“Gustave Flaubert” by Andrew Brown
This is not your standard biography. Translator Andrew Brown abandons the usual chronological approach in favour of an entertaining, thematic narrative that moves through Flaubert’s life by a…
“The Catcher in the Rye” by J.D. Salinger
When I talked about why I blogged, I used to use this book as my stock example. Here I am in September…
J.D. Salinger and phonies
The other day, I picked up a copy of The Times because of the news of J.D. Salinger’s death on the cover.…
“The Paperchase” by Marcel Theroux
Damien March, a bored BBC journalist on the night shift, suddenly inherits a house on an island off the coast of Cape…
“The Unbearable Lightness of Being” by Milan Kundera
I’ve listed Milan Kundera as one of my favourite authors for a while now, but oddly I’d never read his most famous book until now. It was definitely…
2010 writing/reading goals
I’m a bit late to the New Year goal-setting party, but here goes. For my writing, I want to finish my second…
Monday morning inspiration
“Freedom is acquired by conquest, not by gift. It must be pursued constantly and responsibly. Freedom is not an ideal located outside…
Book review – BBC National Short Story Award 2008
This is a collection of the five shortlisted stories for the 2008 BBC National Short Story Award. It’s a prestigious competition so…