THE NEVER-ENDING BOOK STORY

Welcome back to my Never-ending Book Story! Thanks for joining me. This lockdown gets stranger and, in many ways, harder as we go along. But, thankfully, this week I have come up with a much better way to test your eyesight than going for a test drive - read a book instead! In other news, I reached 500 followers on Twitter. It's not that big a number, I know, but still - it feels like an achievement. If you want to find me on Twitter, my handle is @blogneverending.  In this chapter, I've been reading Bram Stoker's classic novel, Dracula. And if you've never read it, then you really should. It's a fantastically entertaining novel and it's probably rather different to your expectations or preconceptions. There have been so many different versions and so many iconic images associated with the book have become part of the cultural landscape that it's difficult to separate them from the novel. I don't think I have seen a really faithful adaptation of the nove

Welcome along to Chapter 12 of The Never-ending Book Story. I hope you are well and staying nice and alert. The weather is improving again and that makes the lockdown a bit more bearable, doesn't it? Imagine if this had all kicked off in mid-November. I think we'd all be struggling a bit more if we were faced with constant rain and freezing cold weather. Mind you, it would be an excellent excuse to snuggle up with a great big pile of books in front of a blazing log fire.  I've slowly regained some concentration skills and am able, now, to read a lot more than I was at the start of the pandemic. I'm hoping to feel confident enough to take a little detour into The Mirror and the Light in the next week or two. I've been dipping regularly into The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstein which I would thoroughly recommend if 'fantasy fiction' floats your boat. It's beautiful and beguiling. Just the ticket for these troubling times. You'll recall from the last c

Welcome back to the Never-ending Book Story. I hope you are keeping well and staying safe and that you are finding the lockdown bearable. It seems to feel quite normal now. It's funny how something so drastic quickly becomes the accepted reality. My family and I feel very fortunate to be able to access peaceful, relaxing countryside within a few minutes walk of our house. With a 6-year-old boy in tow who needs to be exercised daily like a dog, we are thankful we have some empty, open space to utilise. Just lately we have really been enjoying connecting with the outside world and our son loves exploring and spotting wildlife. In the last few days alone, we have seen plenty of rabbits, butterflies and birds. Others, I know, are not quite so fortunate. As I mentioned in the previous chapter, there is something very calming about the natural world. It is so good for the mind to get out into the fresh air and to be among the trees, plants and wildlife.  I really feel for those who ca

Well, hello there and a very warm welcome back to the Never-ending Book Story to you!  It's been a funny few weeks to say the least, hasn't it? I've found it really hard to concentrate on reading - let alone blogging! I received my beautiful limited edition, cloth-bound, signed copy of The Mirror and the Light by Hilary Mantel and I just can't read it at the moment. Despite having waited YEARS for it. Its time will come. For now, I need something a bit more easy-going. I need escapism; anything to take me away from reality. What utterly astounding luck that Chapter 10 finds us up to our knees in the splendour of the English countryside (you'll recall from the previous chapter that Watership Down is actually a real place) with a visit to the rabbit warrens of Watership Down... ...More on the rabbits in a bit... Before I get into this chapter proper, I wanted to do a brief re-cap of where we have been on this never-ending journey so far - just because re

Welcome back and thanks for coming by again! In chapter eight , I was mesmerised by the beauty of Diane Setterfield's amazing novel Once Upon a River. Many of the books covered so far in the Never-ending Book Story (as well as many of the books I've read over the years) have featured incredibly detailed worlds and include maps which provide a visual representation of these intricate creations. I was gifted The Writer's Map (by my lovely wife) and thought this would be the ideal opportunity to explore imaginary worlds in more detail. It's a really stunning book to look at. A proper coffee table book. Plus a total treat for book lovers. This is the sort of book you can dip in and out of as the feeling takes you. It is, of course, richly illustrated with maps from a variety of sources. Each chapter is like a mini-essay from a well-known author or illustrator describing why maps are so important and so inspiring. There are chapters by  Cressida Cowell, Piers Torday

Thanks for joining me again on my never-ending armchair journey. In the last chapter, we were back in Oxford with Lyra Silvertongue for The Book of Dust Part Two: The Secret Commonwealth. This time, we've not travelled far - we're just outside Oxford. I’ve been reading Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield . I’ve read all her books and this is - by some way - her best so far. In fact, I’d go so far as to say it’s a bit of a masterpiece. It’s a definite 5 out of 5 for me. This book will stay with me for a long time. It’s written with such magical beauty. All the way through I was wondering how on earth the author was going to find a way to reach a satisfactory conclusion for such a perfectly written novel. I needn’t have worried. Its ending works wonderfully. This is another of those books you feel sad to finish. It’s a wrench to separate yourself from the characters and the world they inhabit. Because you have somehow begun to inhabit their world, too. As this is a reason

What a treat and a tonic to have this to read! A new book from Philip Pullman to brighten the winter gloom. This is the literary equivalent of one of those light therapy lamps for people afflicted with SAD. Medicinal paper. I've been ready for this for ages. It was great to have the first part of the Book of Dust and I thoroughly enjoyed it. That said, it was quite different to the His Dark Materials trilogy. The main difference being that Lyra is only a baby in La Belle Sauvage. In The Secret Commonwealth we take another jump in time. Here, we are some twenty years after the events of La Belle Sauvage and a decade after the end of His Dark Materials. I won't give away any more of the plot than you can pick up from the 'blurb' which says the following: The second volume of Philip Pullman's  The Book of Dust  sees Lyra, now twenty years old, and her daemon Pantalaimon, forced to navigate their relationship in a way they could never have imagined,

2020 is looking like a bumper year for fantastic literature. Some of my all-time favourite authors have new releases out in the coming months. So, here's my pick - in no particular order - of the ten books I'm most looking forward to adding to my TBR pile... 1) Utopia Avenue - David Mitchell It’s been five years or so since his last book so its high time we had something new from Mr Mitchell. Cloud Atlas is one of my favourite books ever and I love how all of his books are linked by various characters. This one - set during the 60s and following the fortunes of a rock group - features a descendant of Jacob De Zoet. 2) Ali Smith - Summer This will be the final part of Smith’s seasonal quartet. I’ve loved reading these and Ali Smith is now one of my favourite writers. Her style is, perhaps, not for everyone; it took me a while to get used to but I adore it now. I really like how these books are providing a snapshot of Britain heading towards Brexit. If this final

Welcome back! I hope you had a splendid Christmastime and may I also wish you a very happy year ahead for 2020?!  I have been wallowing deeply in Christmas since at least early December and it is now high time I clawed my way back to reality. Actually, that sounds like a step too far. It’s OK if I just lose myself in books again, right?  In my last 'chapter' of the Never-ending Book Story, I was quite happily lost in the parallel universe of Iain Pears' Arcadia. If you recall, the novel featured a cameo appearance from J.R.R. Tolkien. Our journey continues, then, with a chance to delve deeper into the world of Tolkien because I've been reading Tolkien - A Biography by Michael White. Here's the blurb: There are few writers who can claim the popularity and enduring appeal of John Ronald Reuel Tolkien. His celebrated novels have sold in excess of 160 million copies, and are in large part responsible for seeding the entire genre of fantasy fiction. It