Jasper Fforde: pioneering fictioneer. I’m not usually a fan of fantasy fiction. In fact, I actively avoid it, moving on as soon as I spot words like ‘magic’, ‘curse’ or ‘dragon’ in book descriptions and reviews. The one exception is Jasper Fforde, whose genuinely distinctive styling of comedy, fantasy, literary mash-up, satire and sci-fi is […]
Historical fiction isn’t my first choice of genre, but something about this book’s blurb appealed to me. …and the cover was lovely. (Yes, I’m afraid I do judge books by their covers, but only until I read them!) Pam Jenoff’s carefully researched novel, ‘The Last Embrace’, uses World War Two as a dramatic backdrop for […]
Today is National Poetry Day and it’s got me thinking about the value of sharing poems. Children instinctively love poems. They enjoy the rhythms, the humour, the sheer nonsense of nursery rhymes and their early introductions to poems. Then, something happens. For most older children poetry becomes academic, boring, uncool. It’s something your teacher might […]
Ghosts are trapped in the past, right? They might communicate by bashing tables, putting out the lights and throwing a few objects around, but they’re typically portrayed as very old school. Well, not in Peter James’ first ghost story, in which it seems that ghosts can text, email and generally use modern technology to bedevil […]
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 […]
I get very excited about meeting my favourite authors. The trouble is, when I do meet them, I become so tongue-tied I’m barely capable of requesting a signature and giving my name. Anything more – except possibly a simpering, eyes-downcast, barely audible mutter of “I love your books” – is absolutely beyond me. (My husband […]
‘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 […]