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
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
I’d assumed that Black Friday was all about beating (and occasionally, beating up) your fellow bargain-hunters for a discounted telly or laptop, or spending hours scouring the internet for the latest `must-have’ toy on the cheap. Seems I was wrong. The good news, book lovers, is that books are also to be had more cheaply … More Black Friday
Even if you don’t regard yourself as being afraid of heights, a natural instinct for self-preservation probably kicks in when you’re confronted with a drop that is beyond your comfort zone. As a youngster I spent a lot of time climbing trees, and dabbled with rock climbing and mountaineering as a teenager, but my ability … More Never Look Down, James Kingston
While some authors keep their publishers and readers happy by ploughing the same ground book after book, Anthony Horowitz likes to keep his guessing by switching genre and writing style from one book to the next. While young readers love his Alex Rider books, older bookworms have been gripped by his take on familiar literary … More Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz (Review)
Not for a moment do I doubt the bravery and skill of modern Formula One drivers. Even through the filter of a TV screen, which makes this high risk sport look like little more than a slot-racing game the commitment of drivers like Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg comes across loud and clear. Yet, at … More James Hunt by Maurice Hamilton
Not the sexiest title for a book, perhaps, but the readers who Jeremy Bayston is aiming at with his book `Canon 1300D/RebelT6: The Manual’ will be more than happy with what’s inside. My knowledge of photography doesn’t extend much beyond taking the lens cap off and pointing the camera in the right direction. Most of … More A camera manual that makes sense? Surely not!
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