Articles written by inksy-antsy

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About me - inksy-antsy

My first brush with writing came in my last year at primary school when I was asked to become a "journalist" for the school's paper doing "interviews". I "interviewed" a former pupil who'd done a trip around the world. If you think that set me off becoming

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Arts & Humanities > Horror, Mystery & Suspense Book reviews: On Writing, by Stephen King: 3 of 17
Two quotations at the very start set the tone of this book: "Honesty's the best policy", "Liars prosper". In case you have not grasped it: this is not an ordinary "how to" guide. The quotations are followed by several forewords and roughly 200 pages containing a memoir of how Stephen King became a writer and what he thinks is... More..
Food & Drink > Coffee Is coffee a health benefit or a health risk?: 3 of 16
Coffee is the favourite drink in many countries. Even in the UK it's on its way to dethrone tea as the country's favourite cuppa. In some Western countries like the Netherlands, it's even served morning, afternoon, and evening. But is drinking coffee healthy or not?Hardly a day goes by without news of its benefits or risks to... More..
Sciences > Astronomy Who discovered the Crab Nebula?: 4 of 8
Astronomy and the discovery of new celestial objects can be an unfair business. Sometimes astronomers discover new, fascinating objects, but somehow these discoveries are forgotten, or fellow astronomers carry away the fame.This is the case with the discovery of the Crab Nebula. For actually, this nebula was discovered, descr... More..
Arts & Humanities > British Authors Book reviews: The Sea, by John Banville: 1 of 2
The blurb on the back of the pocket told me to expect brilliant use of language and that the book was short-listed for the Booker prize. Personally, I try to steer clear of books that are being gushed over and media-hyped, as they seldom meet expectations. However, the promise of beautiful, precise language as well as the tit... More..
Arts & Humanities > Horror, Mystery & Suspense Book reviews: Bones to Ashes, by Kathy Reichs: 1 of 2
The tenth novel of the Temperance Brennan series by Kathy Reichs opens with Tempe remembering growing up in Chicago, the destruction of family-life, and the move to Carolina. What pulled her through was the friendship with Acadian Evangeline and her sister Obeline, who spent summer-holidays with Cajun family members in Caroli... More..
Arts & Humanities > British Literature Book reviews: Ultimate Weapon, by Chris Ryan: 1 of 2
Chris Ryan's "Ultimate Weapon""Ultimate Weapon" is one of many books based on Chris Ryan's own experiences as a soldier, which started with his autobiography about his experiences as a soldier, especially during the first Gulf War. "Ultimate Weapon", by now also available as audio-book, is fiction but undoubtedly based on qui... More..
Arts & Humanities > Horror, Mystery & Suspense Book reviews: Suffer the Little Children, by Donna Leon: 1 of 1
By now, Donna Leon has written at least 16 Commissario Brunetti thrillers with a new one, "The girl of his dreams" recently published, while several of the early ones have been turned into TV films by a German company. So she is quite a successful and experienced author and avid readers of her thrillers will know what to expe... More..
Arts & Humanities > British Literature Book reviews: The Sea Road, by Margaret Elphinstone: 1 of 1
It's stated clearly on the front and inside the book that "The Sea Road" is a novel. But before the principle characters are listed, its author Margaret Elphinstone, also includes a note: "The characters and events in this novel are chiefly based on the accounts found in Eirik's Saga, Graenlindinga Saga and Eyrbyggja Saga".So... More..
Arts & Humanities > British Literature Book reviews: Scoop, by Evelyn Waugh: 1 of 1
If, like me, you have read "Brideshead Revisited" and liked it, but unlike me, have not yet started on Evelyn Waugh's "Scoop", a word of warning is perhaps appropriate. Published in 1938, "Scoop" predates "Brideshead Revisited" (1945) and though there are similarities, it's like tasting a glass of bubbly, sharp white wine aft... More..
Arts & Humanities > Artists & Artwork The inspiration behind Vincent van Gogh's painting, "Irises": 3 of 5
Visitors to the van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam know it not only has many of his paintings on show, but also has a separate section containing Japanese prints. Many visitors either skip this section, or walk through it without taking time to have a really good look at these prints. This is a great pity. For the reason why the... More..