Endings can be incredibly powerful. An unexpected ending can completely change our perspective on what has gone before, and I have persevered with several very dull or irritating books in the hope that their endings would somehow redeem their middles. (This is doubtless because I remember finding Louis de Bernieres’ ‘Captain Corelli’s Mandolin’ a real […]
‘Pride and Prejudice’ is my favourite Austen novel. So when I heard some impudent writer had decided to add zombies to the original in an attempt to ‘transform a masterpiece of world literature into something you’d actually want to read’, I was torn between horror and intrigue. Where would the zombies fit in the already […]
As soon as I spotted this, I knew I had to buy it. One of my favourite books – ‘Pride and Prejudice’ – now had a sequel in the crime genre? Fabulous. I had never previously read anything by P. D. James but recognised the name and was aware that she was a popular and […]
I freely admit that I am slightly obsessed by in love with ‘Pride and Prejudice’. When I’m feeling ill or grouchy, I instinctively reach for the book or, if I’m feeling really awful, the 1995 BBC adaptation, and it cheers me up to read/ hear the familiar words: ‘It is a truth universally acknowledged…’ I […]
Sun, sea and sand. What more does a good holiday need? A psychological thriller, of course. And maybe some wine. Ok, definitely some wine. And a babysitting service, so you can actually read the slightly ridiculous perfectly reasonable stack of books you packed. Fortunately, my Cornish holiday included all of the above, so I was […]
‘Northanger Abbey’ reimagined: could this stately family pile really be home to Twilight-style vampires? * Perhaps the least popular of Austen’s six completed novels, ‘Northanger Abbey’ is, nonetheless, a clever and entertaining parody of contemporary Gothic and Romantic novels. This makes seasoned crime writer Val McDermid an interesting choice to ‘update’ the novel, since she […]
Sometimes a book simply grips you. Despite the ample distractions provided by an 11 month old baby, a two year old toddler and a demanding annual project, I read this book from start to finish in under 48 hours. (The house may have descended into more chaos and mess than is usual, (yes, worryingly, it […]
‘Sense and Sensibility’ by Joanna Trollope. This is the first novel published as part of ‘The Austen Project‘ in which each of Jane Austen’s six major novels have been / will be re-worked by modern authors. You can read my thoughts on the idea itself here and here, but it would be fair to summarise […]
Sometimes books are the main event; sometimes they’re good to keep you company. Danny Wallace’s mildly amusing ‘join me’ definitely belongs to the latter group and kept me entertained without demanding my full attention. Who is Danny Wallace and why does he want me to join him? He’s less well-known than friend and fellow funny […]
I wasn’t initially convinced by ‘The Book of Lost Things’. An adult fairytale? Yes, possibly, if kept fairly short and written by someone like Angela Carter. But 502 pages of adult fairytale? At least it wasn’t recommended by Richard and Judy, which most of the books I read for my fiction book group seem to […]