The boredom and bliss of a long read
The word is that technology is shortening our attention spans. Like the fungus that invades the minds of the infected…
Books in which setting is character, plot and mood
Some books are all about character, while others depend on their plot. Then there is another type of book altogether…
Why I’m Stocking My Bookshelf with Books I’ve Already Read
I visited the charity shop earlier in the week and was thrilled to find Hilary Mantel’s Bring Up the Bodies,…
Olive’s ordinariness is just the tonic for extraordinary times
I’ve been reading Elisabeth Strout's Olive, Again and in doing so have been reminded of how endearing the often grumpy,…
Ain’t no cure for the post-Potter blues
I’ve developed quite an attachment … to Harry Potter. I started reading JK Rowling’s blockbuster series with my son and…
The beautiful are the damned in classic and contemporary literature
It makes sense that fashion models, and even actresses, are beautiful. Fashion and film are visual mediums, and beauty can…
Does size matter when it comes to books?
There is a copy of Moby Dick on my book shelf that I aim to read one day. But the…
Book review: the Neapolitan series by Elena Ferrante
Elena Ferrante’s Neapolitan novels start with a mystery – that of the missing friend, Lila. From there, the reader is…
The beauty of unguarded moments in photography and Ferrante
There is something vaguely unsettling about seeing a photo of yourself that you didn’t realise it was being taken. There…
What is the difference between literary and general fiction?
A glance at the cover can offer some clues as to the genre of a book, but it can be…
