READING IN A TIME OF CORONAVIRUS


As most of us are probably self-isolating and books and reading will hopefully become an increasingly important part of our lives, we have decided to bring you regular updates on books and authors in the news.

Literary Festivals

We are heading into the late summer / autumn book festival season. After the very successful on-line Hay festival in May we thought it would be interesting to tell you about the published plans for upcoming literary events. I am sure most of you have been to the...

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The Snow Kimono by Mark Henshaw

The Snow Kimono by Mark Henshaw

The Snow Kimono by Mark Henshaw, published in 2014 by Tinder Press ‘In Japan, we have a saying:  If you want to see your life, you have to see it through the eyes of another.’ Spoken by one of the main characters early on, this provides the rationale for the narrative...

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Books of the week

Books of the week

Sally Rooney’s Normal People has bounced back to the top of the bestseller lists. This is not surprising after the successful TV dramatisation which is now available on BBC iPlayer. The novel was first published in January 2018 and hit the bestseller charts mid 2019. ...

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Podcasts 4th June

Podcasts 4th June

I have become quite a fan of podcasts over the last year having thought they were complicated to locate, down-load and listen to.  Podcasts are currently experiencing a boom in listener numbers So if you haven’t moved into the podcast world here are some simple tips:...

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Short Story Entries Commended by the Judges

Short Story Entries Commended by the Judges

Almost too late (The Glasgow Climate Summit 2020)  By Juggy Pandit   Friendly Thames our friend no more Now spreads a mile from shore to shore. Angry waves lap ancient domes And modern towers of rusting bones.   The dark and viscous oil we burnt The trees we...

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Barnes Book Groups

Barnes Book Groups

Barnes is clearly a hot-bed of book group activity. Almost everyone I know belongs to one – some to more than one. I have done a very unscientific calculation – based on population, age, socio-economic and gender data to estimate that there are at least 45 book groups...

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Readings from the Rose

Readings from the Rose

As a means of bringing joy and creativity into homes during these uncertain times, the Rose Theatre, Kingston, is launching the ‘Readings from the Rose’ initiative today. Several prominent actors and creatives in the industry have filmed themselves reading their...

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Books of the Week

Books of the Week

David Walliams’ Slime has oozed to the top of the UK book charts with Lee Child’s Blue Moon at number 2. Blue Moonis the 24th Jack Reacher thriller which has just been published in paper-back.  This is another lone-wolf thriller about dirty money and even dirtier...

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Lynette Roberts – Gods with Stainless Ears

Lynette Roberts – Gods with Stainless Ears

To celebrate VE Day I thought I’d take this opportunity to post about an extraordinary poem by Lynette Roberts, the Welsh modernist poet. Roberts published two books of poetry with Faber and Faber in 1944 and 1951. She became friends with her editor, T.S. Eliot, and...

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