tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21136027014204365842024-03-13T17:46:22.998+00:00J A Brunning - Ribble BabelRIBBLE BABEL - verbiage and verbage from J A Brunning on the banks of the River RibbleReigh Belisamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12175284479713852995noreply@blogger.comBlogger132125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2113602701420436584.post-56079159787574060492020-07-10T18:21:00.009+01:002020-07-11T09:41:21.082+01:00The Salt Path - Raynor Winn<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Salt-Path-bestseller-shortlisted-Wainwright/dp/1405937181/ref=as_li_ss_il?crid=1IFYKAO7Y5KSL&dchild=1&keywords=the+salt+path+by+raynor+winn+paperback&qid=1594400870&s=books&sprefix=the+salt+path,aps,153&sr=1-1&linkCode=li3&tag=ribblebabel-21&linkId=1b8a35297a748acb6dd89c8496283f20" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-eu.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=1405937181&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=GB&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=ribblebabel-21" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><font size="1">Amazon link</font></i></td></tr></tbody></table><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=ribblebabel-21&l=li3&o=2&a=1405937181" style="border: none; margin: 0px;" width="1" /><div style="text-align: left;"><span><a name='more'></a></span><b>I haven't read a book which has moved me as much as <i>The Salt Path</i> for a long time. </b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Raynor Winn's novel begins with how she and her husband, Moth, lost everything, finding themselves homeless and broke and devastated - with devastation converted in one fell swoop into absolute despair as an even worse disaster unfolds in a doctor's office; and the rest of the novel is of their journey along the salt path where they find themselves and hope once more. </div><div style="text-align: left;">But this isn't just another journey of self-discovery: it's a beautifully written, lyrical, inspirational, heart-rendingly wonderful book. It really has everything: tears, devastation, hope, and laugh-out-loud humour, and resonates with beautifully-observed and poetically-rendered deep engagements with nature - sea and sky and salt - and is one of the most well-written, beautiful novels I've read. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">It was recommended to me by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pg/paperart12/about/">an artist friend</a> who has herself gone to live beside the salt path, after a year in which we've had our own devastation and despair. And now I'm recommending it to you. Read it. You really will be glad you did. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>J A Brunninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07687618854178436865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2113602701420436584.post-4611559233731581322019-01-12T09:30:00.001+00:002020-07-10T18:23:14.292+01:00History of Wolves - Emily Fridlund<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/History-Wolves-Shortlisted-Booker-Prize/dp/1474602967/ref=as_li_ss_il?crid=X6S12KLMH44O&dchild=1&keywords=history+of+wolves+emily+fridlund&qid=1594401706&s=books&sprefix=history+of+wolves,stripbooks,157&sr=1-1&linkCode=li3&tag=ribblebabel-21&linkId=4d1c147d73913770ed2571c8625aa7a8" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-eu.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=1474602967&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=GB&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=ribblebabel-21" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><font size="2">Amazon link</font></i><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=ribblebabel-21&l=li3&o=2&a=1474602967" style="border: none; margin: 0px;" width="1" /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>
<b><i>History of Wolves </i>by Emily Fridlund </b>is another beautifully written novel, poetic and intelligent and complex, and one which leaves the reader more troubled than finding a sense of resolution by the end - but this novel also left me wanting to read it all over again as life is rarely about resolution, even if we feel that's what we want. For resolution read redemption.<br />
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Don't let me put you off if you prefer a nicely-resolved / redemptive ending as this novel is so worth reading on every level. It's about something which should not have happened and it's about responsibility and guilt and secrets and desire and longing and a life's journey shaped as much by upbringing as circumstance and the decisions we make along the way.<br />
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The central character - Linda / Mattie / Madeline / the babysitter - shows how we are all known by different facets of ourselves to different people, and how we perhaps only know the true facets of ourselves through what we chose <i>not</i> to reveal to others. <br />
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This is also a story of heartbreaking loneliness, and I can really say no more without giving away everything this book wants you to discover for yourself.<br />
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J A Brunninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07687618854178436865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2113602701420436584.post-10236691971501681472018-12-29T11:01:00.001+00:002020-07-10T18:24:51.546+01:00Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine - Gail Honeyman<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Eleanor-Oliphant-Completely-Fine-Bestseller/dp/0008172145/ref=as_li_ss_il?crid=18LOE9RDBYF8V&dchild=1&keywords=eleanor+oliphant+is+completely+fine&qid=1594401831&s=books&sprefix=eleanor+olp,stripbooks,162&sr=1-1&linkCode=li3&tag=ribblebabel-21&linkId=b53b90384c61997ca33f549a991c4aed" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-eu.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=0008172145&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=GB&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=ribblebabel-21" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><font size="2"><i>Amazon link</i></font><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=ribblebabel-21&l=li3&o=2&a=0008172145" style="border: none; margin: 0px;" width="1" /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Brilliant! </b><br />
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I absolutely adore Eleanor Oliphant. This is a beautifully-written book: honest, insightful, and humorous, and the voice of Eleanor Oliphant is one of the best characterisations I've read for a long time.<br />
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This is a novel about loneliness, and the devastating isolation which can occur both alone and in a crowd, and which, as this novel explores, can be internalised through deliberately negative human actions as much as through circumstance. Leaving aside the occasional hint of didacticism on occasion, the novel explores the necessity of human kindness and meaningful human contact for instilling a sense of self-worth as well as day-to-day survival with poignancy and humour, creating an intense story of cruelty, tragedy, and survival, which is also laugh-out-loud funny alot of the time. Eleanor's voice - her quirky, aspergic logic, and her intense social anxiety, balanced against her need for love, kindness, and acceptance - shines all the way through this wonderful novel. I absolutely adore her. J A Brunninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07687618854178436865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2113602701420436584.post-76087092105869629762018-12-16T19:25:00.000+00:002018-12-16T19:25:45.630+00:00<div style="text-align: center;">
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Have you heard the news...?</div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000;"><i><b>Witherstone</b></i></span> is to be published by <span style="color: red;"><a href="https://uclanpublishing.com/">UCLan Publishing</a></span>! </div>
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This fab indie publishing house has such illustrious books as<br />
<i><a href="https://uclanpublishing.com/cold-bath-street/">Cold Bath Street</a> </i>by A. J. Hartley, nominated for the CILIP Carnegie and the Kate Greenaway Children's Book awards, on their list so to be joining this prestigious publishing house is mind-blowingly exciting! Woo-hoooooo!
