2023-03-27 15:38
This is a real page turner.
An old wooden ship is trapped in the Antarctic ice. It set sail from Argentina to the Falkland Islands two years after the war between the UK and Argentina was… Read More
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My blog for UK related items relating to travel, books, literature, and creativity.
2023-03-20 16:08
Karl Braun is a cultured German gentleman who works as a piano tuner in the London of the mid 1960s. Many of his fellow emigres assume like them he fled to England to avoid the Nazis.
In… Read More
2023-03-13 17:01
This is the third novel in the original Laidlaw trilogy.
The death of his brother Scott in an apparent accident – Scott was drunk and hit by a car driven by a newsagent – has… Read More
2023-03-07 22:36
5 Days in the life of an English office – you can buy it here
There’s lots of banter and insults flying around in this story.
One person goes to the wrong place for the weekend… Read More
2023-03-06 16:11
The first James Bond book that Ian Fleming wrote and I recognised some of the details from the 2006 film of the same name.
Le Chiffre is a nearly bankrupt member of the secretive SMERSH o… Read More
2023-02-28 22:28
Do YOU have trouble putting IKEA furniture together? Yes? There’s a Buddhist group who can help in this book, which is available at a discount between 28th February and 7th March.
Thes… Read More
2023-02-20 10:11
Thomas Paine was one of the greatest advocates of freedom in history and his Declaration of the Rights of Man, first published in 1791, is the cornerstone of his reputation.
Christopher H… Read More
2023-02-17 22:13
How did the Yeti receive its name?
Find out in this book – available at a discount between 17th February and 24th February.
You can also read:
an obituary of a WWII flying ace who fell… Read More
2023-02-13 12:27
Lawrence Durrell had a lifelong interest in and sympathy for the philosophy of Taoism. Since he read the Tao Te Ching which contains a description of the great motor of the universe and its… Read More
2023-02-06 15:21
This was the first time I’d read a book by Neil Gaiman.
This is more of a fairy tale than say Terry Pratchett’s books.
In Stardust we have the story of Tristan Thorn who li… Read More
2023-01-30 20:08
This is a fine read, a really good story, set in 1934 in which we’re introduced to the character called Ginger, who’s a really imaginative thinker and notices things that Biggles… Read More
2023-01-23 12:29
Scholarship.
I’m seriously thinking about putting all my other books that I want to read in a massive pile somewhere and just reading this author’s work one after another unti… Read More
2023-01-16 16:58
First published in Great Britain in 1937, The Hobbit must be one of the most influential books of the first half of the 20th Century and should be read by anyone who enjoys a good story… Read More
2023-01-05 18:49
Nicolas Whistler is a young man who lives in digs in London and spends most of his spare cash on his car. He has a girlfriend that he rather likes and a job he doesn’t like. He regular… Read More
2023-01-02 16:40
Who would have thought that the number of cats in a particular area would impact Red Clover density?
He who believes in the struggle for existence and in the principle of natural selectio… Read More
2022-12-30 19:35
This story is not what I was expecting.
In general usage, Kraken refers to a sea monster such as a large octopus or squid. In this story, there is something in the oceans of the world but… Read More
2022-12-20 18:51
Gwynne Dyer is a superb writer and I feel tremendously informed after reading his work. It’s no different with this superb book on the history of warfare in terms of tactics, technolog… Read More
2022-12-10 15:07
This is the first Biggles book I’ve ever read and I am genuinely impressed.
Obviously, Biggles is always going to triumph and isn’t going to be shot dead or shot down in his a… Read More
2022-12-08 14:20
A book on life in an English office called Office Life is available at a discount from 8th December to 14th December. 5 Days in the life of an English office There’s lots of bante… Read More
2022-12-07 02:40
Where is Freddie?
Is he in the washing machine or under the bath, behind the dry stone wall, or trying to climb the tall tree in the corner of the garden?
Freddie was a cat who loved b… Read More
2022-12-06 12:48
My book Keeping in Touch is available here at a discount from 6th December to 13th December.
We are closer to those further away than to those nearer to us.
A story about communication… Read More
2022-12-06 06:48
This is an extremely long thriller at over 550 pages. It needs to be though as there are so many characters not all of whom are what they seem to be at first appearance.
The good people a… Read More
2022-11-27 22:21
This is a superb story from Alan Bennett. As I read this, I was able to imagine listening to an audiobook of this story narrated by the author and loving the inflections of his voice.
