I try not to judge a book on its first few pages, I like to get into the narrative before I make any judgments. Of course there are some books where this doesn’t work – I couldn’t read more than the first four or five pages of Anne Enright’s The Gathering…
Belle
1 June 2015 by Leave a Comment
There’s a podcast that I listen to called Stuff You Missed in History Class, it’s a 30 minute or so look at individual incidents in history which, while fascinating, don’t seem to be well-known. One of my favourite episodes was one which recounted the West Point Eggnog Riot of 1826…
Book Giveaway – I Let You Go
29 May 2015 by 8 Comments
Giveaway to win a copy of I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh
Wellies and Westies
19 May 2015 by Leave a Comment
As a little girl I always wanted a dog but my dad wasn’t keen, but mum and I wore him down and when I was about 11 we rescued a little West Highland Terrier who was being given up by her owners. Misty was the sweetest little dog you can imagine…
Top Ten: Paperback Summer Choices
18 May 2015 by 2 Comments
In a rare moment of enthusiasm I signed up to the #SummerPaperback challenge being hosted by Sophie at Reviewed the Book. The idea is simple and based on the fact that we all have massive To Be Read piles and never seem to get round to reading the books that are growing out of their space on the bookshelves…
Top Ten: Sandra Bullock Films
27 April 2015 by 1 Comment
Last week People magazine named Sandra Bullock as the most beautiful woman in the world this year. This cheered me a lot, I’ve always liked Sandra Bullock – she seems great fun and the kind of woman I’d like to be my friend. She seems not to take the Hollywood hoopla too seriously…
Don’t Turn Around
24 April 2015 by Leave a Comment
If there are two genres I would never normally put together, it would be paranormal and crime. I like my crime to be earthy and rooted in something that I can believe. I’m a huge crime fan, it’s certainly my favourite genre however I’m not quite so keen on paranormal stories. I tend to find myself losing interest …
Disclaimer
21 April 2015 by Leave a Comment
Imagine you’re reading a book and you slowly begin to realise that the story is about you and events in your life that you’ve hidden for over two decades? How would you cope? Would you want to know how the story ended and would you search for the author?
Jakob’s Colours
20 April 2015 by Leave a Comment
Regular readers will know that I have an especial interest in the Holocaust and genocide. I’ve been lucky enough to work in Holocaust remembrance and with Holocaust and genocide survivors. I’m not an expert by any means but even though I’ve moved on from that job I’m still fascinated by stories of the Holocaust…
The Secret Place
16 April 2015 by Leave a Comment
A couple of years ago I read Tana French’s novel Broken Harbour, a thriller about the murder of a family on the outskirts of Dublin. It is a brilliant crime story with a realistic contemporary feel, exploring the impact of recession on an aspirational young couple. I was excited by the release of The Secret Place…