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Shelf Sufficient: March 2008

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What I am reading and what I have learnt from it as a writer. Thursday, 13 March 2008. The Sunday Philosophy Club - Alexander McCall Smith. A self-sufficient lady philosopher witnesses a young man's death and decides that something isn't right and that she needs to investigate. She justifies her nosiness by claiming that it helps her recover from the trauma of witnessing someone dying. Tuesday, 11 March 2008. Malcolm in the middle. To the viewers early on. Another few chapters of. A Feast For Crows.

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Shelf Sufficient: Interzone 222

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What I am reading and what I have learnt from it as a writer. Monday, 29 June 2009. Johnny and Emmie-Lou get Married. Greaserpunk gang love story. This is a small and perfect story set in an original universe. Read it and tell others. Mellow apocolypse story that questions the nature of reality. I liked the slackerish main character who responds other people, rather than acting for himself. Lady of the White-Spired City. By Sarah L. Edwards. I'm guessing that this feeling of deprivation mirrors the helpl...

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Shelf Sufficient: May 2007

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What I am reading and what I have learnt from it as a writer. Monday, 28 May 2007. Lindsay Davis - A Body in the Bath House. Historical whodunnits, for a start - Lindsay Davis is funnier and less predictable than Ellis Peters, the Cadfael lady. Falco - he is cynical and curmudgeonly and well aware of his own failings; yet he has a certain honour, he loves his girl and his family, and he is interestingly observant. More information: Lindsay Davis' website. Thursday, 24 May 2007. Of Mice and Men. Because o...

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Shelf Sufficient: July 2009

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What I am reading and what I have learnt from it as a writer. Wednesday, 22 July 2009. Harry Potter: The Half-Blood Prince. What I really liked about this was the sensitivity with which it treated teenage love and infatuation. Compare the tenderness of Ginny and Harry, with the comedy of Ron-ron and Lavender; or Lavender's monumental sulk with Hermione's bitterly painful disappointment. Monday, 20 July 2009. Outlaw of Gor by John Norman. And then be BETRAYED and sent to the slave mines? And then buy the ...

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Shelf Sufficient: January 2008

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What I am reading and what I have learnt from it as a writer. Tuesday, 15 January 2008. Fire of the Dragon. A young husband reluctantly leave his pregnant wife to go to war. Five years later, he is holed up in a beseiged castle, and finds himself torn between staying faithful to his wife and a pie. Medieval war is not the usual setting for gentle comedy about a put-upon man; but this was handled very well. Huw ap Dafydd is a likeable character, with very human failings and fears. Website: BBC Radio Wales.

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Shelf Sufficient: December 2007

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What I am reading and what I have learnt from it as a writer. Thursday, 20 December 2007. From Fact to Fiction: Girl power by Katie Mosse. A journalist who built her career on the rise and fall of the Spice Girls travels penitant to their reunion concert. The sparse sound effects - travel announcements, the odd burst of Spice Girls music. This was written in response to the week's news, so it would have been put together very quickly. Broadcast BBC Radio 4 on Saturday 15 December. Website: Fact or Fiction.

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Shelf Sufficient: Interzone 223 (Dominic Green special issue)

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What I am reading and what I have learnt from it as a writer. Sunday, 19 July 2009. Interzone 223 (Dominic Green special issue). Old man gets himself taken by slavers to rescue his granddaughter - who is not the dear little thing she appears to be. A stirring story set in an intriguing universe where technology doesn't work as it should - the slavers are glad to take Krishna on board as an AI mediator because their computer is sulking. Coat of Many Colours. Scientist annoys big business by trying to prove.

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Shelf Sufficient: The Life of Martha Ballard, based on her diary 1785-1812: Laurel Thatcher Ulrich

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What I am reading and what I have learnt from it as a writer. Friday, 10 July 2009. The Life of Martha Ballard, based on her diary 1785-1812: Laurel Thatcher Ulrich. To continue the medical theme started by Thackery T. Lambshead. Each chapter is headed by a short section of diary; and then the rest of the chapter discusses, explains and enlarges on Martha's terse prose, adding details from other documents (notably the diary of Henry Sewell, but also court and town records). This is a record for my own sa...