The genus corvus, which includes rooks, crows, ravens, jays, jackdaws, choughs and magpies in its ranks is commonly believed to have the most intelligent of birds, and this is a novel about one such, a magpie, named Tama, who narrates the whole story. ‘Narrated by a bird!?’ I hear you ask. Couldn’t that be a Read More
An Ethical Guide to Murder by Jenny Morris – blogtour
It’s my turn today on the Random Things blog tour for this intriguing crime novel. But first, I’m sending very best wishes to Anne of Random Things who I know is very unwell at the moment, I hope you get better soon, xx. Now to the book. It begins with a premonition… I have an Read More
Shakespeare: The Man who Pays the Rent by Judi Dench
With Brendan O’Hea What a treat this book was from first page to last. I finished reading it on Boxing Day, and it went straight into my 2024 Books of the Year list. It is written with Brendan O’Hea, who is an actor/director friend of Dench, and is Associate Artistic Director at the Globe Theatre Read More
Echoes of Eco II: Foucault’s Pendulum – Parts 2 & 3
For my introductory thoughts as I began re-reading Foucault’s Pendulum, click here. We ended the short first part of the novel with Casuabon hiding in the periscope chamber, waiting for a mysterious event to happen in the museum. HERE BE SPOILERS… Hokhmah – the second Sephirot – embodying wisdom from nothingness! In part two ‘Hokhmah’, Read More
Nightingale & Co by Charlotte Printz
Translated by Marina Sofia I am delighted to be leading off Corylus Books‘ latest blog tour for their first German novel in translation, and Marina Sofia’s first published translation from that language too, (full disclosure, Marina and I have never met but have been blog friends for years). It is 1961 and we’re in Berlin. Read More
Two reviews – Complete Opposites – Nunez and Miller
The Vulnerables by Sigrid Nunez I’m so glad to have fitted this novel in at the end of the year as it elbowed its way into my best of list. Written in much the same vein as The Friend and What Are You Going Through, Nunez’s narrator gives us another mixture of life and often flyaway musings on friendship, Read More
Human Being: Reclaim 12 Vital Skills We’re Losing to Technology by Graham Lee
This is one of the ones that got away in my 2024 reviewing. I read this book ages ago, but never got around to reviewing it for some reason which is shocking, for it is fascinating. Each of the twelve chapters takes one skill from its historical peak, then charts how we’ve let it go, Read More
Echoes of Eco II: Foucault’s Pendulum – Introductory thoughts
My original plan for this readalong was to polish the book off in about 3 chunks in January. But, having started it this morning, having read the first short section of just 18 pages (in my old Picador edition), my mind is already reeling, so I think I’m going to extend into February, having a Read More
Talking Header Images
One last fun post before School starts; I do have book reviews scheduled – honest! I was looking at my header images on the blog, and wondering if I should update them… Obviously, they’re cut down from larger photos to fit. I have six current ones, which are randomised to appear with each refresh of Read More
Six Degrees of Separation: Orbital
First Saturday of the month and time for the super monthly tag Six Degrees of Separation, which is hosted by Kate at Booksaremyfavouriteandbest, Six Degrees of Separation #6degrees picks a starting book for participants to go wherever it takes them in six more steps. Links to my reviews are in the titles of the books chosen. The Read More
Watchlist: Year End 2024
Just some ramblings about what I’ve watched lately on the small screen… Christmas Viewing & New Year viewing: Apart from (still, after all these years) loving Eastenders and the year-end drama it always provides, the Christmas Day highlight had to be Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl. Such attention to detail, and the chase sequence Read More
Reading Plans & Resolutions 2025
Happy New Year to you all! It’s traditional to set out one’s stall with reading plans for the year ahead. I was aiming to keep them as fluid as possible, yet have managed to sign up for 5 blog tours in January, how did that happen? I am aiming to do fewer blog tours this Read More
Review of the Year #3, 2024 – Books of the Year!
It’s finally time for me to share my favourite books of the year with you. It’s always a difficult decision and, as so often happens, the last two books I finished, but have yet to review, both pushed their way onto the list! I read 122 books this year, of which I awarded 10/10 to Read More
Review of the Year #2 – 2024, It’s Bookstats Time!
