Monthly Archives: July 2010

I never have enough space for my books and every so often undergo the painful process of culling my collection. I look at the spines along my shelves and think: Which books did I enjoy but will not read again? … Continue reading →

Seeing as The Times hasn’t bothered even putting the score in today’s paper I’ll let you know what happened in the qualifier for the Women’s World Cup 2011 last night. As I blogged yesterday I woz there, along with my … Continue reading →

I’ll be in Walsall this evening, at Walsall FC’s Banks’s Stadium watching England Women play in a World Cup qualifier against Turkey.  Just thought I’d let you know seeing as there probably won’t be much mention of it in the … Continue reading →

I’m reading Tender Morsels at the moment, a book that caused a lot of controversy when it was first published in the UK. It’s based on the story of Rose Red and Snow White and has a raunchy introduction followed … Continue reading →

Yesterday’s Yorkshire Post carried a report about probable closures and cut backs in library services throughout the region. ‘Libraries are a soft option for local authorities needing to cut costs,’ it read. A soft option. It’s true I suppose. Threaten … Continue reading →

I know I’ve blogged about this before but ‘Where do ideas come from?’ is one of the most common questions I get from children and adults on school visits, so here goes again. Sometimes I don’t know. I haven’t got … Continue reading →

A scene from Beyond the Horizon at the National. L-R James Mayo (James Jordan) Andrew Mayo (Michael Thompson) and Captain Dick Scott (Robin Bowerman) photo © The Guardian The short period between finishing one book and beginning another is like … Continue reading →

I’m slowly feeling my way round my new book. I feel like a new home owner who is deciding where to put the furniture and feeling a little overwhelmed by all the unpacking that needs doing. In the early stages … Continue reading →

There’s a huge debate at the moment about whether or not governments should be banning the burka from being worn in public. France has already passed the bill to make it illegal and other countries may follow suit. I must … Continue reading →

Emma Thompson (or Nanny McPhee if you are under 12) has recently talked about how reading – and Jane Austen in particular – helped her through depression.  She also mentioned the poem Instantes by Jorge Luis Borges (1899 – 1986) … Continue reading →