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J A Brunninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07687618854178436865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2113602701420436584.post-3344819535395815092017-12-23T20:19:00.000+00:002017-12-23T20:30:59.115+00:00The Write Club and a little bit of Witherstone<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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What an honour to have been invited to read an extract from <i><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Witherstone-J-Brunning/dp/1466348739/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1514058520&sr=1-1&keywords=witherstone">Witherstone</a></i> for the <a href="https://audioboom.com/posts/6531715-005-childrens-books-j-a-brunning-reads-for-us#comments">Write Club</a> discussion this evening!<br />
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The podcast was, as ever, a wonderfully diverse discussion, including the writers' favourite books as younger readers, and although it's hard to choose just one from all the fabulous alternative universes I inhabited every day of my childhood (and still do, ha ha), my favourite was probably <i><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Toms-Midnight-Garden-Philippa-Pearce/dp/0192734504/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1514059113&sr=1-1&keywords=Tom%27s+midnight+garden">Tom's Midnight Garden</a></i> - I loved it so much I read it into adulthood... and those who know me well know just <i>how</i> much I love the story of Tom and Hatty in that magical garden....<br />
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/writeclubthepodcast/">Write Club</a> said some very kind things about <b><i>Witherstone</i></b>, and discussed the importance of not talking down to children when writing, discussed the wonderful <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lion-Witch-Wardrobe-Chronicles-Narnia/dp/0007323123/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1514060395&sr=1-1&keywords=narnia">Narnia</a> books, and also discussed another inviting pile of new things to read over Christmas. It's a great group, easy-going and full of enthusiasm for writing and for reading, their podcasts are time delightfully well spent for readers and writers. J A Brunninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07687618854178436865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2113602701420436584.post-90353492522433281132017-12-16T17:02:00.003+00:002017-12-16T17:13:50.555+00:00Write Club<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So enjoying listening to the <a href="https://audioboom.com/posts/6515781-001-welcome-to-write-club">Write Club podcasts</a>.<br />
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This group of writers discuss everything from why we write to how we find excuses not to write (the noble art of procrastination!), and as well as reading short extracts from their own writing, they discuss research, approaches to writing, writing exercises, and the importance of reading, ending the podcasts with discussions of the books on their bedside tables. <br />
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It's easy-going and invariably humerous, and yet thought-provoking and gives the creative urge a kick up the proverbial. As well as giving writers a chance to engage with what and how other writers are writing and reading, you can join in their discussion on their Facebook page as well as on their podcast page. It's like being in a friendly and supportive writer's group without having to take the trouble to go out and find one! J A Brunninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07687618854178436865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2113602701420436584.post-37335904951165156832017-11-21T20:30:00.000+00:002017-11-21T20:35:14.939+00:00Something exciting happening in the ether...Well there's something exciting brewing over the next few weeks, and it involves writing and books and podcasts and sunshine and quite alot of rather gorgeous scenery...<br />
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<br />J A Brunninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07687618854178436865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2113602701420436584.post-49192227592697803562016-05-14T18:06:00.001+01:002020-07-10T18:26:11.114+01:00Jakob's Colours by Lindsay Hawdon<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Jakobs-Colours-Lindsay-Hawdon/dp/1444797662/ref=as_li_ss_il?crid=201N23EOCZCP0&dchild=1&keywords=jakobs+colours&qid=1594401918&s=books&sprefix=jakob's+colou,stripbooks,163&sr=1-1&linkCode=li3&tag=ribblebabel-21&linkId=ce425d2fca24d5fd1fb5a910067ad76a" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-eu.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=1444797662&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=GB&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=ribblebabel-21" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><font size="2"><i>Amazon link<br /></i></font></td></tr></tbody></table><font size="2"><i><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=ribblebabel-21&l=li3&o=2&a=1444797662" style="border: none; margin: 0px;" width="1" /></i></font><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>
I'm finding some absolutely beautiful and also absolutely heartbreaking books in the library at the moment - this one, <i>Jakob's Colours,</i> was recommended by a friend, and is right up there with the best of them. <br />
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I am conscious that I've been using the word "beautiful" quite a lot in recent reviews, but just switching the word does not alter the fact that sometimes it is the best description. <i>Jakob's Colours</i> is beautifully written, and I adore the characters who inhabit its pages and the tiny cupboards within its walls. The Roma Holocaust - the Porajmos - is little-visited in literature, and rarely does any book telling the untellable do it with such devastating beauty. J A Brunninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07687618854178436865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2113602701420436584.post-14253096917959403982016-05-07T08:00:00.001+01:002020-07-10T18:27:22.091+01:00And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mountains-Echoed-Khaled-Hosseini/dp/1408842459/ref=as_li_ss_il?dchild=1&keywords=and+the+mountains+echoed&qid=1594401992&s=books&sr=1-1&linkCode=li3&tag=ribblebabel-21&linkId=a03877b40cfb38f558c25f7d3de3da4c" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-eu.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=1408842459&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=GB&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=ribblebabel-21" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><font size="2"><i>Amazon link</i></font><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=ribblebabel-21&l=li3&o=2&a=1408842459" style="border: none; margin: 0px;" width="1" /><i><br /><br /></i><div><i>And the Mountains Echoed</i> is a beautifully written, intense, and accomplished novel, as you'd expect from the author of <i>The Kite Runner</i> and the even more splendid <i>A Thousand Splendid Suns. </i><br />
