There’s walls, and then there’s WALLS
On my new album, “Ticket to Mars”, the fourth track is “The Great Wall”. Cōdae · The Great Wall TheContinue Reading
Author: M. Bijman
Avid reader, longtime writer of book reviews and literary analyses. Interested in literature, creativity and cognition, language and linguistics, musicology, and technology. Occasionally writes poems and bits of music.
Nothing more needs to be said
On this fine Spring morning, I woke up to this post from Nick Cave, on his Red Hand Files. NothingContinue Reading
What’s Nick Cave reading on holiday?
I take advice from my favourite writers on what to read. This morning, Nick Cave wrote about his holiday readingContinue Reading
Creative Process Discussion of genre Discussion of lyrics Discussion of media getting published music
Think on thy soul, for once
The header, “Think on thy soul, for once”, refers to the line by “Othello” to “Desdemona” in William Shakespeare’s play,Continue Reading
Poems about cats – What is it with poets and cats?
The Internet is full of blogs and Reddits and substacks and vlogs and IG feeds of people with their cats,Continue Reading
So THAT’S why it tickles your toes!
I found out long ago, that because of the way your brain processes visual information, for instance what you read,Continue Reading
Ancient texts Backstories Creative Process Discussion of lyrics Discussion of poetry Historical texts
The skills and talents of the nobility – Hype or reality?
Last week there was a mean little news snippet in the UK media about Sarah Ferguson – Sarah, Duchess ofContinue Reading
A spy thriller for connoisseurs of the genre – The Collector by Daniel Silva
Until a fellow bookworm told me about Daniel Silva, I did not even know this author existed. I found outContinue Reading
How Japan is to a gaijin – Abroad in Japan, by Chris Broad
This morning, Jan. 1, 2024, I woke up to news of a series of high-magnitude earthquakes on the West coastContinue Reading
Thank goodness for Jack Reacher – Reacher, Season 2
I am watching the second season of the TV show, Reacher. It premiered on Dec. 15, 2023. The first oneContinue Reading
Discussion of writing style Mysteries and Thrillers Review of Mysteries and Thrillers Review of new book
Close to the bone, or perhaps prescient? – The Defector, by Chris Hadfield
When it comes to aeronautics, Commander Christ Hadfield knows what he’s talking about. So, when I read his latest novel,Continue Reading
I ‘m not falling for the clichés this year – In search of the true meaning of Christmas
Am I a Scrooge for not wanting to do the usual this year and send out packs of Christmas cardsContinue Reading
Art-themed Fiction Arts-themed novels Comic books Discussion of writing style Review of literary fiction Review of modern fiction Review of new book
Failed to finish it – Tom Hanks’ “The Making of…”
This novel has a long title; The Making of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece. It alliterates nicely, and I’m sureContinue Reading
Art-themed Fiction Discussion of writing style Review of Biographical Fiction Review of historical fiction Review of literary fiction Review of new book
Time-travel into a nightmarish moment in history – The Marriage Portrait, by Maggie O’Farrell
Maggie O’Farrell wrote the sublime historical novel Hamnet and Judith, about the children of William Shakespeare. She has a wonderfulContinue Reading
Constructed World Novel Discussion of genre Discussion of writing style Review of new book Review of new science fiction Review of science fiction Review of Science Fiction and Fantasy Review of Thriller
Insurrection and corruption skillfully sorted – Contrarian, by L.E. Modesitt, Jr.
I’d been slavering for Contrarian, having really enjoyed the previous two novels in L.E. Modesitt Jr.’s The Grand Illusion trilogy,Continue Reading
The worst film I’ve ever seen
Let me tell you about a movie that is so bad in every way that I felt obliged to watchContinue Reading
Who knew Norse Mythology could be funny? – Norse Mythology, by Neil Gaiman
I was reading Neil Gaiman’s Norse Mythology, his retelling of the stories of the Old Norse gods that are containedContinue Reading
Simply This: Words of Praise and a Melody to Match
Psalm 139 is serious, deep and grave in tone, as befits a plea to God. When King David wrote it,Continue Reading
A Poem about Fall
It is Autumn here, or Fall, and let me not get into how and why the season has different namesContinue Reading
Ancient texts Backstories Creative Process Discussion of lyrics Discussion of poetry Historical texts
Getting to Grips with Transcendent Verses from a Dark and Dangerous Time
One tends to apply your own ideas and values – and judgment – to just about everything you hear andContinue Reading
One Sentence, One Puzzle from Medieval Times
When I wrote the lyrics for my song, “Havn”, I was getting rid of an earworm that had been hauntingContinue Reading
What happens when you poke around in ancient documents…gods and heroes!