The… Read More
2022-11-22 21:49
I’ve read a few books about Rorke’s Drift and this is one I will be keeping in my library. The book covers aspects of the battle not previously covered in anything else I’v… Read More
2022-11-16 14:56
This is a book mainly set in The Balkans in the middle of World War II. Three Yugoslavs set out from Rome to warn The Partisans about the German battle plan that will soon be launched agains… Read More
2022-11-10 17:01
This is Julian Barnes’s first book and it’s in three parts.
The first and third sections are set in Metroland – a strip of suburbia in outer London – in 1963 and 1… Read More
2022-11-05 16:29
The original text for this book first appeared in Punch magazine but was turned into a book and published in 1892.
Weedon Grossmith drew the illustrations that illuminate this book.
Th… Read More
2022-11-02 14:46
I really do appreciate the Blandings Castle books of PG Wodehouse.
The characters are larger than life and magnificent in their individual traits.
Here both of the pigs vying for the S… Read More
2022-10-26 21:16
This is number 6 in the ‘Great Journeys’ series by Penguin.
Lady Mary Wortley Montagu travelled to Constantinople (now Istanbul) in 1716 with her husband who had been appointe… Read More
2022-10-20 13:41
This just might be the best fiction book I read in 2022.
It’s utterly brilliant and yet I can’t work out why. In a way, it doesn’t matter.
It combines a heroine who h… Read More
2022-10-14 14:12
Well better late than never for me to discover this poem about non-violent opposition to the oppressors, a message that will be taken up in increasing numbers as governments become more and… Read More
2022-10-08 13:52
For some reason I adore these books about Blandings Castle and yet I don’t like the Jeeves and Wooster books.
I think it’s because everyone in the Blandings Castle books is so… Read More
2022-10-04 17:07
The script of the Lindisfarne Gospels is the work of one man – Eadfrith Bishop of Lindisfarne. The book is dated between AD 715-720.
Before he could start he needed to obtain the sk… Read More
2022-09-23 14:20
An excerpt from the book: Travels through History – North-East England
The permanent conquest of Britain by the Romans began in 43 AD and by about 100 AD there were army units along… Read More
2022-09-08 20:34
Untouched beaches, poetry and spectacular views are among discoveries on this exploration of the Lake District’s coastal fringe by rail, bus and on foot Read More
2022-09-02 15:58
Number 4 in the ‘Penguin Books – Green Ideas’ series, this book is a collection of speeches and essays by the investigative journalist and ‘professional troublemaker… Read More
2022-08-25 15:14
This book is written by Edward Marston who writes the Railway Detective series. The style of writing is very similar, plenty of dialogue driving the plot strongly forwards like the engines o… Read More
2022-08-18 17:17
The parliamentary structure is the institutionalisation of prevarication.
It is easy to blame the politicians but they take their cues from the public.
Climate change, species extinc… Read More
2022-08-16 14:46
Oysters in Essex, cheese toasties in Scotland, cod and chips in Cornwall, Jay Rayner on the restaurants, pubs and seafront kiosks worth eating at this summer Read More
2022-08-09 14:38
From moreish bao buns to cheese-stuffed hot sandwiches, there’s plenty more than curry to sample if you’re visiting the city Read More
2022-08-02 09:24
Written in 1936, this is a lovely story about rich males who seem able to drop their jobs / business dealings to support the son of a friend who is being threatened by unscrupulous types… Read More
2022-07-29 13:58
Atmospheric forts, solstice circles and exquisite Roman mosaics feature Read More
2022-07-23 13:48
Rex Fortescue, Adele Fortescue, and Gladys Martin all die within a few hours. Rex was poisoned by Taxine, a poisonous constituent of yew plants, Adele was poisoned by potassium cyanide, and… Read More
2022-07-20 16:28
Take a stroll past the famous docks, then clink glasses in a former Victorian police station Read More
2022-07-15 16:09
The Odessa File was the bestseller written after The Day of the Jackal by Frederick Forsyth.
