Author Archives: drewsmith28

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About drewsmith28

Words, words, words...

The Pigeon Tunnel by John Le Carre (penguin/Viking)

Posted on March 4, 2017 by drewsmith28

“I sit at my desk in the basement of the little Swiss chalet that I built with the profits from the Spy Who Came In From The Cold in a mountain village ninety minutes by train from Bern, the city … Continue reading →

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Homo Deus by Yoav Noah Harari ( (Penguin)

Posted on February 16, 2017 by drewsmith28

“At the dawn of the third millennium, humanity wakes up, stretching its limbs and rubbing its eyes. Remnants of some awful nightmare are still drifting across its mind.” HOWEVER awful events might have been through history, it is over. It … Continue reading →

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The noise of time by Julian Barnes (Vintage)

Posted on January 24, 2017 by drewsmith28

“All he knew was that this was the worst time.” IT is 1936, Stalin is reaching the height of his paranoia. The child prodigy and revolutionary treasure Shostakovich is denounced in Pravda. Short paragraphs rather than chapters paint tableaux of … Continue reading →

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The bird tribunal by Agnes Ravatn (Orenda)

Posted on January 13, 2017 by drewsmith28

“My pulse raced as I traipsed through the silent forest. The occasional screech of a bird, and, other than that, only naked, grey deciduous trees, spindly young saplings and the odd blue-green sprig of juniper in the muted April sunlight.” … Continue reading →

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Books of the year 2016

Posted on December 14, 2016 by drewsmith28

MOST of the titles here for obvious reasons could make a claim to an end of year list. A few stand out as being perhaps more essential than others, not all were released this year but I only recently discovered … Continue reading →

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Days without end by Sebastian Barry (Faber)

Posted on November 29, 2016 by drewsmith28

“The method of laying out a corpse in Missouri sure took the proverbial cake.” ELENA Ferrante took four books to portray her Neapolitan chronicles, so Sebastian Barry follows the fortunes of the McNulty family in different, self standing tomes, just … Continue reading →

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On writing by Stephen King (Pocket)

Posted on November 17, 2016 by drewsmith28

“This is a short book because most books about writing are filled with bullshit.” BEFORE you are tempted to take out your feather plume and dip it in the black ink, before you type in the password on your computer, … Continue reading →

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The shogun’s queen by Lesley Downer (Bantam)

Posted on November 5, 2016 by drewsmith28

“Japan has been at peace for close on 250 years, ever since Ieyasu Tokugawa unified it in 1603 and took the title of Shogun – Barbarian-quelling Generalissimo.” WHAT Hilary Mantel is to the Tudors or Rosemary Beard to the Romans, … Continue reading →

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The Crossing by Michael Connelly

Posted on October 26, 2016 by drewsmith28

“They ate at Traxx in Union Station. It was a nice place that was courthouse close and favored at lunchtime by judges and lawyers. The waiter knew Haller and she didn’t bother giving him a menu. He simply ordered the … Continue reading →

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His bloody project by Graeme Macrae Burnet (Contraband)

Posted on October 16, 2016 by drewsmith28

“I am writing this at the behest of my advocate, Mr Andrew Sinclair, who since my incarceration here in Inverness, has treated me with a degree of civility I in no way deserve.” GOOD writing is like singing, you hit … Continue reading →

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