1. Capital letters Let’s start with an easy one, shall we? Capital letters go at the start of any sentence, status update, comment or tweet. Also, when you write someone’s name (that’s their first name AND surname) you need to use a capital letter. Same for the name of any town, city or country. …
Living Abroad
Long time readers of my blog will probably recognise some elements of this post. But before you jump ship, grumbling about not having the time nor inclination to read old content, let me just say that this is more of a "reimagining" of my thoughts and ideas on a particular theme, rather than a …
Dishonesty is the Best Policy
“Tell lies, beautifully,” said Chuck Palahniuk to me, the first time I ever met him. (Actually, he wrote it, inside my copy of Lullaby. Look, there’s even a photo to prove it.) …
Book Review: The Small Backs of Children, by Lidia Yuknavitch
Okay. Before I begin, let me just say something: this is not going to be your typical sort of traditional book review. It’s not going to be like most other reviews, in which you get a précis of the book’s plot, and a bunch of reasons why the reader liked or disliked it. I mean, I guess I’ll do all …
Penguin Modern Classics – Paul Bowles
One of my favourite things at the moment is the Penguin Modern Classics series. Little books with a silvery-grey cover, each containing two or three short stories by one of the twentieth century’s most noted authors—authors who sought to push boundaries, be they social, sexual or linguistic. It …