Author: Susan Brice
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Bloodknots by Luke Jennings
It is sometimes simple to say why a book works for you but at other times it is very difficult. This memoir is focused on fishing. I know nothing about fishing and really have very little interest in it and yet I liked this book a great deal. A blood knot is the simplest way […]
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Writing to Authors
Why would one write to an author I wonder. To ask questions maybe or to express strong opinions, positive or negative. Presumably some writers are overwhelmed with sackfuls of (probably) fan mail whilst others are longing for the postman to stop at their door. Maybe though they are happy to be left alone; not all […]
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Memoirs and Autobiographies
I am reading ‘Blood Knots’ by Luke Jennings and its appellation is ‘memoir.’ It made me think about how a memoir might differ from an autobiography. Looking into it, I find it much as I thought! An autobiography is going to be factual and nearly always chronological whereas a memoir offers considerably more freedom. ‘Blood […]
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May 2023
In 1989 the government introduced the National Curriculum for primary and secondary schools. In history it dictated what units should be taught. Thus I learnt (and taught) about the Indus Valley and the ancient civilisation of Benin, neither of which I had even heard of earlier. However, as far as British history went, most teachers […]
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The Handmaids Tale – Margaret Atwood
Why would one read a truly dystopian novel? I have read several books by Margaret Atwood and have enjoyed the work of a skilled writer but I have avoided reading The Handmaids Tale for many years, having seen several articles about the content as well as trailers of the television series. (It was published in […]
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Shakespeare and Co. Paris
To find a bookshop in your own language in a foreign country is always a joy …and yes, a relief! However, this one has far more going for it than that. It is situated on the left bank of the River Seine in Paris, right opposite Notre Dame Cathedral. It must have had a scarily […]
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Heffers Bookshop, Cambridge
I heard of this bookshop years ago, particularly its amazing children’s section but it was only last week that I actually visited. It is large with a wide frontage declaring that it is now owned by Blackwells but seemingly being allowed to keep its own character, built up over the last 150 years. We went […]
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Endpapers
A strange thing to be writing about I know. Endpapers are fairly obviously the paper at the end of a book (but also the beginning!) that connects the cover to the rest of the book. Sometimes they are completely plain or just solid colour but occasionally you open a book and are offered a real […]
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The Love Story of Queenie Hennessy / Maureen Fry and the Angel of the North – both by Rachel Joyce
These are the second and third parts of ‘The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry’ trilogy, a story that is about to leap into life on a cinema screen near you anytime now. The stars are Jim Broadbent and Penelope Wilton and I’m looking forward to seeing it at some point. Harold’s pilgrimage, unlikely, physical and […]