Detective Inspector Colin Knowles – Colin Knowles is an inquisitive, cat-loving, fitness fanatic who wishes he was perhaps six inches taller. He lives alone with two cats and has been… Read More

This book describes 40 fictional Sports. You definitely will not see these sports at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. The Sports include: The Dracula Race in Romania. Here contesta… Read More

This book describes 40 fictional Sports. You definitely will not see these sports at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. The Sports include: The Dracula Race in Romania. Here contesta… Read More

This is a superb book, probably Muriel Spark’s most famous, set in and around The Marcia Blaine school in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Jean Brodie is a teacher who exerts a p… Read More

The Book Not on Any Map is available for a discount here A description: These places will NOT be found on any map or in any atlas (because I have made them up). This book des… Read More

This book describes 40 fictional Sports. You definitely will not see these sports at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. The Sports include: The Dracula Race in Romania. Here contesta… Read More

Maigret out of Paris on a bicycle in the French countryside. Lovely descriptions of the weather, the fields, and the canal boat community. I’d have preferred it if they’d kept… Read More

I liked this book as it’s really well written. It’s not enjoyable at times as the characters have difficult circumstances and seem doomed to be stuck with what they have in th… Read More

I’ve always thought dragons and lawyers have been badly treated. When I see a dragon, it’s usually being attacked by St George and skeweredwith a lance. Lawyers are criticised… Read More

The book Mystery Groups is available on a discount here The description is as follows: Do YOU have trouble putting IKEA furniture together? Yes? There’s a Buddhist group wh… Read More

The Book Keeping in Touch is available for a discount here A description: We are closer to those further away than to those nearer to us. This is a story about communication… Read More

The book Time Traveller’s Diary: Health and Safety through the ages is available here at a discount The description: The Greeks were going to use a real horse at Troy until… Read More

I’ve always thought dragons and lawyers have been badly treated. When I see a dragon, it’s usually being attacked by St George and skeweredwith a lance. Lawyers are criticised… Read More

I’ve always thought dragons and lawyers have been badly treated. When I see a dragon, it’s usually being attacked by St George and skeweredwith a lance. Lawyers are criticised… Read More

I’ve always thought dragons and lawyers have been badly treated. When I see a dragon, it’s usually being attacked by St George and skeweredwith a lance. Lawyers are criticised… Read More

I’ve always thought dragons and lawyers have been badly treated. When I see a dragon, it’s usually being attacked by St George and skeweredwith a lance. Lawyers are criticised… Read More

I’ve always thought dragons and lawyers have been badly treated. When I see a dragon, it’s usually being attacked by St George and skeweredwith a lance. Lawyers are criticised… Read More

Hello: I’m also writing fiction posts on Substack now at the following URL https://julianworkerfiction.substack.com Julian Read More

On the rest of this today and the next today the humans packed and unpacked their bags several times each and changed their suitcases twice. This suggests indecision to me, but they eventual… Read More

Day 370 I had to borrow a massive clothes peg from the laundry because of today’s fifth labour, cleaning out the massive Augean stables in a single day. Luckily, thanks to the Eryma… Read More

“Hello Freddie and Gemma, how are you, and who were your friends?” “Hello Rufus, how’s the flying going? Are you going further?” I ask. “I am increa… Read More

“My, my,” said Knowles to himself, “I thought my place was a time capsule, but it’s got nothing on this.”    He looked at the matching Staffor… Read More

“Can I have some books, please?” I ask politely, “a nice variety of books, fiction, geography, comedies, business, that sort of thing.” “Yes, we’ve hea… Read More

Extracts from the following book – Places not on Google Maps The Ark Park on Mount Ararat. This is a Holy Site for Christian Fundamentalists, Creationists, and followers of the NASA sp… Read More

“Will you remove the dye after the mission is completed?” I ask, “just so my humans will recognise me when I come back? I wouldn’t want them to think the cat sitter h… Read More

Day 369 After travelling towards the North pole and back in the previous year, it’s nice to be home although Eurystheus isn’t very pleased with the piece of antler I brought b… Read More

Knowles screwed up his face with doubt and rubbed his chin. Barnes nodded. “Well, that’s a theory,” said Knowles,”but, she must have been drunk or blind. Strong to… Read More

