The Colour of Reading
Back in the days when Moray Libraries still needed me and my expertise, I had some responsibility for our Facebook page. For a while we…
My Lockdown Books: Thirty Two
This is a piece I wrote a couple of years ago. I don't think I can improve upon it. To the Edge of the…
My Lockdown Books: Twenty Six
In Welcome to Nowhere Elizabeth Laird tells Omar’s story. Omar is a twelve-year-old from a fairly average Syrian family who hates school and has great…
5th December
Of all the children’s authors I collect, Dorita Fairlie Bruce is my favourite. In a large part I think it’s because she’s a Scot and…
Welcome to Nowhere by Elizabeth Laird
It's no great secret that I hold Elizabeth Laird's books in very high esteem. She's a talented writer, a superb storyteller and also a humanitarian. …
The Prince who Walked with Lions
This is Elizabeth Laird's latest novel and it's excellent as you would expect. The story is based on actual events in Abyssinia and England and…
Too Busy Reading to Blog!
It's true! I seem to have been reading non-stop all summer: for The Scotsman, for the Edinburgh International Book Festival and for our own book…
Book Festivals and Book Launches
Over the last few weeks I've met and listened to about as many authors as I could cope with! Without exception they've been lovely people…
Elizabeth Laird
Elizabeth Laird often writes about subjects in which I am not at all interested. But that never discourages me from reading her books. They are…
The Blog’s Name
I expect that some of you recognise the allusion in the title of my blog. It's to Lewis Carroll, of course, in Alice's Adventures in…
Pictures and Conversations 