“`Curiouser and curiouser!’ cried Alice (she was so much surprised, that for the moment she quite forgot how to speakContinue Reading
Words are the only victors
The conclusion of Victory City, Salman Rushdie’s latest novel, is an end to the novel, and an end to theContinue Reading
Gotta feed the algorithm, but ain’t got the energy
An associate of mine said to me a while ago that he was very busy “because he had to feedContinue Reading
Art-themed Fiction Arts-themed novels Discussion of writing style Künstlerroman music Review of literary fiction
Purposeful and puzzling crookedness – The Crooked Little Pieces Vol. 1, by Sophia Lambton
The word “crooked” in the title of this novel, the first in a series of seven, only partially describes it.Continue Reading
A richly detailed, feminism-themed fantasy – Victory City by Salman Rushdie
Victory City is a showcase for Salman Rushdie’s ability to create an entire new world in a novel – inContinue Reading
A Wee Bit of Silliness – “It Wants Eating, Does It?”
Ah, it’s Spring and time for Spring-cleaning. (Happy Belated First of May!) When I was looking into the freezer toContinue Reading
Discussion of author’s portfolio Discussion of writing style Review of Crime Novel Review of Mysteries and Thrillers Review of new book Review of novel
Another day, another dead bad guy, another win for Reacher (and why I like it)
No Plan B is the most recently published Jack Reacher novel. Ignore, as you should, that suspect line on theContinue Reading
Current events Discussion of author’s portfolio Discussion of current events Humor Humour Review of Fantasy
Am I sad, mad or glad about this?
I stumbled on an announcement this week – as happens when you are mindlessly browsing the Interweb, that a newContinue Reading
Constructed World Novel Forthcoming Publications Review of new book Review of Science Fiction and Fantasy
Is the whole thing an illusion? – Councilor, by L.E. Modesitt Jr.
Councilor is no. 2 in the Grand Illusion series by L.E. Modesitt Jr. I am committed to reading the entireContinue Reading
The best response to the GPT controversy
GPT stands for Generative pre-trained transformers (GPT), a family of language models by OpenAI, that are generally trained on aContinue Reading
Now I know what generosity of spirit means
Allow me to get personal for once: Usually I try to remain objective and businesslike when I write on theseContinue Reading
Harry Hole and Horrible Homicides – Knife by Jo Nesbø
If your eyes are fine, do not read a book in large print format. I’m sure the format is indispensableContinue Reading
The result of Sunday afternoon boredom: A song about Mining
During the long dark tea-time of the soul in the last months of 2022, I found my myself looking forContinue Reading
Comic books Constructed World Novel Discussion of film/TV series Discussion of genre Review of Horror Fiction
That’s not how it’s supposed to go! – Sticking with Conventions (Not)
When authors write in the form of a specific genre, let’s say, Historical Fiction, there is always the play-off betweenContinue Reading
A New Winter Poemlet
We were schlepping through the deep snow on the trail near our house a few weeks ago, and it wasContinue Reading
A Moan about a Supernumerary
The biggest book news so far this year is about Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and the uproar caused byContinue Reading
Welcome to 2023 – Time for a fresh reading list
Like it or lump it, the new year is upon us. “They” say (based on unknown data sources and noContinue Reading
About Sunday afternoon boredom and a song about Mining
This time of year I think of times gone by, of people I know and used to know, of absentContinue Reading
In 2022 I took the road less travelled by – And it was different and better
Seven Circumstances toddled along nicely this year, according to the site stats: Year Views Visitors Total 2012The birth of aContinue Reading
Once more, say it together: Good night, Night Vale. Good night.