I always say this, but this post really is my favourite of the year! The master spreadsheet is still going strong. I love playing with all the data, mining it for nuggets of information that will tell me if my reading habits have changed. In truth, they bobble along generally, but there are some general Read More
Review of the Year #1 – 2024, A Year of Reading and Blogging
As always, I’m saving my books of the year for the 31st, and you’ll get my book stats (my favourite post) on the 29th, but today as in previous years I’m sharing my blogging highlights, including all those reading weeks, months and challenges I took part in over the year. You’ll also find a book Read More
My Life in Books Read: 2024
It’s Boxing Day, and to cheer up your post-Christmas Day lethargy, I’m going to start this off on its rounds again… I’ve done different versions of this in 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2016, 2011 and 2009. The questions vary sometimes, but I’m staying with last year’s set. Where it originally came from is lost in the mists of time. Using only books Read More
Dear Orson Welles (and other essays) by Mark Cousins
When this thick hardback arrived out of the blue from Irish publisher, The Irish Pages Press, with the most polite review request, I was flattered to be included in this mailing. I’ve been dipping into it over the past few months and enjoying it very much indeed. I do love reading about film in general, Read More
Review catch-up: Susanna Clarke, Amy Lord, Daniel Klein
In an effort to clear the decks a little so I can concentrate on my year-end posts, here a three shorter reviews for you today. The Wood at Midwinter by Susanna Clarke This is a short story published as a single little hardback, fully illustrated by Victoria Sawdon. The story itself is about 50 pages, Read More
Book Group Report: White Ivy by Susie Yang
Our book group met last week for our traditional December meeting Book Group Christmas Curry, and in between popadoms and mains we managed to discuss this month’s book. White Ivy is the debut novel of Chinese-American author Yang, and she surely uses her own history of being born in China and moving to the USA Read More
Renard Press Christmas Card Classics
I’ll be back with reviews during the week – it’s been a bit hectic – and I’m doing the finishing touches for our school mag still. For now, I’d like to highlight the Renard Press’s Christmas card classics. From 2020 onwards they have produced a lovely little Christmas book, sendable as a large letter, containing Read More
The Making of Brio McPride by R.A. Ruegg
Pitched as The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time meets Life of Pi and coming with a pledge that 30% of the royalties from the book would go to UK mental health charities, this debut novel by a ghost and copy writer, was worth a punt. I gather it will become a film Read More
Six Degrees of Separation: Sandwich by Catherine Newman
First Saturday of the month and time for the super monthly tag Six Degrees of Separation, which is hosted by Kate at Booksaremyfavouriteandbest, Six Degrees of Separation #6degrees picks a starting book for participants to go wherever it takes them in six more steps. Links to my reviews are in the titles of the books chosen. This Read More
Five Feat . . . Duos
In my irregular themed look at old posts (previous posts here), this time I’ve picked Duos as the link. Like the musical duos Simon & Garfunkel and Althea & Donna, all the titles in this list feature two names in the title. However, they aren’t all couples, there are friends and colleagues too in this Read More
A plan for Jan – Echoes of Eco II – Re-reading Foucault’s Pendulum
Inspired by a recent read which mentioned the Knights Templar in passing, I’ve decided to set myself a little project for January, and you’re all welcome to join in. Back in January 2019, I launched a project to re-read Umberto Eco’s The Name of the Rose over the month (here’s the final post in the series Read More
A #NovNov24 read for Norway in November: Doppler by Erlend Loe.
Translated by Don Bartlett and Don Shaw Alerted belatedly to Dolce Bellezza’s Norway in November reading month, I was able to find a novella to fit in, thus fitting #NovNov24 too. Back in 2014, I read Loe’s Lazy Days, a novel about a family on holiday, although Bror is meant to be writing. Instead he Read More
The After-Life of Brian by Julian Doyle – blogtour
Before I tell you about what is inside this book, take a look at its cover above. See the irreverent humour in the tagline at the top ‘Spoil Christmas for someone special’, the homage to the title graphics of Monty Python’s Life of Brian, the fact it is by that film’s editor. Factor in some Read More
2 more novellas for #NovNov24: A ‘Maigret’ by Simenon and a ‘Parker’ by Stark
The Madman of Bergerac by Georges Simenon (No 15) Translated by Ros Schwartz Inspector Maigret is embarking on a holiday, going to the Dordogne to see an old friend and colleague, with a small job to do in Bordeaux on the side, while Madame Maigret is visiting her sister in Alsace. In his sleeper compartment, Read More
Three to See the King by Magnus Mills, #NovNov24
Somehow I managed to miss reading Mills’ third novel, published in 2001, before. Time to put that right. Although Mills’ novels are always about work, and usually and specifically, men and their work (or hobbies) – they do fall into two camps. About half are set in the real world of today – from the Read More
Celebrating Alan Garner’s Life of Creativity
This Tuesday, I went to Blackwell’s in Oxford with friend and fellow Garner devotee Fiona to see Alan Garner’s daughter Elizabeth, (also an author of two novels I’ve long meant to read) in conversation with Robert Powell. Yes! The Robert Powell of the gorgeous blue eyes and lovely voice. Powell is 80 now, and has Read More
Nonfiction November Week 4 – Mind Openers
Week 4 is hosted by Rebekah at She Seeks Nonfiction blog. The topic is mind openers, and she asks: One of the greatest things about reading nonfiction is the way it can open your eyes to the world around you—no plane ticket required. What nonfiction book or books have impacted the way you see the Read More