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I did feel that I'd have liked to have spent more time with some of the characters at the heart of the novel, followed them in more detail over all the years they travelled in search of what was lost, but that's a testament to Hosseini's engagingly human characters and powerful storytelling in what is both a heartbreaking and an uplifting journey. </div>J A Brunninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07687618854178436865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2113602701420436584.post-56831527466321434482016-04-30T08:00:00.001+01:002020-07-10T18:28:56.545+01:00The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Miniaturist-Jessie-Burton/dp/1447250931/ref=as_li_ss_il?dchild=1&keywords=the+minituarist&qid=1594402073&s=books&sr=1-1&linkCode=li3&tag=ribblebabel-21&linkId=e30dc380363584f1891df5962f008156" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-eu.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=1447250931&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=GB&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=ribblebabel-21" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><font size="2"><i>Amazon link</i></font><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=ribblebabel-21&l=li3&o=2&a=1447250931" style="border: none; margin: 0px;" width="1" />
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<div><i>The Miniaturist</i> is a wonderfully inventive and sensuous novel with
fantastic characters - both human sized and miniature! - and a deeply
engrossing plot. The sights and sounds and smells and claustrophobic politics
of 17th century <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Amsterdam</st1:place></st1:city> infuse
this intelligent novel, and the plot has enough twists and turns to keep you
guessing - even if you might have seen some of them coming! </div>
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The key to the sheer delight of this novel is the core thread of the
relationship between the central character, Nella, and the mysterious
miniaturist, which is nicely poised between the beneficent and the
sinister and keeps you reading avidly to the end of this excellent book. J A Brunninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07687618854178436865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2113602701420436584.post-18352639402264369452016-04-23T08:00:00.001+01:002020-07-10T18:30:00.274+01:00Gingerbread by Robert Dinsdale<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Gingerbread-Robert-Dinsdale/dp/0007488890/ref=as_li_ss_il?dchild=1&keywords=gingerbread+dinsdale&qid=1594402150&s=books&sr=1-1&linkCode=li3&tag=ribblebabel-21&linkId=9767ae0dbcfbfa16ee0f03f689a4227b" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-eu.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=0007488890&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=GB&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=ribblebabel-21" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><font size="2"><i>Amazon link</i></font><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=ribblebabel-21&l=li3&o=2&a=0007488890" style="border: none; margin: 0px;" width="1" />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>
This is another beautifully written book: <i>Gingerbread</i> by Robert Dinsdale, is a wonderfully eloquent and genuinely disturbing contemporary fairy tale which is also as old and as wide as the forest into which we venture, fearing the wolves in men's clothing; the wolves in all of us, even those we love and trust the most. <br />
<br />
This is an often heart-rending story about trauma and love, about memory and forgetting, about the past and the present, about trying to keep impossible promises, and is above all a wonderfully-written, frequently nightmarish story, as well as a thoroughly gripping read. J A Brunninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07687618854178436865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2113602701420436584.post-9251099664620571202016-04-16T08:00:00.001+01:002020-07-10T18:32:42.226+01:00At Hawthorn Time by Melissa Harrison<div class="separator"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Clay-Melissa-Harrison/dp/1408842556/ref=as_li_ss_il?dchild=1&keywords=clay+melissa&qid=1594402277&s=books&sr=1-1&linkCode=li1&tag=ribblebabel-21&linkId=b5b1b0f80a671d7f76a5336add18fd8c" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><br /></a></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/At-Hawthorn-Time-Costa-Shortlisted/dp/1408859076/ref=as_li_ss_il?dchild=1&keywords=at+hawthorn+time&qid=1594402218&s=books&sr=1-1&linkCode=li3&tag=ribblebabel-21&linkId=d34153aa8a25c07f591c4ad84a0a2528" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-eu.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=1408859076&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=GB&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=ribblebabel-21" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><font size="2">Amazon link</font></i><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=ribblebabel-21&l=li3&o=2&a=1408859076" style="border: none; margin: 0px;" width="1" />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>
This book caught my eye while I was browsing the library shelves because I'd previously read - and absolutely loved - Melissa Harrison's previous novel, <i>Clay</i>. <br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Clay-Melissa-Harrison/dp/1408842556/ref=as_li_ss_il?dchild=1&keywords=clay+melissa&qid=1594402277&s=books&sr=1-1&linkCode=li1&tag=ribblebabel-21&linkId=b5b1b0f80a671d7f76a5336add18fd8c" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-eu.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=1408842556&Format=_SL110_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=GB&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=ribblebabel-21" ></a><img src="https://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=ribblebabel-21&l=li1&o=2&a=1408842556" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />
<img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=ribblebabel-21&l=li1&o=2&a=1408842556" style="border: none; margin: 0px;" width="1" />
<i><br /></i>
<i>At Hawthorn Time</i> did not disappoint: whilst, in some respects, Jack and Jamie reminded me of the central two characters in <i>Clay</i>, it was the style of her writing as much as the theme of the misunderstood which echoes through both novels here, and the intense and believable truth she evokes in her characters. <br />
