An extended sojourn with Scottish literature has kept these half-forgotten words crowding in thick and fast. Here are a few that might require translation. Cowp – spill or tip Warsle – wrestle or struggle with Fykie – fiddly Fankled – tangled (especially of wool or thread) Havers, havering – rubbish, ranting, talking like a mad … Continue reading Scottish season
Forget bakewells, victorias, roulades and other members of the Great British Bake-Off, if you want to raise a smile, try the humble scone. First of all there was Alexander McCall Smith’s The Unbearable Lightness of Scones . I don’t think I have actually read it, but being familiar with the tenor of the Scotland Street novels, I … Continue reading The Scone Effect
I wouldn’t normally comment on a book before it’s finished, but since this one has already taken up a fair chunk of my life (and crossed several countries with me!) I think an interim report might be allowed. The Lacuna is the life-story (we start at the age of thirteen and I assume we are going to … Continue reading The Lacuna
Call me cynical, but when a reviewer says that main character or even ‘star’ of a novel is a city or a country, I’ve learned to adopt a certain suspicion. Yes, I can think of dozens of books across both literary and commercial genres where the setting is a hugely memorable element of the story, but not … Continue reading The Glass Room
A month or two ago I was at the paperback launch in Bath of Kissing Mr. Wrong by local writer Sarah Duncan but only got round to reading it last week when it was a welcome distraction from the grim realities of jury service. But although this is a light read, it certainly isn’t frivolous, … Continue reading Kissing Mr. Wrong
Ali Bacon, Author 