Even the Birds Grow Silent is a collection of narrative fragments told by Death herself. From the back of the book The structure of the book with each chapter being quite short makes it easy to pick up and put…
It is the summer of 1966 and eighteen-year-old Cara accepts a job in Florence to get away from a difficult situation at home. By the autumn she has settled into her new life in the university quarter and her future…
In 2020 I read Stuart Turton’s The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle and was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed it. It was a perfect mix of murder mystery with a Black Mirror twist, and it was one of…
3. Are you a plan, plan, plan writer or do you sit down and see where the words take you? I was on holiday in Dumfries and Galloway, where the book is set, and thought the string of little towns…
Buy Illuminae from Bookshop.org, Book Depository, Waterstones, Amazon or Amazon AU. This one is for when I need a good cry on the desert island because WOW. I’m known for crying at the drop of a hat in movies and…
Will Eleanor and Edward be able to fight for their family? Or will the truth destroy them? From the outside, Eleanor and Edward Hamilton have the perfect life, but they’re harbouring a secret that threatens to fracture their entire world.…
As for what a read, there were very few this month that saw me turn the final page. So that was August. It brought a trip to the seaside, 2p slot machines, fish and chips and buckets and spades. It…
5. I think of myself as a golfer. All golfers, however bad, do that. At times I play very well but am not self-disciplined enough to content myself with acquiring a repeating swing. If I hit a bad shot I…
In 2003 the former Women’s Press editor and literary critic Sarah LeFanu published her acclaimed biography of Rose Macaulay with Virago Press. I loved the diary format. Short insights into the days and weeks of research, of the struggle to…
It is the summer of 1962 and sixteen-year-old Evie Epworth stands on the cusp of womanhood. But what kind of a woman will she be?Up until now, Evie’s life has been nothing special: a patchwork of school, Guides, cows, lost…