“Well, Freddie and Gemma,” says Arabella, “does our little idea meet with your approval?” “It does in principle,” I say, “but we need to know mor… Read More

William Marble is a bank clerk. He is short of money. A chance visit from a well-off distant relative provides him with an opportunity to solve his financial woes. The relative is buried in… Read More

“And who are the people on the other side?” I ask, “the people you need my help against?” Arabella and Aubrey then go into a long explanation of my role and Gemma… Read More

Day 3 – Day 368 The third labour was to capture the Ceryneian Hind. This animal is big and fast, having golden antlers and brass hooves. The hind also snorts fire. This is no ordina… Read More

“Well, that’s true, as usual you are right Freddie,” replies Reg, “so go ahead Arabella and Aubrey, let Freddie know what your suggestion is.” “Thank y… Read More

“Good morning, Sergeant Barnes,” said Knowles, “you are even more pleased with yourself than normal, what’s causing the broad smile?” “Good morning, si… Read More

Geoffrey of Monmouth completed this book in 1136. It traces the story of the kings of Britain from Brutus – the great-grandson of Aeneas who escaped from Troy – to Cadwallader wh… Read More

I scamper over the floor and jump onto the counter. I say ‘Good Morning’ to the primroses and all the cacti on the window sill. The previously grumpy primrose returns my greeting… Read More

This book is not set in the eastern Europe of pre-WWII but in Asia just after WWII. Steve Fraser is about to leave the newly independent Asian colony of Sunda after working there for thre… Read More

Day 2 The Hydra at Lerna was the second of my labours. I headed over to Lerna with orders to kill the monster. When I arrived, the Hydra was crying. It had just been to the dentist and be… Read More

I am dreaming about sitting on top of The Eiffel Tower contemplating my existence. As you can deduce, the height of the object I’m sitting on in my dreams is increasing and soon it wil… Read More

The two men started to walk over to the eastern wall of the monastery’s refectory where the body had been found an hour earlier by Bingo the retriever, out on a long walk with his owne… Read More

“I heard my name mentioned, sir,” said Smythe, putting her phone down. “You organised Mahoney, Linda?” asked Knowles. “Indeed, sir, he likes flowers appar… Read More

I married Megara, daughter of King Creon of Thebes. However, in a fit of madness induced by Hera, I killed Megara and our children. I always find it useful to blame someone else in these sit… Read More

Detective Sergeant Rod Barnes surveyed the remains of Manton Rempville monastery with incredulity. He’d heard that 100,000 pounds had been spent on preserving the ruins and he couldn&r… Read More

Chapter 1 – Scoresby Police Station – Monday 8:15 am “Good morning, Linda,” said Detective Inspector Colin Knowles as he strolled into the office. Knowles was happ… Read More

Hello fellow book readers.  It’s been 60 todays since I last wrote anything down that I wanted to share with you. I’ve been keeping my paw in by writing down what’s… Read More

I almost gave up on this book as it was reminding me unfavourably of The Birds by Tarjei Vesaas. The Birds is a brilliant novel that tells the tale of Mattis, a mentally disabled man cared f… Read More

The Hydra at Lerna was the second of my labours. I headed over to Lerna with orders to kill the monster. When I arrived, the Hydra was crying. It had just been to the dentist and been told t… Read More

A first world war battlefield hides a deadly secret – one that some are willing to kill for. Paul Mitchell is a young military historian whose life is changed forever when Dr Audley… Read More

Another wonderful book from Georges Simenon about Chief Superintendent Jules Maigret and a death in Paris. A vagrant with impeccable grooming is found dead in an abandoned house and there ar… Read More

A short book containing three stories telling of deadly premonitions, the interception of dreams, and spectres bearing warnings. The stories are called ‘To Be Read at Dusk’, … Read More

The first of my labours was to go and attack the Nemean Lion in his cave at Nemea. There are lots of caves near Nemea and there’s a lion in each of them, so how do I know which one to… Read More

Edogawa Rampo is the pseudonym of the Japanese novelist Taro Hirai and is a transliteration of Edgar Allen Poe’s name. That’s what it says on the back cover of the book and yet i… Read More

