Six Word Photo Story Challenge: Freestyle — The ecologically sound positive message trail. A family visit today brought together the young cousins ranging in age from 5 to 10. The two oldest (sisters) told the tale of how they and their friends had set out with coloured chalks up and down their street, creating a “positive message trail” on the walls and pavements…

Paula: the autobiography of long-distance runner, Paula Radcliffe. It was readable, but not one that I will read again. Clearly, it would be of greater interest to those who are into running. She achieved a lot during her career. Eating Children: another autobiography; this one by Jill Tweedie. Sadly, she…

“Here comes the fear!” — Dread Cold will do what it says on the tin. Its guest editor is author Matt Adcock. As well as editing the collection, Adcock has also contributed to the anthology. He has an impressive track record. …

Perilaus II by Mark P Henderson is a psychological crime drama that will whisk you along into what one reviewer called a psychiatrist’s nightmare. It’s an adult novel and very cleverly constructed as it takes you along with the protagonist, Doug Carmichael, on a nightmare journey where nothing can be…

Summer Six Word Photo Story Challenge: “Shine!” — The river flows into the sky. We ate breakfast this morning overlooking the shining expanse of the River Arun. The smooth sheen on the water stretched out towards the English Channel with no hint of the currents that twist about beneath the surface as the river meets the sea. Across the road is the lifeboat station…

(this is NOT a children’s book) — An Excess Of… by Stuart Aken is an eco-thriller with adult themes and strong language. Shipwreck has to be scary The book starts in the dead of night, with one of the characters woken suddenly in their cramped cabin, the floor already wet with seawater. Shipwreck has to be scary…

Storm Girl by Linda Nicklin is an eco-thriller suitable for all ages. The whole story plays out against humankind’s relationship with the planet, but Nicklin weaves an intimately human story of a young woman called Angel and some very special relationships with animals along the way. Things are pretty desperate…

The four Shadeward books, Emanation, Exoneration, Enervation, and Expiation by Drew Wagar are set in a world where the sun never sets. The other side of that coin, of course, is the other side of that same world where the sun never rises. You can imagine, it’s pretty darned hot…

Summer Six Word Photo Story Challenge: “Shine!” — Sea shines in the morning sun. Sitting beside the English Channel, the sun not yet high enough to be uncomfortably hot, I was struck by the shine on the water. There’s barely a breeze today, although the air is never entirely still on this coast, and the past couple of days have seen crisscrossing, white-topped waves…