Category Archives: 101greatreads

The Museum of Extraordinary Things by Alice Hoffman (Simon & Schuster)

Posted on May 21, 2015 by drewsmith28

“You would think it would be impossible to find anything new in the world, creatures no man has seen before, one-of-a-kind oddities in which nature has taken a backseat to the coursing pulse of the fantastical and the marvelous.” STORY … Continue reading →

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Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon (Vintage)

Posted on April 28, 2015 by drewsmith28

  “It was 7 minutes after midnight. The dog was lying on the grass in the middle of the lawn in front of Mrs Shear’s house.” On first reading of Mark Haddon’s Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time … Continue reading →

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Sapiens, a brief history of humankind by Yuval Noah Harari (Harvill Secker)

Posted on April 9, 2015 by drewsmith28

“About 13.3 billion years ago, matter, energy, time and space came into being in what is known as the Big Bang.” YOU will like this one. It is about you. Us. The master species. The wise ones.  Dr Harari’s middle … Continue reading →

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The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro (Faber)

Posted on March 30, 2015 by drewsmith28

“You would have searched a long time for the sort of winding lane or tranquil meadow for which England later became celebrated.” We are in Shrek country. Frodo-land. There are ogres, sprites, curses. It is middle England, post Arthurian, pre … Continue reading →

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Brooklyn by Colm Toibin (Penguin)

Posted on March 14, 2015 by drewsmith28

“Eilis Lacey, sitting at the window of the upstairs living room in the house on Friary Street, noticed her sister walking briskly from work.” Another major Irish talent. This one from County Wexford. A professor no less in creative writing. … Continue reading →

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10 Rules of Writing by Elmore Leonard (William Morrow)

Posted on January 23, 2015 by drewsmith28

“These are rules I’ve picked up along the way to help me remain invisible when I’m writing a book, to help me show rather than tell what’s taking place in the story.” YOU might like to follow the example of … Continue reading →

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The Search Warrant by Patrick Modiano (Harvill Secker)

Posted on January 23, 2015 by drewsmith28

“That is her secret.. A poor and precious secret which not even the executioners, the decrees, the occupying authorities, the Depot, the barracks, the camps, history, time – everything that corrupts and destroys you – have been able to take … Continue reading →

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Ethel and Ernest by Raymond Briggs (Jonathan Cape)

Posted on September 15, 2014 by drewsmith28

“Monday, 1928” GRAPHIC novels as a genre can be more informed than screenplays. Film shoots with shot photos and dialogue always seem to end up shamefully in remainder shops, but illustration can also be a dangerous medium too often cliched … Continue reading →

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The Aftermath by Rhidian Brook (Penguin)

Posted on September 11, 2014 by drewsmith28

“The beast is here. I’ve seen him. Berti’s seen him. Dietmar’s seen him.” IT would seem to have taken a long time for writers to get to grips with all the emotions and smells of World War 11, as if … Continue reading →

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Hack Attack by Nick Davies (Chatto and Windus)

Posted on August 15, 2014 by drewsmith28

“This is the strangest story I have ever written.” This is also a brilliant piece of aggressive, personalised investigative, well written journalism, an expose of British high (and not so high or grand) grandees at work. There is an extra … Continue reading →

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