Category: Musings

I am the very least confrontational person and I have a abhorrence of physical violence so I find it rather surprising when I look at my bedside table and see the books that are there tbr … to be read. There are two Rebus stories by Ian Rankin, numbers 16 and 17 I think, nearly […]

Do you like chapters I wonder? Is it something that concerns you in the book you’re reading? I dislike long chapters and I am thrown into disarray if my book has no chapters at all. Horror of horrors! Fortunately it does not happen often. When I try and think about this I find it tricky. […]

There is a difference, don’t you agree, between a bookseller and someone who just takes your money and sells you a book. If you are fortunate enough to encounter a true bookseller then your whole experience will be heightened and infinitely more pleasurable. I have had this pleasure several times of late and, well, they […]

Whilst I buy many books from Waterstones, Daunts, various indie bookshops and, yes, Amazon, I do also buy from sites like Biblio UK and World of Books. Secondhand; Pre- Loved. And then there are, sometimes, the unexpected extras. I use bookshop bookmarks and postcards to mark my place in a book but the options are […]

I enjoyed Tracy Chevalier’s ‘The Last Runaway’ and so when I came across a book about the underground railway I wanted to read it. The underground railway was of course neither of those things. Instead it was a system of safe houses that enabled escaping slaves to move from confederate southern states in the USA […]

When was I last given a reading list I wonder? Very many decades ago I think. This all came to mind after finishing ‘The English Teacher,’ the third book by Lily King that I have recently read. (See readings.) After the acknowledgements and the now fairly common book group questions, there was a list of […]

I feel I must have written about this before but it appears not. I like French folds, they add gravitas and style to what would otherwise be an ordinary paperback. A French fold is a continuation of the book cover that folds inwards and thus can be used as a bookmark. It also allows artwork […]

Maybe it depends upon whether you are an optimist or a pessimist as to whether you follow RM Ballantyne’s portrayal in ‘The Coral Island’ of children castaway on a tropical island, not only surviving but thriving or the anarchic picture in William Golding’s ‘The Lord of the flies’ of lost boys becoming tribal and murderous. […]

I have bought 2 hardback books lately, chosen from the round display tables in Waterstones. I’m pleased with my purchases but they pose several questions. Both books were first published in 2025 and here they are already, vastly reduced, indeed literally half the original price. Do publishers almost plan for this eventuality? I would not […]