A Review of 1066 – What Fates Impose by G.K. Holloway I love to read a lively account of English history, and often draw principles from it that are relevant to our own lives. So when author G.K. Holloway contacted me recently to ask if I’d agree to read and review his book 1066 – What Fates Impose, IContinue reading “The Last Anglo-Saxon King and A Successful Invasion: Brutality, Beauty, and The Workings of Fate in Our Lives – in 1066”
Category Archives: Authors I love
Loyalty, Hope and Keeping Faith, in the Greatest Film I’ve Ever Seen: The Shawshank Redemption
We love listing “The 50 Top … Films, Books, Magic Tricks, Comedians”, etc. etc. And a list of the top films will always change from year to year. But to my mind, The Shawshank Redemption makes the top of the list. And I saw it again very recently on TV. I watched it for the first timeContinue reading “Loyalty, Hope and Keeping Faith, in the Greatest Film I’ve Ever Seen: The Shawshank Redemption”
Totally Devoted to Jane Austen
One of my favourite Christmas gifts was one I bought for myself for 10p in the late stock-clearance at my son’s school Christmas Fair – an audio book of Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice. I’ve been listening to it in the car over and over again. And despite Death Comes to Pemberley on TV afterContinue reading “Totally Devoted to Jane Austen”
Why I Believe Mankind Can Never ‘Own’ the Moon
Nobody Owns the Moon. On Friday morning January 10th 2014 I heard Mishal Husain interview Ian Crawford and Nicola Triscott on this topic on the BBC Radio 4 Today programme. Nicola Triscott has mounted an exhibition on London’s South Bank called Republic of the Moon. She has transformed The Bargehouse at Oxo Tower Wharf intoContinue reading “Why I Believe Mankind Can Never ‘Own’ the Moon”
Lovely Lake District in Autumn 2013
We spent a few days in England’s lovely Lake District during the recent autumn half term. The Lake District is special to me, not only because of its association with numerous famous writers, with Beatrix Potter, John Ruskin, William Wordsworth; but also because of memories from childhood holidays there, and the fact that I regularlyContinue reading “Lovely Lake District in Autumn 2013”
A Review of JK Rowling’s The Casual Vacancy
I’m a great admirer of JK Rowling both as an author, and on a personal level. So when I knew she’d published her first adult novel, I was keen to read it. When I began to read The Casual Vacancy several months ago, I found it a struggle to get through the unrelenting nastiness ofContinue reading “A Review of JK Rowling’s The Casual Vacancy”
Flowers for John Clare, Poet of Rural England: ‘The Peasant Poet’
This weekend my daughter and I visited family members in Northborough and attended the John Clare Festival in Helpston, Northamptonshire. We thoroughly enjoyed sharing in the community celebrations of John Clare (1793-1864), their local poet. JOHN CLARE was born in Helpston in 1793 and deeply loved the natural world. During his life he wrote bothContinue reading “Flowers for John Clare, Poet of Rural England: ‘The Peasant Poet’”
The Great Gatsby – a Capacity for Hopefulness, Sparkling Decadence, and Tragedy That Touches Us All
The Great Gatsby, written in 1925, is one of the greatest American novels. Yet its author, F.Scott Fitzgerald, died in 1940 believing himself a failure. The Great Gatsby has been among my top favourites ever since I first read it, for my Contemporary American Literature course at university. Two days ago I saw the latest movieContinue reading “The Great Gatsby – a Capacity for Hopefulness, Sparkling Decadence, and Tragedy That Touches Us All”
Controlling Women in History and Life: Bess of Hardwick and Tudor England
Controlling women are a recurring theme in my life. Add to this a love of history. And so when I found the book Bess of Hardwick: First Lady of Chatsworth by Mary S. Lovell, I felt impelled to read it. It is said that only when a lesson is learned, does an issue stop recurringContinue reading “Controlling Women in History and Life: Bess of Hardwick and Tudor England”
The Enduring Appeal of ‘A Kid With Spots’ in Fiction, TV, Movies & YouTube
There’s a character we love, in all forms of media. Is he the exciting hero? Is he clever, bold, handsome, courageous? No. He’s a bit downbeat and low-key. A bit dumb. He drifts around in the background looking vacant. And he’s the one we find most endearing. He’s Rory Williams in Doctor Who Series 5-7.Continue reading “The Enduring Appeal of ‘A Kid With Spots’ in Fiction, TV, Movies & YouTube”
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