-written novel had me intrigued from the start and more so as the pace picked up later on. The lives of school chums Martina and Irena are torn apart by love and war and secrets. The stor ...more
Jan 29, 2019 06:29AM · like · see review
Margaret Halliday rated a book it was amazing Murder In Aix (Maggie Newberry Mysteries #5) by Susan Kiernan-Lewis (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
A riveting read! A fast moving murder mystery with well-rounded characters, set against the beautiful Provençal scenery with yummy descriptions of French food. How I wish I were married to the gorgeous Laurent, despite his gambling!
Nov 21, 2018 05:55AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Murder In Aix by Susan Kiernan-Lewis. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Murder In Aix by Susan Kiernan-Lewis <iframe id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">