When I was planning the first meeting of #BookTwub, the new Twitter based book club, I knew I wanted a novel that was powerful, popular and would appeal to a wide audience. It seemed obvious to me fairly quickly that The Book Thief was the perfect choice…
Maybe This Time
27 September 2011 by 1 Comment
When the Kindle and other e-readers first came on the scene I proudly shunned them. Nothing would ever better the feeling of having a real book in your hands and the happy sight of a full bookshelf. Then I got my iPad, downloaded the Kindle App and all my high-minded objections to e-readers were forgotten…
The Good, The Bad and The Multiplex
21 September 2011 by 1 Comment
I’ve always enjoyed film criticism – even when I’ve not agreed with the critic. I grew up watching Barry Norman on the BBC’s iconic Film programme and tried to persuade my parents to get satellite TV when he moved to Sky. I’ve always bought movie magazines and flick straight to the review columns in newspapers….
An Unlawful Order
19 September 2011 by Leave a Comment
I don’t know if I’ve mentioned it before but I love Twitter. In a society where it can be difficult to get to know neighbours or find people locally who share your interests social media is a great way to “meet” people. Indeed online friendships can become real life relationships. I love chatting to other book and movie fans….
Lost Souls
15 September 2011 by Leave a Comment
I’m keen for this website to be a two-way conversation between me and the people who read it, I also want to broaden my horizons a little so every now and again I ask for ideas for books and movies to review. It was on Twitter that Lost Souls by Poppy Z Brite was suggested…
Snowdrops
13 September 2011 by 1 Comment
The Booker Prize has a reputation for only liking serious literary fiction so it was a pleasant surprise to see A.D. Miller’s crime thriller Snowdrops on the shortlist for this year’s prize
Runaways: Pride and Joy
12 September 2011 by Leave a Comment
As a little girl I loved comics – The Beano and Bunty were my two favourites. I moved on to teen magazines like Jackie and Smash Hits and then the magazines that I still read today – Empire, Marie Claire, Sport Diver. I was never interested in comic books like Superman ….
The Boy Who Bakes
8 September 2011 by 2 Comments
One of the surprise TV hits of last year was the BBC2 programme The Great British Bake-Off. A baking competition with knowledgeable, constructive judges and hosts who were genuinely enthusiastic about the contestants and their entries….
Meet Me At The Cupcake Cafe
7 September 2011 by Leave a Comment
I like to think in another life I could have been Jenny Colgan. We’re roughly the same age and both come from the West of Scotland, but Colgan has written a number of best-selling ‘chick-lit’ novels. I haven’t!
WeightWatchers Book of Recipes
5 September 2011 by Leave a Comment
Yet again I’m on a diet. It seems like I’ve been on and off diets for much of the past ten years or so. Some have worked, others haven’t. This one is going quite well and that success is partly down to the WeightWatchers Book of Recipes…