The Woman Who waited by Andrei Makine

At first glance, this novel is about a woman who waited for the man she loves, and it is, but there are also explorations of impressions, social commentary and poetic prose. Deftly translated from the French by Geoffrey Strachan, harsh conversations are countered by lyrical descriptions of buildings and nature, such as a flashlight‘s beam [...]

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Coming up on Vulpes Libris

So we’re on the cusp of Valentine’s Day. Hurrah! Boo hiss! While we don’t have a theme week dedicated to the art of lurve, we do indeed have a few topical items, some more conventional than others. Monday: Jackie tries to find why Andrei Makine’s The Woman Who Waited did so for 30 years. Tuesday: [...]

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Alone on a Wide Wide Sea by Michael Morpurgo

One of the best things about books by Michael Morpurgo is their value for money.  Every book of his that enters this house is read by a minimum of three people.  Once I, the pseudo-adult has read the book it either passes to the teen-ish daughter or the nine year old son (or there’s a [...]

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Hollywood Reader: A Life in the Story Department.

Article by Diana Birchall The hot Santa Ana winds are blowing in Los Angeles. 83 degrees Fahrenheit it was yesterday, producing that sandy feeling in the eyes – the kind of weather that Raymond Chandler wrote made meek little wives eye the carving knife and study their husbands’ necks. So it’s strange to talk to [...]

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Coraline by Neil Gaiman and P Craig Russell

The Graphic Novel. Review by Sharon Robinson This is a clever, inventive adaptation of a stylish ‘crossover’ novel, in which a young girl discovers an alternative reality to the one she thinks she knows. It is starkly illustrated with very few people in it. We see Coraline, her parents, the ‘other parents’ their neighbours and [...]

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Neil Gaiman’s ‘Sandman’: Dream a Little Dream of … Dream?

Article by Kari Maaren. Neil Gaiman has been popping into view quite a lot recently. His twisted children’s tale Coraline is making it to the big screen this Friday; in the last few years, he has published another children’s novel, The Graveyard Book (2008), seen his book Stardust become a film (2007), co-written the screenplays [...]

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Sadomasochism for Accountants by Rosy Barnes + Giveaway

We have a most exciting change to the schedule today. Novelist, poet and blogger, Anne Brooke, has given us a review of a new comedy novel penned by our very own Rosy Barnes! When 38 year old Paula is rejected by her accountant boyfriend, Alan, for being too dull, she decides that drastic measures are [...]

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Best in Show:The Dog in Art from the Renaissance to Today by Edgar Peters Bowron and others

Every winter, the Crown Classic Dog Show comes to Cleveland and my sister and I look forward to it all year. So I was in the perfect frame of mind to review this book. ‘Lush’ is the first word that comes to mind when opening it. Produced to accompany an exhibition of the same name [...]

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Coming Up on Vulpes Libris

As befitting the recent announcements of Academy Award nominations, we’ve gone a bit Hollywood this week. In addition to featuring a double bill of Neil Gaiman, there’s also dogs, boats and scriptwriters, though not all at once. Monday finds Jackie admiring Best in Show: The Dog in Art from the Renaissance to Today. The Tuesday [...]

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