When I was a child, I absolutely loved the Ladybird Books series. I pretty much learned to read from the Ladybird Book of Ancient Egypt, and it certainly fired me up with an early and enduring interest in ancient history. I also clearly remember reading the “Peter and Jane and Pat the dog” books with […]
While I was having my annual bout of Retail Therapy / Recreational Shopping in Stratford the other weekend, I spent an age browsing in the bookshop, coming away with Sense & Sensibility. Note the ampersand – this isn’t the Jane Austen classic, which I’ve known and loved for years. Instead, it’s by Joanna Trollope, Queen […]
The course on Hadrian’s Wall finished a while ago, and I’ve missed reading and learning about Roman Britain. But then I received my copy of the Balliol Record, my college magazine. It’s the usual mix of college, university and alumni news, and it usually is of only passing interest. But this issue had a book […]
There is a new Hercule Poirot murder mystery story just published. The literary estate of Agatha Christie has finally given in to the lures of a follow-on, and commissioned Sophie Hannah to write a new book in the style of Agatha Christie. I thoroughly enjoy a classic Christie murder mystery, and I think I must […]
I remember when Bridget Jones’s Diary first started running as a column in The Independent newspaper; it was done very straight at first, and it only gradually became apparent that it was a spoof. It was loosely based on the story of Pride and Prejudice, and came out at about the same time that the […]
After buying the Pompeii catalogue on Monday, I still had a few pounds left on my book token, and since I’d made a special effort to get to the Worcester Waterstones to spend it, there was no way I was going to walk out of the shop without having spent the last penny! So I […]
