'I don't know why I say it!': Prue Leith says 'perhaps' she'll stop joking about calories on GBBO after being slammed by eating disorder campaignersĮmmerdale's Aaron Anthony 'dramatically QUITS soap' as he is 'bitterly angry with two of his co-stars who are facing race probe'
The Midnight Lock by Jeffery Deaver (HarperCollins £14.99) is published on November 25. Still, I will say I remain impressed with Wallace’s vast imagination and mesmerised by his soaring writing style.
I was intrigued because the book has been described as a masterpiece of post-modern fiction and hints that it might be a retelling of Hamlet.īut then things got complicated: I found myself lost trying to piece together the story, and intimidated by the length and quantity of endnotes. I’m sorry to admit that I was defeated by Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace. Once you read Bond, you can never go back to Pooh. The plot was simple enough for me to follow at that age and Fleming was discreet about romance and violence, so it was mostly appropriate. I was about eight when I read the book and I was enthralled by the singular hero, as well as the exoticism and richness of the characters and setting. And to top it off, what does Tolkien do but make the experience even headier for people like me, language buffs, by creating a half dozen tongues for his characters? That might inspire me to do the same, as I sit under a palm tree, awaiting rescue.įrom Russia With Love by Ian Fleming. I have used the novels as a model for my own stories, even though I write in the crime, not fantasy, genre. Not only is it a masterfully told epic tale, but its structure, pace and tone are perfect templates for authors writing in any genre. Until some author pens Surviving On A Desert Island For Fun And Profit, I’ll go with Tolkien’s The Lord Of The Rings. Their alarming and articulate message: we are living in a time where all four threats are present. history in which one or two of four threats they have identified have endangered the institution of democracy. Like many Americans, I have been troubled by the polarisation in politics and the rise of movements, and demigods, that I find worrisome.
Four Threats: The Recurring Crises Of American Democracy by Suzanne Mettler and Robert C.