Reading for Food and Drink
Written by Hayley Anderton Wine is a wonderful thing, a living, breathing, liquid that ages, changes, develops in bottle and glass. It has the capacity to be hugely disappointing (if…
A Novel Calling: Danielle Simpson’s Books That Were Written Just For Me
“A handful of books that have been really important in your life.” So, that was the brief. For someone who loves reading, loves books and stories . . . how…
Woolfalong
Written by Ali Hope My relationship with Virginia Woolf had a discouraging start when I first read To the Lighthouse in my very early twenties. It was a period when I was…
Questions for Kirstin Smith & Rowland Manthorpe about Confidence
Interview by Victoria Due to unusual circumstances, my husband read this novel out loud to me (we both loved it). So, from a reading couple to a writing couple, how…
Dear Diary… Diaries in Fiction
Written by Charlotte Duff Since approximately the age of ten, I have tried to keep a diary. In fact, almost every Christmas I have asked for one. New Year’s Day…
Spotlight on Young Adult Fiction – Summer 2016
Selected by Jenny and Memory It’s summer, and the cups of your trusty YA correspondents runneth over. We know we led you to believe that we would curate a list…
Penguin Modern Poets – The Relaunch
By Karen Langley If you’re a reader of a certain age who went through the British school system, you most likely encountered the Penguin Modern Poets series. They, along with…
The Eds Discuss – European Culture
Post-referendum, the Shiny Eds (all Remainers) are still reeling at the Brexit vote! We thought it timely to explore our experience of European culture on the page and screen. Do…
Brexit Reading
Written by Victoria In the aftermath of the historic referendum vote on 23rd June, and before we really learn what it means for all of us, what can we read…
A Novel Calling: Karen Langley’s Books That Were Written Just For Me
Written by Karen Langley If you’re reading Shiny New Books, there’s a good chance that you’re a person who loves books and regards them as having a significant place in…
An Ancient Permanence? Guest post by Rosy Thornton
My Aunt Sybil (sadly not the figure in black bombazine and lorgnette her name might suggest – think Gore Tex® and stout hiking shoes) on a recent visit to my…
Shiny New Author: Susan Beale
Questions by Victoria Has writing been a long-held ambition for you or is this novel something that you happened to fall into? How I wish I were the type of…
Love, or Nearest Offer, Guest Post by Adèle Geras
The person who gave me the very first idea for this book was Sally Prue, a good writer and a good friend of mine. It was, I think, while my…
Five Fascinating Facts About… A.A. Milne
Written by Simon Thomas 1.) A.A. Milne had a famous schoolteacher. A.A. Milne’s father John ran a small boys’ school, Henley House, and one of the teachers he employed was a…
Questions for Peggy Frew about Hope Farm
Interview by Annabel Annabel: Firstly, congratulations on Hope Farm being shortlisted for the 2016 Stella Prize. This young literary prize is starting to get some notice in the UK and…
A Novel Calling: Eleanor Franzén’s Books That Were Written Just For Me
Written by Eleanor Franzén Love Like Salt by Helen Stevenson In February, I read an advance proof copy of Helen Stevenson’s Love Like Salt, and although I’d never seen a…
‘South of the River’: A Reading List
Compiled by Annabel The story goes that London cabbies won’t go ‘South of the River’ after dark – I have no proof of this, but it’s an enduring myth. Asked…
Some Questions for Lucy Caldwell
Asked by HarrietLucy, people always like to know how a writer got started. So can you tell us about your beginnings, and when you realised you were going to be…
Life After Publication, by Lisa Williamson
I recently met up with a bunch of friends from university for the afternoon. ‘You’re very successful now, aren’t you?’ one guy boomed at me before even saying ‘hello’. I…
Shiny New Author: Stephanie Danler
Questions by Rebecca Foster 1. Readers learn so few facts about Tess – even her name and where she’s from are not revealed until a long way into the book,…
Questions for Sharon Guskin
1. The Forgetting Time is your first novel, and we understand that previously your career has been in the film world. Have you always wanted to write? Pretty much. I first started…
Reading for Student Experiences
Written by Anna Hollingsworth Finite, enclosed spaces, power relationships, the discovery of independence, and the pursuit of knowledge: university as a backdrop offers perhaps more grand themes for novels than…
Make it Southeast Asian
By Sharlene Tan The part of the world that is known as Southeast Asia may include the fourth most populous nation in the world but ask the average person to…
The Eds Discuss: Literary Festivals
As some of the big literary festivals kick off this year’s lit fest season, Annabel, Harriet, Simon and Victoria discuss them: The literary festival has become so omnipresent lately; are…