A Diet of Literature: 11, 12 & 13
KishōtenketsuI heard about Kishōtenketsu a couple of years ago when listening to an episode of Bookworm. Michael Silverblatt was interviewing Ocean Vuong about his novel On Earth We are Briefly…
A Diet of Literature 8, 9 & 10
Image: Pinterest An Afternoon in Linen, Shirley Jackson Until I went to the USA in 2019 I hadn't heard of Shirley Jackson. Then, in one of those pleasant, idle conversations…
A Diet of Literature #4, 5, 6 & 7
Having forgotten quite how busy the first working week of a year can be, I've gotten a little behind with my literary diet. This has been a week of meetings,…
A Diet of Literature #2: No Clue
It's day two of the Guardian's literary diet and on today's menu is a film. What's more it is a reimagining of Jane Austen's Emma, a book I studied at university…
The Enigma of Arrival
We’ve made it! We’ve left 2020 behind and arrived at 2021. It's been a bit of a ride, hasn't it? with many casualties, many losses. I grieve for those who…
2020 Review
Here we are in the final days of 2020, at last! I hope you all got to relax and enjoy Christmas, or your winter festival of choice, and didn't…
Readember December
This has been an odd year for most of us. Even the hardiest, even the most introverted of introverts, even the most privileged, is likely to have experienced some twinges…
Enchanted Lands
What is an enchanted land? Does it have to be outside, like a forest or a wild-flower meadow, or can it be inside, like a kitchen in which a pie…
An Apology, of Sorts
I've put the following message on my Home page, but thought it worth putting in a blog post too, mostly because I don't suppose many people look at my Home…
Valtos Rocks
Research & Motivation (or is it the other way round?)
I'm currently writing a novel about a shit-storm that ensues when a small Scottish community decides to buy the island it inhabits from the wealthy, always absent and appallingly neglectful,…