The blog
An assortment of thoughts, opinions and stories
Books I’ve enjoyed, notes from my workshops, and stories about writing, dance and travel
Hell and High Water
Recently, I wrote about rereading The Goldsmith’s Daughter by Tanya Landman and looking out for more books by her. I almost didn’t pick up Hell and High Water because the cover did not catch my eye. Only when I…
What if …?
I love ‘what ifs’. What if there’s another me on the other side of the mirror? What if a half-boy-half-deer wanted to fit in? What if someone experimented with smells and could create them?…
The Extraordinary Colours of Auden Dare
The Extraordinary Colours of Auden Dare
I took a while to sink my teeth into The Extraordinary Colours of Auden Dare. I went slowly through the first few chapters: I found the narrative voice a little puzzling, and I could not figure out whether I…
The Infinite Lives of Maisie Day
The Infinite Lives of Maisie Day
As I read The Infinite Lives of Maisie Day, I realised yet again that Christopher Edge is a writer I want to look out for. The first book I read of his was probably Twelve Minutes to Midnight. I enjoyed it so…
The Bubble Boy
I had just started reading The Bubble Boy, when I came across an article on ‘sick-lit’, which made me think. There really are a lot of books about children who are ill, but I’d never thought…
On Rereading
As a child, I thought rereading books was a H*U*G*E waste of time. I devoured books, especially Enid Blytons, and later, Roald Dahls. I read the odd Richmal Crompton, went on to the classics…
Wildwitch Wildfire
Wildwitch Wildfire. The name seems to hark back to an earlier time, a time when magic was different, ancient, unknown. Yet, the cover, with its bright red, and a cat staring a girl down gave…
Septopus: Trouble on the High Cs
Septopus: Trouble on the High Cs
Question 1: How many books have you read about octopuses?Question 2: How many books have you read about an octopus with seven and a half tentacles?Question 3: How many books have you read about…
No. 9 on the Shade Card
When I started reading No. 9 on the Shade Card, I was not sure if I would enjoy it. I liked the idea, and I was fascinated by the fact that we never seemed to learn the narrator’s name.…
The Night Diary
Recently, I revisited a review of a book I loved – My Name is Rose. The book made a particularly powerful impression on me because the lead character cannot speak, not because she is mute, but because…
