I've recently read alot of novels set either in Britain or America and decided enough was enough. I wanted to read about a country I have never been to before and have little knowledge of. So I chose The Deer Wedding by Penny Simpson an English author who has set her beautiful novel in the heart of Croatia. Through working on a production...

On a mild March evening members of The Society of Young Publishers met at Pushkin House, Bloomsbury Square to drink a glass of wine and to discuss the accelerated development the Russian publishing market. It was fascinating and one of those times where you are alerted to the fact that you know nothing about much, including Russian literature and the incredible path it...

Did I tell you, I dreamt of you the other night?Your were standing on a creaky old sailing boat-Like the picture we have of you at home,You had on a dark silk scarf wrapped around your hair,And a dragonfly brooch pinned to your lapel. I walked along the sun-bleached planks,And stood before you,No longer a three-year old but a full grown woman,You took my hand...

As it is St. Patrick's Day I thought I would add a topical post to the blog. One of my favorite plays has to be Translations by Brian Friel written in 1980. I studied it for A levels and haven't forgotten it since. The play is about a rural village in Donegal and its inhabitants who are experiencing a brash intrusion from English...

One of the many perks of my job is that I sometimes get sneak peaks of books that are newly released, and Love You More was one of them. I read it in two days - and considering I work full-time that meant I spent all my free time reading this book, I just couldn't put it down. It's a crime thriller based around...

I have been meaning to write this review for a week but it has been one of those books that has been difficult to sum up so I've taken my time pondering what to write. The fierce novel is primarily a memoir of a five year old, the language is simple and the nouns are delivered with childlike pride as Jack, the protagonist...

Today I had possibly the best email ever. It was a link to an artist's website, and the artist was called Brian Dettmer. He's from Chicago and his sculptures are made from books. I don't mean that he builds towers out of books - no be cuts intricate patterns into books, staying true to their content and unveiling hidden worlds using a scalpel and tweezers....

Or at least I think so. Waterstone's has teamed up with Liberty of London to stock some really gorgeous new floral and iconic notebooks. I simply couldn't resist buying one on my last trip into town and it is now my new notebook for jotting down  all my ideas and stories. Being a stationary nerd I find it pretty exciting and I think...

So recently I've got into the habit of picking books that seem to challenge social expectations and question modern ethics. This week however I thought I would feed my brain a bit of mush to keep it happy. And so I found myself reading A Winter's Tale by Trisha Ashley. And it did the job very nicely. I did not have to pause...

I finally saw Never Let Me Go and I am pleased to say it did not disappoint me. Hailsham was just as I had imagined it and the casting of the young children was superb. I particularly liked Tommy ( Charlie Rowe) who performed some spectacular tantrums as described in the novel. I loved how Izzy Meikle-Small who plays the young Kathy at...

Well, hello Mr March! This month sees a bookworm's double whammy jackpot as World Book Day and World Book Night provides people with a gazillion and one reasons to dip their noses into a book. Since I was a wee bern World Book Day has been a definite highlight in my calender. I'm not sure whether it was just the schools that I went to or everyone...