The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend by Katrina Bivald was my final read of 2023. And by that, I mean I finished the last page with less than an hour before the bells rang in 2024. For me, winter is a time for bracing walks and then with glowing cheeks, retreat indoors to snuggle up […]
The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend by Katrina Bivald Read More »
I’m very excited to announce that I’ll be at Blaydon Library on Wed 7th Feb, 11am – 12pm to chat about my debut novel Apokeri Bay. If you’re able to, why not pop along and quiz me on the first part of my trilogy, where I get my inspiration and what’s coming next! I can’t
Let’s Talk Stories with Jackie Watson Read More »
I’m not one for dark novels but after reading How To Kill Your Family by Bella Mackie my annual tally stands at two. Hardly remarkable if I’d read one hundred books but as it’s only my fifteenth this year, that’s more noteworthy. Are my tastes changing? Or is it a case of spacing them out
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Americanah by Chimamanda Ngezi Adichie is a novel that weaves in multiple countries, characters and love stories. It starts when our protagonist Ifemelu heads to a Trenton braiding salon. After thirteen years (she tells the braider it’s fifteen) of building a successful slice of the American Dream, the pull of home is too strong. Ifemelu
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After a few days of continual rain, it was a relief to find clear skies. I wouldn’t have to don waterproofs to reach The Guisborough Bookshop with my box of goodies. And more importantly, less inclement weather would hopefully encourage people to stray outdoors for a book signing. The wonderful independent bookstore team had affixed
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Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine, thank you very much. She doesn’t like to deviate from routine and remains in the same company, doing the same finance job for eight years. Afterwards, she goes home and waits for the next working day. Every Wednesday evening is a fifteen-minute phone call from Mummy and at the weekend
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman Read More »
To celebrate Libraries Week, local contemporary fiction writer, Jackie Watson, has gone back to the very place that inspired her love for writing – the library. Jackie Watson was motivated to write the Greece-based trilogy after a recurring dream and explains: “As a kid, I loved our weekly library trip where I’d burst through the
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Is it possible to escape the crowds and find wide open spaces to enjoy during the summer school holidays? You might be surprised. Or maybe you already know about these places, hiding in plain sight. In the past I went camping as a kid. It was the only way to afford a two-week family holiday
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Alison is an ambitious barrister. She’s worked tirelessly and sacrificed plenty over the years. To attain her goal. It’s the one thing she’s been working towards her whole legal career – to defend a murder case. To represent Madeleine, a well-heeled, immaculately presented woman who freely admits to repeatedly stabbing her husband to death with
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A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman is a thoroughly charming and incredibly touching novel. Ove has nothing to live for. The woman who filled his life with love and meaning is gone. “People said Ove saw the world in back and white. But she was colour. All the colour he had.” The result is
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