My theme: Writing and the Business of WritingBefore I started taking my writing seriously, I was almost allergic to the word genre. For one it just seemed so pretentious somehow; it was a word used by Melvyn Bragg on the South Bank Show, not a word an ordinary person who loves books would ever … [Read more...]
William Boyd and a new James Bond book
William Boyd - picture from BBC.co.ukI heard some brilliant news on the radio this morning. One of my very favourite writers, William Boyd, is going to write a new Bond book. I loved his latest novel, Waiting for Sunrise (my review is here), and although I'm very much looking forward to the new … [Read more...]
Waiting for Sunrise by William Boyd
The only negative about a new William Boyd book is that it takes no time at all to read and then you have another two years or so to wait for another one.Waiting for Sunrise, which took me about a week to consume, is vintage Boyd and doesn't disappoint. It's a thrilling spy thriller with a human … [Read more...]
Today’s Hangover Square
I've just finished reading Hangover Square by Patrick Hamilton. While I don't want to say too much about the book before we discuss the novel at next Tuesday's WEL Book Group, I think it's a remarkable novel set in a remarkable time. London in 1939, the weeks and days before the declaration of war, … [Read more...]
