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Penguin Books Author Blurbs from Yesteryear

Penguin Books Author Blurbs from Yesteryear

Are modern book blurbs too dull? I think so, judging by these two gems. Thanks to Phaude for the one from Edmund Crispin and his fascinating list of ... Read more »
Book review: A Witch in Winter by Ruth Warburton

Book review: A Witch in Winter by Ruth Warburton

A Witch in Winter is Ruth Warburton's debut novel and the first of a trilogy centred around the reluctant teenage witch Anna Winterson as she struggles to discover her heritage and the nature of her mysterious, magical powers. Anna and her father have moved from London to the southern seaside ... Read more »
Book Review: Just Boris: The Irresistible Rise of a Political Celebrity by Sonia Purnell

Book Review: Just Boris: The Irresistible Rise of a Political Celebrity by Sonia Purnell

Never has a political assassination in print been so delicious, detailed, elegant and comprehensive. Having read Just Boris: The irresistable rise of a political celebrity it is almost impossible to like the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson. John Bright's assessment of Disraeli (one of Boris's own ... Read more »
Book review: Who is Charlie Conti? by Claus von Bohlen

Book review: Who is Charlie Conti? by Claus von Bohlen

Who is Charlie Conti? is the accomplished debut novel from Claus von Bohlen. Charlie Conti is alone in the world and in possession of a great fortune. His mother is dead, his sister is in a home for the disabled and he doesn't know who his father is. Moreover, he doesn't have much of a sense of ... Read more »
Make Serious Money on eBay UK is available on Kindle

Make Serious Money on eBay UK is available on Kindle

I'm happy to say that my book, Make Serious Money on eBay UK is available as a Kindle and ereader edition. I'm quite excited by this although I don't know yet whether many have been sold. One thing I find immensely frustrating about being an author is the almost complete lack of numbers that are ... Read more »
Reading List: January 2011

Reading List: January 2011

(I’m sticking to my 2010 resolution to read a book a week. Here’s what I read in January 2011. And excuse the tardiness, I'm clearing out scribbles that I haven't blogged yet.) Instinct, Ben Kay. Insects. Bloody big insects and bloody thousands of them. I grabbed this in December because ... Read more »
Reading List 2010: Entertainments

Reading List 2010: Entertainments

Back in at the start of 2010, I resolved to read a book each week for pleasure over the course of the year. My total at the end of the year was 48, which isn’t too bad. The general election campaign gave little time for reading and I blame that for my falling short. That said, I did read The ... Read more »
Brighton Fringe Festival: Kemble's Riot

Brighton Fringe Festival: Kemble’s Riot

If you’re looking for a Brighton Festival fringe tip, I suggest you get along to Kemble’s Riot. It’s running for three nights this weekend at the Old Courtroom. Let me declare my interest: it’s a new play by my friend Adrian Bunting and I’ve offered a few modest pearls of wisdom on the ... Read more »
Brightoniana: Aubrey Beardsley

Brightoniana: Aubrey Beardsley

I'd never seen this plaque on Buckingham Road before yesterday. It's commemorates the all too brief life of the artist and illustrator, Aubrey Beardsley who was born at number 12. It's such a shame that it has a spray can squiggle on it. Not least because such artlessness seems totally at odds ... Read more »
The Great Escape Festival 2009, Brighton. Day 1.

The Great Escape Festival 2009, Brighton. Day 1.

The Great Escape is an annual music festival held in Brighton. It’s not really like a festival (in the sense of Glastonbury) because it’s not communal: we all go elsewhere to shit, shower and shag*. The City doesn’t really notice The Great Escape is happening. I think of it as an un-festival. ... Read more »
Reading List

Reading List

This is a bit of an aide memoire for me and a solicitation for suggestions. Are there any books I should be reading? Fiction preferred this week, I think. Here are some suggestions I've received recently: I'm a little ashamed to admit that I've never read anything by the brilliant Terry ... Read more »
Southern Railway Passenger Playlist

Southern Railway Passenger Playlist

Southern Railways usually do a pretty good job of running trains to and from London and Brighton. But the past few weeks have been horrendous. I'll forgive snow disruption reluctantly (although not the website being down due to demand as people were desperate to get info) but signal failures, ... Read more »
2008: My Top Five Favourite Songs

2008: My Top Five Favourite Songs

Last year I started what I suspect will become a bit of a tradition. I named my 5 favourite new songs of 2007. I was loose in my definition of new. This year, 'new' means new: all but one of the songs was published in 2008. So here you go: my top five new songs of 2008. Vampire Weekend: Oxford ... Read more »
Mark Steel: What's Going On?

Mark Steel: What’s Going On?

Mark Steel is the Jeremy Clarkson of the left. Just cleverer. And funnier. And not so naff. And much better dressed. Steel's book, What's Going On? is hilarious but as a humour book it's strangely unsatisfactory. It's about the degeneration of a relationship, the decline of the left as a force ... Read more »