312 pagesUrban/Thrillers A book underpinned by scholarship, this crime thriller-cum-psychological thriller-cum-literary novel works on many levels. But how to review it without even hinting at spoilers?I think it’s safe enough to let potential readers know the ‘author’ of a crime novel is about to commit himself to the method and occasion of the murder at …
Continue reading Perilaus II, by Mark P. Henderson: #BookReview.
The Bard, William Shakespeare, would have been 458 years old sometime around today; a veritable Methuselah! Of course, our national playwright died on 23rd April 1616. According to tradition, he was born on 23 April 1564, but that’s speculation. We do know, however, he was baptised on 26th of that month. I wonder what he’d …
Fiction Classics/Literary Fiction288 PagesJane Austen’s first published novel ‘Sense and Sensibility’ manages to capture all her humour and dissatisfaction with the age in which she lived. I felt the language was a little more convoluted and, occasionally, more obtuse than in the better known ‘Pride and Prejudice’, making it sometimes hard work to ascertain her …
Continue reading Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen: #BookReview.
Subtitled, Extracts from the Diary, this is a selection of Pepys’s diary entries over the years from 1660 to 1669, when his eyesight deteriorated to such an extent that he could no longer spend the time needed to write in secret by candlelight. There is a useful introduction by the editor, explaining the way he …
Continue reading The Illustrated Pepys, Edited by Robert Latham: #BookReview.
I suppose we should first decide what constitutes a short story. Roughly, because these things tend to be a matter of opinion rather than fact, a short story is a work of fiction with a word count somewhere between 1,000 and 10,000. So, do you read them? It’s clear lots of readers do. I belong …
252 pagesContemporary/Literary Fiction The blurb asks, ‘Fiction or autobiography?’ and sort of replies, ‘both, neither?’. The whole point of this extraordinary created work is to ask, and attempt to answer, some basic questions relating to literature, storytelling, identity, and life itself. It’s an ambitious aim and one I suspect many readers will find difficult, demanding, …
Stage Play script. This exploration of family unity, loyalty and dishonesty is structured through three acts to use time as a clever ingredient of viewing, and attempting to predict, the future. It depicts a typical upper middle-class family of the era, showing the inherent snobbery, their patchy understanding of the world they occupy, and how …
Continue reading Time and the Conways, by J.B. Priestley: #BookReview.
First published in 1907, the text of the stage play I read is introduced by a preface from the author. Here, he talks about the language he has used, how and where he encountered it, and why he has employed such colloquial idioms in the work. I can best serve the author’s intent by quoting …
Continue reading The Playboy of the Western World, by J. M. Synge: #BookReview.
Poetry is such a varied medium that a reader approaches any work with cautious curiosity. What will this piece say, will it be formal, contemporary, or simply chopped prose? The very fact that Calibna prefers his Junk Talk Poet handle may well put off a number of potential readers due to the propensity to pre-judge. …
Continue reading Grenade Rain Dance, by Calibna J. Kerr (Junk Talk Poet): #BookReview.
I read this short story by the famous playwright in the hope it would prove a better read than his ‘The Birthday of the Infanta’. My hope was based on ‘The Sphinx Without a Secret’ and ‘The Selfish Giant’, both of which I thoroughly enjoyed. Unfortunately, this moral tale is similar to the ‘Infanta’, in …
Continue reading The Fisherman and His Soul, by Oscar Wilde: #BookReview.
Very definitely a story of its time. It’s intended for children, but I seriously doubt many modern kids would read this. There are moral lessons buried here, but they are largely lost in the unnecessarily detailed descriptions of the riches of the royal family featured. Some of these are effectively lists of luxury items and …
Continue reading The Birthday of the Infanta, by Oscar Wilde: #BookReview.
Continuing the description of books on words and language listed in the introductory post, which you’ll find here. Book 31: The Little Red Writing Book Paperback, 160 pages. Published in 2007 by Writer’s Digest Books. This is the edition I own and I can’t recall what I paid for it. You can buy it new …
Continue reading Finding the #Write #Words? No. 31: The Little Red Writing Book
Continuing the description of books on words and language listed in the introductory post, which you’ll find here. Book 23: Oxford Dictionary of Current Idiomatic English. subtitled Volume 1: Verbs with Prepositions and Particles: Hardback, 396 pages, including 2 indices. First published in 1975 by Oxford University Press. Mine is the 1984 sixth impression. I …
Continue reading Finding the #Write #Words? No. 23: Oxford Dictionary of Current Idiomatic English.
389 Pages Literary Fiction. All serious works of fiction should carry at least one underlying message. Some manage this with such subtlety it barely makes a conscious impression on those not seeking it, others blare it out loudly, covering their story with a condescending layer of preaching. Many lie somewhere in between; a reasonable balance …
Continue reading Somebody Else’s Troubles, by J.A. English: #BookReview.
164 pages Literary/Contemporary Fiction/Poetry Anthologies This anthology contains the prize-winning entries into the 2019 contest run by this prestigious organisation. There are judge’s reports on the entries for Poetry, Short Story and Flash Fiction. The book showcases those pieces of work that won the major prizes or were highly commended. So, there are thirteen poems, …
Continue reading Bridport Prize Anthology 2019, by: The Bridport Prize #BookReview.
Books, writing, reading, words and images. I love them; do you?
Book reviewer and garden enthusiast. Updates from my Hampshire garden. Usually talking about books and plants. People do not forget books or flowers that touch them or excite them—they recommend them.
An Independent Non-Discriminatory Platform With No Religious, Political, Financial, or Social Affiliations
Camera, Click, Capture
do more wandering
Random Repeat
Life Lessons, Books, and Pretty Things!
Writing Magic, Myth and Mystery
Reading feeds the imagination
A photographer's view of the world - words and images to inspire your travels and your dreams
Burn with motivation
It's a bit of this, and a bit of that
Two Humans and a Dog in New Zealand
Book Reviews ∙ Bookish Tags ∙ Book Discussions
Retired and travelling - it doesn't get better than this!
writing circles & poetry to keep your light on
SURREAL HUMOR - BOOKS - WRITING - SATIRE
Cherish every moment
Personal Writings on life, love and beauty
Peace. Tranquility. Insanity.
A writer inspired by nature and human nature
We Survived and Arrived - Now as Warriors We Thrive
Poetry and Prose by Gabriela Marie Milton #1 Amazon Bestselling Poet & Editor, Award Winning Author, Pushcart Prize Nominee
Sometimes, life is like that.
Lover of books and book reviewer. Usually found curled up with a book.
All Things Books.
Musings and Ramblings of a Disorganised Blogger
Speculative Fiction Author, & Reviews.
British Crime Writer April Taylor
The flight of tomorrow
Fotografía, reflexiones y pensamientos sobre la vida y su belleza.
Short stories, Poetry, Reviews, Photography
Stuart Aken 