Harrison steeps her stories in nature in both novels, and it is in <i>At Hawthorn Time</i> that this is more explicit and intimately, outstandingly successful. Another beautiful, beautiful novel, evocative, intense, and deeply moving. J A Brunninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07687618854178436865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2113602701420436584.post-36455030193776160382016-04-13T18:16:00.001+01:002020-07-10T18:35:20.327+01:00All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/All-Light-We-Cannot-See/dp/0008138303/ref=as_li_ss_il?crid=3P4QQ9HFW56LN&dchild=1&keywords=all+the+light+we+cannot+see+by+anthony+doerr&qid=1594402475&s=books&sprefix=all+the+light+we+cannot+see,stripbooks,161&sr=1-1&linkCode=li3&tag=ribblebabel-21&linkId=a9eaa76b7235dd9393df11e4d4bfbf34" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-eu.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=0008138303&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=GB&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=ribblebabel-21" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><font size="2">Amazon link</font></i><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=ribblebabel-21&l=li3&o=2&a=0008138303" style="border: none; margin: 0px;" width="1" />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>
Anything I try to write about this novel will fail to do it justice. <br />
<br />
It's a story about a blind French girl, her father, her uncle and his housekeeper; it's also a story about a German boy, his sister, and his friend; it's about miniature hand-carved houses which hold secrets, it's about snails, and it's about a blue diamond with a swirl of fire at its heart.<br />
<br />
<i>All The Light We Cannot See</i> is a novel about light, and radio waves, and trying to be true to yourself and others, and keeping promises. It's also one of the most beautiful and devastating books I have ever read. I have swept all other books off my shelves and replaced them with this one. J A Brunninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07687618854178436865noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2113602701420436584.post-44832372574557819122016-02-01T09:51:00.001+00:002020-07-10T18:37:43.187+01:00The Yellow Birds by Kevin Powers - an unforgettable journey<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Yellow-Birds-Kevin-Powers/dp/1444756141/ref=as_li_ss_il?crid=LZBWFOS1C8NB&dchild=1&keywords=the+yellow+birds+by+kevin+powers&qid=1594402548&s=books&sprefix=the+yellow+birds,stripbooks,158&sr=1-1&linkCode=li3&tag=ribblebabel-21&linkId=5b7aeb380e19bbeda64aa16044ea46f1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-eu.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=1444756141&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=GB&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=ribblebabel-21" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><font size="2"><i>Amazon link</i></font><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=ribblebabel-21&l=li3&o=2&a=1444756141" style="border: none; margin: 0px;" width="1" /><div><br /></div><div><i>The Yellow Birds</i>, Kevin Powers. This book. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">This</i>
book. I have never taken so long to read such a short book. Not because it was
one of those books not worth the time, but because this book <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">is</i> worth the time.<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
Not a page went by I
didn’t take in a breath and go back and read it again, even more slowly,
sometimes many times before I could move on. It is a beautifully written,
mesmerising book. It is also utterly devastating. It should be essential
reading for anyone responsible for starting a war, and for anyone thinking of
starting one, and for everyone in between. It is about the intimate experience
of war, about the failure of memory to make sense of it, and about the
necessity of trying to do just that. It is a psychological journey and is also a
philosophical one – about choice, about memory, about trying to live and live
on, but most of all it is about the disintegration war reaps at every level. </div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
While there may be some
faces missing from the last pages which I felt should have also been present in
the shadows beneath the trees or traced along the lines of a map, this book
leads you on an unforgettable journey, along a path of fires burning in the
dust. </div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike></div>J A Brunninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07687618854178436865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2113602701420436584.post-14737764041598397192015-08-30T18:32:00.001+01:002020-07-10T18:38:52.701+01:00The Confabulist - Steven GallowayI've been reading a lot of fabulous books just lately, so I thought I'd pass it on... <div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Confabulist-Steven-Galloway/dp/178239401X/ref=as_li_ss_il?keywords=galloway+the+confabulist&qid=1594402684&s=books&sr=1-1&linkCode=li3&tag=ribblebabel-21&linkId=ab04634b1b7c54b0aadef4a833b22c7e" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-eu.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=178239401X&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=GB&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=ribblebabel-21" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><font size="2"><i>Amazon link</i></font><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />
<img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=ribblebabel-21&l=li3&o=2&a=178239401X" style="border: none; margin: 0px;" width="1" />
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<b><i>The Confabulist</i> – Steven Galloway</b><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
I’m not sure what I expected from this book having read and
loved Steven Galloway’s <i>The Cellist of Sarajevo</i> a few years ago. What I got
with <i>The Confabulist </i>is a haunting tale of memory and loss, of the impossibility of living outside of the past we tell ourselves and the future we try but fail to mould. <i>The
Confabulist</i> is a re-telling of Houdini and the man who killed him, Martin
Strauss, but it's much more than that: the tale entraps you, weaving its bonds, and even if you can see it coming this compelling novel is particularly haunting because, in the
end, in the gut-punch end, you know it’s your story that Martin Strauss is telling, and your time is up. </div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike></div>J A Brunninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05052740164415241583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2113602701420436584.post-6287000710733644202015-01-19T12:17:00.003+00:002020-07-10T18:40:55.016+01:00Which Book has Saved Your Life? Today's <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/childrens-books-site/2015/jan/19/the-teen-books-that-saved-my-life-blue-monday?CMP=twt_gu"><em>The Guardian</em></a> Childrens' Books is asking authors and teenagers to share the books that saved their lives for Blue Monday <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GdnBlueMonday?src=hash">#Gdnbluemonday</a>.
