I have high hopes for November. For a start it’s National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), the time of year when I make sure I get a bit of fiction writing every day - more or less. It’s the month when at some point, I realise that I am well behind my word count, and I … Continue reading I Have High Hopes for November

First, a small confession, or at least, something you might want to know about why I read non-fiction. It's not always to learn what the author thinks I want to know. Or at least, not to take notes on what they want me to take from the book. I read non-fiction mainly for pleasure, to … Continue reading ‘The Organized Mind’ by Daniel Levitin

It took me a while to watch the film - I thought it would be violent and superficial, but I remember enjoying it A LOT and being surprised by the quality of the acting and script. Fast forward many years later, and the book has appeared on my radar through different avenues: - It's was … Continue reading ‘Fight Club’ by Chuck Palahniuk

I often avoid "inspirational books" but I heard so many people I respect recommend Elizabeth Gilbert's 'Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear', that I decided to give it a go. I found Gilbert's story fascinating, especially her reflections and experiences after writing Eat, Pray, Love (which I haven't read by the way) and ironically, found … Continue reading ‘Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear’ by Elizabeth Gilbert

  I'd already read The Little Village School and so I knew I was in for a sweet read when I downloaded Over Hill and Dale by Gervase Phinn. Gervase Phinn was a school inspector and this series of books, he weaves anecdotes together to create beautiful stories that have the innocence and charm of … Continue reading ‘Over Hill and Dale’ by Gervase Phinn

I call this type of books "cozy reading" - they're not hard work too read, they usually don't shake me emotionally and I know some of the characters are going to make me feel warm. And I always laugh when I read Muriel Spark and enjoy her social commentary. 'A Far Cry from Kensington' is … Continue reading ‘A Far Cry from Kensington’ by Muriel Spark

I love crime stories, detective books and spy novels. I've read quite a few of Stella Rimington's novels featuring Liz Carlyle and so it was about time that I found out more about the author herself. So here are my favourite quotes from 'Open Secret: The Autobiography of the Former Director-General of MI5'. Of course … Continue reading ‘Open Secret: The Autobiography of the Former Director-General of MI5’ by Stella Rimington

The first book I read by Stephen King was his non-fiction 'On Writing', which is quoted in every single book on writing. (I wrote about it here.) Following that, I decided to start reading some of his fiction, to see how he applied (or not) his own advice. I've liked some books more than others, … Continue reading ‘Misery’ by Stephen King

Books have just been accumulating in my Kindle. I finish them, I want to recommend them, write a little bit about them and share the passages I've marked. But it just never happens. I finished this book such a long time ago, and it's still sitting in my device, waiting... So, from today, I will … Continue reading ‘Nutshell’ by Ian McEwan