Also doing my work for me today is PooterGeeker David Duff. He's back from his hols and emails with book reviews. He recommends The Ice Harvest by Scott Phillips. David writes: “Like all good pulp fiction, it is very cynical and morally dubious but an absolutely cracking read.” He points those looking for something rather […]

Further to my (and David Duff’s) praise for Lee Child‘s work I managed to fit in a few minutes reading his latest yesterday evening. It’s gripping, violent stuff. This volume in the series is more of a mystery novel as well, so people like Judith might enjoy it too—as long as I keep quiet about […]

I’ve been spending time more time than usual on public transport lately, so it’s time to review my recent diet of junk fiction. Persuader is a macho thriller written by an Englishman in an American setting and idiom. I enjoyed it so much that I’ve ordered one of Lee Child’s other “Jack Reacher” novels from […]

First PooterGeeker (anywhere in the World) to comment on this ‘Blog entry gets a free subscription to The London Review of Books. (Given its editorial line on The Issue of Our Day, I can understand a certain ambivalence, but, hey, they’re giving it away. Get your share of that taxpayer-funded subsidy now!)

The other thing I want to rave about is the work and philosophy of Stephen King. I am not the first person to compare him to Dickens, but they do have a lot in common. Not least among these things is that King is both hugely popular with ordinary people and underrated by contemporary critics. […]

This essential book brings a whole new meaning to the phrase “comedy romance”.

Newton’s Swing is a lean, but consistently interesting, New York thriller. To summarize it in the style of SavaPoint: A man is upset when his beautiful wife is shot dead in their apartment while their son is in bed. It has two faults: the author occasionally crosses the line between striking description and writerly fussiness […]

Judith will have a thing or two to say about this one, I’m sure. Here Johann Hari examines the favourite novels of the leaders of the three main political parties in the UK and tries to work out what each choice says about each chooser.

Philip Pullman seems to be everywhere these days. I’ve even just had a conversation with my landlord about him. Leasey (who has just finished reading Pullman’s Dark Materials trilogy) pointed out that this interview is worth reading.

Even though Martin has recently stopped reading PooterGeek because it’s become “too self-referential”* lately, I am going to post his recommended link to Arts and Letters Daily. It looks like a superb regular stop-off point for literature lovers and culture vultures of every kind. There’s one for technophiles too. (Image of Martin courtesy of Adam) […]

Amazon.co.uk recommended this to me today. I’m tempted.

Book lovers, pre-order this novel now. Twice. Update: embedded link to the Newsday review courtesy of the author. (See comment linked below.) Is it just me or do most of the recommended titles in that article read like the names of porn videos?…

Erin Noteboom is a thirtysomething former physicist who now writes full time. Recently she won the CBC Canada Literary Award for her series of Second World War poems Ghost Maps. Several are excellent; a few made me wince. She uses simple words powerfully. As well as her static site, she keeps a writer’s notebook.