Thoughts about things I’ve written or read or heard or seen. An attempt to stay positive in a turbulent world.
Recent Articles
Do you live near Oxford (England)?
If you do, and you aren’t already doing something tonight, you might like to come to Mostly Books in Stert Street, Abingdon at 7.30 to hear Eliza Graham and I talking about the effect that the Spread the Word, Books to Talk About shortlisting has had on our writing careers, and how our books made...Continue reading→
Daffodils for St David’s day
… from my little garden. … aren’t they beautiful? And because it’s St David’s day why not support a Welsh Arts Centre that might lose its Arts Council funding? The St Donat’s Arts Centre runs the wonderful Beyond the Border storytelling festival (which features in Speaking of Love) among many other brilliant events. Posted by...Continue reading→
Spread the Word / World Book Day – last chance to vote
As I write this there are less than three hours to go before voting closes on the shortlist for THE Book to Talk About 2008 award. If you’d like to vote for Speaking of Love, go here. Or click on the link on the paperback cover over there on the right. Thank you … and...Continue reading→
Booking Through Thursday
Who is your favorite female lead character? And why? (And yes, of course, you can name more than one . . . I always have trouble narrowing down these things to one name, why should I force you to?) There is only one: Elizabeth (Lizzie) Bennet. She is feisty, funny, serious, sympathetic, won’t-be-downtrodden, thinks intelligently...Continue reading→
Jallaludin Rumi, 13th-century poet
The Guest House This being human is a guest houseEvery morning a new arrival. A joy, a depression, a meannessSome momentary awareness comesAs an unexpected visitor. Welcome and entertain them allEven if they’re a crowd of sorrowsWho violently sweep your houseEmpty of its furniture. Still treat each guest honourably:He may be clearing you outFor some...Continue reading→
Books and Myths
Ali Smith has written a wonderful book for the Canongate Myths series (a wonderful series, too) called Girl meets boy. The book sets ‘Ovid’s most joyful metamorphosis’, the story of the man-woman Tiresias, in the twenty-first century. I’ve just read this passage (from pages 29-30): The second-hand bookshop used to be a church. Now it...Continue reading→
Booking through Thursday
All other things (like price and storage space) being equal, given a choice in a perfect world, would you rather have paperbacks in your library? Or hardcovers? And why? My father used to throw paperbacks away … and I rescued them. I couldn’t bear the idea of books being thrown away, but he came from...Continue reading→
A love letter from Dr Iannis on Valentine’s day
When Dr Iannis’s beloved daughter, Pelagia, returns from a meeting with Captain Corelli, she tries to pretend to her father that she hasn’t met Corelli. But she knows that her father knows that she has. Dr Iannis doesn’t talk about his daughter’s love for Corelli directly; he simply says this: Love is a temporary madness,...Continue reading→
Book reviews … to blog or not to blog …
… is a very interesting question. And there’s a very interesting post about it all over on Vulpes Libris which I’ve only just discovered – from dovegreyreader – all about whether blogging book reviewers are the saviours of small publishers, have caused the end of decent criticism or are unpaid cheerleaders. My vote goes to...Continue reading→
Spread the Word some more …
On 4 February Richard Lea listed, on the Guardian Unlimited’s Arts Blog, the ten books on the Spread the Word shortlist under the heading: ‘What Goes into a “Book to Talk About”?’ Then he wonders why ‘the Kennedys, Enrights, Adichies et al were never in with a sniff’. He goes on, ‘It looks like a...Continue reading→
Subscribe to the Column
Search the Column
Select a Topic
Categories
Archive by Month
Archives
Subscribe on Substack
