Not all books repay rereading; this one does. With only two weeks to go now until the publication on July 14th of ‘To Set a Watchman’, it seems timely to reflect on Harper Lee’s previously published and much lauded novel, ‘To Kill a Mockingbird.’ Harder Lee’s 1960 novel is considered a masterpiece of American literature […]
Impulse book purchases. Sometimes they’re a great idea and you know almost from the first page that you’ll be buying the up the author’s entire back catalogue / future releases. Sometimes it’s better to read a few reviews first to get a better feel for the contents than the cover and blurb provide. ‘When we […]
Naptimes keep me sane. Lack of naptimes…well, let’s not dwell on their effect just yet. I’m determined that my children will nap most days until they are at least in pre-school / nursery, preferably beyond (because pre-school / nursery will wear them out, right? Right?) Sometimes it’s nice to get some parenting advice and I’d […]
Delays at the dentist? Traffic on the tube? It must be bonus reading time. Bonus reading time is what happens when you’re meant to be doing something else but there’s a hiccup and instead you get to read. This is why I always keep a book in my bag; you never know when you might […]
What if the past didn’t happen the way you thought it did? What if you could dig up the truth? Would you want to? Should you? What might you learn if you did? Such is the premise of Harlan Coben’s seventeenth crime novel, ‘The Woods’. What’s it about? Twenty years ago four teenagers enjoying summer […]
The Bees: accept, serve and obey. Or else. I enjoy reading dystopian fiction and I like bees, as long as they stay next to the flowers and away from my children, but I’ll be honest: I think it was the brilliant yellow cover that first attracted my attention. What’s it about? Flora 717 is a […]
It’s actually quite rare for me to buy books new. Honest. New to me from a second hand shop – sure. New as a gift from a friend or family member – definitely. New as a gift for my son or daughter or other lucky friend / family member who loves books – yep yep […]
A tale of murder, madness and The Oxford English Dictionary. Such is the full title of Simon Winchester’s intriguingly titled ‘The Surgeon of Crowthorne’, a book all about, well, murder, madness and the OED, though there’s more on the latter than the former. What’s it about? Lexicographer James Murray is attempting to compile the first […]
Self-editing is definitely the most difficult kind of editing. Recently I reviewed Lynn Shepherd’s excellent novel ‘Tom-All-Alone’s’, a literary murder mystery with its roots in Charles Dickens’ ‘Bleak House’. I had a lot more to say about it than could comfortably fit in one post, so below are some more thoughts about the narrative style […]
If you like murder mysteries, detective stories and mock Victorian fiction, Lynn Shepherd has a treat for you. Meet Charles Maddox, an honourable man fighting for truth and justice in a world where money means power and lack of either can be deadly. What’s it about? London, 1850. Charles Maddox has been forced to leave […]