- The People on Platform 5Someone on my MA in Creative Writing recommended The People on Platform 5 by Clare Pooley and I finally got round to it, fittingly, on my commute last October. It’s not the sort of thing I usually read, but I
- The Marriage PortraitI read The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O’Farrell basking in the January sunshine on holiday in the Canaries. It is about the short life of Lucrezia, Duchess of Ferrera, who in this version of events is murdered by her husband
- The Italian Bookshop Among the VinesI was recommended The Italian Bookshop Among the Vines by Amanda Weinberg, given it is set in Italy in World War Two, one of the locations I am writing about in my novel. I read it as its original title
- You Are HereDavid Nicholls is one of my favourite authors (see my blogs on Sweet Sorrow and Us) so I bought his latest novel You Are Here as an airport exclusive paperback on my way to Fuerteventura at the end of August
- Tomorrow and Tomorrow and TomorrowTomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin is an extraordinary book and unlike anything I’ve ever read. It is set in the world of gaming, a world I knew nothing about and had very little interest in, despite my
- The Ghost ShipThe Ghost Ship by Kate Mosse is the third book in the Joubert family chronicles, that I have really enjoyed reading (see my blog on The City of Tears and The Burning Chambers), which I bought for myself as a
- Death at the Sign of the RookI took the opportunity of airport paperbacks to buy Kate Atkinson’s latest Jackson Brodie crime novel, Death at the Sign of the Rook, on my way on holiday at the end of August last year (see my blog on Big
- Books of the Year 20242024 was a year of reading in bursts when on holiday and a bit sporadically in between when I was focusing on using my spare time to write not read. Nevertheless, I managed an average of nearly a book a
- Lessons in ChemistrySo it turns out that, unsurprisingly, that Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus really is as good as everyone says it is and there’s a reason that it’s a global bestseller. I have been meaning to read it for a
- Death Under a Little SkyI saw Stig Abell interviewed at the Hay Festival last year about his debut novel Death Under a Little Sky and it sounded just the sort of crime fiction that I enjoy (see my crime fiction blogs) so I took
- The French Lieutenant’s WomanI finally read the last of my 2023 Christmas books at the end of August, The French Lieutenant’s Woman by John Fowles, on a trip to Lyme Regis where it is set. It was recommended to me as a great
- The Armour of LightI got The Armour of Light by Ken Follett, one of my absolute favourite authors (see my blogs on The Pillars of the Earth, Fall of Giants, Winter of the World, The Edge of Eternity, The Evening and the Morning and A Dangerous Fortune) as a
- Mona of the ManorI got Mona of the Manor by Armistead Maupin for my birthday in July and read it on a walking holiday in the Isle of Wight. This is the latest in the Tales of the City series (see my blog
- Tell Me How This EndsI read Tell Me How This Ends by Jo Leevers basking in the first real sun of the year in the garden some months ango and really enjoyed it. Its protagonist Henrietta Lockwood is a bit like Eleanor Oliphant –
- Victory CityI was lucky enough to see Salman Rushdie (via Zoom) at the Hay Festival in 2023 and bought a signed copy of his book Victory City in the festival bookshop and finally had some time to read it this July
- Caledonian RoadI was given Caledonian Road by Andrew O’Hagan for my birthday by my friend Pam. As a former resident of an adjacent part of north London I knew I was going to like it. The cast of characters is so
- The Whalebone TheatreI read The Whalebone Theatre by Joanna Quinn in the cold days of April and enjoyed being transported to the Second World War and its impacts on the family who own a great Dorset house. The novel begins in 1919
- Demon CopperheadI started reading Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver (see my blog on Unsheltered) last summer and was really enjoying it until life got in the way, so was delighted to finally find time to pick it up again this summer.
- Shrines of GaietyI always look forward to the latest novel by Kate Atkinson (see my previous blogs) and last year was given Shrines of Gaiety for my birthday and finally got a chance to read it in May. It is set in
- The Storm We MadeI got a proof copy of The Storm We Made by Vanessa Chan at the Hay festival last year and finally read it on my commute in June. It is exactly my kind of book, given that it is a
- The Emotional Craft of FictionThe Emotional Craft of Fiction by literary agent Donald Maas is an excellent book for any writers trying to ensure that their novels have emotional depth and will resonant with their readers at a cellular level. Each section is clearly
The Reading Project
by Jo Casebourne