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, […]
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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 […]
How do book critics decide which books to review?
How do book critics decide which books to review? I’ve always loved reading book reviews in magazines and newspapers, and bemoaned the ever-decreasing amount of space devoted to them, which makes the job of the critic even more important. How do they decide which books to review and which to leave out? Do they ever […]
Author Advent: introducing Lesley Kara
Every day until Christmas Eve I’ll be introducing you to an author whose debut novel came out this year. Today it’s Lesley Kara. About Lesley Kara Lesley Kara is an alumna of the Faber Academy ‘Writing a Novel’ course. She lives on the North Essex coast. Her first novel is The Rumour. Tell us about […]
Author Advent: Nicola Mostyn
Every day until Christmas Eve I’ll be introducing you to an author whose debut novel came out this year. Today it’s Nicola Mostyn. About Nicola Mostyn Nicola Mostyn lives in Manchester and is a big fan of the funny – both ha ha and peculiar. Her debut novel The Gods of Love was published by […]