I’ve been an admirer of Liz Jones’s column in the Mail on Sunday’s You magazine for years. She’s outspoken and controversial – and SO readable. As I wrote in my blog back in 2011: “I turn to her page before anything else. I occasionally get fed up with accounts of her huge menagerie of animals but even so, she writes so well and with such disarming frankness that her diary ...keep reading
I’ve been a fan of Deborah Moggach for years – ever since her first novel, You Must be Sisters, was published in 1978. I even interviewed her once, when the newspaper I was working for at the time inexplicably sent me to talk to her on New Year’s Day. She was charm personified, even though the last thing in the world she must have wanted first thing on January 1 ...keep reading
I’ve known Jane Wenham-Jones for years. A real life-enhancer, usually sporting rainbow-coloured hair, Jane writes novels, short stories and columns, interviews authors at literary events and often pops up on TV and radio too. It’s been a while since she wrote a novel though so I was eagerly anticipating her new book, Mum in the Middle. I’m pleased to report that it’s a cracker of a book, mainly because Jane ...keep reading
Exasperated tenants have been venting their anger about having to put up with Dickensian squalor and ruthless landlords. Members of the Generation Rent group asked renters to post their experiences on Twitter using the hashtag #ventyourrent and were inundated with tales of woe. They ranged from stories of damp and mould to a landlord who constructed a glass-bricked room inside the tenant’s flat to sleep in when he visited from ...keep reading
The Lie of the Land, Amanda Craig’s seventh novel, doesn’t fit a particular genre. A mix of black comedy, whip-smart social satire and psychological suspense, this tale of a highly dysfunctional family is enthralling, insightful and immensely readable. Quentin and Lottie Bredin are in an all too familiar bind. They’ve both lost their jobs, their marriage is in tatters and they can’t afford to divorce. They can’t sell their north London house either, which ...keep reading
Fans of Trisha Ashley wax lyrical about her storytelling, elegant writing style and original plots. Katie Fforde calls her “one of the best writers around” while Sophie Kinsella praises her “down-to-earth humour”. All of these qualities and more feature in Trisha’s latest novel, The Little Teashop of Lost and Found, which is touching and funny and in parts, very sad. Best of all, it features three stories in one, all ...keep reading
Afternoon tea, stunning views across a windswept sea and a captivating talk by a bestselling author. How could I resist the chance to hear Rowan Coleman talk about her books at the Purbeck Literary Festival this week? If you haven’t discovered Rowan’s books yet you really should. She combines a compelling style with powerful narratives that don’t shy away from difficult subjects. In the past she’s written about domestic abuse ...keep reading
The Taken gripped me from start to finish. I felt bereft when I reached the last page of this excellently plotted and assured tale – but I was in for a pleasant surprise. Why? Because for some unknown reason I’d assumed this was Alice Clark-Platts’s first novel. In fact it’s the second of her series about Detective Inspector Erica Martin, a Durham police officer with a fierce intellect and a ...keep reading
What better way to spend a chilly autumnal evening than listening to the wonderful Jilly Cooper in conversation with Sunday Times columnist India Knight? Like millions of readers, I’ve adored Jilly Cooper’s novels for decades. As a teenager I remember reading a serial of hers called Circles in 19, my favourite magazine at the time (now sadly defunct). She later rewrote it and it metamorphosed into Emily, the first of her six short romantic novels. ...keep reading
I’ve been a fan of Lisa Jewell’s books for as long as I can remember. I read her first novel, Ralph’s Party, after the high-brow poet and academic Tom Paulin reviewed it on Newsnight Review in 1999. He unexpectedly declared that Ralph’s Party was “a breath of fresh air,” even though I’m sure it wasn’t his usual reading fare. The Girls is Jewell’s 13th novel and it’s a stunning read, one of her best. The book is ...keep reading