If I were to mention birdwatching, I bet the first thing to pop into your mind would be an image of someone in stout shoes, waterproof clothing and a warm hat. To complete the scene you might want to throw in a tripod a thermos flask and some binoculars. If so, then Ross Armstrong’s debut … More A watcher watched
Supporters of the traditional book format, of which I am one, are fond of saying that digital books will never match the sensory experience of a `proper’ book. Whatever technological advances may be around the corner, it’s hard to see anyone creating an e-book format that matches the look, feel and even smell of a … More Are bookshops doomed?
One of my schoolmates would always do his best to top any anecdote the rest of the class came up with. You know the sort. Tell them about bumping into a soap star in the local park and they’ll recount the time they shared a Florida theme park ride with Barack and Michele Obama. That’s … More A book that’s a slice of history
Books that will leave a large hole in your bank balance. … More How much would you pay for a book?
History is full of examples of new technology being heralded with predictions that it would completely replace something that already existed. It’s rarely proved to be the case. Radio continues despite the proliferation of TV. People send greetings cards even though it’s quicker and easier to ping off an email. You can even get a … More James Patterson
Mother and daughter writers PJ and Traci Lambrecht have made a name for themselves in more ways than one. This is the seventh title written under the joint pseudonym PJ Tracy and it once again features detectives Gino Rolseth and Leo Magozzi. Faced with investigating a killing at an upmarket Minneapolis hotel, they quickly realise … More Cold Kill by PJ Tracy
F2 World of Football: How to Play Like a Pro is the kind of book that well-meaning parents and grandparents buy their football-obsessed children and grandchildren for Christmas. It will doubtless make an appearance under many Christmas trees this year, but I wonder just how many recipients will actually read it from cover. I suspect … More F2: World of Football
Before it became possible to access the news around the clock and wherever you are on digital devices, the population learned the latest news at pretty much the same time. When you heard Michael Buerk describing the famine in East Africa on the BBC’s Nine O’Clock News or listened as Trevor McDonald introduced a report … More Cutting through compassion fatigue
While some authors are lucky enough to find their writing `voice’ and an audience almost as soon as they have started, others have to plug away for years . Matt Brolly, author of the unsettling futuristic crime novel Zero started off hoping for a legal career after opting to study law at Swansea University. “I … More From lawyer to crime writer: Matt Brolly
Released in time for Christmas, Molly Moon and the Incredible Book of Hypnotism is one of those feel-good films that the whole family can enjoy. Living a unhappy existence in an orphanage, Molly (played by Raffey Cassidy) discovers the means to find a new life when she comes across a book about hypnotism. With her … More `Molly Moon’ creator Georgia Byng
There's a book for that 