Oxford Mail

Books addict Andrew Ffrench wants to know what you are reading - if you've got a recommendation then let him know

A flutter of excitement

With the Oxford Literary Festival starting at the weekend, I should be developing some highbrow reading habits.

Night reading

I have recently launched a new book group but it is limited to two members - me and my four-week-old daughter.

Living on the edge with Portillo

Watched the Dylan Thomas biopic The Edge of Love the other night to try to take my mind off the snow.

Keep those pages turning in 2010

Thanks to Cynthia L. Tarvin, Litigation Project Manager in Portland, Oregon, for giving me a little smack on the back of my legs, a gentle reminder that the pages really must start turning again in 2010.

Battered by Battenberg at the Ashmolean

I got my first glimpse of the brand new 21st century Ashmolean Museum yesterday, but on my journey there were several reminders of the past.

Plague Dogs and the Gospel Truth

I failed to get to grips with the Gospel of Mark in time for my bible studies class the other night, which left me virtually speechless as my classmates made a series of astute remarks.

The building blocks of modern fiction

The Times came up with a great wheeze the other day. Some bright spark got people at the Cheltenham Literary Festival to vote for their favourite novels and the paper then compiled The Novel List: The 60 greatest books of the past 60 years.

A heavy encounter with MI5

After forcing myself to watch the troubling crime drama Criminal Justice, I tried to relax with Rat Run, a paperback copy of one of Gerald Seymour's superb blockbusters.

English Journey

"Did you hear that Keith Waterhouse died?"

Albion Beatnik country

After residents in Jericho were placed quite suddenly on the Environment Agency flood map, I wandered down Walton Street to find out what they thought.