THE NEVER-ENDING BOOK STORY

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