Back when I was younger, say 18 or before then, I really didn’t read autobiographies, or even biographies come to that. Mind you it does depend on how you define ‘autobiography’. I did enjoy the Gerald Durrell books and the James Herriot books when I was at school and they are certainly autobiographical. But times […]
Entries Tagged as 'Books'
Books, books and books
February 6th, 2020 · Comments Off on Books, books and books · Life
I seem to have my reading mojo back at last, which is making me very happy indeed. Last year I had stocked up on e-books, expecting to be reading a lot while in hospital and afterwards in recovery, but it turned out that I really didn’t have the mental capacity to read anything more substantial […]
Tags: Books
Born A Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood
October 10th, 2019 · Comments Off on Born A Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood · Life
Last month I snapped up Trevor Noah’s autobiographical book, Born a Crime while it was the 99p Kindle deal of the day. I kind of regret that because it is very much worth the full price – currently £4.99 The book has two big things going for it: a remarkable story to tell and a […]
The Undoing Project by Michael Lewis
February 11th, 2019 · Comments Off on The Undoing Project by Michael Lewis · Life
I have had this book sitting on my Kindle for ages, having snapped it up as the £1 deal of the day some time ago. Last week I finally got round to reading it, and what a book it is. It was, at the same time, exactly what I expected but also nothing like what […]
Spoonbenders
August 30th, 2017 · Comments Off on Spoonbenders · Life
I just finished reading a book called Spoonbenders by Daryl Gregory. The paperback is out in May 2018 but it is available in hardback or for the Kindle now. There are two things that you can put in a book description to make me run a mile. If the description starts with “One woman’s journey..” […]
The Irregular
May 22nd, 2017 · Comments Off on The Irregular · Life
I have a book to recommend. The Irregular by H.B.Lyle. Last month I had proof copies of two different new novels that trade on a connection with Sherlock Holmes. The first was Arrowood by Mick Finlay, which was interesting enough, but I have to admit that I found The Irregular to be much more exciting. […]
Tags: Books·Reviews·Sherlock Holmes
Outskirts
April 13th, 2017 · Comments Off on Outskirts · Life, Politics
A short review of Outskirts: Living Life on the Edge of the Green Belt by John Grindrod which I mentioned in a previous post. It is due to be out in hardback on June 1st. Although I got hold of an advanced proof copy, I did buy his previous book and would have bought this […]
Tags: Books·Nostalgia·Reviews·Town Planning
Green Belt
April 13th, 2017 · Comments Off on Green Belt · Politics
I have just finished reading a book about the green belt, which was more fun than it sounds. One passage in particular really stopped me in my tracks while I was reading: ‘One of the things that impressed me most about my dad’s take on it, because he was surprisingly left wing as well, was […]
Tags: Books·Town Planning
Robert Nye
August 8th, 2016 · Comments Off on Robert Nye · Life
Today I came across an obituary of the writer Robert Nye, who died last month. I wasn’t aware that he had died and if I am honest I hadn’t realised he was still alive because, although he is described as a ‘poet and author’, I only knew of him through his novels, and the last […]
Tags: Books·Obituaries
The Ice Beneath Her
June 27th, 2016 · Comments Off on The Ice Beneath Her · Life
I have just finished reading my first Scandinavian thriller. It is called The Ice Beneath Her by Camilla Grebe, due to be published on September 8th. This is what I thought about it…
