Welcome to House With No Name. I write about everything from books and films to education, family and France.
Afternoon tea, stunning views across a windswept sea and a captivating talk by a bestselling author. How could I resist the chance to hear Rowan Coleman talk about her books at the Purbeck Literary Festival this week? If you haven’t discovered Rowan’s books yet you really should. She combines a compelling style with powerful narratives that don’t shy away from difficult subjects. In the past she’s written about domestic abuse ...keep reading
Buying a tumbledown farmhouse in the south of France is probably the most impulsive thing I’ve ever done and even though I sold it two years ago it continues to hold a place in my heart. Every time I think about waking up to that stunning view of La Roche Colombe or drinks under the plane tree with friends the years roll back and I’ve fallen under its spell again. ...keep reading
The Times critic Kate Muir has described Manchester by the Sea as “the most emotionally intelligent film you will see this year” – and she’s probably right. The main problem is that January isn’t the best month to see it. January is a downbeat month to say the least. The days are short, it’s freezing cold and the bills for our reckless Christmas extravagances are dropping through the letterbox. On ...keep reading
After the excitement of December 25 – parties, presents, carols, turkey, twinkling lights and all – the days between Christmas and New Year can be a bit of an anti-climax. That’s why my mum came up with the tradition of treating us all to a family lunch at a favourite restaurant on Boxing Day or the day after. We went to Summer Lodge in the pretty Dorset village of Evershot for ...keep reading
Christmas is almost here and thank goodness for that. After a tempestuous year the festive season has arrived in true 2016 style – heralded by wild storms and lashing rain. The Met Office has issued a severe weather warning for the UK and in this corner of Dorset 50mph winds are battering the coast. But apart from that, we’re nearly set for Christmas. My husband will be on the Sandbanks ...keep reading
What a brilliant way to start the festive season. Lunch at Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese in Fleet Street with some of my best pals from the old Evening Standard days, followed by a drink or two at one of our favourite haunts, the Punch Tavern. As the drinks flowed, the years rolled away and the stories got wilder. We reminisced about the days when mobile phones were the size of bricks, ...keep reading
One of the hardest things about having grown-up children is that you don’t get to see them as often as you’d like. So what could be nicer than a four-day trip to New York with my daughter? The pair of us like doing similar things – walking, talking, searching out great cafes and restaurants and exploring new places – so I knew it would be a wonderful holiday. And yes, ...keep reading
The Taken gripped me from start to finish. I felt bereft when I reached the last page of this excellently plotted and assured tale – but I was in for a pleasant surprise. Why? Because for some unknown reason I’d assumed this was Alice Clark-Platts’s first novel. In fact it’s the second of her series about Detective Inspector Erica Martin, a Durham police officer with a fierce intellect and a ...keep reading
What better way to spend a chilly autumnal evening than listening to the wonderful Jilly Cooper in conversation with Sunday Times columnist India Knight? Like millions of readers, I’ve adored Jilly Cooper’s novels for decades. As a teenager I remember reading a serial of hers called Circles in 19, my favourite magazine at the time (now sadly defunct). She later rewrote it and it metamorphosed into Emily, the first of her six short romantic novels. ...keep reading
When it comes to crime fiction few writers can match the classy Patricia Cornwell. So the arrival in the post of Chaos, Cornwell’s 24th Kay Scarpetta novel, was a treat. I lit the fire, settled down on the sofa and read it from cover to cover. And yes, I was gripped from start to finish, my jaw dropping (metaphorically speaking) throughout at Cornwell’s clever, intricate plotting. Unlike some crime novels, where ...keep reading