Philip Spires commonplace book

I have kept a commonplace book for many years. It's a place where scraps of impressions are filed for future reflection. It's not a diary, it's just a mental scrapbook, concentrating on book reviews, concert reviews, visual arts and some occasional pieces on travel. It is also a place where I occasionally reflect on what I write. Details of my books can be found at http://www.philipspires.co.uk

Showing posts with label fantasy. Show all posts

Wednesday, December 9, 2020

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

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I am r eally surprised by the simplicity and transparency of the writing. I expected something much thicker than this, especially since it w...

Tuesday, June 30, 2020

Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro

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A book started with much excitement and anticipation was finished with a whimper of "Why did he bother?" We have Axl and Beat...

Thursday, May 26, 2011

The Enchantress Of Florence by Salman Rushdie

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The Enchantress Of Florence by Salman Rushdie is a thoroughly entertaining read. It’s a super-real experience, so vivid and sharp that the f...

Monday, September 1, 2008

2030 The Lottery by Peter Moore

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2030 The Lottery by Peter Moore is a pseudo-Orwellian poke into a possible British future. In contrast to Orwell, who placed his all-powerfu...

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Rufus And The Biggest Diamond In The World by Michael Elsmere

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In Rufus And The Biggest Diamond In The World, Michael Elsmere creates nothing less than a complete fantasy world of children’s literature. ...

Saturday, October 13, 2007

A review of The Black Book by Orhan Pamuk

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I have visited Turkey, but not Istanbul. It’s one of those iconic places that keeps cropping up in travel plans, but then gets overlooked, p...

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About Me

philipspires: I was born in Wakefield and was brought up in Sharslton, a mining Village. I went to London University and then became a maths teacher, working initially as a volunteer teacher in Kenya. I spent sixteen years in London, in Balham and Islington. In 1992, I left Britain for Brunei and then Zayed University in Abu Dhabi. I currently live in La Nucia, near Benidorm in Spain. I am interested in the relationship between nature and nurture, birthright and experience. Themes of culture and identity and their relation to economic and social roles underpin my writing. What we are born into relates to what we become, but we are rarely in control. What others do, our interests and intellects and the way we choose to earn a living, all of these shape us into what we become. It may be that culture is the sum of all assumptions that others make on our behalf, whereas identity represents our reactions to them. I did a PhD on the effects of education in economic development in the Philippines. I was President of Alfas del Pi Music Society for twelve years.

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