“Lawrence writes with superb accuracy, weaving total fiction with documented fact…” Continuing my series of reviews covering a fondly-remembered set of books (see previous reviews for books I, II and III). Book IV is another one I’ve definitely read – I recall the scenes even if I could recall little of the story. I knew… Read More Book Review: The Roman Mysteries IV – The Assassins of Rome by Caroline Lawrence
“For a brief time…I felt that sense of camaraderie with my own species again.” Every now and then, you come across a book that is as close to perfect as you can ever hope for. Of course, that ‘perfection’ is entirely personal and differs from person to person. For me, Michiko Aoyama’s delightful collection of… Read More Book Review: What You Are Looking for Is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama (translated by Alison Watts)
“If tales of destruction and kidnapping of children can be said to be damned good fun – then this is it!” Continuing to work my way through this collection of novels from the brilliant Caroline Lawrence – some read many years previously – and trying to work out what I remember and what I don’t.… Read More Book Review: The Roman Mysteries III – The Pirates of Pompeii
“There’s no better way to get into Roman history…” Out of all the books I recall reading from this series long ago, this is the one that remained most lodged in my mind. I could recall the ending before reading and, as I began reading the book, other parts came back to me very quickly.… Read More Book Review: The Roman Mysteries II – The Secrets of Vesuvius by Caroline Lawrence
“…Mukherjee speaks with such love, care and humility…he could make the weather forecast sound interesting,,,” There’s something rather special about reading a book by someone you’ve never heard of, loving it, and then finding they are a famous author of several books. It kind of legitimises their success, in my mind. There will be some,… Read More The Song of the Cell by Siddhartha Mukherjee
“…exactly the kind of thing older children want and young adults expect in a satisfying book.” On a sudden whim, I bought the entire collection of the Roman Mysteries series by Caroline Lawrence just recently. They take me back to my days of teaching in Bangladesh when my children were young and both they and… Read More Book Review: The Roman Mysteries I – The Thieves of Ostia by Caroline Lawrence
Back in the days when my family and I lived and worked in Bangladesh, the kids were quite young and that meant plenty of children’s books got read. As they grew, I either read them Young Adult literature (such as the brilliant Wheel of Surya trilogy by Jamila Gavin) or they read such books for… Read More Reflection: The Roman Mysteries by Caroline Lawrence
“…painful, sometimes ugly and always honest…” This was, without a doubt, an intriguing novella. I can see why – so I am told – Cillian Murphy (of Oppenheimer and Peaky Blinders fame) considers it an excellent book. It doesn’t hurt that he played the lead role in the stage adaptation of the story. I am… Read More Book Review: Grief is the Thing with Feathers by Max Porter
My good writing friend Shannon wrote a post recently that really resonated with me and what I see aspiring writers struggling with. Her post is good and I recommend you click the link and have a read before carrying on. There’s a great quote she uses from a superb writer and generally very nice man,… Read More A Brief Guide to Writing 7 – Feedback
“Sex for Nin is an entirely selfish thing…There’s no kindness. There’s literally no love-making because there’s no love.” Anaïs Nin is recognised as one of the pioneers of erotic feminist fiction, seemingly taking the world by storm with her short stories here published in 1979. It’s a little odd because, by that point, there was… Read More Book Review: Little Birds by Anaïs Nin
Write Out Loud 