Earl Grey Tea and Lemon Polenta Cake with Fiona Robyn

The tradition on Lizzy’s Literary Life is to offer refreshments of choice to the author being interviewed.  We now know that Fiona Robyn’s palate is as discerning as her pen.  This lemon polenta cake is irresistible.  To warm up for the interview, Fiona and I discussed the comparisons between her novel and this particular cake …. not [...]

Read Full Post »

TSS: The Letters – Fiona Robyn

Fiona Robyn belongs  to a rare breed of authors.  The Letters is her debut novel but novels 2 and 3 already have scheduled publication dates.  No sweating over that tricky second novel then!  It also speaks volumes about the confidence of her publisher, Snowbooks.  They’re expecting her to do well  and they’ve packaged her books in a way that is [...]

Read Full Post »

I think, therefore iamb: Shakespeare on Toast – Ben Crystal

I’m a sucker for a good word play and so my favourite sentence from Ben Crystal’s “Shakespeare on Toast” is catapulted into the title of this blog post.  It makes me giggle and that can only be a good thing. The problem with Shakespeare is that he is taught in schools when kids are just [...]

Read Full Post »

Book Group: The Big Over Easy – Jasper Fforde

Take one egg (Humpty Dumpty), scramble (murder) and set the most underrated detective since Colombo on the case (Jack Spratt from the Nursery Crimes division) along with his side-kick (Mary, Mary).  How’s that for a premise? Daft certainly.  Dreadful?  Dazzling? We were split 50:50 split at the start of our book group.  But after our discussion, [...]

Read Full Post »

TSS: Food, glorious food ….

I haven’t gone round the twist – I’ve been that way for years!  Neither have I forgotten that this is is a booky blog … the egg, toast and ice-cream are visual clues to the reviews that are scheduled for this week – 3 books that formed my menu for the well-seasoned reading challenge. (You should be able [...]

Read Full Post »

The Earth Hums In B-Flat – Mari Strachan

Mari Strachan’s debut novel has only been available for 15 days and has already received a fair amount of online attention.  A good publisher is worth its weight in gold and Canongate really knows how to support  its authors and create a buzz.  Advance copies of Mari Strachan’s book were sent to bookgrouponline readers and willing volunteers [...]

Read Full Post »

Fleck – Alasdair Gray

What motivates a “a fat, spectacled, balding, increasingly old Glasgow pedestrian” (the author’s self-portrait) to take on Goethe and one of the most famous plays in the whole universe?  Writing a wrong. At 74 years of age, Alasdair Gray has decided the time has come to rectify the ending of Goethe’s Faust.  The story is well-known. [...]

Read Full Post »

TSS: A Literary Commission for Homecoming 2009

Homecoming 2009 is a calendar of events designed to draw diasporic Scots back to the homeland.  The powers that be determined this  a good thing to do in the 250th year since the birth of Robert Burns.   Scots who do come home during this calendar year can even claim a certificate commemorating their visit!  It is to [...]

Read Full Post »

World Book Day in the company of Alan Bennett

‘Twas world book day and Glasgow’s Aye Write  2009 started the proceedings with a national treasure - an English treasure to be sure but ssssssssssh – let’s not shout it from the rooftops.   On second thoughts let’s, if only because I luxuriated in the Northern English twangs of Bennett’s voice.  Aaaaaah – nostalgia is sometimes everything it’s cracked [...]

Read Full Post »

TSS: This could lead to a brief lull …..

  For the next 10 days Lizzy and her literary life are focused on  the Mitchell Library in Glasgow. The centre of the Glaswegian library system, the city archive and more importantly the venue for Glasgow’s Aye Write! literary festival.  The Mitchell library is located conveniently next to the M8 and is, therefore, very accessible.  I have at this [...]

Read Full Post »