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

Bear necessities

I enjoyed a pleasant chat the other day with Ted Dewan, who writes children's books and lives in North Oxford.

Back in the bunker

When I complained to one of my colleagues I was suffering a touch of Bank Holiday jetlag, he called me a tired old hack.

Tarka the 'Otter

When I told a colleague I was going for an Indian tonight he immediately replied: "Don't have a chicken tikka, have a chicken tarka - it's much 'otter."

Finding fiction difficult

It's quite frustrating when you find a good novel, start to read it, get hooked and then have to stop for some reason.

Paulo Coelho and the black roll neck

Intrigued by Nick Hornby's selection of 40 titles for a special Waterstone's table, I picked out Stasiland by Anna Funder.

The Greatest Manager England Never Had

Cracking documentary on Brian Clough on ITV last night, and at the end of it I couldn't resist the temptation to try out my best Cloughie impression.

It's raining books

I've just been caught in spring rain on my return from Oxford but the downpour could not dampen my spirits because of an earlier books bonus.

Unreliable Memoirs

It's been an interesting few days. Earlier this week, I visited the book-sorting grotto in the basement of Oxfam St Giles, where I was given the opportunity to value a stack of old first editions.

Queues form at Oxford's Central Library

It turns out that Oxford's Central Library at Westgate is the fourth busiest library in the country.

Finding fiction difficult