Book Shed: Home

Although I was in my twenties when I read my first ever Harry Potter book, I loved them all just as much. I later saw the films and even had the privilage to read all of the books to my daughter. I found the audiobooks read by Sir Stephen Fry and adored these too. I have just bought copies of the newer versions (as they were for sale for 66p each) and have just started to listen to them. I love the connection of Sir Stephen Fry previously reading Albus's lines and now it is Hugh Laurie's turn.
I am half way through the first book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone and it is wonderful. I was a little reticent at first because it felt like cheating on Sir Stephen Fry and I am 48 and there are still so many other books to read/listen to. I don't care about that right now, I am loving it if I watch the remake TV version due out around Christmas, this is excellent preparation to help me to judge it carefully.

I haven't added anything here for a very long time. I have been investing my few moments of free time in updating this site. I am almost happy with it but will continue to tinker for some time.

I know that this site is all about books, however, you will see that I have read 3 books recently that are a part of this universe. I have loved the films (in different amounts and for different reasons, there is nowhere near enough time to get into that) and the books filled in more story when the films left me wanting to know more.
Although I have seen them all and am also up to date with Alien Earth (eagerly awaiting the next season), I have been watching the Alien and Predator films with Century of Cinema, this has been like watching them over again for the first time. The stories are full of "what ifs" that could, one day, have some truth in them. That though is terrifying but we could never say that it can't happen.

Last weekend, I watched The Other Bennet Sister on BBC's iPlayer. I had to mention it because it was so enjoyable. It is based on the book that I enjoyed so much a few years ago, Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, and rather than being another adaptation of this classic (in every sense of the term), it is the same story but told from the very different sister, Mary Bennet. This story runs in tandem with the more famous one but there are lovely insights into the family and life in that period along with some well-timed comedy and a story that Jane Austen herself would have been proud of. I highly recommend it.

Yet another movie based on a book! Today is Good Friday and I have just finished Conclave. I adored this book and could not put it down, I have been nervous about watching it in case it does not do justice to an excellent book.
Firstly, the name change. I got very confused about the fact that Cardinal Lomeli is now Cardinal Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes). I only mention this as it threw me at first. The casting is excellent and all of the characters (despite the name change) match very well. There will always be a gap between books and films, mainly around the fact that it is impossible to squeeze all of the content of most books into a 2 hour film. This film does it very, the changes in direction could have been explored more and some parts were hurried a little, however, it certainly did the book justice. Please watch (after you have read the book).

Continuing with my mission to catch up on films during my Easter holiday, today I watched the other "Reacher" film starring Tom Cruise. It was very entertaining, again, and did not deserve to get only 6.2/10 on IMDB. This was based on Lee Child's 18th book of the same name. Let's just say it, Tom Cruise isn't as tall as the character in the books, but the films are still very good!

I am enjoying my Easter holiday and am also catching up with some TV. I noted a while ago that I had never watched the Jack Reacher films starring Tom Cruise. I quickly found them on Netflix and noted that they are due to leave at the end of April 2026 so this morning, I watched the first one, "Jack reacher" from 2012. It is based on Lee Child's 9th book in the series "One shot" which I haven't read yet. This film had a lot of criticism but I found it very entertaining. I agree that the actor and the character in the book my not be an exact match, but I was entertained. I am planning on watching the second one tomorrow!!!

This title might be a little bit misleading, however, I had to say something. I am an avid listener to Podcasts ("Uncanny" and "Help! I sexted my boss") and audiobooks, I cannot remember the last time that I listened to the radio. I listen using the 15 hours included in Spotify every month on the premium plan and Audible as 1 book certainly does not last me a month with the amount of time I spend in the car.
Anyway, I am currently listening to Agatha Christie's Black Coffee and the unthinkable happened. I knew that I was close to my 15 hour limit but did not image that as Poirot was delivering his speech and about to announce the Who, How and Why, the voice changed to the announcer telling me that I had run out of hours. I have been waiting for 3 days and will have to rewind a little bit so that I can fully enjoy the big reveal. Hope it is worth the wait...I know it will be.

Well done Netflix, another great adaptation available to play. I had seen that this was available on ITVx last year but never managed to watch it.
I thoroughly enjoyed Joe Hill's NOS4A2 and again, was concerned about a TV adaptation butchering a great story. This has been done very well, it may have helped that Joe Hill is the executive producer. I can see that there have been some alterations to the story especially to leave it open for a possible third season but this is understandable.
I am learning that there has to be a fine balance, films are often too short to do justice to the book and TV series can give it adequate time (as long as you don't milk it too long). This one was a great balance and can fully understand the decision to stop after 2 seasons, before and after Wayne's birth is a great way to split it. What will I find next?

