Phew! What a title! Your Second Life is a French phenomenon. Published three years ago, word spread and it’s now a bestseller, staying in the French top ten for over a year, despite its terrible title. Now it’s coming to England. It’s rather cute to look at, a small hardback with a Tiffany blue cover and… Continue reading Review: Your Second Life Begins When You Realise You Only Have One by Raphaelle Giordano
Tag: fiction
Twenty Four Stories
Five or six years ago I walked through Nottingham’s Old Market Square. It was near Christmas, dark overhead but the Christmas market was in full swing, including the annual ice rink. The scene gave me a ‘what if?’ moment and I turned it into a story. I wrote and edited and wrote and tinkered, made… Continue reading Twenty Four Stories
The Maid’s Room by Fiona Mitchell – Q&A session
Today I’m really pleased to be joined by Fiona Mitchell, whose novel The Maid’s Room, has just come out in paperback. The story of two sisters, Dolly and Tala, Filipino maids to the privileged community in Singapore, The Maid’s Room is a sometimes shocking, sometimes funny account of the hidden lives of others and how… Continue reading The Maid’s Room by Fiona Mitchell – Q&A session
Review: Secrets of the Italian Gardener by Andrew Crofts
Today I welcome Andrew Crofts onto the blog as part of the blog tour for his new paperback title: Secrets of the Italian Gardener. You may have read Andrew Crofts before, without knowing it. He’s a ghost writer. I’m always impressed by the idea of ghost writers, putting all that work in and not getting… Continue reading Review: Secrets of the Italian Gardener by Andrew Crofts
Review: Greatest Hits by Laura Barnett
Laura Barnett’s The Versions of Us still sits on my TBR pile but I was interested in the idea of her second novel, especially when it was announced that Kathryn Williams would be providing an accompanying soundtrack. Greatest Hits is the story of Cass Wheeler, a retired folk-pop singer-songwriter from the 1970s who takes a… Continue reading Review: Greatest Hits by Laura Barnett
Review: The End We Start From – Megan Hunter
Novellas still seem rare but are often intriguing. There is much in the 170 pages of The End We Start From that could have been fleshed out and given more detail but I’m not sure the end result would have been as powerful. All you need to know is that an enormous flood has wiped… Continue reading Review: The End We Start From – Megan Hunter
Review: A Life Between Us by Louise Walters
I came to the second novel by Louise Walters with some anticipation, having enjoyed her debut Mrs Sinclair’s Suitcase very much. This second book is being self-published by Walters, an act of independence to be admired. A Life Between Us is set in the present day and features Tina, a lonely housewife, avid reader, compulsive… Continue reading Review: A Life Between Us by Louise Walters
To read: 2017
My ‘to read’ list currently looks like this: Every New Year I resolve to read more non-fiction, so am feeling pleased that I’ve already put a history book on my reads of January list. Four biographies on this list, a book of essays and a book about sport is a good start. I also resolved… Continue reading To read: 2017
A Whitelaw Christmas Carol
December 1932 “Mum says don’t forget Christmas dinner,” said Daniel as he left The Whitelaw that afternoon, having safely delivered the account books. “Any time, she said, but we’ll probably eat about two or three-ish.” “I already told her there was no need,” said Tip. “I’ll be perfectly fine by myself. I’m not a charity… Continue reading A Whitelaw Christmas Carol
Review – NottWords workshop with Lara Elena Donnelly
There’s something decadent about knocking off work early to go to a writing workshop. And so it is with a light heart that I bid my work colleagues a good weekend and appear at the door to Nottingham Writers’ Studio on Friday afternoon for Lara Elena Donnelly’s workshop Who is your City? Lara starts us… Continue reading Review – NottWords workshop with Lara Elena Donnelly
Susan E Barsby 