Blog
Wednesday Cover Story: First peek at the Chronicles of Harry Lytle
23 October, 2013
Arson, murder, treason and the stench and decay of Restoration London during the Great Plague… Such is the setting for Paul Lawrence‘s novels in The Chronicles of Harry Lytle. We’ll be releasing the new book in the series, Hearts of Darkness in hardback in January, together with the previous two books, The Sweet Smell of […]
Splitfish Poetry Launch
22 October, 2013
So it turns out a friend of a friend is an amazing poet. Last night I went to the launch of Kiran Milwood Hargrave‘s latest poetry collection, Splitfish. I was given the collection for my birthday earlier this month and decided to start reading it at the weekend to get a taste before the launch. […]
Who Do You Think You Are?
21 October, 2013
On Saturday I visited one of my favourite cultural spots in Central London: The National Portrait Gallery. I went with a friend to check out the Elizabeth I and Her People exhibition and would recommend it highly. There were of course a range of striking portraits of Elizabeth, many that I weren’t familiar with, made […]
Bookish gifts for the literary-afflicted…
18 October, 2013
Yesterday, a friend of mine told me gleefully that she had gone to Lidle for her first yearly haul of German Christmas gingerbread. This reminded me that the time in nigh to start thinking about Christmas presents in order to avoid the panicked run to random department stores the week before. Which brings me to […]
Salty Dog Tales
17 October, 2013
The dramatic covers for David Donachie’s upcoming maritime books show you that Donachie means business. As an imposing ship rides determinedly over the icy looking waters of A Sea of Troubles and A Divided Command, you are at once guaranteed all the thrills and the terrors that the sea promises, as well as the mystery […]
Wednesday Cover Story: Choose your favourite Nicholas Bracewell cover…
16 October, 2013
We’re waiting expectantly for the next three books in the Nicholas Bracewell series to arrive from the printers. I’m actually looking forward to the act of unpacking and placing them on the bookshelf next to the other titles in the series. This probably borders on book-fetishism but the attractive packaging is immediately heightened when the […]
Say Goodbye to Emails
15 October, 2013
I turned 24 at the start of October and had some wonderful celebrations and presents with my family and friends. My older brother lives in Berlin so his gift took a little longer to arrive. But oh it was worth the wait. I arrived home late on Friday to find a large, very heavy parcel […]
A good place to be a reader
14 October, 2013
Iceland has been on my holiday to-do list for a number of years now. Firstly, there’s the attraction of the northern lights. I mean, just look at the picture here, who wouldn’t like to have something that gorgeous on their holiday snaps? I’ll just brush aside the fact that when I see the northern lights […]
Hibernation is for Bears, not People
11 October, 2013
With temperatures dropping and dismal weather expected for the weekend, I found myself wondering what to do in the coming months when going for walks in the park and exploring London on foot might become rather unpleasant. Of course, there is the all-time favourite of curling up with a book and a cup of tea […]
Jane Austen: Tough as Old Boots
10 October, 2013
Jane Austen is a tough old bird. I hasten to add that I say that with the greatest admiration and respect. How many 200+ year old ladies (I’ll draw a veil over her exact age) could withstand the silliness, albeit pleasant silliness, that attaches itself to her? I was in Bath last month during part […]
Wednesday Cover Story: So, what’s the deal with orange covers?
9 October, 2013
There are some months where we don’t see any of our authors and others where we have the pleasure of enjoying the company of many. In the past two weeks we’ve lunched with Kate Forsyth, partied with Caro Fraser, mingled with John Wilcox and D E Meredith, and today we had a visit from Edward […]
Globe to Globe
8 October, 2013
At the weekend I went to see a production of King Lear at The Globe performed in Belarusian. The Globe has been running a Globe to Globe festival all summer, celebrating the international interpretations of Shakespeare, from a South African Venus & Adonis to an Indian Tempest. While so far, Venus & Adonis has been my […]
Celebrate Children’s Book Week!
7 October, 2013
Today marks the start of Children’s Book Week – with special events and activities taking place in bookshops and libraries across the country, aimed at encouraging children to explore the joys of reading… and an excuse for us adults to think about our favourite childhood reads. You can find out more about the celebrations on […]
Caro Fraser’s Errors of Judgment Launch Party
4 October, 2013
A lot of fun was had last night at the well turned-out launch of Errors of Judgment, the latest and final book in Caro Fraser‘s Caper Court Series. Answering questions (some rather racy!) on her best-selling books, Caro revealed that she writes in any spare time her full time job as a city barrister affords- including […]
Pleasantly surprised by pop-up theatre
3 October, 2013
A couple of weekends ago – it was one of the particularly drizzly weekends we’ve had of late – a friend and I were trying to decide what might brighten the day. So much of the cheap and cheerful in London, as we squeeze the last dregs out of the tailing summer, still seems to […]
Wednesday Cover Story: “I’m looking for that book with the yellow cover…?”
2 October, 2013
Picture this: You’re in the middle of recounting the thrilling events of the latest novel you’ve been devouring to a friend and fellow book-fanatic when they ask you, ‘So what’s the author’s name? What’s the book called?’ And, to your shame and frustration, all your brain will offer up is an image of the book […]
***SPOILER ALERT***
1 October, 2013
Did that blog title intrigue you? Do you possess nerves of steel and resisted, or did you click through to the full text with more than your usual alacrity? If so, you probably share my lack of readerly restraint: I’m not good at resisting spoilers in any shape or form. So, I tip my hat […]
History in the Court, Forsyth in the Building and Anderson in the Air
30 September, 2013
Last week finished on a high. On Thursday I had the pleasure of attending the annual History in the Court event which sees writers of historical fiction and non-fiction, literary agents, publishers and the reading public gather at Goldsboro Books in London to celebrate the historical genre over wine and canapés. It was a chance […]
The lesser-known Northumberland treasure…
27 September, 2013
I have just returned from a week’s holiday visiting family in the north of England. My parents have a little holiday cabin by the sea in Bamburgh, Northumberland so it’s as north and as cold as it gets. Although rather chilly, the fresh sea air worked wonders. On the drive back to my parent’s house […]
Is it the end of the Man Booker or a fresh start?
26 September, 2013
Often considered a rather staid and sensible prize compared to others of its ilk, The Man Booker Prize has a reputation as a defender of British and Commonwealth writing. Different to its fellow literary prizes, the criteria was simply that the novel be written in the English language by a member of the Commonwealth of […]
Wednesday Cover Story: Matching the season…
25 September, 2013
This week, we got word that In Falling Snow, by Mary-Rose MacColl is one of the Top 50 Bestselling Fiction titles in the USA, and a Top 5 Historical Fiction Bestseller in Canada. It is a wonderfully moving novel set during the First World War and inspired by the real-life women of Royaumont, who set […]
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