I was charmed by the world of “Night Vale”, that strange desert town run by aliens, hairy monsters and disembodiedContinue Reading
Because it’s snowing today
Because it is snowing today – snowing properly, so that the snow is lying smooth and thick and perfect overContinue Reading
Stomach-turning: A Ballet of Lepers, by Leonard Cohen
Leonard Cohen, the famous musician, poet and lyricist, wrote the stories collected in A Ballet of Lepers in his youngContinue Reading
Today I learned about “pilsa”
I was reading about J.M. Coetzee‘s latest novel called El Polaco, which he has published first in Spanish, not English,Continue Reading
Backstories Discussion of writing style Modern fiction Realistic Fiction Review of modern fiction Review of new book Review of novel Review of translated novel Translated work
A peculiar Pandora’s Box – Red Milk, by Sjón
Sjón’s latest book, Red Milk, came out in English on Sept 21, 2022 and I got it as soon asContinue Reading
Looking at portraits looking back at us – The Man in the Red Coat, by Julian Barnes
This is a truly intriguing biography: a mystery brilliantly unravelled by a literary detective. It’s 288 pages long with noContinue Reading
Avatars, pen names, pseudonyms and the 4th Horseman of the Apocalypse
Isn’t it funny how things go round and round? It’s probably human nature to keep repeating history, but it sometimesContinue Reading
Goodbye Vangelis, Dame Hilary and Raymond Briggs
It’s weird how things coincide. There I was today, picking out some CDs I wanted to listen to again fromContinue Reading
A short, sharp reach: Jack Reacher – Better Off Dead
First things first: This novel is co-authored by Lee Child and Andrew Child. And in case you look at theirContinue Reading
Discussion of writing style Review of anthology Review of essay collection Review of Humor Review of new book
David Sedaris is sad – and no wonder – and so am I
David Sedaris has amused and entertained his readers with his road shows and the collections of his essays, Squirrel SeeksContinue Reading
Waiting for these new books
In my previous post I gave myself a stern warning to not have preconceived notions about new books from authorsContinue Reading
I just could not get into it – The Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki
There is such a thing as an intended audience: when a writer produces a book outline for a publisher, itContinue Reading
critiques Discussion of writing style Review of essay collection Review of memoir Review of new book reviewers reviews
TIL: Interesting things about author Hilary Mantel and “Mantel Pieces”
Dame Hilary Mantel, author of the Wolf Hall trilogy, used to be a book reviewer. I did not know that,Continue Reading
Sp(r)outing nonsense? The how-to of reviewing
On YouTube, the ultimate destination for everyone who has an opinion they want to share, there are many rants andContinue Reading
For once, something truly meaningful
I have been feeling very down lately, quite discouraged, because I am in the process of being retrained. I cannotContinue Reading
Novels on the list for a 2022 Hugo Award – Have you read them?
I was gratified to notice that I have not completely fallen off the planet in terms of my awareness ofContinue Reading
Aspiring to apotheosis – She Who Became the Sun, by Shelley Parker-Chan
She Who Became the Sun is a novel which, for the most part, reads like Historical Fiction, and as itContinue Reading
Constructed World Novel Discussion of genre Discussion of writing style Review of Fantasy Review of new book
L.E. Modesitt Jr. redefines the term “isolate” with new novel
I am late to contribute to the raft of praise for L.E. Modesitt’s latest Fantasy book series, The Grand Illusion.Continue Reading
Today, like Hamlet, Prince of Denmark…
A particular speech by “Hamlet, Prince of Denmark”, often runs through my mind, and usually, I am singing the words.Continue Reading
What happens when you mix up languages in lyrics? Check out PSY, SUGA, and Adriano Celentano
PSY released his album PSY 9th on April 29, 2022, and I got the album immediately, because I like PSY.Continue Reading
Ha! Told you so. I was right about Neil Gaiman
After last week’s post, when I wrote about my reassessment of Neil Gaiman’s writing, I thought, oh dear, what ifContinue Reading
Backstories Creative Process Discussion of writing style Review of anthology Review of Fantasy Reviews of short stories
Don’t say you weren’t warned – Neil Gaiman’s Trigger Warning
On April 28, 2022, Neil Gaiman started doing again what all writers do when they make a living as aContinue Reading
Real and fictional geisha and what to read
Seven Circumstances investigates In my previous post about The Tale of Genji and The Tale of Murasaki, I mentioned thatContinue Reading
It is Spring – Here’s a lento for a tulip
The tulips came up a treat this month, and our little garden is looking quite festive. Posting on Facebook, myContinue Reading
It’s only ten days but it feels like forever – The Lincoln Highway, by Amor Towles
Amor Towles wrote the excellent novel, A Gentleman in Moscow (2019), which I thoroughly enjoyed. It received a lot ofContinue Reading
Backstories CanLit Review of modern fiction Review of new book Review of Thriller Review of translated novel
When absolute belief leads to absolute ruin – Firebrands, by Marc Ménard
If you want to really discover literature, you should read about subjects that you don’t know or don’t like. It’sContinue Reading
Backstories Creative Process getting published List of top books Review of translated novel Translated work
So many ways to get lost in translation…
A multilingual perspective Yesterday, someone asked me how my Spanish, Portuguese and French skills are, because those are the languagesContinue Reading
Where does inspiration come from? (and a poem about music)
I recently completed a collection of compositions that share the theme of heat. It’s called Thermós, and, until today, IContinue Reading
Creative Process Discussion of writing style Review of classical fiction Review of classical novel Review of historical fiction Review of translated novel
Two tales of Japan of more than a thousand years ago – The Tale of Genji and The Tale of Murasaki
Tension between Russia and Japan is increasing at the moment, because of the disputed nation status of the Kuril Islands,Continue Reading
Ever felt like it’s too quiet? Here’s a poem about that.
