Tag / reading

Unfavourable Five Days

Review of “Five Days” by Douglas Kennedy

This is the third Douglas Kennedy book that I have read. I particularly enjoyed “The Woman in the Fifth”, it was refreshing and different. “The Pursuit of Happiness” was not quite such a good read. Indeed, I remember so little about it that I must have been very unimpressed. Nonetheless, I do know I enjoy Douglas Kennedy’s writing style and the blurb on the back of the book made “Five Days” sound intriguing. I liked the conversational style and the introduction to the main character...

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  My guest blog is by Suzie Grogan. Suzie is a professional writer and researcher. With one published title on her CV she has been commissioned to write a further two social history books which will examine the emotional upheaval caused by the First World War and the ways in which we deal with war trauma and how we have chosen to remember that period of our history. She also offers a proofreading service and can provide copy for web sites and newsletters and provide advice on using social media. Her website will help you find out a little more about her and introduce you to some...

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Summer in the Lakes

We chose midsummer to go up to the Lake District on the assumption it might be warm and sunny. Regular visitors to this part of the world, however, will tell you this is rarely the case. Highly renowned as one of the wettest places in England, we have had very few hot sunny days in the ten years we have been going up there. Last year we were lucky: The fleeces and kagouls I had packed stayed in the car and I wished I had brought more t-shirts and shorts. This year though the rain began as soon as we reached Birmingham and continued solidly throughout...

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Ten Ten till we do it again

I was very excited, and more than a little nervous, when I was invited to talk on our local radio station 10 Radio. The programme, “Talking Books” is presented by Suzie Grogan as part of the Friday morning Community Radio session. 10 Radio started in 2004 when a small group of local residents with an interest in community development read about community radio in Manchester and thought "wouldn't it be great to do it in rural Somerset...

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“Morality for the Modern Man” Review of “The Book Lover’s Tale” by Ivo Stourton

  This is one of those books I didn’t want to stop reading, the sort you wish could go on for ever, the sort you go on thinking about long after you’ve finished it. The prologue has an odd sort of conversational tone, which I found slightly disconcerting but this was dropped in the first chapter, replaced by a pacey, narrative style. The story moves fluidly and easily, allowing the reader to look back on the past whilst moving forward with the action at the same time. The...

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Waiting for Sunrise, Review of Novel by William Boyd

My husband said it was the best William Boyd he had read. My son agreed- he had given it to my husband as a Christmas present. Thus advised, I looked forward to reading it. I was interested in the way it began. It’s always so hard to know how to begin and end a novel, but to start it as though you are watching someone from afar is a good ploy and one I have never seen used before. All the William Boyd books I have read take a lot of “getting in to”, and this one is no exception. The first half is set in post-first-world-war...

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 Let the children read

Twice a week I go to the local primary school and listen to the children reading. It must be about the easiest voluntary work you could wish for and so rewarding.
It’s a small village school , the church of St.Lawrence is opposite, I hear the church bells chime the hour as I arrive. The playing fields look out onto the Quantock Hills, where, in the spring and summer I sit on a bench listening to the children reading and wonder if they have any idea how lucky they are growing up in such a lovely place official site....

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