The Adventures of Tom Bombadil and Other Verses from the Red Book was published on 22nd November 1962. In the first part of The Lord of the Rings, Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin are crossi… Read More

I was in Greece recently and came across an amazing find, the original diary of Pheidippides or Phidippides, or Philippides. These are some extracts from one chapter: Day 1: P… Read More

Apparently, like 1984 and Animal Farm, Darkness at Noon is a powerful work of 20th-Century literature that explores the moral danger inherent in a system that is willing to enforce its belie… Read More

This is not my favourite book by Eric Ambler, but it’s still really good. The format is different with the plot being driven via transcribed dictation tape, transcribed tape intervi… Read More

This is part of Chapter 6 from a book called (at the moment) Dragon Lawyer, about Wendy, a five-foot high dragon who has become a lawyer in a magical land of various types of creature. She h… Read More

This is part of Chapter 6 from a book called (at the moment) Dragon Lawyer, about Wendy, a five-foot high dragon who has become a lawyer in a magical land of various types of creature. She h… Read More

Point Omega is Don DeLillo’s fifteenth novel. At the end of a period working for government war planners, Richard Elster retreats to the desert, where he is joined by Jim Finley, a… Read More

This is part of Chapter 6 from a book called (at the moment) Dragon Lawyer, about Wendy, a five-foot high dragon who has become a lawyer in a magical land of various types of creature. She h… Read More

This is part of Chapter 6 from a book called (at the moment) Dragon Lawyer, about Wendy, a five-foot high dragon who has become a lawyer in a magical land of various types of creature. She h… Read More

This is part of Chapter 6 from a book called (at the moment) Dragon Lawyer, about Wendy, a five-foot high dragon who has become a lawyer in a magical land of various types of creature. She h… Read More

Written by Sax Rohmer in 1920, this book is a good yarn. It’s a compelling story where you more or less know whodunit early on in the story, but it’s a question of why they did i… Read More

There are six Inspector Knowles books set in and around Goat Parva, Manton Rempville, Willougby Waterless, and Melton Lazars. Where are these places you might ask? Well, they’re in my… Read More

There are six Inspector Knowles books set in and around Goat Parva, Manton Rempville, Willougby Waterless, and Melton Lazars. Where are these places you might ask? Well, they’re in my… Read More

There are six Inspector Knowles books set in and around Goat Parva, Manton Rempville, Willougby Waterless, and Melton Lazars. Where are these places you might ask? Well, they’re in my… Read More

There are six Inspector Knowles books set in and around Goat Parva, Manton Rempville, Willougby Waterless, and Melton Lazars. Where are these places you might ask? Well, they’re in my… Read More

There are six Inspector Knowles books set in and around Goat Parva, Manton Rempville, Willougby Waterless, and Melton Lazars. Where are these places you might ask? Well, they’re in my… Read More

There are six Inspector Knowles books set in and around Goat Parva, Manton Rempville, Willougby Waterless, and Melton Lazars. Where are these places you might ask? Well, they’re in my… Read More

There are six Inspector Knowles books set in and around Goat Parva, Manton Rempville, Willougby Waterless, and Melton Lazars. Where are these places you might ask? Well, they’re in my… Read More

Our Cats in Amsterdam is the sequel to The Diary of a Buddhist Cat. Freddie and Gemma’s combination of daring rescues, apprehension of thieves, and stealthy listening skills have co… Read More

Luckily there’s a library next door that allows cats to use the facilities, though I’m not sure whether the library realises this yet. I can even use their photocopier to produce… Read More

Hello, my name is Freddie. I am a cat. I live in a house with another cat called Gemma and two humans, John, and Mary. I am about 3 years old though I can’t remember how old I am… Read More

I say ‘Good Morning’ to the cacti and the primroses on the window ledge and then climb down the trellis. I can feel the metal digging into my pads ever so slightly as the skin ha… Read More

“You’re going to see Rapunzel next?” asked Baby Bear. “I am, she said that she had something to discuss with me and so I’m fully intending to help her.&rdquo… Read More

