A-Z of fantasy: K is for King

Dipping into my occasional A-Z of fantasy series... We are up to K. It's another letter that, owing to its aesthetic properties, is rather popular for naming things in fantasy. (Yes, letters can certainly have aesthetic properties!) But not all that much else it seems. And so we have KING. King - the male ruler … Continue reading A-Z of fantasy: K is for King

June reading: more love and mysteries

Still in mourning for Mary Stewart (read my tribute here), I re-read a couple more of her books in June. Set in Provence, France, Madam, will you talk? is the story of Charity, a young English widow, who's on holiday in Avignon when she befriends a young boy, David, whose father, Richard, has recently been … Continue reading June reading: more love and mysteries

March reading: psychics, farmers and superhumans

My March reading experience has been rather interesting. I kicked it off with a read-through of the messy first draft of mine own work in progress. I ploughed through a good chunk of it during a retreat weekend at the start of the month, then finished it off over the ensuing week. I've already discussed … Continue reading March reading: psychics, farmers and superhumans

What I read in 2013

It's becoming a habit of mine at the end of each year to reflect back on the books I've read in the past 12 months -- and invariably I decide the list is not long enough, or diverse enough, or recent enough and I resolve to do better. (Here's what I read in 2012.) This … Continue reading What I read in 2013

Seven fantasy favourites

It's funny, but when I sit down to list my all-time favourite fantasy novels or series, most of them are not what you'd call recent. In fact some of them are just plain old. Maybe this is because I believe favourites must stand the test of time and re-reading. Or maybe it's because I just … Continue reading Seven fantasy favourites