My Book Review: Notes on a Scandal By Zoe Heller

Title: Notes On A Scandal Author: Zoe Heller Published: May 2009 Publisher: Penguin Pages: 256 Pages Genre: Fiction RRP: £8.99 Rating: Five Stars   About the book From the first day that the beguiling Sheba Hart joins the staff of St George’s history teacher Barbara Covett is convinced she has found a kindred spirit. Barbara’s loyalty to her new friend is passionate […]

My #Bookreview: Letter to Louis by Alison White

My #Bookreview: Letter to Louis by Alison White

Title: Letter to Louis Author: Alison White Published: January 2018 Publisher: Faber & Faber Pages: 352 Pages Genre: Memoir RRP: £10.78 Rating: Five Stars   About the book This is a memoir about hope – hope in others, hope in systems, and hope for the future. I’ve never quite known where to begin when someone asks me what […]

Skilbey’s Book Review: A Hundred Tiny Threads by Judith Barrow

  Title: A Hundred Tiny Threads Author: Judith Barrow Published: 17 August 2017 Publisher: Hono Welsh Women’s Press Pages: 320 pages Genre: Historical fiction RRP: £8.99 Rating: 5 Stars Don’t forget, it’s Welsh Books Councils Book Of The Month in January 2018:   http://www.gwales.com/ecat/?sf_ecat_id=520&session_timeout=1 A little about the book Winifred is a determined young woman eager for […]

Skilbey’s Book Review: A Hundred Tiny Threads by Judith Barrow

    Title: A Hundred Tiny Threads Author: Judith Barrow Published: 17 August 2017 Publisher: Hono Welsh Women’s Press Pages: 320 pages Genre: Historical fiction RRP: £8.99 Rating: 5 Stars Welsh Books Councils  Book Of The Month in January 2018:   http://www.gwales.com/ecat/?sf_ecat_id=520&session_timeout=1 About the book Winifred is a determined young woman eager for new experiences, for a […]

Fortune cookies

2018 New Year Hopes

Raising a toast to the year ahead. Pick a 2018 Fortune Cookie. If you visualise the year ahead with an element of doom and gloom then, Happy New Year, Pessimisto Maestro, it may be a pleasant uphill for you from here on. If you’re trying to visualise the year ahead in the best possible light […]

Throwing the book at you

Throwing the book at you.

It’s been a while since I’ve blogged. I’ve been catching up with what I neglected while preparing for the Festival of Writing, York, last month. You can read about my experiences here http://www.skilbey.com/my-time-at-the-festival-of-writing-york/ It’s funny. As a writer, I love unpicking the peculiar minds of my characters and I love characters that are flawed or damaged, […]

My time at the Festival of Writing, York.

Wow, the Festival of Writing was a mighty fine event. http://www.writersworkshop.co.uk/Booking-Festival.html It brings together the very best industry experts; book doctors, editors, publishers and agents and successful authors, all wanting to share their experiences and their sound advice. All there, waiting to give feedback on your writing project, whatever the stage you are at. Held on […]

It's off to the York Festival of Writing

It’s off to the York Festival of Writing

Gosh, it’s been a while since I’ve blogged. Hello to you all. I haven’t actually taken early retirement from the blogosphere. I’ve just spent the past few weeks – well, much more really – polishing up my manuscript, ready to take to the York Festival of Writing next weekend. Next weekend. Yikes. I’ve been buoyed […]

Hardly Egg-static

Hardly Egg-static

I was tickled by a feature on Radio 4’s Saturday Live (24 June) http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08tvjr4 presented by Aasmah Mir and the Reverend Richard Coles, previously one-half of the British pop duo, The Communards. Their brilliant morning show which sadly I now rarely catch is always filled with eclectic conversation, with the most unusual stories being the pull for […]

Mr Bastard of a Cat

Mr Bastard of a Cat

I have a soft spot for cats. There is no cure. Through my eyes, they can do no wrong (or rather I choose to ignore their wrong doings). I have strong and similar feelings towards goats, having kept a couple in the past. I can confirm that these adorable creatures are boundary blind, reckless hooligans […]

Spirits watching Earth Nation Street. Episode: Now

Spirits Watching Earth Nation Street. Episode: Now

I wonder if when we die, whether there is such a thing as a spirit world, and whether these spirits are watching the living as if watching a TV drama being played out. Apparently, spirits are able to see the bigger picture and know exactly what’s going down on Earth Nation Street. They don’t have to wait […]

Slowly Does It. Does It?

Slowly Does It. Does It?

Ok, for a long time I never understood why elite athletes when coming to the end of their race would slow down considerably on approach to the finishing line. Yes, I know exhaustion plays a part but sometimes, they just don’t look exhausted. I understand now that it is because there are financial incentives for […]

Every Home Should Have An Eeyore

Every Home Should Have An Eeyore.

Every Home Should Have An Eeyore. Life is full of contrasts and in order to fully appreciate and celebrate light and its hues, we need to acknowledge its many shades. And isn’t shade refreshing after some time spent in the heat of the sun? When we get it. This appreciation of shade can be heightened by […]

Black hole choking on stardust

Reassured By A Black Hole Choking On Stardust

There is something very grounding and reassuring about the recent discovery of a black hole choking on stardust. http://news.mit.edu/2017/black-hole-choking-stardust-0315 “In essence, this black hole has not had much to feed on for a while, and suddenly along comes an unlucky star full of matter,” says Dheeraj Pasham, the paper’s first author and a postdoc in […]

Any soul plumbers out there?

Any Soul Plumbers Out There?

So, let me get this straight. When we die, we go to Soul Heaven. Here, we know everything and know it all at once; what has passed, what is passing, what is still to pass. Time plays to a different kind of dimension. Apparently, we understand everything here. We become a soul puzzle that slots […]