SHELF LIFE: Rat Catcher

I discovered quite a treat at the weekend—a 40th anniversary edition of James Herbert’s THE RATS. It was his breakout novel about oversized rats eating their way across London and the Home Counties. THE RATS was also the first book of his […]

SHELF LIFE: Bulletproof

I’m not bulletproof. I hope to be one day but I’m not. I wound easily. No, I’m not talking about being bulletproof in a percussion weapon way (so please don’t try shooting me) but in a literary way. The topic of author […]

SHELF LIFE: Backhanded Compliments

“Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” —Luke 23:34 I’ve cribbed this quote from Luke to talk about the backhanded compliments that I’ve encountered. As a professional scribbler, you have to be able to take things […]

SHELF LIFE: Shameless

I recently finished Jon Ronson’s excellent new book SO YOU’VE BEEN PUBLICLY SHAMED which explores public shaming of all varieties through the medium of social media.  For me, Ronson is a cracking nonfiction writer.  As a writer and journalist he tackles the […]