28 October 2021

Teen waif a heart-breaker hero of gripping crime tale

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THE joys of reading are many and varied. Too many delights exist to be contained within a strictly defined list. And always they are dependent on time, place, purpose and  numerous further variables. It’s a statement clearly not made to broadcast some newly discovered truth. But uttered in the hope of spreading light into dark… Continue Reading

28 October 2021

Teen waif a heart-breaker hero of gripping crime tale

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THE joys of reading are many and varied. Too many delights exist to be contained within a strictly defined list. And always they are dependent on time, place, purpose and  numerous further variables. It’s a statement clearly not made to broadcast some newly discovered truth. But uttered in the hope of spreading light into dark… Continue Reading

15 October 2021

Chilling mystery among Sweden’s forest-dwellers

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A BOOK with a cover claiming the contents are “eerie, unnerving and buckets of fun” presents a puzzle before a single page is turned. Unnerving and fun? Such an odd mix. Especially for what is also billed as “a thriller”, and involves “one kidnapping, one liar, one chance”. Where are “the buckets of fun” going … Continue Reading

5 October 2021

Sportswear marketing feasts on a run in the park

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THERE is this bee buzzing around in my bonnet. Very annoying. It’s been there quite some while and is becoming increasingly irritating. Just won’t go away and is so difficult to ignore. It’s called Parkrun. You’ve probably heard of it; a weekly mass display of micro managed outdoor masochism willingly endured by thousands worldwide. Like… Continue Reading

29 September 2021

Bad night’s good for thrill-seeking readers

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IT is one of those titles that says it all. Well, almost. The cover picture of menacing clouds hanging low over the French capital leaves little room for doubt about the content within. Everything is explained in five short words: A Long Night in Paris. And not one of gaiety and revelry such as those… Continue Reading

22 September 2021

Osman overkill’s murder for fellow authors

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CAN’T help thinking we have reached peak Osman. Urgent action is needed; metaphorically, it is time to paddle for the beach before being engulfed in the succession of tidal boomers  heading our way. Nowhere will be safe. Hide under a rock if you wish, but that offers no guarantee of escape. Osmania is sweeping the… Continue Reading

17 September 2021

Fishy feelings over dubious delights of national dish

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WHAT is so damned special about fish and chips? The question has to be asked after again foolishly succumbing to the fiction that a chunk of lukewarm battered cod and a heap of pale limp would-be chips is the food of the gods. An endlessly desirable feast for a nation. A national treasure even. Allegedly… Continue Reading

30 August 2021

Struggles of streaming is music to my ears

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Recording music

LET’S be clear on this from the start: I bear no ill-will to anyone engaged on artistic endeavour. Certainly not to all those struggling performers, musos, writers, actors, artists, creatives, dancers, singers and all who gather under that misunderstood umbrella of culture. That said, there was a certain frisson of pleasure experienced this week in… Continue Reading

29 August 2021

Devious mix of students, spies, voyeurs and fishermen

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Val McDermid book cover

CATCH-up time, trying to reduce the pile of recent reads that have provided a mixed bag of distraction, intrigue, twisting plot-lines and unreliable narrators. Two old favourites and one comparative newbie among a clutch of authors with an unfailing ability to grip and taunt with narratives that leave you guessing to the very end. The… Continue Reading

10 August 2021

In the long run, even the running has to stop

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TIME for reflection on this running life. For “reviewing the situation“, as the fiendish Fagin sang in the wonderful film version of Oliver, way back in the 1960s. A need to stop awhile and consider what lies ahead. Like a rambler who has tramped their way steadily to the top of a Dartmoor tor, resting… Continue Reading

8 August 2021

Saddened by surgeon stalker’s nasty story

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STARTING a previously unread book is a journey into the unknown, but one full of hope and expectation. Perhaps it’s sparked by an intriguing review, or an enthusiastic word of mouth recommendation. Maybe fellow book bloggers – at least those with no axe to grind or promoters to please – have heaped praise on the… Continue Reading

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