So, according to Penelope Lively speaking at the Ways with Words Festival, e-books are for “bloodless nerds” and something no “no self-respecting bibliophile” should want. Although Lively goes on to concede an e-book reader might have its uses, her reaction strikes me as a surprisingly strong and atypical of anyone I know (none of whom … Continue reading Bloodless nerd or bibliophile?
I’ve always had a lot of respect for Timeout Guides, but for anyone about to set out for Florence (gem of the renaissance, mecca for leather lovers – that’s handbags by the way) here are a few things we found out the hard way. Mosquitos are rife in June/July and both my companions can testify … Continue reading Beyond the guide book
In State of Wonder by Ann Patchett (this is the first of her novels I’ve read) Maria Singh works for a pharmaceutical company in Minnesota and the last place she wants to go is Brazil, in particular the tributary of the Amazon where her good friend and colleague Anders Eckman has just met his death. But Maria … Continue reading State of Wonder
It’s not that I don’t like museums, in fact I like them a lot, and in some ways the bigger the better. Those gorgeous marble floors and plaster ceilings do it for me regardless of what’s on the walls or in the glass cases. But a couple of hours in any museum is always enough, which, if you … Continue reading Storytime in the Bargello
Once you’ve started to write a novel and to reflect on how it can be achieved, reading becomes not just entertainment but also a learning experience. That’s why I sometimes hesitate to post book reviews here, and why I’ve decided to rename some of them as ‘Writer’s reads’, because the aim is not so much … Continue reading A Writer Reads: Maggie O’Farrell
Ali Bacon, Author 