About Me

I’m a 30-something (just) bibliophile. My love of reading started at a young age; my dad taught me to read when I was a little girl, and my mum bought me a book every week. I practically devoured books – I was that girl, who had a torch under the bedcovers so that I could keep reading when it was way past bedtime. Over the years, my taste in reading has changed and perhaps developed, but my love of books has never diminished (it’s grown, if that is possible).

I love most kinds of books – fiction (historical and dystopian, being two of my favourite genres, but I generally like anything with a stinking good story) and non-fiction (biographies from the golden age of Hollywood, history, travel and humour). My favourite books are (deep breath), The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood; Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte; A Fine Balance, by Rohinton Mistry; The Green Mile, by Stephen King; The Help, by Kathryn Stockett; Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets, by David Simon; and To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee. I also love Jane Austen, Adriana Trigiani (her books are as comforting as curling up on the sofa with a huge slice of cherry pie), Paullina Simons, Philippa Gregory, Sarah Waters and Jodi Picoult.

I also love watching movies, but at home rather than at the cinema. I can be tempted out to the cinema if there’s a Jeff Bridges film on (because Jeff is, you know, awesome), but apart from that, I tend to like old movies. My favourite films are Singin’ In The Rain (the happiest film ever? Quite possibly), The African Queen, Roman Holiday, Sunset Boulevard, A Matter of Life and Death, and The Big Lebowski. Favourite actors (apart from Jeff): Gene Kelly, Gregory Peck, Cary Grant, Fred Astaire, Audrey Hepburn, William Holden, Humphrey Bogart, Clark Gable….you get the picture.

My music taste ranges from the Foo Fighters to Frank Sinatra; from Jay Z to Johnny Cash. I like almost everything, unless it’s somehow connected to Simon Cowell, in which case I reserve the right to hurl heavy objects at the radio or television!

A little bit about myself: I live in sunny West Midlands, England, with my husband and a crazy Labrador, although we harbour dreams of one day moving to the East Coast, USA, where we have spent many happy times.

Apart from my family and reading at any and all available opportunities, I love dark chocolate, my pyjamas, walking, singing badly to loud music, daydreaming, period drama, frozen bananas, staying up late, shouting at the news, procastinating, blogging, mango sorbet and trying to do the right thing.

So here is my blog – I hope you like it. It’s basically where I review each and every book I read – and most of the movies I watch, and any stage performances I see (which unfortunately are too few and far between). All reviews are my own writing and my own thoughts – and if you have any feedback or comments, I’d love to hear them.

All that remains for me to say is welcome – I hope you enjoy it here