J.M. Coetzee has lost the plot
The Schooldays of Jesus is not, as it happens, about the schooldays of Jesus. It is the Man Booker-nominated sequel…
Stig Abell’s diary: My days in court with the Sun
Soon after I joined the Sun as managing editor (among other things, I used to review novels for The Spectator),…
The Scent of Death, by Andrew Taylor – review
Raymond Chandler once said that ‘the detective story, even in its most conventional form, is difficult to write well. Good…
The growing pains of spirited youth
It is initially unsettling to read a new novel by an acclaimed author that is not really new at all,…
Nothing connects
This is a slight book containing short stories about minor characters. And it is about to receive some fairly faint…
Umbrella, by Will Self
James Joyce once described Ulysses — in dog Italian — as a ‘maledettisimo romanzaccione’, or monstrously big novel. It has…
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Cartoons
‘So for the backpackers and gap-year students I’ve devised new, comforting Zen Lite.’
‘I’m hoping to get a glimpse of the
legendary Ruth Davidson.’
‘OK, are you ready? I’m going to
switch on the news.’
‘He’s socially awkward but brilliant in his field.’
‘Not only are they fattening — they’re also homophobic.’
‘…or as it’s known locally, the plotting shed.’
‘It’s scary how the young have been
affected by Jeremy Corbyn.’
‘There’s amazing footage of
Theresa May surviving.’
‘That racket is the dawn chorus.’
‘Feeling cheap, used and empty usually means the detox has worked.’
‘Darling, they’re playing our ringtone!’
