Sometimes in the comments below an online feature about, say, a new crime drama, you see people complain about the amount of sex and violence on TV. “Why can’t they make programmes about something nice? Where the characters are pleasant to each other and no one gets killed?!” moans Gladys from Hampshire, and you find… Continue reading Dragging hidden things into the light
Category: book recommendations
Latest good stuff, April 2019
Daisy Jones & The Six, Taylor Jenkins Reid Oh, this was a riot. Sheer joy that took me less than 48 hours to devour. It’s essentially a fictionalised version of how Fleetwood Mac made Rumours – 1970s’ California, a wildly successful rock band, all the drink, drugs and drama you’d expect, and at the heart… Continue reading Latest good stuff, April 2019
Is it over yet?
It’s tempting to say that this year has been a write-off, a total horror-show, my own annus horribilis. And honestly, the last few months have been patchy at best. But if nothing else, I’ve at least gained some wisdom this year. Whether I’ll put it to good use is another matter entirely – but ANYWAY,… Continue reading Is it over yet?
On delight
I love writers who can articulate the magic and wonder of everyday joys. If you can capture in prose the beauty of a pale blue sky on a frosty December morning, the happiness of being licked on the face by a puppy, the sense of relief of waking up early on a Saturday and knowing… Continue reading On delight
Latest good stuff, November 2018
It took me two months to read At Home In The World – partly because I’ve had rather a lot on, and partly because, well, it doesn’t so much get under your skin as work its way into your blood vessels and scratch at you from the inside. Joyce Maynard was trained to write like… Continue reading Latest good stuff, November 2018
Latest good stuff, 27th August
Gather The Daughters, Jennie Melamed With hindsight, it was not a good idea to read this book while watching The Handmaid’s Tale (that season finale; Jesus Christ). A dystopian tale set on a remote island where women are first the property of their fathers and then their husbands, it does not make for a joyful,… Continue reading Latest good stuff, 27th August
Desert island discs
At some point soon, I’m going to have to come to terms with the fact that I’ll probably never appear on Desert Island Discs. Not as long as I keep putting off writing the several books I have planned in my head in favour of the instant gratification that blogging brings, anyway. At a friend’s… Continue reading Desert island discs
Words and music, July 2018
I still have no idea what to call this round-up of things I’m currently reading, watching, listening to and generally amusing myself with. If you have any snappy suggestions, do please share then with me. Puns appreciated. Waxahatchee I was lucky enough to see indie project Waxahatchee (led by Kate Crutchfield) in Brighton a couple… Continue reading Words and music, July 2018
For your eyes and ears
You’ll be pleased to know I’m down off my political soapbox for moment. Here’s what I’ve been reading and listening to over the last week or so… The books Conversations With Friends, Sally Rooney This has been on my to-read list for months, as it was widely praised upon its release last year, and most of… Continue reading For your eyes and ears
Sunday good stuff
I know there’s a lot of serious things I could and perhaps should be writing about right now… but sometimes you’ve got to stop scouring the news, stop refreshing your Twitter feed and enjoy life’s good stuff. Tina Brown went to Oxford at 17, was published by the New Statesman while still a student, and… Continue reading Sunday good stuff
Inbetween Girl 