“What follows is a dive into the creative mind, a celebration of the human spirit, and a vision of how to reshape worlds”
“To a country boy this tapestry of colour, movement and mystery was an irresistible draw, a treasure trove wholly unimagined, each discovery bursting unforgettably into my consciousness: every newt a nugget of gold, every wren’s nest a gem, every slow worm a bracelet of silver”
“Architecture creates shelter and transforms the ordinary. Good architecture civilises and humanises, bad architecture brutalises”
“Travelling is like emptying the crumbs out of a toaster. You think you’ve found them all until you give it another bang. And what I’ve discovered in life is that it’s always me who cleans the toaster”
“I've never worried about life's big questions. People at my age sit about pondering "why are we here?" The only time I ever asked myself that is when Suzanne booked us a surprise holiday to Lanzarote”
“In the West, brave men got killed. Cowards stayed alive. Death was everywhere on the frontier”
“The confines of our mind attic have shifted. They have expanded. We should strive to be cognizant of that change, and to take advantage of the shift instead of letting it take advantage of us”
“She's online. 'I booked a hotel,' I say. 'Near Marble Arch.' 'That sounds great, hon. I can't wait to see you.' 'Yeah. Me too.' 'I'm vaguely nervous.' 'Don't be.' Do be. I'm a child”
“Baking can be a great way to express yourself, and if you treat it this way, your baking will always be unique”
“The slow hours of the afternoon yawned and presented themselves with a certain belligerence. Those who go mad go mad first in the afternoons”
“Words have been important to me for as long as I can remember. Their sound, their construction, their origins”
“We could be sure of only two things. Katelyn Ogden blew up. Everyone else was fine. Except we weren’t. Not by a long shot”
“You can hypnotise an entire audience and make them feel a certain way. I think about what they’re feeling, because I’m making sure they feel a certain way. And I know when I’ve got them”
“You think you’ve got something radical to say and then two princes of the realm go and agree with you. Terrific. Thanks, lads. I’ve never claimed to have much street cred but this is the limit.”
New Statesman
“Every moment that passes is a Lost Time Accident. Close your eyes, Children, when you want to stop time...”
“I enjoyed this book enormously, even as I worried about its brave but vulnerable author, struggling to reach the good life for which her parents once went in search.”
Will Self
The Guardian
“He is so many miles from love now and home. This is the story of his strangest trip”
“I’ve swapped disco lights for celestial lights but I’m still surrounded by dancers. I am orbited by sixty-seven moons”
Watch The Garden of Readin’s review of The Bones of Grace
One man’s account of rendition, torture and detention without charge at the hands of the US