News

It's the end of another month and the wet and blustery weather this weekend has meant we can no longer ignore the changing season. An open fire and lots of tea and toast is my remedy!

The days are flying by and, with the former punctuations to our week no longer possible - no theatre trips or meals with friends, no holidays to look forward to or meetings to attend - one day seems to merge into the next, I find. Even Christmas celebrations may look rather different this year, and with restrictions, they say, likely to last until March, once again we need to find new ways of getting through.

Books will continue to be my greatest resource, of course, and I'll be sharing more recommendations for escapist, inspiring and uplifting titles in the coming weeks. But the crime writer, Ann Cleeves has sponsored an initiative in the north-east which goes a step further.

Acknowledging how reading helped her cope when her husband was ill, she is supporting a scheme where reading coaches suggest works of poetry, novels or non-fiction ttles to patients suffering from chronic conditions, mental health issues or loneliness. Bibliotherapy projects are run in a number of areas but generally focus on self-help books. This initiative supports the idea that fiction helps reduce depression and aids empathy, as well as providing an escape from the challenges of our daily life.

Nature is also a comfort and delight, even in inclement weather. Researchers say that just "10 minutes of wind brushing across our cheek, or the sun on our skin" can lower stress levels.

This week sees the publication of 'The Lost Spells', a beautiful new book celebrating our natural environment. It's written by Robert Macfarlane and illustrated by Jackie Morris and their first work together 'The Lost Words' was a huge success. If you remember, that was a beautiful oversize book, whereas this 'sequel' is tiny in comparison. They hope to encourage us to keep it in our pockets as a 'talisman', a companion to enjoy and reference while out walking. Read more about it below, and my feature on Robert for 'Suffolk' magazine, published earlier this year, is here.

We'll all be indoors much more in the coming months and we have a tremendous resource through our televisions, radios and computers, of course. Screen time can be very draining, but if we draw up a comfortable chair, snuggle up with a blanket and dim the lights, then we might like to attend this week's virtual launch party for 'The Lost Spells' here, see children's writers talk about their work for an Ipswich Arts Festival initiative here, watch the dramatisation of David Nicholls' melancholy novel 'Us' on the BBC here, listen to last year's Booker Prize winner Bernadine Evaristo on Desert Island Discs here, or attend this year's Cheltenham Literature Festival here.

There's a lot on offer and many of these and other activities are 'on demand', so we can fit them into our day as we wish. But for some live interaction, why not join in with our Zoom book group meeting tomorrow evening - just reply to this email to receive the log in details.

Or join me in meeting Susie Dent, the presenter of Dictionary Corner on Channel 4's 'Countdown', and its comedy cousin '8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown'.

She'll be speaking on Thursday 8 October, so I'm "counting down" the days...(!)

I know it's not the same as meeting her in real life, or sharing comments and observations while sitting alongside others in an audience. We won't see how tall she is, can't ponder on her choice of shoes, nor catch her eye, but she has put aside the time especially for us and will answer our particular questions.

Every ticket purchased includes a signed copy of Susie's book 'Word Perfect', a 'linguistic almanac full of unforgettable true stories tied to every day of the year. You'll never be lost for words again!' It provides great talking points (for those awkward silences meeting the family on Zoom?) and a lovely Christmas gift.

Please do support events like this, if you can. It will give great encouragement to the organisers, booksellers and authors and your purchases will also help ensure that when things return to life as we remember it, events will be able to continue just like they used to.

What books do you read to cheer yourself up?

Do you go to Alexander McCall Smith for the wry take on human nature, or do you prefer the essays of David Sedaris? Perhaps you enjoy the mishaps and misunderstandings of Jeeves and Wooster or do you opt instead for the nostalgia of polite society with Barbara Pym, Nancy Mitford or Stella Gibbon?

When I've worked in the bookshop, there's hardly a day goes by when someone hasn't asked for a book which might lift the spirit, bring comfort and escape, or raise a smile.

While I always take pleasure in recommending the right title to suit the person and the mood, finding something which will help someone forget their hospital bed, their recent disappointment or bad news has always seemed a particular responsibility.

And finding a funny book is so very difficult because humour seems such a personal, subjective matter.

So I was particularly interested in reading about the Comedy Women in Print prize this week, not least because I'd read a number of the shortlisted writers - Beth Leary's 'Flatshare' (clever idea and brilliantly executed), 'Queenie' from Candice Carty-Williams (a Bridget Jones style account of the struggles of a young, professional black woman seeking love, friendship and fulfilment), and the remarkable and always outstanding Jeanette Winterson. The winner was Nina Stibbe for her recent book 'Reasons to be Cheerful' which I devoured a few months ago for the title alone (the descriptions of working in a dental surgery are very funny in my opinion but Jenni Murray revealed on Woman's Hour that she hates going to the dentist so couldn't enjoy that element of the book!).

