Poetry Review- Six Days in Iceland by Alyson Hallett
Share It is wonderful to discover unique poetry projects that combine a variety of elements. During the course of my Masters research I came across several such books, including Cynthia Hogue’s book of interview poems on Hurricane Katrina When the Water Came, and Claudia Rankine’s Don’t Let Me Be Lonely, both of which combine unusual...
When Nights Were Cold by Susanna Jones – a Book Review
Share Set at the turn of the twentieth century, When Nights Were Cold tells the startling story of Grace Farringdon and her interest in mountaineering. Grace grows up in a family home where dreams are stifled and her parents’ primary goal for her and her sister is to find a good husband. However, from the beginning...
Reflections on the city from a post-flaneur
Share Reading the titles of the Proboscis e-book series, Material Condition, I couldn’t help being attracted by Ruth Maclennan’s publication: Reflections on the city from a post-flaneur. As her own website tells us, Ruth Maclennan’s artworks grapple ‘with the relationship between the present, the only moment of experience—irreducibly subjective, visceral yet evanescent—and the linguistic and visual...
On the Road Film: Dean’s Story
Share Two weeks ago, they finally released the long awaited trailer for Coppola’s adaptation of Kerouac’s On the Road directed by Walter Salles. I don’t know if I am the only one to have noticed but the trailer revolves very much around Dean Moriarty. This makes sense as he is undoubtably one of the most...
Inside Out by Maria V. Snyder – Another YA Fantasy? Yup.
Share You know you have those books that leave you in awe? That leave you inspired? That leave you wanting more? Well I just finished one. Inside Out by Maria V. Snyder. I was first introduced to Maria V. Snyder early last year when I purchased Poison Study, a story about a girl on death...
When God was a Rabbit (2011) – Review & Discussion
Share I found this to be a beautiful and absorbing book, and I cannot recommend it enough. While the blurb on the back cover does it justice, it is so much more than “a book about a brother and a sister…a book about secrets and starting over, friendship and family, triumph and tragedy, and everything...
Books: “Going the way of the Horo”
Share Last week, hands laden with either luggage or laziness, I don’t remember which, I asked a friend of mine for the time. An accommodating wrist stretched out, its cotton sleeve retracted and a plain black Swatch peered upwards for a moment before that same wrist plunged out of sight into a deep trouser pocket...
The Family (2001) by Mario Puzo – a book review
Share Finished by his partner Carol Gino, due to the Puzo’s death, The Family is a historical thriller set in Rome during the 15th Century, and is about the dramatic lives of the Borgia family, and their struggle for, and with, power. Rodrigo Borgia is a cardinal in the Vatican, with hopes of securing a...
The Cold Moon by Jeffery Deaver (2006) – a book review
Share Expertly written crime thriller, about a serial killer loose in New York City, with an obsession with time and a passion for elaborate murders. Two seemingly unrelated deaths quickly become the hottest new chase for a killer, after an old fashioned, ticking clock was found at each of the crime scenes. The face of...
One Day: Book vs Film
Share Novel and screenplay written by David Nicholls. The book should come with a warning: “Do Not Read In Public.” The film is fine to watch in company– you’re sat in a big dark room, surrounded by people having the same emotional reactions as you. (Which were even more intense when I was reading, instead...
The Leopard by Jo Nesbo – a book review
Share Crime thriller from respected Norwegian author Jo Nesbo, about a serial killer who uses a particularly horrendous contraption to murder his victims. Starring Nesbo’s recurring protagonist, detective Harry Hole, The Leopard story takes place in several locations: Norway, the Conga, and Hong Kong. After Hole is retrieved from his hiding spot in the latter...
Man’s World (2011) by Rupert Smith
Share As my hand reaches for the book that promises to exclude women, I cannot help but wonder whether it can be of any interest to female readers. Already it is the No. 1 Amazon Gay Bestseller, Top Gay Seller at Foyles and Inaugural Green Carnation Award shortlist, Man’s World appears to offer very little...
Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates
Share As a hopeless romantic, a glutton for tragedy and, perhaps above all, a diehard Titanic fan, it was essential for me to catch the DiCaprio-Winslet film made of this story as soon as it entered the cinemas. The experience was at once hugely enjoyable, thought-provoking and heart-breaking- its the kind of film that can only...
Severed (2007) by Simon Kernick
Share Tyler is an ex-soldier, who served during the tumultuous years of the IRA. He now sells cars for a living in London, and has a pretty ordinary life. However, at the beginning of the story, Tyler awakes with no recollection of his past 24 hours, his girlfriend Leah lies beheaded next to him, and...
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