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For a man whose job is to stay one step ahead of the music industry, has celebrity anecdotes galore, and still attends the best gigs around, Mark Beech hasn’t let it go to his head. “I am a dinosaur” he assures me, as I run over a few pre-interview plans. This is a critic […]
Continue ReadingE-cigarettes have recently taken centre stage again, as researchers call for further studies into the chemicals released by these products and the World Health Organisation reassesses their classification. In an ideal world, of course, no one would smoke, but at least e-cigarettes are clearly the lesser of two evils. That is, at any rate, […]
Continue ReadingThe over-commercialisation of volunteer tourism is hugely disillusioning. While some people volunteer abroad to ease their conscience, or because they consider it some sort of rite of passage, there remain many who genuinely seek mutual reciprocity in travel; a desire to gain knowledge, understanding and experience of a different culture and lifestyle, in return […]
Continue ReadingIt’s obvious Jamie’s Italian isn’t going to be overflowing with raw, traditional peasant dishes, cooked just the way Mamma used to make them. Mr Oliver is big business, embarrassingly lucrative, and no artisan front or charming Mediterranean waiting staff can reconcile that this is just as much a shop as it is a restaurant. […]
Continue ReadingIt’s a project that has lasted Nick Cook seven years. However, after dreaming, writing, and securing that elusive publishing deal, he is now the proud author of debut novel Cloud Riders. Take your classic action-adventure story, throw in some fantasy, a few dozen airships, and finish with a dash of a steampunk vibe. And […]
Continue ReadingThe weekend of the 12th-13th July the first annual Young Adult Literature Convention came to Earls Court. On offer was a wide range of panels, workshops, and author signings, as well as several publisher and book tables where you could browse the top Young Adult books of the moment. Sharing a venue with the […]
Continue ReadingSummer. Alas, what happened? In the shivery depths of winter you pictured things so differently. Running hand in hand with him through Port Meadow, carefree with the wind whipping through your hair (in a kind of sexy, controlled way rather than a head-in-a-food-processor manner, as that is what love does after all; have the […]
Continue ReadingThe Trip to Italy is a BBC short series following Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon, two famous British comedy actors, in a sort of continuation of The Trip series aired in 2010, where they toured the North of England to rate six restaurants. The first episode of the new series is set in Piemonte, an […]
Continue Reading[Warning: this article contains spoilers] The hype for Divergent, well … it was somewhat less than that for The Hunger Games – just saying. Perhaps it was too premature, in the wake of its predecessor’s shadow? So let us delve deeper into this dystopian abyss… Somehow there’s always a next hit for teen romcom […]
Continue ReadingSeries 3 of the BBC talent show The Voice concluded last weekend, with teenager Jermain Jackman taking the recording contract to kickstart his singing dream. After the disappointing post-victory careers of the two previous winners, Leanne Mitchell and Andrea Begley, hopefully he will meet with more success. After all, the audience vote decides the […]
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