What makes a book a 'classic'? What makes it last, what makes publishers choose to reprint it for years? Popularity is certainly a huge factor; but what about 'cult classics' or those that are a little under the radar? Take for instance The Collector by John Fowles - what made Vintage reprint it in 2004… Continue reading The Collector by John Fowles
An Evening with Sarah Waters at the Bodleian
Sarah Waters' new novel, The Paying Guests, came out last week on 28th August, and of course it was amazing. I was very lucky to be sent an early copy, and also that I managed to nab a ticket to the event held last night (2nd Sept) in Oxford. Sarah Waters was in conversation with… Continue reading An Evening with Sarah Waters at the Bodleian
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Capote Readathon: Short Stories (Part Two)
For those of you who have been following the Summer Capote Readathon that I've been doing with Kirsty of The Literary Sisters, you'll know that we are reading from The Capote Reader - a sort of compilation of his best short work, including twelve short stories. We wrote about the first six of these at… Continue reading Capote Readathon: Short Stories (Part Two)
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The Oxford Culture Review
Hello all, just a little announcement for this muggy Saturday -I am now officially a contributor to The Oxford Culture Review! I will be writing a fortnightly column about books (surprise surprise) which will alternate between a review and round-up of news, mini reviews, and new releases. I will also be writing about bookish events… Continue reading The Oxford Culture Review
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The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters
Well, well, well... hello again Sarah. We have all missed you. I don't remember when I first decided I loved Sarah Waters. We studied Affinity for a course about the modern novel at university, so maybe it was then. I've since read all of her novels except one, which I plan to read very soon, and though… Continue reading The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters
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Man at the Helm by Nina Stibbe
I must say that reading Man at the Helm was quite a departure for me. As my boyfriend and, I'm sure, my readers will testify, I usually read sad/serious books. Apparently someone always dies and/or cries. There's a fair bit of crying in Man at the Helm, and a small amount of death, but on… Continue reading Man at the Helm by Nina Stibbe
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Bookshelf Adventures: Having A Clear Out
The dreaded words. Clear out. I'm all for a clear out, it's sensible and healthy, but my goodness - it is not a pleasant process. It's bad enough doing it with clothes, but books? Indecision goes into overdrive. Not only is it hard to choose what to keep and what to get rid of, books… Continue reading Bookshelf Adventures: Having A Clear Out
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Summer Crossing by Truman Capote (Part of the Capote Readathon)
This post is part of the Summer Capote Readathon with The Literary Sisters. Have you read Summer Crossing?I'm glad I've never had to be in the position of Alan Schwartz, Truman Capote's friend and lawyer. In his Afterword to Summer Crossing he explains that in his will Capote "left everything including his literary properties to a… Continue reading Summer Crossing by Truman Capote (Part of the Capote Readathon)
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Adventures in the 7th Century: Hild by Nicola Griffith
This post is part of the official blog tour for Hild. As a rule I like historical fiction, and when I think about it a lot of the historical fiction I've read has been set either in the early 20th century (including several things set during World War II), or only slight before that, i.e. the… Continue reading Adventures in the 7th Century: Hild by Nicola Griffith
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An Experiment
Right. I'm going to admit it. I'm a massive cliche. I studied English Literature, I work in publishing, and I'm a blogger. And I write. Fiction. CLICHE. But let's give it a go, ok? Inspired by Hannah of Hannah Reads Stuff and Christa of A Voluptuous Mind, I have had a snoop around writingexercises.com for,… Continue reading An Experiment
These Little Words 