I tweeted a quick reply - my choice being instantaneous - but it got me thinking about how a book can do that. Save your life. <br />
<br />
We talk about the vital importance of reading, of libraries, and we know reading is absolutely vital for literacy (of course), but also for economics, for emotional and physical well-being, and so on, yet sometimes it hits home, you feel it, and you remember that reading really can save your life. <br />
<br />
Here's why my choice is <em><strong>Tom's Midnight Garden</strong></em> by Philippa Pearce. <div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Toms-Midnight-Garden-Philippa-Pearce/dp/0192734504/ref=as_li_ss_il?crid=1H6VU3XHB95ON&dchild=1&keywords=toms+midnight+garden+by+philippa+pearce&qid=1594402784&s=books&sprefix=Tom's+mi,stripbooks,156&sr=1-1&linkCode=li3&tag=ribblebabel-21&linkId=b1e84401ce0465942b3c6e8ddfcc2eea" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-eu.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=0192734504&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=GB&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=ribblebabel-21" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><font size="2"><i>Amazon link</i></font><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />
<img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=ribblebabel-21&l=li3&o=2&a=0192734504" style="border: none; margin: 0px;" width="1" />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>
As a child, <em>Tom's Midnight Garden</em> by Philippa Pearce was the first book I'd ever read which gave me a very real escape into another world: the loneliness of both Tom and Hatty, the sense that neither home nor adults were a safe or trustworthy place for either of them; the deep need for a place they were free to be themselves in, and where they could find true friendship – to the extent that time and reality itself could somehow be changed by desire, by love - were not things I could articulate at the time I first read it. But that book offered me a deep and meaningful escape into what felt on a subliminal level to be a very real and accessible place where I felt safe, where new possibilities existed, where time and space and reality could <em>change</em>. This book saved my life. <br />
<br />
I continued to read it right through my teens too, and its impact on my early life not only directly influenced my lifelong avid reading but led into my urge to write too. <br />
<br />
Which book saved your life? <br />
<br />
~</div>Reigh Belisamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12175284479713852995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2113602701420436584.post-74749088264349371672014-07-14T16:57:00.002+01:002020-07-10T18:44:08.677+01:00Lytham Lives launches at last! <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lytham-Lives-Community-Writing-Brunning-ebook/dp/B00LV3MG02/ref=as_li_ss_il?dchild=1&keywords=lythem+lives&qid=1594402869&s=books&sr=1-1-spell&linkCode=li3&tag=ribblebabel-21&linkId=45b43bc26bb84d7c217a97e1e20fdc45" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-eu.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B00LV3MG02&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=GB&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=ribblebabel-21" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Amazon link</i><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=ribblebabel-21&l=li3&o=2&a=B00LV3MG02" style="border: none; margin: 0px;" width="1" />
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;"><em>Woo hoo!!!!</em></span></strong> <br />
At last - <em><strong><a href="http://lythamstories.wordpress.com/2014/07/13/park-view-4-u-launches-lytham-lives-a-community-in-writing/">Lytham Lives - A Community in Writing</a></strong></em> launches <strong>today</strong> at a special launch at <strong><a href="http://www.parkview4u.org.uk/lytham/lytham-lives/">Park View Community Centre</a> in Lytham</strong>. <br />
<br />
Lytham writer <a href="http://alexandraotoole.wordpress.com/tag/festival-of-stories/">Alexandra O'Toole</a> and I have had the most unbelievable palaver with our original choice of publishers - so we gave up and did it ourselves, and I have to say the finished product is cracking! :oP <br />
<br />
The anthology is a part of the forthcoming <em><strong>Lytham Festival of Stories</strong></em>, a project dreamed up by Alex O'Toole and developed in conjunction with Cath Powell at Park View 4U, and with fantastic support from Lancashire County Council, Fylde Borough Council, and Arts Council England. <br />
<br />
We ran writing and conversations-in-the-community workshops in Lytham at <strong>Park View</strong> and at <strong>St. Bede's High School</strong> to get the ball rolling, and opened out the invitation to anyone connected with Lytham to submit their contributions to the anthology, and then chose the final pieces to be included. With specially-commissioned photographs from local photographer <a href="http://ruthbrookscarterblog.wordpress.com/">Ruth Brooks-Carter</a>, the finished anthology is a fantastic slice of life writing, memoir, and poetry, and a fittingly resonant slice of Lytham past, present, and future - a real festival of stories. <br />
<br />
You'll be able to buy your own copy of the anthology from <a href="http://www.parkview4u.org.uk/lytham/lytham-lives/">Park View Community Centre</a>, <a href="http://www.plackittandbooth.co.uk/">Plackitt and Booth</a> bookshop on Clifton Street in Lytham from 15th July, and <b>from Amazon</b> by clicking on the image of the book here:<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lytham-Lives-Community-Writing-Brunning-ebook/dp/B00LV3MG02/ref=as_li_ss_il?dchild=1&keywords=lythem+lives&qid=1594402869&s=books&sr=1-1-spell&linkCode=li3&tag=ribblebabel-21&linkId=45b43bc26bb84d7c217a97e1e20fdc45" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-eu.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B00LV3MG02&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=GB&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=ribblebabel-21" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><font size="2"><i>Amazon link</i></font><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div> <img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=ribblebabel-21&l=li3&o=2&a=B00LV3MG02" style="border: none; margin: 0px;" width="1" />. <br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wHkPjPEHgrc/UFynx5dTgiI/AAAAAAAAAZA/Cq0jcvRZu1E/s1600/smiley.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="198" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wHkPjPEHgrc/UFynx5dTgiI/AAAAAAAAAZA/Cq0jcvRZu1E/s1600/smiley.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
</div>J A Brunninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05052740164415241583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2113602701420436584.post-87113458037481249252014-06-20T19:38:00.000+01:002014-06-20T19:38:52.439+01:00Grand Words indeed.<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: lato; line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.altblackpool.co.uk/grand-words-competition/">A little Birdie</a> told me that Blackpool’s <a href="http://www.altblackpool.co.uk/grand-words-launch-event/" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; box-sizing: border-box; color: #02c29d; text-decoration: none;">Grand Words</a> one act play writing competition 2014 is officially OPEN.</span></b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: lato; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