People have grown used to being in each other’s company all the time during the past two years, what withContinue Reading
I recognize that lump of rock – Alexa, what is there to know about love, by Brian Bilston
I’m intrigued by those things called Google Easter Eggs – which is the result you get if you type aContinue Reading
My new blog goes live
This weekend my new blog went live. It’s about my music, under the artist name I’ve picked, Cōdae. It isContinue Reading
Vampire Like Farms – What are the alternatives?
Regarding my rant against the sellers of fake reviews: If I look at the online presences of artists, I noticeContinue Reading
The Scourge of Vampire Like Farms
The heading does not have a grammar mistake: I am referring to the businesses – also called farms – thatContinue Reading
Josiah Bancroft’s “Books of Babel” Tetralogy Goes Out with an Almighty Bang (3)
This post concludes my review of the Fantasy novel, The Fall of Babel, by Josiah Bancroft, the last in theContinue Reading
Josiah Bancroft’s “Books of Babel” Tetralogy Goes Out with an Almighty Bang (2)
Fans of Josiah Bancroft’s popular series, The Books of Babel, had to wait two long years for The Fall ofContinue Reading
Constructed World Novel Discussion of writing style New Fiction Review of Fantasy Review of new book
Josiah Bancroft’s “Books of Babel” Tetralogy Goes Out with an Almighty Bang
Fans of Josiah Bancroft’s popular series, The Books of Babel, had to wait two long years for The Fall ofContinue Reading
A rant in rhyme in praise of rain
The header image of this post is worded “un noo po-him”, or “ə ˈnuː ˈpoʊəm”, phonetically spelled: a new poem.Continue Reading
The “accidental dance between collected memory and influence” – Nick Cave’s affectionate honesty (2)
In the previous post, I wrote about how much I enjoy Nick Cave’s Red Hand Files. A recent Red HandContinue Reading
How to be kind to your fans – Nick Cave’s affectionate honesty (1)
The Red Hand Files, musician Nick Cave’s responses to questions from his fans, readers and listeners, has passed the 180Continue Reading
Hopefully, your opening line does not need a possum
I wondered what would happen if I added the random sentence, “But one day they found themselves on a possum woolContinue Reading
Art Creative Process Discussion of lyrics Historical Nonfiction music Music Criticism Music History musicians review of biography
What is your unguilty pleasure? – ENYA, by Chilly Gonzales
Musician Chilly Gonzales (born Jason Charles Beck) hates bananas. I’m not that fond of bananas myself. It’s that sticky, doughyContinue Reading
Looking back on this year
Looking at the stats on this blog for this year, our Annus Horribilis II, the previous horrible year being 2020,Continue Reading
What does he mean – “later”?
Later was published on March 2, 2021, as a paperback Hard Case Crime edition from Titan Books, London, UK. ItContinue Reading
Too good not to repost
I got news this morning from one of my favourite television writers, Brent Butt – and I just had toContinue Reading
It cheers you up and also freaks you out a little – A Carnival of Snackery, by David Sedaris
David Sedaris keeps a diary, for the same reasons, I suspect, as do other high-profile social commentators and journalists, likeContinue Reading
You’re a writer – What is your time worth?