In the book, Odessa are an organisation formed to protect ex-SS members and to try to implemen… Read More
2022-07-12 14:03
The DH Lawrence novella about two girls, Banford and March, whose existence is terminally interrupted by the arrival of a soldier, whose grandfather lived on the farm that the girls are work… Read More
2022-06-09 15:48
Brilliant beaches, wildflower-strewn cliffs, pilgrim routes and sea life are among the highlights of this spectacular hike in Wales’s far north-west Read More
2022-06-06 15:21
As the Chelsea Flower Show gets under way, here are pollinator-friendly meadows and gardens for making a beeline to, from North Uist to the Tower of London Read More
2022-06-01 15:11
From Glasgow’s police museum to Dorset’s tank museum, guides and volunteers have the personal experience to truly illuminate your visit Read More
2022-05-28 15:30
From healing wells to sacred stones Read More
2022-05-25 15:25
The children’s novelist and screenwriter on pubs, green spaces, childhood memories and those ubiquitous watery views Read More
2022-05-15 15:07
In his 1651 book, Leviathan, Thomas Hobbes imagined the state as the biblical sea monster. Professor David Runciman examines how different philosophers down the centuries have understood the… Read More
2022-05-11 14:42
This is a book I will keep as a reference.
The Gnostics were distinguished from other early Christians in their emphasis on gnosis, the Greek word for knowledge rather than faith. Accordi… Read More
2022-05-06 22:02
Karen Armstrong suggests the history of myth is the history of humanity; our stories and beliefs link us to our ancestors and each other. This wonderful book takes the reader from the Palaeo… Read More
2022-05-02 20:20
Edward Palmer Thompson was an English historian, writer, socialist and peace campaigner. He is best known today for his books on radical movements in particular The Making of the English Wor… Read More
2022-04-29 13:56
It’s a particularly apposite time to be reading this book when many people are re-evaluating their life in regard to their work situation and indeed whether they should stay employed i… Read More
2022-04-28 12:49
This is a high-level guide to The Holy Grail charting the origins of the quest from the early Christian gospels through to modern day stories and films.
The book introduces all the charac… Read More
2022-04-26 15:12
This is the sequel to Three Men in a Boat and it is really rather good, especially when the three men – George, Harris and J – are travelling around the middle of Europe interact… Read More
2022-04-14 16:17
I will be using this book for reference. The various sections deal with moods, motivation, emotional pain, grief, self-doubt, fear, stress, and how to lead a meaningful life.
It’s a… Read More
2022-04-13 23:17
This book dates from around 1250AD though many of the poems contained in it are a lot older and occur nowhere else, showing what a valuable service the unknown monk who copied them down onto… Read More
2022-04-12 08:42
For many decades, extra-sensory perception (ESP) – including clairvoyance and telepathy – has been dismissed as illusion and fakery. ESP was compared with the world of physics as… Read More
2022-04-11 14:37
Eric Hobsbawm was a British historian who wrote many books on Socialism, Nationalism, and Capitalism. He was a contemporary of other Marxist historians such as Christopher Hill, EP Thompson… Read More
2022-04-04 22:35
This is the story of Yorick, a sentimental traveller, who on a whim decides to journey from England first to France and then head towards Turin in Italy. His journey takes him via Calais, Am… Read More
2022-03-30 15:09
Matching rich verse with great scenery, these strolls follow in the footsteps of some of our greatest wordsmiths, from William Blake to Carol Ann Duffy Read More
2022-03-29 15:34
Heritage tour guide Hayley Flynn strolls through Victorian alleyways and shares tips on hidden histories, art trails, cosy pubs and her favourite eateries Read More
2022-03-28 16:39
I enjoyed this book but nowhere near as much as Guards ! Guards! , Men At Arms, and especially Feet of Clay, the three City Watch books before Jingo.
The gas-powered appearance of the isl… Read More
2022-03-21 15:05
Cycle through the Highlands, sail around the UK, run across Wales, photograph wildlife on Dartmoor … and more fabulous activities Read More
2022-03-17 16:14
William Golding won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1983. His first novel, Lord of the Flies, is probably his best known work.
Pincher Martin is on a navy vessel escorting a North Atlan… Read More
2022-03-14 15:40
Another wonderful story concerning Professor Dr Dr Moritz-Maria von Igelfeld by Alexander McCall Smith.
I’m not reading these books in the correct order, but it doesn’t matter… Read More
2022-03-08 14:44
In this Fanstory contest , I had to write a rhyming love poem to Xi Jinping and/or the Chinese Communist Party to thank them for hosting the Olympic Games.
Obviously, this is an absurd id… Read More
2022-03-06 15:56
I wonder how many people know the name of the man who sent Charles I to the scaffold in 1649? The answer is not Oliver Cromwell.
