New Posts
Writing Course 2026: “How to write and publish a novel”
I’m leading a writing course on the beautiful Greek island of Lesbos from 5-12 September 2026. A few places still available!
Tristan da Cunha
Tristan da Cunha is improbably remote, and life there is tough. Yet islanders have repeatedly preferred to live there rather than in the United Kingdom.
Hard boiled thrillers
Hard boiled thrillers don’t come much tougher, or more violent, than Chandler, Spillane and Hammett. Classics? Or relics? You decide.
Stiff Upper Lip Jeeves: juicy quotes
PG Wodehouse Stiff Upper Lip, Jeeves – laugh out loud moments but not my favourite in the canon of Jeeves and Wooster masterpieces.
How to be an Alien: George Mikes makes fun of the English
George Mikes’ “How to be an Alien” is one of the funniest books you can read. It’s not about aliens, of course. It is about the English.
Lady Anna: cruelty, feminism and power
“Lady Anna” may seem chunky with an unappealing title. Yet it shows how the struggle for feminism, power and women’s rights is eternal.
Live readings: why they are important to build readership
Doing live readings is a great way to build a fan base. But more important, they are fun and rewarding. You may even sell a few books, too.
Lee Child’s Jack Reacher: 8 reasons the books are classics
Lee Child’s Jack Reacher thrillers are best sellers. Here’s what makes people buy them by the million. Great characters – not only Jack Reacher but fine women and minor characters. Great jokes. Crackling dialogue, Satisfying problem-solving. Wisdom. Let’s take a closer look.
Black Panther: Life lessons
Black Panther Life Lessons – how an excellent movie on a plane helped remind me what was important in life.
The best Hotel Stories? Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes.
The best hotel stories in the world? Leigh Turner’s “Seven Hotel Stories” are comic, spicy, and show how hotels and guests really interact.
“Jeeves and the Feudal Spirit”: 20 delicious quotations
“Jeeves and the Feudal Spirit” has a plot “as full of curves as a scenic railway”. It includes some of Wodehouse’s funniest scenes ever.
Sleazy politics: “Trash of the Titans”
Sleazy politics is more topical than ever. The Simpsons Trash of the Titans is a great example of how this brilliant series addresses serious issues.
Leigh Turner Readings (video)
Leigh Turner readings: what are they like? Watch a professional video of his first ever reading at Cafe Korb in Vienna in March 2018.
Bitcoin and chartism: what links Bart, beards and the vomiting camel?
Bitcoin and chartism make an unholy alliance. The vomiting camel, beards and Bart Simpson can help us to see something fishy going on.
Zum Schwarzen Kameel: a unique Vienna institution
“Zum Schwarzen Kameel” is one of the best cafes in Vienna. It is also one of the best restaurants in Vienna; and one of the best bars.
“Aunts Aren’t Gentlemen” – the funniest Wodehouse?
“Aunts aren’t gentlemen” may be my favourite Wodehouse novel. I have chosen ten exquisite quotations – some of the funniest Wodehouse quotes.
Shakespeare & Company Vienna: book heaven
Shakespeare & Company Vienna is a brilliant English language bookshop in Vienna. If you like reading books, please support it.
Klimt masterpieces: hidden in plain sight.
Klimt masterpieces at the Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna have been revealed in their full glory only twice in 127 years. You can see them here.
The Gmoakeller: why some Vienna cafes forbid kissing
The Gmoakeller is a fine Vienna restaurant. So why did it once forbid kissing? Another nearby cafe still does. What’s going on? Similar stories welcome!
“Thank You Jeeves” by PG Wodehouse: selected quotations
“Thank You, Jeeves” is one of the funniest Jeeves and Wooster stories you could wish for – I am grinning wildly even as I write these words
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