Over the years I have discovered that people, for many reasons, give their services or creative products away for free,Continue Reading
When a novelist turns to poetry
Poetry within Fiction: sometimes, for the sake of fully portraying a character, a writer may invent the poetry, stories orContinue Reading
A poem about the first snowfall of the season
Today was the first snowfall of the Winter, and we woke up to the brightness of snow blanketing everything outsideContinue Reading
“…Peace in a little heap of vivid dust” – The Leopard, by Tomasi di Lampedusa
Because I absolutely loved Lampedusa, by Steven Price, I had to go back to the novel which caused all theContinue Reading
Are you familiar with any of these contenders for awards?
It’s book awards season again, alas. I used to be one of those tail-wagging puppies that practically did zoomies whenContinue Reading
Discussion of genre Discussion of writing style List of similar books Review of new book Review of new novel
Getting the hang of the Chinese novel
Updated discussion and reviews After many years of reading and reviewing novels by Chinese authors, that have been translated into English,Continue Reading
All the little angels…
There’s a thing that really good authors do – and I don’t know what’s the word for it – theyContinue Reading
A winner of an alien – Project Hail Mary, by Andy Weir
Andy Weir’s latest Sci-Fi novel is on the subject of the end of the world: the sun is cooling downContinue Reading
Authors to watch crime fiction Discussion of writing style Modern fiction Review of Mysteries and Thrillers Review of new book
A few words more on The Apollo Murders, by Chris Hadfield
Here are my final thoughts about The Apollo Murders, by Chris Hadfield: would using Cyrillic in the text have beenContinue Reading
Authors to watch crime fiction Discussion of writing style Modern fiction Review of Mysteries and Thrillers Review of new book
Writing from rare experience – The Apollo Murders, by Chris Hadfield
So, if you had to pick someone to write a Crime Thriller about astronauts and space missions in the lateContinue Reading
Horrible lyrics and pitiful prose
My guilty pleasure is reading bad writing and then making savage but unspoken criticisms of it. It’s easy to lambastContinue Reading
Can you actually recite a famous poem? Bet you can’t.
I thunk me a thought these past few days, which was this: people were telling huge fibs about poetry, judgingContinue Reading
Award-winning novel Creative Process Discussion of writing style Literary analysis New Non-Fiction Readers and reading Review of historical fiction Review of literary fiction
A man on the roof of a 70-storey building – Wolf Hall, by Hilary Mantel
Wolf Hall is 672 pages long. It is 672 pages in which every single line and every single word haveContinue Reading
Ah well, “to be” it is…
This post concludes with my findings on what to do about my WordPress blogs, considering all the changes in technology.Continue Reading
Discussion of film/TV series Humor Humour Review of Autobiography Review of Humor Review of new book
There shall be no hugging – Is This Anything?, by Jerry Seinfeld
Humour and comedy, these days, are minefields – full of potential explosions of public vitriol and outrage. One minute aContinue Reading
A poem about a Declaration
When you are waiting for someone to say something that you really, really want to hear, even the softest whisperContinue Reading
Revealing the real story behind modern pop music – John Seabrook interview
John Seabrook’s non-fiction writing is the manifestation of his public image. The websites I have found that are dedicated toContinue Reading
Discussion of film/TV series Discussion of writing style Modern fiction Review of modern fiction Review of new book
It’s got MacGuffins! – Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, by Quentin Tarantino
After my wee bit of silliness last week, here is my actual review of Once Upon a Time in HollywoodContinue Reading
To Be or Not To Be…?
On WordPress, that is. Here follow the confessions of a cynic. As of October, there will be a hiatus onContinue Reading
Discussion of film/TV series Discussion of writing style Modern fiction Review of modern fiction Review of new book
Now for the book: Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, by Quentin Tarantino
A review to suit a modern fairytale Once upon a time… Once upon a time, in a big, shiny cityContinue Reading
Listen to this – Feel it
I am a fan of Nick Cave, and subscribe to his Red Hand Files communiques in which he answers questionsContinue Reading
Your brain wants to be happy! The Song Machine, by John Seabrook (cont.)
As someone who has taken to making music using Logic Pro, John Seabrook’s book about song factories fascinated me. IContinue Reading
Music with hooks like talons – The Song Machine, by John Seabrook
Anyone who is a musician will recognize the image on the cover of John Seabrook’s book: it is a quaverContinue Reading
The people are revolting, are they?