We will all find different things amusing, at different times, for different reasons, I'm sure, but this is certainly a good list to work through. (And for another amusing read, I'd also recommend 'Anyone for Edmund?' which I'm reading for the BBC Radio Suffolk book club this month - scroll down for details.)

But it was a differentr literature prize which stole the headlines this week, and there wasn't much to smile about.

While it had seemed that Hilary Mantel was a shoo-in to win this year's Booker Prize, and break records as the only person to triumph three times, instead the judges decided she shouldn't even make the shortlist. American debut novelists dominated and with their work widely being described as 'bleak', 'depressing' and 'violent', it will be interesting to see how these books fare in sales with readers. Perhaps we need some time and distance from our current circumstances to be able to appreciate these titles fully?

The Browsers Booker Book Group agreed with the judges on just two of the titles in the shortlist so it will be interesting to find out who is declared the winner, in November. But in the meantime, we're approaching the end of the month for our regular book discussion...

this autumn, and the challenge facing authors to get their titles to stand out from the crowd.

The tall man from BBC's 'Pointless', Richard Osman has been working hard throughout the past few months in letting everyone know about his debut novel 'The Thursday Murder Club' and his efforts have achieved dividends.

Each Thursday he sent out an email with an upbeat message, a promotion for his book and a lighthearted but nevertheless challenging quiz dictated by a letter of the alphabet.

It proved a welcome addition to my inbox each week, but I would still have been curious to read his book, and, after reading it, I would still have recommended it widely.

It is a fabulously funny and feel-good read and I'm not surprised it's proved such a hit. It's the fastest selling debut crime novel since records began! There are two more to follow, and a film deal signed.

This week we also saw a very popular winner of the Women's Prize for Fiction in 'Hamnet' by Maggie O'Farrell which triumphed in a very strong list. Maggie visited us in Woodbridge when she released her memoir 'I Am, I Am, I Am' and you can read about the event here.

Of course my programme of author events for this year was halted by the lockdown but I hope that you might have looked up the novel 'The Ninth Child' by Sally Magnusson which is shortly out in paperback. Although Sally was unable to visit in person, I interviewed her on the phone for an article in 'Suffolk' magazine which is published this month. There's a hint of what's in store here but you'll need to buy a copy of the magazine to find out more!

Over the past few months we’ve all been forced to adopt a new vocabulary - ‘lockdown’, ‘superspreaders’, ‘shielding’. These seemingly straightforward words and phrases have become loaded with meaning as we’ve sought to come to terms with our ‘new normal’.

Language, though, can give us something to hold on to in strange times, according to the nation’s favourite lexicographer, Susie Dent.

"So although everything feels unique and acutely different from our old normal, the words describing our situation have been around for some time and I find that vaguely reassuring. I’ve always gained such solace from the dictionary.”

Known for presiding over Dictionary Corner on television’s longest running quiz show, Channel 4’s ‘Countdown’, and its comedy spin-off ‘8 out of 10 Cats Does Countdown’, Susie has used her lockdown period to delve into some of the unusual and often forgotten words which have delighted her over the years. Her new book 'Word Perfect' is published this autumn.

While Susie was hoping to visit Woodbridge to launch this book (her 16th!), the current situation has meant that this is no longer possible.

So I'm thrilled that we will be able to talk to Susie online, via Zoom, instead. I hope you'll join me. Scroll down for all the details.

As the nights draw in, I know that I'll be turning to online talks and workshops as an alternative to 'real life' social activities. While nothing can match being in the audience, sharing in the experience, I'm aware that many talks would not be available to me if I had to travel hundreds of miles to attend them in person.

This week sees the start of the new academic year. That means the end of summer, children back at school and, this year, a call for the grown-ups to get back to the office.

The people who have made that leap in the publishing world have been proving the point by posting pictures of their desks on Twitter. In the way of social media, this has meant that all the images have recorded enviable scenes of spectacular views from huge windows, high ceilings and spacious rooms, tidy bookshelves and remarkably resilient plants which have flourished despite having no human care over the past six months.

I do enjoy seeing people's workstations, whether in their home or at the office. But Anthony Horowitz, in his latest novel 'Moonfllower Murders' (which, incidentally, is set in Woodbridge and is very much addictive reading), has his central character telling us that we shouldn't be interested in writer's lives. We should "learn about authors from the work they produce rather than the other way round". I can see his point, but it doesn't stop me being intrigued by the creative process. Hence my new series of Zoom interviews 'at the writer's desk', which you can see here.

This week I am 'at the writer's desk' of Saskia Sarginson ahead of the launch of her latest novel 'The Bench' on Thursday. Saskia has many interesting things to say about the writing process, not least how she finds that whatever she might be reading while she has a work in progress, there wlll always be something that proves relevant to the subject she is exploring. You can see the interview here.

Thank you for reading.