By Laura McCarthy. Like the undead, I amble half-awake to Saint Pancras, after a sleepless night in the hottest hostel room in the history of the world. This is how I begin my trip to Belgium and, due to the relentless heatwave, it is a state I will get...
Articles with the Tag books
Books: reading on my travels – Lie with Me by Philippe Besson
By Laura McCarthy I take a plane to Bergerac in July, the temperature already reaching 26 degrees by our 10am arrival in France. Once past the airport and business parks on the outskirts, the town itself appears to me as a well-preserved pressed flower between the pages of a...
Books: Series Retrospective -The Laundry Files by Charles Stross (2004-2026)
By Chris Taylor. ‘I asked why we had to leave the EU, in one of those informal breakout sessions at Number 10. … “Can’t bring back the death penalty without ditching the ECHR,” he replied. “Also, we need to get rid of free movement. Stop the blighters emigrating.” I...
Books – ‘Romantasy’ deserves respect, not derision
By Annabelle Clare. I talk a lot about books. They’re the cornerstone of my life, the start and the end of every day. They’re my primary form of escape and my absolute favourite hobby. But whenever I start talking about some of my favourite series, I feel almost embarrassed....
BANNED! Does a rising trend of book censorship mean we’re destined for Orwell’s Oceania after all?
By Laura McCarthy. It is a well known fact that George Orwell’s dystopian novel 1984 is the most banned book of all time. The irony of censoring literature which is prophetic of extreme censorship isn’t lost on most of us. You may well have heard of other past bans too, including...
Under the Covers – August: Meet prize-winning Totton-born author/illustrator Kim Hillyard
By books editor Carolyn Thomas. Images by Jasmine Joynson. In just a few years Totton-born children’s author and illustrator Kim Hillyard has cornered the market in life-enhancing stories featuring quirky animal heroes. So far she’s featured a fly, a hamster, and a mammoth in her beautifully illustrated stories for...