My rating: 4 of 5 stars I read Bates’ ‘Love For Lydia‘ last year and was not especially entranced by either the writing or the whole raison d’etre of the story. Rich people being boringly melodramatic doesn’t fill me with a great deal of sympathy for the characters, to be honest. ‘The Darling Buds of… Read More Book Review: The Darling Buds of May by H.E. Bates
My rating: 4 of 5 stars So…I should immediately confess, for those who are not regular readers of my reviews, that I am a big Terry Pratchett fan and simply adore his Discworld novels. I’m not going to be completely unbiased then when it comes to his work. And what a gem ‘Strata’ promised to… Read More Book Review: Strata by Terry Pratchett
By Ken Powell Newcastle’s Northern Stage bills this production as a comedy – and it is, gloriously so. But beware, you’ll want tissues aplenty as this adaptation of Nigel Slater’s childhood biography is a painful tearjerker. The play (written by Henry Filloux-Bennett) takes us from Slater’s memories of cooking with his mother through to his… Read More Theatre Review – Nigel Slater’s ‘Toast’ at Northern Stage
First published in Lancashire Life 1st June 2018 Theatre Review: Jeeves & Wooster in Perfect Nonsense By Ken Powell Keswick’s Theatre by the Lake (TBTL) has opened its new summer season of plays with a cracking farce which I predict may well be the smash hit of the year. The classic books by P.G. Wodehouse… Read More Theatre Review: Jeeves & Wooster in Perfect Nonsense
The Compleat Discworld Atlas by Terry Pratchett My rating: 5 of 5 stars If the overtly colonial ‘King Solomon’s Mines’ was my secret porn (as I wrote recently), then Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series is my opium – and one I’m open and honest about. The series of books was unique for a number of reasons,… Read More Book Review: The Compleat Discworld Atlas by Terry Pratchett
An Idiot Abroad: The Travel Diaries of Karl Pilkington by Karl Pilkington My rating: 1 of 5 stars Easily in the bottom five books I’ve ever read. This is a truly appalling book, not just because of the sentiments uttered within but because of the more dangerous aspect that so many people connect with the… Read More Book Review: An Idiot Abroad: The Travel Diaries of Karl Pilkington by Karl Pilkington
The Siege of Krishnapur by J.G. Farrell My rating: 4 of 5 stars Part of the current A level English Literature syllabus, this classic novel from Farrell is part of his triptych of books looking at, and criticising, the British Empire. This one is based loosely on the real events of 1857 when Indian sepoys… Read More Book Review: The Siege of Krishnapur by J.G. Farrell
Five Go Gluten Free by Bruno Vincent My rating: 4 of 5 stars I never read reviews of books before I write one myself. I’d rather give my own thoughts and find I’m a lone voice than be influenced by the opinions of the masses. However, after writing a review I do like to take… Read More Book Review: Five Go Gluten Free by Bruno Vincent
Right Ho, Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse My rating: 5 of 5 stars This is the second Jeeves and Wooster book I’ve read this year and I have to say my taste for Wodehouse has not diminished. Not one bit. Sometimes, with the world the way it is, one needs to escape and enter a world… Read More Book Review: Right Ho, Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse
Originally published on Kenthinksaloud ‘Bangla Brummies’ is a comedy written by Bangladeshi theatre activist and writer, Murad Khan. The action is set in Birmingham but alternates between life in the 1970s and the present, following the stories of two Muslim Bangladeshi bachelor friends, Malik and Hisham, as they marry and become fathers. Through the comic… Read More Theatre Review: Bangla Brummies by Murad Khan
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