Seven Circumstances investigates People in my family like to say “the people are revolting” whenever we see a riot orContinue Reading
Mahmoud Darwish died 13 years ago today, but his words are immortal
One of the artists to whom Leila Marshy refers in her novel The Philistine, which I recently reviewed, is theContinue Reading
Bitter days, sweet days – The Philistine, by Leila Marshy
When I first had this novel in my hands, I looked at the decidedly odd cover design (thinking “What’s thisContinue Reading
Backstories Discussion of film/TV series Published books Readers and reading Review of literary fiction
The origins of “Waiting for the Barbarians”
Uncomfortable truths aplenty come to mind when you read and absorb J.M. Coetzee’s famous dystopian narrative, Waiting for the Barbarians.Continue Reading
So you want to be a writer?
On the subscription film channel, MUBI, there’s a documentary about the writer Charles Bukowski (1920 – 1994), who wrote acerbic,Continue Reading
Discussion of writing style Readers and reading Review of new book Review of new science fiction Science Fiction
Can you feel for Klara? – Klara and the Sun, by Kazuo Ishiguro
The catch in Klara and the Sun, the latest, highly-anticipated novel by acclaimed British author Kazuo Ishiguro, is that theContinue Reading
Creative Process Discussion of writing style Review of literary fiction Review of modern fiction Review of new book Reviews of short stories
Finally – Then what happened? in First Person Singular, by Haruki Murakami
While looking at First Person Singular, by acclaimed Japanese author Haruki Murakami, I asked myself three questions in order toContinue Reading
A small poem about Spring
I was baking and heard the birds through the open window, and thought, these things mean it’s Spring. SIGNS TheContinue Reading
Discussion of author’s portfolio Discussion of writing style Humor Humour Review of memoir Review of new book
How to recognize your own particular monster – Broken, by Jenny Lawson
If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to be Jenny Lawson, the witty author and “Bloggess“, this book will explainContinue Reading
Creative Process Discussion of writing style Review of literary fiction Review of modern fiction Review of new book Reviews of short stories
The most important thing in First Person Singular, by Haruki Murakami
Trying to make sense of the new collection of stories by Japanese author Haruki Murakami, I asked the question: WhatContinue Reading
Creative Process Discussion of writing style Review of literary fiction Review of modern fiction Review of new book Review of translated novel Reviews of short stories
What is it about? – First Person Singular, by Haruki Murakami
Acclaimed Fantasy author Neil Gaiman teaches in his Masterclass course on The Art of Storytelling, that a writer and aContinue Reading
It all depends on how you look at it…
As my reward for having gotten through 2020 without any major ructions, while at the same time staying productive, IContinue Reading
Discussion of film/TV series Discussion of writing style Review of new book Review of science fiction
Hell hath no wrath like a disappointed Star Trek Fan
The plot, settings and characters of Star trek Picard – The Last Best Hope, were predetermined, and only needed toContinue Reading
Discussion of writing style Modern fiction Review of historical fiction Review of modern fiction Review of new book
Family sagas, Socialism and Chile – A Long Petal of the Sea, by Isabel Allende
The latest novel by Isabel Allende is a family saga that depicts the modern history of Chile as well asContinue Reading
author Current events Discussion of writing style Humor Humour Modern fiction psychology Review of modern fiction Review of new book
A novel for anxious people by Fredrik Backman
Fredrik Backman’s latest novel, Anxious People, published in Sept. 2020, is well-timed, written for people who feel anxious in theseContinue Reading
(How) can a computer produce Bach chorales and Harry Potter books?
My discovery of the Google Doodle which celebrated the music of Johann Sebastian Bach started me on the road toContinue Reading
“Nothing comes from nothing.”
