The Two Faces of January – Patricia Highsmith

1964  Crime Writers Association Best Foreign Novel Chester MacFarland is on the run, the American agencies are catching up with his life of stock manipulation and fraud.   We meet him and his wife, Collette, on an extended tour of Europe, changing identities as needs must.  But in Greece, a local agent spots them.  Within 4 [...]

Read Full Post »

Royal Highness – Thomas Mann

Choosing what to read after a 5-star experience is always difficult.  What can possibly follow without being a disappointment?  Inevitably I pick a favourite/established author – preferably a dead one – so that the risk of readerly disappointment is minimised, harsh judgements from the keyboard tempered and the chance of a wounded literary ego eradicated.  It was in [...]

Read Full Post »

TSS: Culture Vultury (2) : A Night out with Burns

Were it possible that he had he lived,  Robert Burns would be 250 today.  Instead Scotland is celebrating the life and works of its national poet.  It is the day of the Burns supper; the dram, neeps, tatties and that Scottish culinary delight – the haggis.  Now as I have mentioned before I love the dish, and so to mark [...]

Read Full Post »

On my shelves from Dorling Kindersley (and a competition I can enter too)

I love Dorling Kindersley books.  Here’s a small sample from my collection … bought as an educational library for my son, they reverted to my ownership when he flew the nest.  While he outgrew them,  I didn’t and,  I suspect, I never will.  These are robust hardbacks – full of knowledge, beautiful photography and diagrams.  Apart [...]

Read Full Post »

Movie to Book: What A Carve Up! – Jonathan Coe

It’s a mark of the rapid rise of Jonathan Coe’s “What A Carve Up!” to contemporary classic status that there are so many editions in print. I read the one on the left. But if you prefer a classic orange penguin look and feel, there’s the one on the right. Or if you prefer something [...]

Read Full Post »

TSS: Culture Vultury (1) – The Vaughan Bequest

A new series on Lizzy’s Literary Life, which is beginning to take on a (selected) diary alterego. I’ve always been a culture vulture. It’s only when I lived in Germany, that I decided to take a month long rail tour of the UK! This was pre-marriage, pre-motherhood, pre-digital photography. So while we’re at it, let’s [...]

Read Full Post »

Niccolo Ammaniti Night – The Time and Place to be

between 20:00 and 22:00 GMT on Wednesday 14.01.2009 is at The World Literature Forum where prize-winning Italian author, Niccola Ammaniti, author of  I’m Not Scared and The Crossroads, is subjecting himself to an online interrogation Q&A with forum members  …. See you there?

Read Full Post »

TSS on TSS: The Skeleton In The Closet – Louisa May Alcott

  The Short Story on The Sunday Salon Extracted from Plots and Counterplots: More Unknown Thrillers of Louisa May Alcott I came across this book as I was hunting down something to read from the 1870′s for last year’s decades challenge.  There’s nothing from the 1870′s in it but this book became an irresistible addition [...]

Read Full Post »

TSS: And the winner (of Land of Marvels) is ….

10 entries and one winner selected at random.org. Here are your random numbers: 4 Timestamp: 2009-01-10 19:49:47 UTC Congratulations, raidergirl3!  A great novel will soon be on its way to you.  Please email your details to lizzysiddal at yahoo dot com. Thanks to all entrants for the great historical novel suggestions also. I haven’t read [...]

Read Full Post »

A Book of The Year Giveway

R N Morris’s A Vengeful Longing was my historical crime fiction read of 2008.  The author, himself, is hosting a signed copy giveaway.  Hie thee over to Roger’s Plog for a chance to bag yourself a fantastic read!

Read Full Post »