RLB’s weekly recommendations
The list of entertainers who have tried their hand at writing for children is really quite long – but the number who have been successful is very short. Top of that list is David Walliams who has just released his third collection of stories about the World’s Worst Children! Within these pages we meet Bonnie … Continue reading Book of the Week, 9th June 2018
They say no news is good news. But what that means, of course, is that the stories in our newspapers and TV bulletins tend mostly to be bad news. And in turn our view of the world is coloured by this tendency. This book analyses that negative influence on our world view – and it … Continue reading Book of the Week, May 26th 2018
After six gruelling years working as a junior doctor Adam Kay’s medical career ended abruptly after a particularly traumatic experience. He had recorded his journey from House Officer through to Senior Registrar in dairies and, discovering a talent for writing and performing, he turned his experiences first into a stand-up musical comedy show and eventually … Continue reading Book of the Week, May 19th 2018
It’s pretty clear how some birds got their names. Blackcap and whitethroat for instance are simply descriptive. Or cuckoo and screech owl where the song or call is referenced. Then there are birds like the woodpecker or flycatcher whose name describes their behaviour. But for most birds the name is a puzzle. The bearded tit … Continue reading Book of the Week, May 12th 2018
This moving and compassionate novel features Jen Maddox and her 15 year-old daughter, Lana. They have the kind of fractured and turbulent relationship, not unusual between parents and their teenage children but one night, midway through a painting retreat in the Peak District, Lana disappears without trace. After four days she is finally found. She … Continue reading Book of the Week, May 5th 2018
It is so easy to overlook the interesting things we walk past every day, For instance, the pillar box just outside our shop is really a rather special large capacity, double aperture George V model! One of a good many rare pillar boxes amongst the 107 located around Colchester. During the last war London’s first … Continue reading Book of the Week, April 28th 2018