It’s hard to get a buzz about the Commonwealth Games compared with the Olympics, but I was delighted today to have our ticket order confirmed. I applied for and received a family ticket to the medal play-offs for women’s hockey on March 25 next year. Australia is almost certain to be involved and this is [...]
Dresden bombing
I’ve received a couple of spam emails in German lately about the Allied bombing of Dresden in early 1945. The emails are sincerely written, state cold facts and don’t moralise except to criticise the subsequent silence of the German government and media. I must say I’ve always been troubled about the bombing of Dresden. I [...]
Henderson the Rain King
Henderson the Rain King by Saul Bellow is a strange book. It’s bizarre plot entices the reader and there are some hilarious, side-splitting scenes. Unfortunately, long periods of tedious introspection by the main character, Henderson, undermine the positive attributes. Henderson is a rich American who inherited his fortune. He’s a strong man and a Second [...]
Ballantyne novels
I’ve finished reading Wilbur Smith’s Ballantyne series in chronological order: A Falcon Flies, Men of Men, The Angels Weep, The Leopard Hunts in Darkness. There are similarities with the Courtney series — African setting, strong and successful pioneering characters, Arab cameos, conflict at various levels, thrilling action, etc. The series started slowly for me, but [...]
When the Lion Feeds
When the Lion Feeds is Wilbur Smith’s first novel, published in 1964. I’ve come it by a roundabout route, beginning with Power of the Sword and more recently having read Monsoon and Birds of Prey. I don’t think it matters to read Smith out of sequence; in fact it possibly helps to evaluate his characters [...]
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