Chapter 3 – Today It’s a grey day outside and rain is falling steadily. I peer through the blinds and see that there are some clear skies heading our way, so I hope when I go… Read More

“Yes, we have quite a lot of land which we use to run around on, but we pigs are not like humans and feel the need to build large houses to live in. We just need a small house where we… Read More

Quintuple plusgood. What else can you say? I think this is the third time I’ve read this book and it never ceases to amaze. Orwell completed the first draft of this book at Barnhill… Read More

Compare this with the elementary particle fired towards a wall with two holes in it. Does the unobserved particle go through one hole or the other? No, it goes through both. Our world is… Read More

“…so I remembered the bed in the empty house and said to my wife I’d sleep in the house, in the human bed, that would be an experience, and I’d sleep there until I w… Read More

John moves across to the fridge and opens the door. “Do you know when this arrived?” he asks. I drop down onto the floor and creep slowly towards the door and peer inside… Read More

“Thank you, now can you address the fact that absolutely no belongings were found in the house at all, nothing to suggest to anyone that an elderly female lived there. No walking frame… Read More

This is the beginning of the third Freddie and Gemma book and follows on from Two Cats in Amsterdam ================================================================ Chapter 1 – T… Read More

Mrs and Mr Drachen have a daughter called Wendy. Wendy is a five-foot high dragon who wears gloves to cover her claws. She has rather rounded shoulders as her wings have evolved into wha… Read More

Mrs and Mr Drachen have a daughter called Wendy. Wendy is a five-foot high dragon who wears gloves to cover her claws. She has rather rounded shoulders as her wings have evolved into wha… Read More

Eric Ambler is the Agatha Christie of thriller writers – there’s never been a better one and this story proves the point as any one of the guests at the Reserve pension on the Fr… Read More

This is a Wikipedia review based on the thought stream of a tourist from Iota Centauri during their visit to the Canadian prairies in the year 7575AD. There are high carbon dioxide levels… Read More

This book comprises eight short stories, seven taking place in western Ireland, and one on the coast of Texas. All of them are wonderful and well written, with in the background an Irelan… Read More

This is a very strange book on one hand and fascinating on the other. Characters are introduced in almost every chapter but they’re never described, in fact the main character is never… Read More

This is a superb short story with historical characters as the two main people in the story, indeed the only two characters who are given names. The historical story concerns many other p… Read More

This is a book of 12 short stories by P.G. Wodehouse. The first six are excellent as they involve the familiar characters of Blandings Castle such as Lord Emsworth, his son Freddie Threepwoo… Read More

The shy Unn and the lively Siss are in the same class at school aged around 11. Unn prefers to remain aloof from the other children whereas Siss is the centre of attention and a leader in… Read More

Ivan Dragomiloff is the founder and mastermind of the secret Assassination Bureau, Ltd. The social reformer Winter Hall falls in love with Grunya, who is Dragomiloff’s daughter. When H… Read More

A wonderful collection of witty verses from the late 1930s and early 1940s that made me chuckle, not necessarily because they’re funny but because they’re extremely clever. Perha… Read More

The star of this book is the treacherous Skeleton Coast where the action takes place at two different periods in history, in the 1950s and during WWII. Geoffrey Peace is the skipper of a… Read More

Graham Greene wrote The Tenth Man in 1944 when he was under a two-year contract with MGM. The manuscript lay forgotten in their archives until 1983 . It was published two years later. Thi… Read More

These are interesting essays by Walter Benjamin who is now considered to have been the most important German literary critic in the first half of the 20th century. Born into a prosperous… Read More

This is a compelling novel about The Gambler, Alexey Ivanovitch, who is working in the household of a Russian General – he was only promoted to this rank on his retirement – who… Read More

This book was published in 1894 and is set in the Northern wilderness of Norway. The book tells the story of a summer relationship between Lieutenant Thomas Glahn who is spending time on hol… Read More

John Creasey wrote more than six hundred novels using twenty-eight different pseudonyms during his career as a novelist. This is one of the Chief Inspector Roger West books known alternat… Read More

This book is rather different from other books you’ll read. It’s the third novel in a series that began with Barabbas and The Sibyl. Ahasuerus is mentioned in certain Old T… Read More