Happy New Year 2026!

When I was much younger, I bought into the hype of New Year’s Eve lock, stock and barrel. It felt like something of a miracle that I could put all the problems, failures and stresses of the old year behind me and throw myself optimistically into what seemed the bright golden glow of one that […]

Ooh la la, Chocolat!

Is there anyone who doesn’t love chocolate? To know more about this delicious food of the Gods, read on.

Gertrude Stein: An Afterlife

Francesca Wade in her recently published biography “Gertrude Stein: An Afterlife” has set a new criterion for groundbreaking and engaging biographies.

Bloomer: Embracing a Late-Life Flourishing

The latest book by Carol Lefevre “Bloomer: Embracing a Late Life Flourishing” is an engaging and compelling case for resisting ageist attitudes directed at older women.

Saving Vincent

An inspiring new book, “Saving Vincent” by Joan Fernandez, chronicles the little-known role of Jo van Gogh-Bonger in making van Gogh famous.

Say Cheese … cake (again)

I’ve had to revise my choice of New York Cheesecake as king of the cheesecakes. Since trying Spain’s Basque Cheesecake, I’ve become a convert.

Wild Strawberries

Strawberries are as ubiquitous as carrots these days, that is unless you’ve tasted wild strawberries which are so vastly superior they’re a different fruit.

Fruitcake to Feed an Army

My first attempt at trying a recipe from “The Alice B. Toklas Cookbook” (Liberation Fruitcake) meets with disaster, but I learn a lot about fruitcakes.

Unlikely Muse

What a first-time historical fiction writer learnt about choosing a muse.

Literary Festivals: the Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Have literary festivals sold out to vested interests or are they still one of the highlights of the year for readers and writers?