The Shorter Oxford Dictionary has published its sixth edition, and as well as a lengthy revamp of the “pie” entry the new version boasts the usual compliment of moreish new words, some of which are detailed in this Time article. Why are […]

Agatha Christie’s “Evil Under The Sun” and Georges Simenon’s “Maigret And The Old Lady” have a few things in common: seasides, murder, and a lady whose intelligence and good company charms the detective even though[…]

I am a poor judge of whether or not a bit of PR work will lead to press coverage or not. Take the Agatha Christie comic adaptations story that’s been doing the rounds – this looks like a non-starter to me but everywhere has covered it. I […]

Via I Love Comics comes this link to a remarkable collection of pictures from a 1982 comics convention. It’s a parade of earnest men – mostly men – in polyester suits, from a time when even respectability was an aspirational dream f[…]

It Walks By Night was the very first book published by Dickson Carr, master of the locked room mystery. I didn’t know this while reading it, but it makes sense: the style is rambling and florid, it feels like a book by someone pleased to b[…]

the weekly world news will be no more come august
my favourite story: two-headed woman pregnant! one head wants to have the baby — says the other, “absolutely not!”[…]

We interrupt yr regularly scheduled iced wafflings for an important artistic announcement:
BUY THIS BOOK NOW.
What’s it about? CLOCKWORK DEATH. Who will enjoy it? YOU YOUR PARTNER YOUR NAN AND YOUR CAT. Is it violent? ONLY WHEN IT’S ESSEN[…]

Freaky Trigger and the Lollards Of Pop is gearing up for its second smash-hit season – keep yr peepers peeled for date announcements – and in the meantime we’re putting together a compilation of the best bits of Season 1, as an intr[…]

ok this one (and it’s NOT THAT OLD) reads:
• read ziz — [what? which bit? ALL OF HIM!?]
• = suss’n of BNs — [actually translated by pure chance — see below]
• zizek/banksy — [yes? and?]
• g04 — [are […]

So I had a little wander through the snazzy Brunswick Centre today. Mainly to go to the bank, but i thought I would sniff around. And I thought I would reacquaint myself with Skoob. Skoob being a rambling old second hand bookstore belov’d of ol[…]