I didn’t know before I read this book and that&rsqu&hell…Read More
2022-03-05 15:20
Take a walk among stunning carvings in beautiful settings at one of these art parks Read More
2022-03-03 15:13
The market town of Ledbury is the picturesque starting point for a nature trek through a county for all seasons Read More
2022-03-02 12:34
Recently, I joined a book club and they send me a book a month to read and I don’t know what book I will receive. This may sound a bit odd – indeed it does sound odd when I read… Read More
2022-03-01 03:05
Wonderful places to celebrate the night sky Read More
2022-02-27 14:59
With the landscape laid bare, now is the perfect time to explore the stark UK countryside Read More
2022-02-17 16:31
John Lilburne, William Walwyn, Richard Overton, Katherine Chidley, John Rede, and Thomas Rainsborough aren’t as famous as Benjamin Franklin, Robespierre, Danton, George Washington, St… Read More
2022-02-16 03:37
Former mayor says Dominic Cummings’ trip put town on the map as English Heritage reports ‘stay at home’ boom Read More
2022-02-15 23:31
For you from some of my recent magazine reading.
A paradox of freedom
The more people’s choices expand, the more human beings demand a stable space in which to make them. When th… Read More
2022-02-14 15:30
Seaside hideaway, Cotswold cottage or luxury cowshed … We pick boltholes from Cornwall to the Highlands which still have availability this summer Read More
2022-02-12 15:22
Where to go – and stay – for the most mesmerising evening skies Read More
2022-02-09 15:17
Take a morale-boosting stroll around one of these UK gardens, where winter interest mixes with the colours of early spring Read More
2022-02-02 23:47
We apologise for the inconvenience.
I’ll let you find out the significance of these words by reading almost to the end of this fourth book in the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Gal… Read More
2022-01-31 15:00
These wellbeing breaks, from chic Richmond to remote Cairngorms, all include some yoga, but add camping, foraging, swimming and even pottery to the mix Read More
2022-01-31 13:46
This is an excellent story about Professor Dr Moritz-Maria von Igelfeld of the institute of Romance Philology whose quest to gain respect for his intellectual interests goes awry in a hilari… Read More
2022-01-29 14:21
For some reason Goodreads has this book as #4 in the Chronicles of Narnia and it isn’t it’s #6, so I hope that can be corrected.
#4 = Prince Caspian.
Prince Caspian is in t… Read More
2022-01-26 02:49
A stay at Chiswick’s room2 casts light on its claim to be an entirely sustainable hotel, from its rooftop wildlife to the revolutionary bins. Plus, four sustainable hotels across Europ… Read More
2022-01-24 14:42
These walks combine austere beauty with the unexpected: from centuries-old graffiti to deserted villages and the remains of dinosaurs Read More
2022-01-22 14:32
A train to Bridgnorth, then buses and walking boots open up the delights of this rural corner – including a clock that goes backwards Read More
2022-01-13 02:39
This is an absolutely superb book. Agatha does it again.
A country house weekend where the highlight was going to be Sunday lunch with Hercule Poirot who was staying nearby. The Angkatell… Read More
2022-01-07 14:15
This is a thin book by VS Naipaul that is slightly difficult to read as it contains a lot of self-contemplation by Mr Stone on how he’s reacting to the presence of other characters. Ra… Read More
2022-01-06 14:35
Basically, this is a good story for all ages written by Salman Rushdie.
Rashid, the Shah of Blah, is a storyteller who has a 12-year old son called Haroun. The Shah of Blah loses his wife… Read More
2022-01-05 14:45
A Victorian cottage paying homage to Oliver Twist is the perfect place for children to indulge in make-believe. Plus seven more magical themed places to stay in the UK Read More
2022-01-02 14:39
The newest section of the all-encompassing England Coast Path, from Whitehaven to Silecroft, takes in beaches, blustery dune lands and bird-filled clifftops Read More
2021-12-30 14:32
Swap identikit high streets for the pedestrian thrill of discovery and drifting in these six flâneur-friendly cities Read More
2021-12-28 22:46
The City Watch books are all brilliant and this one is probably the best of the three I’ve read so far. It’s genuinely funny and all the wonderful characters are ones to treasure… Read More
2021-12-27 14:25
Berwick is an atmospheric base for touring nearby fairytale castles, beaches, birds and sea life – by train, boat and bus Read More
2021-12-24 14:21
These idiosyncratic stores have all the answers for that annual quandary: ‘what gift should I buy?’ Read More
2021-12-21 14:45
Scousers’ globetrotting history and streetwise energy are combining to inspire a vibrant new food scene in Liverpool Read More
2021-12-18 02:42
Fancy making your own festive wreath, chair or canoe? Get creative on a weekend away Read More
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