I have finally caught up with the TV adaptation of Mr Mercedes. When it first came out, it appeared on Disney+ and I watched season 1 with my wife who, sadly, did not enjoy it. I loved it as it was so true to the book and it really brought everything to life. I got confused as to Holly as I always pictured her how she was cast in the TV adaptation of The Outsider but this one is excellent too and I can't decide which one is best. Brendan Gleeson is the perfect "Bill Hodges".
By the time I had the time to sit and watch the second and third seasons, it had left Disney+ but I was thrilled to see it arrive on Netflix. I have loved all thirty episodes and even liked the 3rd season move away from King's story (taking care to avoid spoliers). Watch it, but, as always, read the books first.

I am currently going through a little bit of a crisis. In the late 1980s, I picked up a second hand paperback book called "Tiswas: Book of Ghastly Ghosts". It was second hand from a fundraising event at my primary school and I was around 9 years old. I loved this book and read it cover to cover on more than one occasion.
A few years later, we visited a gorgeous seaside resort for our summer holiday in Devon called Ilfracombe and while there, we visited a haunted manner house and while the tour progressed, I realised that this was one of the stories in my "Tiswas" book. It all became so much more real then, places in books could be real.
Fast-forward more than 30 years and I am getting my love of ghost stories brought back to life with Danny Robbins and Uncanny and I am searching online to find a copy of the book that vanished during a house move in the 1990s but I just cannot get one. I just want a copy of where my fascination all started.

I was thinking about this earlier today. I receive books as gifts unless I have asked for a specific one. I think that it is too much of a commitment, when I have a limited amount of time to read, I really have to think carefully about what the next book is that I pick up. The main reason that I'm posting this is because I saw this BBC article. Have you received any books that you are planning to read this year? I am have been inundated with social media posts telling me what I "must read in 2026". I am now trying to figure out what I am going to read next year out of my planned 20 books.

I am about to start the final week of school before Christmas and I am currently reading The Red Dahlia very slowly as teaching keeps getting in the way. I am eagerly awaiting huge amounts of time to read next week and the week after. What are you planning to ready over the festive period?

I am not sure why, but I always veer towards books that have been written in the last 20 years or so as I feel that they will be "better". I have made myself read some older books and have loved the majority (we don't talk about Wuthering Heights, but the others have been surprisingly good. I am now reading The Day of the Jackal and it has gripped me straight away. I need to generate a list of older books that I have missed out on.

Well, almost. I am very pleased that I have finally updated the database to have all of the books that I have on record now in this database. I am not proposing for a second that I have caught them all, in fact, in the past 4 days I have found 6 books that I have read that were not on this list. I just hope that I get to keep everything from this point forward, up to date. I also need to go and read my current book, Cry Baby instead of typing up all of this information.

I am still working my way through the old archive (old Excel spreadsheets, notes from Goodreads and even notes written on old bookmarks) to get all of this information live on the site. After spending a huge part of the summer holiday on this project, I am currently 64.6% complete. I am aiming to be done by 25th August.

OK, I still love the idea of this website and am 100% committed to getting it completed (well, up-to-date at least) but I have hit some problems. Developing the site has been simple compared to trying to remember books that I read 20 years ago that had little or no impression on me. Even reading the synopsis has not helped, if I didn’t have the physical copy at hand I might swear that I had never read it.

Just had this book recommended, Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel. Now added it to my ever growing list.

I am thoroughly enjoying Project Hail Mary, although I forget how much better a book is when you get the opportunity to sit and read for a full hour at a time.

On Sunday 1st June 2025, The Book Shed was registered and launched. All of the content that had been hosted on the previous site was transferred over to its new home.

I just wanted to get something off my chest. I have seen lots of other readers write about their "DNFs". I honestly have finished every book that I started and I know that I have, as a result, wasted lots of my time reading something when there are so many great books out there that I will never get to. The main reason is because when I am reading a an excellent book whist teaching, I am often so tired that I don't enjoy the 3 pages/evening before passing out. Once a holiday appears, I race through it and cannot put it down. How many DNFs were actually "not in the right frame of mind to enjoy"?

"Looks like Holly Gibney and her friends Barbara and Jerome will be back for at least one more encore."
Music to my ears, one of the best things about King's works is the links between stories through characters and locations. The Outsider, Mr Mercedes, Finders Keepers, End of Watch, If It Bleeds and Holly.

I am happy to say that I have now managed to sort out the majority of the web construction and coding. I am now typing up my data about the books that I have read to fill in the information for the catalogue. When it is all working well, I will then manage the colour scheme etc to distinguish it from my other website.

Making this website is very much a hobby. I have my other site which is closely related to work and so sadly, it has to be a priority. I am "tinkering" with this site and have managed to get through some difficult code challenges and am very happy with the progress. This weekend, I have managed to sort out my library list so that I can see what I have in my little collection when I am out looking in book shops.
I can see the potential and I am very close to being fully functional, I just have to be patient.