Mike Gayle’s latest book, The Man I Think I Know, tells the story of James and Danny. Both stars at school, their lives have both gone wrong. They meet again at a respite centre, where Danny is working a care assistant and James is being cared for because of his Acquired Brain Injury. It’s a warm, funny […]
Reading
Book reviews and all that jazz.
The Toymakers by Robert Dinsdale and My Fear of Broken Toys
The Toymakers is a long, sweeping story, following the life of young runaway Cathy from 1907 to 1953. Pregnant, she flees home, answering an advert in the paper asking for shop-hands at Papa Jack’s Emporium, a magical toy shop open only from first frost to first thaw. Rescued by Papa Jack’s two sons, Cathy is […]
A Monster Calls
It is the 27th of December, and as we spent the 26th flying from Yorkshire to Northern Ireland, then doing a second Christmas celebration with my husband’s family, it somehow feels like double Boxing Day. It is one of those cosy, comfortable mornings where no one is doing anything in particular so you can read […]
Time of the Month – August 2017
Oh, readers. I am so rubbish at blogging, and for that I can only apologise. I’d promise to do better in the future, but that is my New Month Resolution pretty much every month and yet it never happens. But let’s try again… In Reading Dark Places by Gillian Flynn My GOD Gillian Flynn’s other […]
Dragon’s Green by Scarlett Thomas
I’ve loved Scarlett Thomas for a long time. I first read The End Of Mr Y as a student – thrilled at its weirdness, its boldness. She wrote my favourite book on writing, Monkeys With Typewriters, which I read every year. So, as a heads up, I wasn’t going into this review entirely neutral. I […]
Twelve Favourites From My Bookshelf
I don’t know how you organise your books – some people do it by colour, alphabetically, by category… I organise my books much more according to emotion and the rules of chaos. Most specifically, I have a shelf, which is high up in my bedroom, and reserved for favourites. The books people are not allowed […]
Good Me Bad Me by Ali Land
With Good Me Bad Me, Ali Land has given us the perfect psychological thriller. Annie’s mother is a serial killer. For years, she’s been killing little children and getting away with it. But one day, aged 15, Annie can’t take the horror of her mother’s actions any more and turns her into the police. Annie […]
Book Review – Christmas At The Little Beach Street Bakery by Jenny Colgan
This charming page-turner is a true delight. The third in the Little Beach Street Bakery series, this book follows feisty baker Polly, her fiancé Huckle and their pet puffin Neil through a sweet and amusing account of the run up to Christmas, dealing with the pressures of work, the problems of their friends and the […]
Honey and Walnut Bread
It’s bake off week 3 and its bread week. And. I mean. Bread? Really, what is bread but rubbish cake? Consider this less a recipe post and more a hugely heartfelt book recommendation – if you are interested at all in learning to make your own bread, buy this book – Written by Bake-Off […]
My Blog Crushes 2016
OH MY GOD it’s been two weeks, I said I wouldn’t do that, I m a Bad Blogger. It’s because I had flu, but don’t worry, I’ll bitch about that in tomorrow’s catch up. I thought I would furnish you with a list of my favourite blogs. I find it a bit tricky to find […]