The Complete Short Stories of W. Somerset Maugham (Vol. III)

The Complete Short Stories of W. Somerset Maugham (Vol. III)
Maugham was a witty fellow. This collection of short stories features the British agent Ashenden – who it is said inspired Ian Fleming’s Bond. { particularly in Ian Fleming’s accounts of James Bond’s dealings with M}
In any case, they revolve around the First World War – [...]

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Notepad: I’ve been reading..

The Holy Blood – Holy Grail – Michael Baigent, Richard Leigh and Henry Lincoln (1982)

Written as a follow up to a BBC documentary, this is the book where the authors presented an ‘audacious’ and groundbreaking hypothesis : theories which of course have achieved notoriety in the shape of Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code. [...]

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Zadie Smith: On Beauty

Zadie Smith discusses her latest book ‘On Beauty’ at Wanstead Library this Saturday – 29th July.

This is her third novel and was published in 2005, and won the 2006 Orange Prize for Fiction. It’s been referred to in a lot of reviews as a ‘homage to EM Forster’.
Starts at 7.00 p.m. and tickets [...]

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Ring

Ring – Koji Suzuki 
 
Published in 1991 – the book behind the cult movie/s. Has been since translated into English and published by HarperCollins.
The guardian review referred to this as 'postmodern japanese terror' – well however you choose to phrase it – it was certainly that. Postmodern – perhaps because there are no gory scenes – [...]

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The Summer House : Christobel Kent

from the blurb on the back cover:
“Rose Fell’s friends think she’s taking a big risk when she leaves the security of home and career to move to the beautiful but isolated village of Grosso, near Genoa. But after a year of emotional turmoil Rose no longer has any ties back home, and she relishes the [...]

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Beautiful Bodies

beautiful bodies – laura shaine cunningham
painfully honest and reflexive. i don't often read too many books that deal honestly with certain aspects of 'female friendship' – the group dynamics, peer pressure, the bully of the group that no-one actually likes but are too kind and diplomatic to do anything about. it reveals the frustration that [...]

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Subterranean London

‘London under London: A Subterranean Guide’
by Richard Trench and Ellis Hillman. Published by John Murray Ltd. New edition 1994
A wonderfully fascinating- and- highly informative account and details of subterranean London. From the history of digging beneath the streets, tunnels under the Thames, the history of the Underground, the ‘lost’rivers that have ‘gone’ under, the Blitz [...]

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Green Tea

Green Tea and Other Tales by Sheridan LeFanu
Irish writer born in 1814 well known for his ghost stories and supernaturalist fiction. M.R. James was a great fan of his work. He published his vampire story Carmilla in 1872 – predating Bram Stoker's Dracula – ( it is theorized that Stoker was possibly influenced by Carmilla).
the [...]

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images from old books

A lovely resource i've found via Leighton Cooke – From Old Books : here you can find scanned images, engravings and pictures from old books.
"Remains of Ruined Castles, Deserted Abbeys, Old Manor Houses, mansions and stately homes.."
Ah..

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Persian Pictures

Persian Pictures by Gertrude Bell (1892) London: Ernest Benn Ltd.
her first published work : a poetic travelogue full of sensuous imagery. after finishing at Oxford, Gertrude Bell went out to Tehran in May 1892 where her uncle had a posting.
"Here in the dust and the sunshine is an epitome of the living East, and standing [...]

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