Annabel Fielding’s A Pearl for my Mistress – Blog Tour Post

This novel's cover does not fully prepare you for Fielding's fascinating narrative. Yes, there is a clue to Lucy’s developing allegiances, but I missed it at first glance and this is not simply the gently-observed society novel that perhaps the cover suggests. This, as far as I am concerned, is a far more interesting read …

An interview with … Justin Carroll

In the first of a series of interviews with writers, I'm talking to Justin Carroll, author of the rather fab Hemlock Jones & The Angel of Death. Tell us a little about your latest novel, Justin. It’s a sort of steampunk detective adventure about a girl called Hemlock Jones who lives down the road from Sherlock …

Mira Tudor’s Poets, Artists, Lovers

During modules on European Literature(s) at university, I often felt that the novels I read had started with the ideas, that the characters were there primarily to explore philosophical avenues of thought and living. By contrast, the majority of British and American writers I was encountering seemed to be putting characterisation first, building their story out …

E. A. Clark’s Lay Me To Rest – Blog Tour Review

I don't often pick up thrillers, but I was greatly tempted by the blurb for Lay Me To Rest - and damn, I enjoyed this read! Set predominantly in rural North Wales (as an ex-pat, I love reading anything set in the Motherland), the beautiful landscape is the background for terrible deeds and terrifying events. There's …

Ali Smith’s Winter

In the second of Ali Smith’s new series, we’re now into winter, a season of things dead. In fact, the opening chapter later turns out to be a list of those things which, if typed into Google and followed by ‘is’ and ‘d’, come up as ‘dead’ ‘art is dead. Then he tries the word …

Bram Stoker’s Dracula – beware of polite aristocrats with pointed teeth

Published in 1897, Bram Stoker’s Dracula was late to the Gothic party of the previous century but fitted in nicely to the Nineteenth Century fin de siècle fears of invasion and change. This is an ancient monster who plots his way to England so that he has a larger pool from which to drink. The …

William Sieghart’s The Poetry Pharmacy – a poetic prescription.

I was fortunate enough to get onto Radio 4’s Front Row for a few minutes and have William Sieghart prescribe a poem for my ailment – my feeling of being overwhelmed by the mundane deadlines of a straightforward life. Compared to the things other people find themselves facing, mounting work deadlines, a party to plan, …

Falltime Cozy Time Book Tag

Well, this blogging life is full of firsts - and so here's my first book tag post! The lovely Naty over at https://natysbookshelf.wordpress.com/  tagged me in this wonderful Autumn thread - you can see the original post by Sam, who started this whole thing on her channel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-4nDR8jXi0 1) Crunching leaves: the world is full of …

Books by Ballot – Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express

I turned to my Agatha Christie shelves for this week’s twitter poll over at @moyle3, spurred on by a trailer for Branagh’s new Murder on the Orient Express. This novel was up against N or M? (I do love Tommy and Tuppence) and Destination Unknown, one of the few Christie novels to not feature Poirot, …