Desperate Reader

After writing about 'A Civil Contract', and trying to concentrate on reading new books rather than going on a Georgette Heyer binge ...

I’ve been feeling a bit low for the past few days (the beginnings of a cold and a diagnosis of arthritis, along with the lack of a job situa...

A few weeks ago I read this Article , and a few days later bought Darra Goldstein’s ‘Beyond The North Wind. I am never more aware of the cul...

Theres something appealingly (or appallingly depending on your point of view) incongruous about rural phone boxes that at first glance seem ...

My Father is a man who needs a project in his life, for preference one that involves him making something* and with a minimum of paperwork (...

It’s possible that ‘Hag’s Nook’ is my favourite John Dickson Carr so far. I won’t say of all time because there are going to be plenty more ...

The Skerries Mitts pattern comes from Marie Wallin’s  Shetland  Book. They looked like a useful and quick knit that wouldn’t be complicated,...

Way back in my teens and early twenties I used to work for my stepmother over the summer. She had what would now be called a boutique hotel....

We went to see ‘The Whip’ on Monday, and it was brilliant. Which does not make it the easiest play to write about. My theatre companion and ...

After years of sensibly reading one book at a time (finishing them in a timely fashion and finding the next book comes along quite naturally...