A wet, windy Bank Holiday Monday and it feels like summer is over. My husband and son are out windsurfing (they figured that the lashing rain couldn’t possibly make them any wetter), my daughter’s at the Notting Hill Carnival and I’m settling down with a new book – I Can’t Begin to Tell You by Elizabeth Buchan, to be precise. I love the promise of the autumn but I’m sad that ...keep reading
Middle age is a minefield. In my head I still think of myself as 23, even though my children reckon I’m about 123. When I try and impress them with tales of interviewing George Michael and Paul Weller in their heyday (and mine), they roll their eyes and mutter “but they’re so old…” So India Knight is really on to something with her latest novel, Mutton. The second of her ...keep reading
Staff at Waterstones were definitely on to something when they started putting cards on bestsellers saying “if you liked this book, you’ll love this one…” The chances are, for instance, that if you love Kate Atkinson’s brilliant Jackson Brodie crime novels (I’m completely addicted) then you might enjoy books by Sophie Hannah or Mark Billingham. So, in the same vein, I can confidently predict that if you enjoyed Gillian Flynn’s ...keep reading
When my daughter was little Shirley Hughes’s Alfie and Annie Rose stories were her absolute favourites. She was enchanted by the adorable illustrations and sweet stories and was beside herself with excitement when she won a compendium of the Alfie books in a Waterstones competition. Shirley’s daughter, Clara Vulliamy, is a successful author and illustrator too and the pair have now published their very first collaboration. Clara says that it ...keep reading
If you’re looking for a brilliantly inventive and very funny read for the under-fives then The Day the Crayons Quit is my favourite picture book of the year (so far, that is). I’m a huge fan of the talented Oliver Jeffers, who has illustrated the book, but what makes it come alive is the hilarious and highly original story. Written by US film writer and director Drew Daywalt, it’s the ...keep reading
I was a bookworm as a child, gobbling up books as fast as my fingers could turn the pages. Up until the age of about 11 my favourites were Enid Blyton, Pamela Brown, Noel Streatfeild, Elinor M. Brent Dyer (The Chalet School series) and even though I was clueless about riding, anything by the Pullein-Thompson sisters. After that I turned to Lynne Reid Banks (I loved The L-Shaped Room), Meredith ...keep reading
If Colette McBeth’s name sounds familiar it’s probably because she worked as a BBC TV news reporter for ten years. During that time she covered a host of notorious crime stories and became fascinated by the ways in which perpetrators of heinous crimes attempt to hide their crimes. Two years ago, however, she won a place on the Faber Academy writing course and began working on her debut novel. The ...keep reading
I’ve been addicted to Nicci French’s Frieda Klein series ever since the first book was published two years ago. Now the third, Waiting for Wednesday, is out and it’s as enthralling – and yes, as disturbing – as its predecessors. I was slightly worried to start with because there’s quite a bit of recapping of Frieda Klein’s back story before the novel hits its stride. But once readers have caught ...keep reading