Author Archives: drewsmith28

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About drewsmith28

Words, words, words...

The Whereabouts of Eneas McNulty by Sebastian Barry (Faber)

Posted on August 11, 2014 by drewsmith28

“In the middle of the lonesome town, at the back of John Street, in the third house from the end, there is a little room. For this small bracket in the long paragraph of the street’s history, it belongs to … Continue reading →

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Zeitoon by Dave Eggers (Hamish Hamilton)

Posted on August 7, 2014 by drewsmith28

“On moonless nights the men and boys of Jableh, a dusty fishing town on the coast of Syria, would gather their lanterns and set out in their quietest boats…” America likes rules. After the 10 commandments came another 10,000 lesser … Continue reading →

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The Thrill of it All by Joseph O’Connor (Harvill Secker)

Posted on July 24, 2014 by drewsmith28

“My name is Robbie Goulding. I was once a musician. For five years in the 1980s I played guitar with The Ships.” I gave my first copy to my daughter in New York who is into her music. The second … Continue reading →

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The Temporary Gentleman by Sebastian Barry (Faber)

Posted on July 9, 2014 by drewsmith28

“It’s a beautiful night and no mistake. You would never think there was a war somewhere” In a Literary World Cup, my money would be on Ireland. I read a sarky review of one of Sebastian Barry’s novels in the … Continue reading →

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Reportage

Posted on June 27, 2014 by drewsmith28

There is a very good piece by Nick Davies on the phone hacking debacle here http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/jun/25/-sp-phone-hacking-trial-rebekah-brooks-rupert-murdoch Nice girl, Rebekah

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Pommes de terre by Frederic Anton (La Chene)

Posted on June 25, 2014 by drewsmith28

“J’aime la pomme de terre. La frite croustillante a l’exterieur, fondante a l’interieur, juste salee. Les pommes rissolees, avec leur parfum de beurre.” This is still in French but mostly it is recipes which are easy enough to follow with … Continue reading →

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A Girl is a Half-formed Thing by Eimear McBride (Galley Beggar)

Posted on June 23, 2014 by drewsmith28

“She and me. Like to lurk here in the day. Those gossips we have are the very best and we read and read. Quote quotes back forth. That’s good for sharing books of this and that. Word perfect. We snick … Continue reading →

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Icefields by Thomas Wharton (Washington Square Press)

Posted on June 20, 2014 by drewsmith28

“At a quarter past three in the afternoon on August 17, 1898, Doctor Edward Byrne slipped on the ice of Arcturus glacier in the Canadian Rockies and slid into a crevasse” Wharton’s take on the founding of the Jasper community … Continue reading →

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Murder bag by Tony Parsons (Century)

Posted on June 4, 2014 by drewsmith28

Lee Child – see below – also writes the endorsement on Tony Parson’s departure into the crimo genre. “Tense and human”, he says. Welcome to the field of nastiness and violence, Tony. Parsons can write. I have followed his work … Continue reading →

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Killing Floor by Lee Childs (Bantam)

Posted on May 24, 2014 by drewsmith28

“I was arrrested in Eno’s diner. At twelve o’clock. I was eating eggs and drinking coffee”  I read somewhere someone saying they would automatically buy a new Lee Childs book as soon as it came out. That was their reading … Continue reading →

Posted in Biography, Outtakes | 1 Comment