Writers in the north west of England and Yorkshire are invited to submit their best work for the chance to win the prize of £100, a cut glass trophy (which they keep for a year) and the honour of seeing their work performed in the Grand Theatre studio.<br />
<br />
"The short plays must be written for the theatre, they should last between 20 and 45 minutes, use minimal props and scene changes and be written for up to four actors. The winners since 2009 are: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/david.riley.7731?fref=ts">David Riley</a>, Mary Hodges, Carol Grey, Zoe Lamond, and <a href="http://www.comedyplays.co.uk/cpv5/flp/flp81_syn.html">Theresa Stoker</a>. David Riley has now taken over running the competition. <a href="https://blackpoolwordpool.wordpress.com/tag/david-riley/">Wordpool</a> asked him about the one act play as a mode of expression and the nature of the competition:</div>
<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: lato; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">Can you define the one act play?</strong></div>
<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: lato; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
It tends to come down to actions occuring over a shorter period of time on stage. There’s less room for leisurely introductions and the scene must be set very quickly with little overt background to the story. There must still be dramatic tension in what we see I believe, so the one act is not simply a sketch – we must care about what’s going on. There might also be more room for twists in the tale, surprises that don’t need elaborate set up or resolution.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: lato; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">How popular is the form nationally/internationally?</strong></div>
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The form is a persistent one. Authors tend to like the challenge of what can be done in a limited time. There are several events, ranging from the annual Preston one act festival (coming up soon) to competitions run for the form in various places in the United States, for example.</div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">What are the benefits of writing to this format?</strong></div>
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It offers an exercise in conciseness. It also challenges the writer to think about the essential elements of the story they want to put across. They have to think about such things as stereotypes (which are not always a bad thing, for getting across some key aspects of personality, say) and how they get across key ideas. There’s not really time for sub-plots in a one act play – so how can an idea that might have been developed there be examined?</div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">Where should writers go for tips or inspiration?</strong></div>
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There are several books of one act plays and the greats of playwriting have done them, including Anton Chekhov and Noel Coward, for example. Books of short scripts for different mediums are available but don’t forget the differences between where a play might be performed. A stage play is not something that can easily do rapid cuts between locations and scenes. While such things might work in your head or on television, do they work on stage? One main thing people can do for inspiration is go to the theatre, see how it works.</div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">What are the benefits of winning the competition?</strong></div>
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It can encourage writers to continue their work and perhaps develop longer plays, with the help of institutions locally such as universities and theatres. Some work by participants has been on elsewhere (the previously mentioned Preston one-act festival and the Preston Tringe festival, for example). The theatre is unlikely to make you rich but it is good if you like collaborative work and can be a springboard for other types of work.</div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">You won the competition and now you run it. What has that journey been like?</strong></div>
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The competition running is hard work. There has to be a lot of publicity and the organising of the various evenings of announcements and presentations. It is a useful thing to do as it does offer chances both regionally and locally to those interested in theatre writing.</div>
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Entry forms for this year’s competition are available now from Blackpool libraries and the <a href="http://www.blackpoolgrand.co.uk/" style="background: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #02c29d; text-decoration: none;">Grand Theatre</a> and entries are accepted until late August. Full details are on the form. An electronic version can be obtained from od_ghoti@hotmail.com."</div>
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Pass it on. </div>
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J A Brunninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05052740164415241583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2113602701420436584.post-91098246693639656322014-01-29T14:12:00.000+00:002014-01-29T14:49:29.939+00:00Woo hoo! Two more 5* Reviews for Witherstone Trilogy :o)<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong>Just</strong> <span style="background-color: #fce5cd; color: blue; font-size: large;"><strong>coming up for air</strong></span> after<strong> spending</strong> a few weeks <strong>researching</strong> <span style="color: purple; font-size: large;"><strong>beneath</strong> the <strong>surface</strong></span> of <span style="color: #274e13; font-size: x-large;">the <strong>earth</strong></span> (<strong>plot-spoiler</strong> alert so I shall <strong>say</strong> <span style="color: lime; font-size: large;">no more</span> ) and am <strong><span style="font-size: large;">emerging</span></strong> as a <span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: large;"><strong>very</strong> <span style="font-size: x-large;"><strong>Happy Bunny</strong></span></span> having found <span style="font-size: large;">two</span> <span style="color: magenta; font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">brand <strong>new</strong></span> <strong><span style="color: blue; font-size: x-large;">shiny</span></strong></span> <span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="background-color: #fce5cd;"><strong><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/pdp/profile/A3VK9XCRZG6A9A/ref=cm_cr_dp_pdp">5* reviews</a></strong></span></span></div>