Pondering creativity When you have read and reviewed many books, as I have done, you eventually realize that even theContinue Reading
“Rooted” – A mono-rhyme poem
Here’s a new poem I’ve written, called “Rooted”. I saw these tangled, blood-red tree roots while we were out onContinue Reading
The downfall of Cromwell – The Mirror and the Light, by Hilary Mantel (Part 4 of 4)
In the previous three posts, I looked deeper into the third and last part of Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall Trilogy.Continue Reading
What is “too long”? – The Mirror and the Light, by Hilary Mantel (Part 3 of 4)
In this post I continue to analyze the long and deeply nuanced historical novel, The Mirror and the Light. Previously,Continue Reading
And now for something completely different
Blogging about books and literature is something that I’ve been doing for more than a decade and may perhaps continueContinue Reading
Who is the mirror, and who is the light? – The Mirror and the Light, by Hilary Mantel (Part 2 of 4)
This is a post in which I continue to analyze the impressively long and deeply nuanced historical novel, The MirrorContinue Reading
The Master of Economical Prose, Larry McMurtry, has died
Larry McMurtry has died. He passed away on March 25, 2021, in Archer City, Texas,US, at the age of 84Continue Reading
A historical figure comes to life – The Mirror and the Light, by Hilary Mantel (Part 1 of 4)
Review In the previous post, I showed my appreciation for the third and last part in Hilary Mantel’s Wolf HallContinue Reading
Complete and intense immersion – The Mirror and the Light, by Hilary Mantel
Having read every single page in the 883-page long historical novel The Mirror and the Light, by Hilary Mantel, IContinue Reading
Megalomaniac Masters and Monarchs (4) – He was not right in the head
Continuing with the theme of biographies and literary biographies of megalomaniac monarchs and leaders of nations, here is the fourthContinue Reading
Megalomaniac Masters and Monarchs (3) – Undone by Mysteries
The Last Empress, by Anchee Min, is the second in a set of two novels about the Chinese Qing DynastyContinue Reading
Discussion of writing style Historical Nonfiction Nonfiction Published books Review of Nonfiction Review of Reference Work
Megalomaniac Masters and Monarchs (2) – What is it with harems?
In this post, I continue looking at a select few biographies about mad, bad and dangerous monarchs and masters ofContinue Reading
Biographical Nonfiction Historical Nonfiction List of similar books Non-fiction Nonfiction Review of Biographical Fiction
Megalomaniac Masters and Monarchs (1) – The Juicy Biographies
In the last years of the 19th century and the first 20 or so years of the 20th century, AsiaContinue Reading
The Colours of Cold
I was thinking about a comment that Fran, one of the bloggers whom I follow, made the other day aboutContinue Reading
Constructed World Novel Review of new book Review of new science fiction Review of science fiction Science Fiction
If you’re the last – To Be Taught If Fortunate, by Becky Chambers
An elegantly worded, thoughtful and compelling novel about travellers in outer space who face a worse choice than life-or-death. ReviewContinue Reading
Nick Cave explains his departure from fictitious narrative songwriting
Nick Cave has become a writer of note in addition to being a celebrated musician, lyricist and composer. His blog,Continue Reading
Author interview Backstories Creative Process Discussion of writing style Readers and reading Review of previously published novel Review of translated novel
Dear BBC, what is there to know about Sjón?
Here is the sad tale of a quite discombobulated radio interview. In the post before this one I discussed theContinue Reading
Author interview Backstories Creative Process Discussion of writing style Readers and reading Review of previously published novel Review of translated novel
Performing to an empty room – Is there anyone out there?
The use of videotelephony software, such as Zoom, Facebook Live, Skype or Teams, for video and audio streaming of whatContinue Reading
Backstories Discussion of genre Discussion of writing style Readers and reading Review of Biographical Fiction Review of historical fiction
A Paraguayan Perspective on the Strange Case of the President of Paraguay and the Irish Courtesan
A few months ago, I wrote a piece about three novels that have as their subjects the former President ofContinue Reading
At the end of your tether with typos? Read this
I know from personal experience how tiresome and aggravating it is to pick up mistakes in something you’ve made afterContinue Reading
The Year In Books – Not bad for 2020
Seven Circumstances grew some more this year – the 10th year of its existence. Yes, it’s been ten years sinceContinue Reading
Video review of the Forbidden Zone
Here’s a less than 2-minute review of Jon Gliddon’s latest novel, The Forbidden Zone. It was easy to add graphicsContinue Reading
Constructed World Novel Discussion of writing style Review of new book Review of new science fiction Review of science fiction
Should have had “Raven” in the title – Quantum Shadows, by L.E. Modesitt Jr.
L.E. Modesitt Jr. is world-famous and has written a formidable list of Science Fiction and Fantasy novels, so long thatContinue Reading
Art-themed Fiction Arts-themed novels Authors to watch Creative Process Discussion of writing style Künstlerroman Review of historical fiction Review of literary fiction Review of new book
Wonderful! – Hamnet and Judith, by Maggie O’Farrell
For the first time in a very long while, I could feel tears coming to my eyes while I wasContinue Reading
Wise, timeless advice from Ray Bradbury
Ray Bradbury is regarded as the most famous and most celebrated writer of Science Fiction in the world. On JuneContinue Reading
SEVEN CIRCUMSTANCES 