It’s the latest in my new Friday feature, where I want to highlight some of the many independent book shops that are out there waiting to be discovered. Whilst there are the usual online book retailers and big name high street shops there are also some wonderful independent bookshops with a treasure trove of literary…
Month: March 2018
The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton – review
Published by Bloomsbury Raven Publication date – 8 February 2018 Source – own copy ‘Somebody’s going to be murdered at the ball tonight. It won’t appear to be a murder and so the murderer won’t be caught. Rectify that injustice and I’ll show you the way out.’ It is meant to be a celebration but…
Under the Reader’s Radar – celebrating the quiet novel
There are thousands upon thousands of books published each year. Only a small percentage of those make it to the best-seller list. That doesn’t mean that the rest aren’t worthy of reading. It may be that they are written by self-published authors who don’t have the marketing knowledge or a small independent publisher who doesn’t…
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark – review
Published by Penguin Publication date – original publication date 1961 Source – own copy ‘Give me a girl at an impressionable age, and she is mine for life . . .’ Passionate, free-thinking and unconventional, Miss Brodie is a teacher who exerts a powerful influence over her group of ‘special girls’ at Marcia Blaine School….
Top Five Things about being Crew by Karen Hamilton – guest post
Today I’m pleased to welcome Karen Hamilton to the blog. Karen’s debut novel, The Perfect Girlfriend was published by Wildfire on 22 March 2018. Karen has written a post about the best bits of being part of a flight crew. Top Five Things about being Crew One: It really is one of the best jobs…
Declaring Independence – celebrating independent book shops: Kenny’s Bookshop
In what I hope will be a new, though granted likely to be rather sporadic, Friday feature, I want to highlight some of the many independent book shops that are out there waiting to be discovered. Whilst there are the usual online book retailers and big name high street shops there are also some wonderful…
The Temptation of Forgiveness by Donna Leon – review
Published by William Heinemann Publication date – 5 April 2018 Source – review copy When important information is leaked from inside the Venetian Questura, Commissario Guido Brunetti is entrusted with the task of uncovering which of his colleagues is responsible. But before Brunetti can begin his investigation, he is surprised by the appearance in his…
Brad Parks – Q&A
Today I’m pleased to welcome Brad Parks to the blog. Brad is the author of the Carter Ross series which includes The Good Cop and The Player and the standalone novel Say Nothing. His latest novel, Closer Than You Know was published by Faber and Faber on 15 March 2018. Brad kindly answered a few…
An evening with @HQStories
So what happens when I’m let loose in a room full of authors and other guests? Turns out I bore them talking about Jane Austen, persuade an author to buy a copy of the book I’m reading and discuss the architecture of the town I live in… Last night I was lucky enough to be…
Sunburn by Laura Lippman – review
Published by Faber and Faber Publication date – 1 March 2018 Source – review copy What kind of woman walks out on her family? Gregg knows. The kind of woman he picked up in a bar three years ago precisely because she had that kind of wildcat energy. And now she’s vanished – at least…
From First Page to Last 