Today I finished reading Poe. In England, teachers only ever teach you about English authors; at least that was what it was like in my youth. In fact, during a recent visit to my library in England, I was met by no Poe on the shelves and left disheartened. And so it is my Sister-In-Law, bless her heart, has scoured the world of the second-hand and bought me a number of his works. What a trick missed by a narrow-minded syllabus. I loved it. Perhaps it was better made by more

The 39 Steps. Surely we all know this one. I loved the movie (the one with Robert Powell) and I've never read the book. So here I am in the library, and in among the classics I see it. A chance to improve my literary kudos. I was excited. I couldn't wait to read it. And never have I felt so let down. It's a testament to Hitchcock, and others of the silver screen, that by moving it onto the big screen they made what is a classic out of a turd. Because, Buchan's writing is awfu

This week I read two books. Sort of. The first was the small and skinny 'The Embassy of Cambodia' by Zadie Smith and the second the humungous hard back from the library, 'Fool's Assassin' by Robin Hobb. So I shall start with the good. I've never read Zadie Smith before and now I'm glad I have. This is a really good short story. The simple writing and narrative really does belie the cruelty of a modern world that is so often hidden behind the mask of respectability as is prov

I really enjoyed this. What's more it the first 'long' novel I've read (other than Du Maurier) in recent years given my battle with the brain and its attention span. No problems with 'The Long Earth' though; had me interested from the off and kept me smiling (and wondering) all the way through. Here's the shocker... This is the first Terry Pratchett book I've read (first Stephen Baxter one too)! I know. I do exist. A reader who has not read Terry... To be honest I don't usu

I really enjoyed reading this. Perhaps it was Du Maurier's 1930s voice in a 1970s setting, or the eccentricity of the writing...

A short story or novelette? Take your pick. My guess in the latter and I really quite enjoyed it. I picked it up in the local library because it is short and it only took an afternoon to read. Set in the WWI trenches it explores the strange duality of murder and honor set amidst the brutal reality of constant death and the invisible worth of a name. To be honest it was quite obvious from the off what was going to happen; so in terms of catchy punch and unexpected twist at th

I'm perplexed. I love Du Maurier, her writing and the personal life she led, but for me 'The House on the Strand' is the weakest book or short story I have read of hers. And even so I found it really interesting in retrospect. Why? I shall try to explain, but can't guarantee to make any sense. I confess I found the first two thirds of the story hard-going. I didn't really connect with the characters, names were difficult to pronounce and remember (place names and people: I