Who among you has never collected things – from cigarette cards to Pokemon cards; postage stamps to old coins; autographs to train numbers? You may even have become a collector by accident, or by just not throwing things away when other tastes change. There are even unconscious collectors. You buy a book and because youContinue reading “If you want to get ahead get a hat, or two, or four, or even more”
Tag Archives: books
First and last in new book quiz
Sorry about the absence for a couple of days. I’m adding something new to the mix. A little literary quiz based on well-known books and their first and last lines. See if you know the book each one is from and the name of the author. It’s just for fun but if you want toContinue reading “First and last in new book quiz”
Nothing like a goode booke as long as it all makes complete sense
By now you must know how much I like (like? LOVE) books and hopefully understand why my Christmas and birthday lists always have at least one (most times many more) request for a book. It could be a classic, a thriller, poetry, or more. For Christmas I listed a book I have been meaning toContinue reading “Nothing like a goode booke as long as it all makes complete sense”
You can never have enough when it comes to a collection of books
I was checking my collection of books recently and realised the number does not seem to have gone up or down in recent years, and as life goes on I find books I want to read now but know I still have books to be read. I do make good use of local charity shopsContinue reading “You can never have enough when it comes to a collection of books”
Horror that followed us from town to town
When I left Basildon at the end of summer 1974 I did not know if I would ever be back. My move from there, initially, to the other side of the country was to create a breathing space, not just for me but also for someone who had become close. Initially my only contact wouldContinue reading “Horror that followed us from town to town”
Television
by Roald Dahl 1916-1990 The most important thing we’ve learned, So far as children are concerned, Is never, NEVER, NEVER let Them near your television set – Or better still, just don’t install The idiotic thing at all. In almost every house we’ve been, We’ve watched them gaping at the screen. They loll and slopContinue reading “Television”
To woo or not woo – that is the question – only fools rush in
Since I last mentioned the moment I actually met my Muse, and discovered she had a six-month-old baby, I have not gone back to that period, well not until yesterday when I commented on that eventful year 1973. It is not because there were any bad memories from that event, or even that year. InContinue reading “To woo or not woo – that is the question – only fools rush in”
ROBIN’S REVIEWS
Welcome to a new category on this blog – reviews. Not just any old reviews but reviews of books I have read (whether recently as with new books or my favourites from a lifetime of reading); films or television productions; and music. I have reviewed newly published books over many years, beginning in the 70sContinue reading “ROBIN’S REVIEWS”
Never mind the windmills – look for the memories
Noel Harrison once sang about “The Windmills of your Mind” – a place where you turn and keep turning like the sails of a windmill, chasing yourself in circles. In a way our minds really are like this, labyrinthine corridors with doors wherever you turn – each requiring a special key before you can openContinue reading “Never mind the windmills – look for the memories”
Castaways a century apart
The subjects of two tales of boys surviving on a desert island are almost 100 years apart. One tells the story of three boys shipwrecked and cast up on a desert island in the Victorian era. This was written in 1857 by a Scottish author, RM Ballantyne, who wrote almost 100 adventure stories for boys.Continue reading “Castaways a century apart”
Robin's Nest 