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

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Testament Of Youth by Vera Brittain

›
Testament Of Youth by Vera Brittain is significantly more than an autobiography of a young woman. It presents, at least initially, a portrai...
Monday, October 1, 2012

Waiting For Sunrise by William Boyd

›
In Waiting For Sunrise William Boyd returns to his very best form.  The novel’s central character is Lysander Rief, an individual every bit ...
Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Heart Of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

›
When reviewing a book as well known as Joseph Conrad’s Heart Of Darkness, there is little point in wasting time describing plot and characte...
Monday, September 24, 2012

Anglo-Saxon Britain by Grant Allen

›
Anglo-Saxon Britain by Grant Allen is a book that now comes free via Amazon Kindle, so there is absolutely no excuse for not reading it, esp...
Thursday, September 20, 2012

Donald Cottee's third blog

›
We’ve been here a couple of weeks… - Don buys Cornish pasties, relives a holiday, remembers friends and nights out in Bromaton. We’ve bee...

The Quality Of Mercy by Barry Unsworth

›
At first sight, The Quality Of Mercy by Barry Unsworth might appear to be a sequel. Sacred Hunger, the novel that won the au thor the Booke...
Monday, September 17, 2012

Donald Cottee's second blog

›
In E283, Lexicography… - Don discusses language and the art of the blog, he examines the linguistic skills of his heritage and declares his ...
‹
›
Home
View web version

About Me

My photo
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.
View my complete profile
Powered by Blogger.