Read / December 29th, 2015
There are books that come into your life at exactly the right time. For me, this month, Yes Please by Amy Poehler has been one of these books. I’ve heard a lot about it, along with companion-of-sorts-title Bossypants by Tina Fey (and Poehler’s good friend). I’ve been feeling drained and when I get like that I…
Read / December 1st, 2015
For the true crime person in your life (that’s me), this new book about Jack the Ripper, They All Love Jack by Bruce Robinson, has just been released. It’s a monster in size, meticulously researched, so you’ll be getting your money’s worth. Whether or not you agree with Robinson and who he believes is Jack the…
Read / November 25th, 2015
Anyone who hangs out on the internet for an extended period of time, blogs, posts selfies, make public status updates on Facebook – or does them all – has possibly been accused of being narcissistic. By asserting your place in your world, that you matter, is often challenged. Just ask mother bloggers, or female tech…
Read / November 23rd, 2015
Before 2015, I’d never heard of Elena Ferrante. Now we’re reaching the end of the year and it seems like most people of my acquaintance have either just finished Ferrante’s ‘Neapolitan Novels’ (a quartet of four novels) or are midway through them. If you would like to discover for yourself what all the fuss is about,…
Read / November 16th, 2015
(Again, like last week, it can be hard to draw a line between what is suitable for ‘younger’ and ‘older’ readers because of the variety of tastes and abilities of children. Today I’m looking at what suggestions I have for about age 10+ but won’t include Young Adult (YA) literature. That deserves its own post.)…
Read / November 9th, 2015
(Note: by younger readers I mean those aged between 5-10 years of age. I realise this is a bit of an arbitrary line as the tastes and abilities of children vary from person to person, but it’s what I’m gone with here.) Goth Girl and the Wuthering Fright by Chris Riddell is the third, and latest,…
Read / November 2nd, 2015
Welcome to my annual series of book posts of recommendations for Christmas (or special occasions). As ever, if you’re after a very special present for a baby or young child, you can’t go past picture books. I love them and my two still read them on occasion – especially if it’s an old favourite. Speaking…
Read / October 20th, 2015
I read Holding the Man this past weekend in a single sitting as I made the most of a sunny Sunday in our hammock on the back deck. Perfect weather for a captivating book. Although Holding the Man has been in publication for some twenty years, it’s had a revival thanks to the successful –…
Read / September 29th, 2015
Current mood: relieved. Why? I haven’t read a lot of fiction lately. This wasn’t entirely unexpected – when I’m writing fiction, I don’t consume a lot of it. I get distracted. I don’t know if this happens to other writers, or it’s just me. I think it also depends on the book. I won’t list a…