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for <span style="font-size: large;"><em><span style="color: #990000;"><strong>Witherstone</strong></span></em> </span>and <em><span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;"><strong>The Hunt Begins</strong></span></em>! <br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3mrtX5SZBCA/UukFci5TktI/AAAAAAAAAqs/GweQXugIlGQ/s1600/happy+bunny.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3mrtX5SZBCA/UukFci5TktI/AAAAAAAAAqs/GweQXugIlGQ/s1600/happy+bunny.png" /></a></div>
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<strong><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/pdp/profile/A3VK9XCRZG6A9A/ref=cm_cr_dp_pdp">TerriAnn</a></strong> says <em><span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;"><strong>Witherstone</strong></span></em> <span style="font-size: x-large;">'is a <span style="color: blue;"><strong>brilliant</strong></span> <span style="color: blue;">read</span>'</span> and<strong> in</strong> <em><span style="font-size: large;"><strong><span style="color: #990000;">The </span><span style="color: #990000;">Hunt Begins</span></strong></span></em> <span style="font-size: large;">'the <span style="color: #cc0000;"><strong>pace </strong>and <strong>excitement</strong> grew'</span></span> to <span style="color: #741b47; font-size: large;"><strong>such an extent</strong></span> that <span style="font-size: x-large;">'<span style="font-size: large;">I </span><strong><span style="color: #cc0000;">won't </span></strong>be <span style="font-size: large;"><strong>walking</strong> through</span> <span style="color: #274e13;">the <strong>Wild Woods</strong></span> </span><span style="font-size: large;"><strong>at night</strong>...'</span><strong><span style="font-size: x-large;"> !</span></strong></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yIW8phUEl8E/UukLFqJ4uBI/AAAAAAAAArE/T6IVAfpRFMQ/s1600/from_onlandscape.co.uk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yIW8phUEl8E/UukLFqJ4uBI/AAAAAAAAArE/T6IVAfpRFMQ/s1600/from_onlandscape.co.uk.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Wistman's Wood courtesy onlandscape.co.uk</span></em></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Read</span> the <strong>Reviews</strong> <strong><span style="font-size: large;">in full</span> </strong><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/pdp/profile/A3VK9XCRZG6A9A/ref=cm_cr_dp_pdp"><strong>here!</strong></a> </div>
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<strong><em>postscript</em></strong>: Just shows you that<strong> <span style="font-size: large;">hiding </span>from Facebook</strong> isn't always a good plan - I <strong>just found</strong> <strong><span style="font-size: large;">another fab review</span></strong> on there from <a href="https://www.facebook.com/teresa.quinn.31"><strong>Teresa</strong></a> - </div>
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The "Witherstone" trilogy, by Jane Brunning (a friend of my brother's) - a brilliant read, set in 17th century England...as one Amazon reviewer puts it, you become "...immersed in superstition, magic and dark political forces...a story about real life struggle. The plot is gripping and the narrative carries the story with pace..." The characters, especially the heroine, Eppie, are very real and engaging, and you really feel for her as she battles to try and save her family...so brave, and yet so vulnerable...</div>
I could go on...but read it yourself and see...available from Amazon, Waterstones (Preston)<br />
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<em>Thank you Teresa</em> :o) <br />
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Now, back down the tunnel...<br />
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<span style="color: #fce5cd;">~</span></div>
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<br />J A Brunninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05052740164415241583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2113602701420436584.post-70221748709205537212013-11-11T12:25:00.000+00:002013-11-11T12:26:08.236+00:00eKlectic Writing - Official Live Launch of The Book of Shadows! <div style="text-align: center;">
Following the <span style="font-size: large;">grand tradition</span> set by my friend and </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">award-winning</span> poet <a href="http://terryquinnpoetryuk.blogspot.co.uk/"><strong>Terry Quinn</strong></a>, I'm </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">launching</span> the final <em>Witherstone</em> book, <em><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Book-Shadows-Witherstone-Trilogy/dp/1492315680/"><span style="font-size: large;">The Book of Shadows</span></a></em>, </div>
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with <span style="font-size: large;">friends!</span> </div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VIWUuXIEUN0/UoDHzOA9q4I/AAAAAAAAAqc/sTF_8uq-6jg/s1600/brunningposterlexikal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VIWUuXIEUN0/UoDHzOA9q4I/AAAAAAAAAqc/sTF_8uq-6jg/s640/brunningposterlexikal.jpg" width="451" /></a></div>
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It'll be a fabulously <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/564399306973157/?ref_dashboard_filter=calendar"><span style="font-size: large;">eKlectic night</span></a> mixing <span style="font-size: large;">prose and poetry</span> - and it will be great to catch up with my <span style="font-size: large;">fabulously-talented friends!</span> </div>
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It's <span style="font-size: large;">FREE</span> too, and is forming part of the NEW monthly <span style="font-size: large;">live literature</span> nights<span style="font-size: large;"> LexiKal</span> at the fabulous <a href="https://www.facebook.com/KorovaArtsCafeBar?directed_target_id=0"><span style="font-size: large;">Korova Arts Café Bar</span></a> just off Fishergate in Preston. </div>
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<strong><em><span style="font-size: large;">See you</span> <span style="font-size: large;">there!</span></em></strong> </div>
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J A Brunninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05052740164415241583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2113602701420436584.post-83847928763385880692013-10-26T19:04:00.000+01:002013-10-26T19:14:38.496+01:00Books, Tea, and Shortbread Biscuits<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dg2h-HsIFGc/UmwDeh8vmNI/AAAAAAAAAqE/CU33t4CjHSA/s1600/4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dg2h-HsIFGc/UmwDeh8vmNI/AAAAAAAAAqE/CU33t4CjHSA/s320/4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Had a really fab afternoon in Waterstones, Preston officially launching <i><a href="http://ribblebabel.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/its-here.html">The Book of Shadows</a></i> into the world with a book signing.<br />
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Not only did the books meet with some enthusiastic readers - from brand new first-timers (some of whom bought all three!) through to those avidly waiting for the final part in the trilogy, I met lots of lovely people, caught up with a few friends, AND was supplied with tea and DELICIOUS home-made shortbread BISCUITS (*thank you Chelsie :oP *).<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-92tHxUdDxYg/UMieFCpqIGI/AAAAAAAAAjg/fummi494lQA/s1600/cheshirecat.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-92tHxUdDxYg/UMieFCpqIGI/AAAAAAAAAjg/fummi494lQA/s1600/cheshirecat.png" /></a></div>
