Christmas with the Starkadders

Even with the best will in the world Christmas can be a bit… trying, can it not? But at least you can be grateful you are not celebrating Christmas at Cold Comfort Farm with the Starkadders. They have a withered thorn-branch as a tree, decorated with tufts of sheep’s-wool and topped with a raven’s skeleton … Continue reading →

The Face of a Madonna by Thomas Armstrong (1964)

A final Thomas Armstrong review. I feel these reviews fall under the ‘we read these books so you don’t have to’ category! Review by Thecla W: I found this novel unexpectedly hard going, in fact quite difficult to read. The story itself is an interesting one. This novel is set in 14th century Yorkshire and … Continue reading →

Dover Harbour by Thomas Armstrong (1942)

Review by Val H: Dover Harbour (1942), by the forgotten Yorkshire writer Thomas Armstrong, is superficially an old-fashioned ‘ripping yarn’ about England in the Napoleonic wars.  Dig a little deeper, and there is more going on. To readers looking simply for entertainment, there is much to enjoy.  Dover Harbour would be a good companion for … Continue reading →

Thomas Armstrong (1899-1978)

I wonder if anyone remembers Thomas Armstrong now? He wrote a number of best-sellers, none of which are in print now. The members of my reading group would say this is for good reason! He is one of the few writers we have read that almost everyone found unreadable. What was it about his books … Continue reading →

Ann Veronica by H. G. Wells (1909)

Review by Sylvia D: I’d been meaning to read Ann Veronica for some time but have to admit that I found it a little disappointing given it has been cited as a ‘New Woman’ novel.  However, one has to remember that it was written at the beginning of the twentieth century (1909) when there was … Continue reading →

The Island of Dr. Moreau by H. G. Wells (1896)

H. G. Wells need no introduction, so perhaps shouldn’t be in our collection of fiction from 1900-1950 that needs to be preserved, but his popularity is evidenced in how often he is donated! We have early editions and several Penguin reprints from 1946. The fly leaf of the Penguin states: “This edition of The Island of … Continue reading →