Druon, Maurice, “The Iron King” (Harper Collins: 1955), tr. Humphrey Hare
Link :Amazon, Goodreads. Price at time of review: £6.99
At the beginning of the 14th century King Phillip IV is trying to release France from an age of serfdom at the same time as managing incompetent sons, faithless daughters-in-law and a scheming Queen of England (who happens to also be his daughter.) But will it be his final, bloody victory against the order of the Knights Templar that the brings an end to his reign and launch Europe into the hundred years war?
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Reading is an essential part of being a writer. Reviewing a book (or play, or poem) can not only add to the pleasure of reading, but for a writer is an essential way to reflect on what did and did not work in the text (and then steal what worked).
I have two ulterior motives for writing this article. First, I would really appreciate more reviews for my novel Vile. If this post inspires you to write a sentence or two it would help me out. Go on. Click the link. I promise it won’t bite.
Second, this month I am branching out into book blogging! Writing about what I am reading will be a good form of reflective learning, and seems like a really nice community to join. I have been talking to lots of other book bloggers and here I will try to put together my thoughts ready to start publishing reviews this week.
So, how do you write a good review?
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This post is for everyone who has taken part in Little Wonder plays.
I need help sorting out the website so that everyone who has made plays with us gets the promotion they deserve.
With the latest draft of my new novel finished, I had some time to fix some broken sections of the website and sort out the biographies of all our writers and reporters. Below this post is a list of everyone who needs a bio. Please click on “more” and check the list.
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For a such a grand shared experience, it amazes me how very different our lives are living through the COVID-19 Lockdown.
My wife and I live in a two room flat just outside Paris. Which is nice. We were due to complete the purchase of a larger flat the very week the the lockdown started. Which is either lucky or unlucky, depending on how you feel about it. I spend my days in a room trying to entertain three small children who want nothing more that to go outside. How the hell do I write in these conditions?
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On the 16th February we lost our friend Glenn Fernando. Glenn was a wonderful, generous, kind man, an exceptional guitarist, and someone who touched many people’s lives – I suspect without ever realising it. His brother Denis asked me to write something to share his music with as many people as possible, and also to talk about mental health, grief, and coping in times of great sadness. Because Glenn was a lovely man and whatever happened he’d want us to be alright.
First, the music. Check out this track by clicking on the
play button.
You can listen to the whole album on Spotify here:
Or look up “Missionary Fades – Intakes of Sanity” on Deezer.
Listening to and sharing his music is the best way we can cherish his memory.
You can also help more people hear his music by sharing this tweet I have set up:
Glenn’s funeral service will be on Tuesday 10 March at the Sacred Heart Church, Quex Road, Kilburn, NW6 4PS, and rather than bringing flowers the family would appreciate any donation you can make [here].
In the rest of this article I’m going to talk about grief,
about Glenn, about how he told stories with his music and about taking care of
ourselves and each other. If you don’t have time to read all that but are
hurting because Glenn has left us, that’s fine, just make time to give yourself
a hug and hug someone (or something) you love. Yes, I have been hugging my
PlayStation this evening.
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