There is a scene in After the End where Pip and Max meet at a bench, on the hill overlooking a play park where they brought Dylan when he was a toddler. Surrounding the bench are masses of yellow flowers. I won’t spoil the story by explaining why they are there, but it’s a peaceful, […]
Independent Bookshop Week: my life in bookshops
It’s Independent Bookshop Week, here in the UK, and I’ve been thinking about the book stores I’ve been lucky enough to frequent over the years. Just as a house never feels like a home unless it has books in it, so a town without a bookshop always feels slightly underdressed. I have been fortunate enough […]
Living with a writer: what's it really like?
Whether it’s Stephen King’s vitamin pills, Hemingway’s dawn starts, or J K Rowling’s café stints, we are endlessly fascinated by authors’ lives. But what’s it like living with a writer? I spoke to six long-suffering spouses to find out. The partners Tracy Mearns is a former bookstore manager, a ginger, the honourary wife of Denise Mina […]
Author advent: introducing AJ Pearce
Every day until Christmas Eve I’ll be introducing you to an author whose debut novel came out this year. Today it’s AJ Pearce. About AJ Pearce AJ Pearce’s debut novel, Dear Mrs Bird is a Sunday Times Top Ten Bestseller. It has been translated into twelve languages and has now been optioned for development for […]
Which book format is best?
There have never been so many ways to enjoy a good book, so I asked four writers to champion their favourite format. Hardback, paperback, ebook or audio – which book format is best? TRACY BUCHANAN: in praise of the ebook Tracy Buchanan enjoys ‘book club’ fiction, psychological thrillers and dystopian fiction. Her latest book is […]
Who listens to audiobooks?
I’m a huge supporter of audiobooks. I listen to them in the car, while walking the dog, and on the rare occasion I’m compelled to do some housework. With the news that audio sales have doubled in the last five years, I wanted to find out more about who listens to audiobooks, so I asked […]