Stardust by Neil Gaiman On looking back on some of my reviews from 5-6 years ago, I found a couple on Neil Gaiman’s books. However, the links to the original posts seem to be broken so I thought I’d do them again! They are a lot of fun to read. ‘She was one of the …
Author: Andrew G Lockhart
My name is Andrew Lockhart and I grew up in Coatbridge, Scotland. I studied at Glasgow University. After spending three decades in planning, statistics and international sales and marketing, I am now an author, family historian and owner of Magda Green Books. Apart from writing (and reading great books) and blogging, my other interests are science, music of all sorts, and traveling the world.
Old Babes in the Wood
by Margaret Atwood What more can be said of Margaret Atwood, more than has been said already by countless readers? Novelist, poet, essayist, children's writer, it seems she has been around for a very long time. She has; her first book was published in 1961. And can she go on churning out these wonderful, inspirational, …
The Fickleness of Gods
(and Goddesses) Atalanta by Jennifer Saint 'When Atalanta posted herself on the extreme right flank at some distance from her fellow-hunters,' wrote Robert Graves in The Greek Myths, 'two Centaurs ..... decided to ravish her, each in turn assisting the other. But as soon as they ran towards her, she shot them both down and …
The Long Song
by Andrea Levy A Review 'And what a squealing, tempestuous, fuss-making child she was. The quivering pink tongue and toothless gums in July's shrieking mouth were more familiar to her mama than he baby's arms and feet.' The British Slave Trade Act of 1807 did not abolish slavery. The aspirations of many in the Colonies, …
Lockdown
by Peter May '[Lockdown] was never published. British editors at the time thought my portrayal of London under siege by the invisible enemy of HSN1 was unrealistic and could never happen - in spite of the fact that all my research showed that, really, it could....... Lockdown was consigned to a folder in my Dropbox, …
Castles
The Castles of Athlin and Dunbayne by Ann Radcliffe A Review 'They pursued their journey over the wilds, and towards the close of day approached the ruins of an abbey, whose broken arches and lonely towers arose in gloomy grandeur through the obscurity of evening.' In Ann Radcliffe's work, it seems to me, there is …
Rebus 2022
A Heart Full of Headstones by Ian Rankin 'John Rebus had been in court plenty of times, but this was his first time in the dock.' So begins A Heart Full of Headstones, my second Rankin read of the month. Unlike Mortal Causes, it is set in the present day during the Covid pandemic, and …
Rebus 1993
Mortal Causes by Ian Rankin 'Big Ger Cafferty was looking good. He was fit and lean and had purpose to his gait. A white t-shirt was tight across his chest, flat across ths stomach, and he wore faded work denims and new-looking tennis shoes. He walked into the Visiting Room like he was the visitor, …
Tolkien in Fairyland
Tales from the Perilous Realm A Review 'And so it was that the dragon, charging down the line, suddenly saw straight in front of him his old enemy with Tailbiter in his hand.' This collection of tales and poems does not have the epic grandeur of LOTR. Nor does it have the literary merit of …
Stories for Everyone
'A local group claimed the books were satanic and promoting witchcraft, and consequently, set about burning a large cache of the books outside the Christ Community Church.' [a 2001 campaign in Mexico against The Lord of the Rings] In two previous articles, I talked about some of the books I enjoyed as a youngster. I …
Bookheathen Scribblings 