Raynor Reads Stuff

Raynor reads stuff:

The random musings of a bookworm

REVIEW: The Wombles

Everyone has heard of The Wombles right? Most people can probably sing the theme tune to the television series too. I loved The Wombles as a child but before I wax lyrical about the book, I’m going to tell you a story. About 20-25 years ago I was on the island of Alderney, one of…

January 26, 2023
REVIEW: Magpie

Wow I’ve had a pretty good reading week so far and it’s only Thursday! I’ve just romped through Magpie, by Elizabeth Day, a thoroughly enjoyable domestic psychological thriller. It’s one of the books I received for Christmas – Amazon wish lists are a wonderful thing. Elizabeth Day is a British journalist and author who also…

January 26, 2023
REVIEW: Burial Rites

Oh my god this book is good. Go buy, borrow or steal it and read it immediately (actually don’t steal it, stealing is bad and wrong). I could leave it there, but I won’t obviously. It wouldn’t make for a very good blog post and this book deserves so much more than a one-liner. Burial…

January 25, 2023
REVIEW: Collected Poems Volume One

Where I live in Nottingham, trams and buses can be named after people from the city who have done great things. One of the buses is called Henry Normal. If you’ve seen The Mrs Merton Show, The Royle Family or Coogan’s Run, or you’re a fan of Gavin and Stacey, Red Dwarf, The Might Boosh…

January 22, 2023
REVIEW: Heatwave

January 21, 2023
REVIEW: Begars Abbey

It’s January, the nights are long and cold and the days are grey. What better time of year to curl up with a gothic-style ghost story? Begars Abbey is by VL Valentine and was published by Viper in 2022. It is set in 1953/4. Our protagonist Sam Cooper is down and out in Brooklyn and…

January 19, 2023
What is it with the Japanese and cats?

I am a big fan of Japanese literature. Last year, among Japanese authors I enjoyed reading included Natsuko Imamura, Meiko Kawakami, Natsu Miyashita, Durian Sukigawa, Emi Yagi, Seishi Yokomizo and Banana Yoshimoto. And then, of course, there is one of my favourite authors and probably Japan’s biggest literary export Haruki Murakami. I have at least…

January 17, 2023
REVIEW: Red Sky at Night

If you have ever tried and failed to race a ferret then Red Sky at Night is probably just what you need to improve your training techniques. This book is a little like a Schott’s Miscellany for the British countryside, containing a wealth of information compiled in an orderly manner that you can dip into…

January 16, 2023
REVIEW: Adventures in Moominland

I came across this beautiful boxed set of Moomin books by Tove Jansson, published by Puffin, in a charity shop last year. This collection was published in 1975 and the set of eight books cost me £7. To say I was delighted is a huge understatement. I read the majority of them last year and…

January 15, 2023
REVIEW: A Fool’s Alphabet

I’m a big fan of Sebastian Faulks. I’ve read Birdsong, Charlotte Gray and Engleby and thoroughly enjoyed them and I have Paris Echo, Snow Country, The Girl at the Lion D’Or, Where My Heart Used to Beat and On Green Dolphin Street sitting on various bookshelves waiting to be read. This one, however, is A…

January 13, 2023