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*AND Waterstones are adding Book 3 to their recommended Christmas Reads list too!* </div>
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<br />J A Brunninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05052740164415241583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2113602701420436584.post-2927443445260066952013-10-22T11:14:00.000+01:002013-10-22T11:14:03.582+01:00more giddy kipperingGetting as giddy as a kipper this week - not only do I have a <a href="http://ribblebabel.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/book-signing-in-waterstones.html">book signing in Waterstones</a>, Preston, to look forward to on Saturday, but a friend of mine has just received a pretty exciting Amazon recommended read...<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-T4fIG3AcJCk/UmZOpwoEuKI/AAAAAAAAApk/h4eOeZDfVKI/s1600/Amazon+recommends+Book+of+Shadows+21.10.13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-T4fIG3AcJCk/UmZOpwoEuKI/AAAAAAAAApk/h4eOeZDfVKI/s400/Amazon+recommends+Book+of+Shadows+21.10.13.jpg" width="218" /></a></div>
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Me? </div>
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Nuff said. </div>
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J A Brunninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05052740164415241583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2113602701420436584.post-17486716093962271732013-10-19T14:52:00.000+01:002013-10-19T14:52:14.504+01:00Book Signing in Waterstones...!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uX-VfX_ftEU/Ujl4aVIFDUI/AAAAAAAAAnI/3JLPkGhQZAo/s1600/Book+of+Shadows+front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uX-VfX_ftEU/Ujl4aVIFDUI/AAAAAAAAAnI/3JLPkGhQZAo/s320/Book+of+Shadows+front.jpg" width="196" /></a></div>
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Really looking forward to the <b><span style="font-size: large;">official launch</span></b> of <i><b><span style="font-size: large;">The Book of Shadows</span></b></i> out into the world at a <b><span style="font-size: large;">book signing</span> </b>in <b><span style="font-size: large;">Waterstones, Preston</span></b> </div>
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this coming <b><span style="font-size: large;">Saturday, 26th October... ! </span></b></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bm2uzVmqhiU/UmKNFVRt89I/AAAAAAAAApU/fPjHQMSLQOs/s1600/Waterstones,Preston.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bm2uzVmqhiU/UmKNFVRt89I/AAAAAAAAApU/fPjHQMSLQOs/s320/Waterstones,Preston.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i><b>I'll be lurking amongst the bookshelves from about midday until late afternoon so it will be lovely to see people and have a chat, and, who knows, maybe sign a few books too! </b></i><br />
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<span style="color: #e69138;">~</span><br />
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<br />J A Brunninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05052740164415241583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2113602701420436584.post-30674881126607813002013-10-09T18:47:00.000+01:002013-10-10T19:04:53.489+01:00I am a Laydee, and I do Ladies Things. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1zzRryyRhDQ/UlWVctmNTMI/AAAAAAAAApI/3r9IQ4Me4m4/s1600/LadyFest_Preston.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1zzRryyRhDQ/UlWVctmNTMI/AAAAAAAAApI/3r9IQ4Me4m4/s1600/LadyFest_Preston.jpg" /></a></div>
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<b>Thrilled to have been invited to join the line-up at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/KorovaArtsCafeBar">Korova Arts Cafe</a> for this Friday's <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/581647078558562/">LadiesKlectic</a> night in support of <a href="https://www.facebook.com/LadyfestPreston">LadyFest Preston</a> </b></div>
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<b>- supporting Preston Domestic Violence Services with loads of fab events 11th - 13th October - </b></div>
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and I'll be joining <a href="https://www.facebook.com/k.l.pritchard.mclean"><b>Kiri Pritchard Mclean</b></a>, <b>Grace Ashworth</b>, winner of the LimeLight Film Competition at Korova, <b>Katie Ryan</b>, <b>Beth Norwood</b> and <b>Kerry Carrol</b>, three fantastic emerging talents from the world of music, theatre and film, and the fantastic <b>Avital Raz</b> - </div>
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"<i>To call her magical is to miss the point. This is real and very potent self-expression</i>."- Nick Burbridge.<br />
- AND latest news just in: Guild competition winner <a href="https://www.facebook.com/lorna.smithers.1"><strong>Lorna Smithers</strong></a>. <br />
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F.A.B.</div>
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So all in all, a good night out then! See you there, where I will be a Laydee, and do Ladies Things. </div>
<span style="color: #e69138;">~</span><br />
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J A Brunninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05052740164415241583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2113602701420436584.post-29034233811157981552013-09-27T20:22:00.000+01:002013-09-27T20:22:36.438+01:00Giddy as a Kipper<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-p7vAndQm524/UkXXwOFUOYI/AAAAAAAAAos/qRcqlRQ4fWA/s1600/Witherstone+Kindle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-p7vAndQm524/UkXXwOFUOYI/AAAAAAAAAos/qRcqlRQ4fWA/s1600/Witherstone+Kindle.jpg" /></a></div>
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Celebrating the publication of all three books in the <b><i><span style="color: #cc0000;">Witherstone</span></i></b> trilogy by making the <b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Witherstone-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B005OSZ7MO/">Witherstone</a> <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=2113602701420436584"></a></i>Kindle edition FREE for the last 5 days of September! </b><br />
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- and I'm as giddy as a kipper at finding <i><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Witherstone-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B005OSZ7MO/"><b>Witherstone</b></a></i> launching itself into <b>the top 500 in the Amazon Bestsellers</b> free Kindle list, and <b>in the top 20 Amazon Bestsellers Historical Fiction </b>list within the first 24 hours!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HK2tyhYMucg/UkXamQPGedI/AAAAAAAAAo0/mYBe1DaE4Xs/s1600/FishDancing_thesaa.net.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HK2tyhYMucg/UkXamQPGedI/AAAAAAAAAo0/mYBe1DaE4Xs/s200/FishDancing_thesaa.net.jpg" width="175" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">courtesy thesaa.net</td></tr>
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J A Brunninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05052740164415241583noreply@blogger.com0