This year I promised myself that I was going to read more books. I set myself the target of seventy-five books. Having read sixty-one last year this wasn’t too onerous a target and until the end of February I was roughly on target. Then I started New York…
The Night Circus
19 March 2012 by 4 Comments
The longlist for this year’s Orange Prize for Fiction was announced a few days ago. The twenty books include a number of novels from first time authors as well as more experienced writers…
Sleepyhead
9 March 2012 by 1 Comment
I’m delighted to have been chosen as one of this year’s World Book Night givers. I didn’t get my first choice, The Book Thief, but I’m still really pleased to be able to give away 24 copies of Cormac McCarthy’s The Road…
The Secret Life of Bletchley Park
6 March 2012 by Leave a Comment
One of last year’s surprise publishing hits was Sinclair McKay’s The Secret Life of Bletchley Park which looked at the men and women who worked at the secret code-breaking centre during World War II…
A Cold Snow In Castaway County
1 March 2012 by 1 Comment
I’ve not yet visited America but I have a strong sense of what different areas are like. New York City is a place of 24 hour excitement, Los Angeles is glamorous…
Nights of Awe
22 February 2012 by Leave a Comment
At the beginning of this year I had never read any Finnish literature, it’s nearly the end of February and I’ve now read two great Finnish books. The first was the great little novella, The Brothers….
The Wine of Angels
12 February 2012 by Leave a Comment
I’m always looking for a bargain, particularly when it comes to books so I was excited when I spotted the thick Phil Rickman novel The Wine of Angels going cheap in my local bookstore….
The Brothers
31 January 2012 by Leave a Comment
As most people who keep up to date with reading trends know, Scandinavian crime fiction is the fashion of the moment. I’m not immune…
A Christmas Carol
21 December 2011 by 1 Comment
I only have a couple of Christmas traditions, not many but I do like to stick to them. I watch certain films, I insist on seeing the Queen’s Speech at 3pm on Christmas Day and I enjoy some indulging…
The Santaland Diaries
19 December 2011 by Leave a Comment
One of my favourite memories from childhood is of visiting House of Fraser in Glasgow every Christmas Eve. Normally the Salvation Army brass band would be playing at the entrance…