News

The schools have broken up and the sun is shining so it's time for the newspapers to print their summer book features - page after page of inviting, stimulating and entertaining reads.

Am I the only one who finds this overwhelming?! I want to stay informed, and am excited to find new authors or old classics I've missed. And I enjoy seeing what my favourite authors are recommending, or the new books that are causing a stir. But my to-be-read pile is already perilous. And even if I was going to be spending any time on a beach or a long flight, I'd have filled my suitcase with my literary wishlist long ago. Can I add any more titles when there are just so many hours in the day? 

So I find lists difficult. I've probably said it before.

But the Booker Longlist is announced on Tuesday and this year I've been counting down the days!

I've looked up various bloggers on the internet to see what they are tipping as contenders for this year's prize, and it's been interesting viewing. Of course there's no clear consensus but I admire them taking a stand in their speculation. 

And there's an interesting mix of judges - with classicist Mary Beard, musician Jarvis Cocker and novelist Patricia Lockwood being the headliners, alongside poet Raymond Antrobus and journalist Rebecca Liu. Will their selection be notably different from the type of books chosen in previous years?

There's always plenty to discuss when we meet for our special Booker Book Group, which is now a much anticipated annual event!

We have a good number who have already volunteered to each take one of the longlisted titles to read and then report back at our meeting on Monday 7 September. If you would like to join us and haven't yet let me know, do get in touch. And if you'd rather just come along to listen in to the discussion, there will be that opportunity too - I'll send out details nearer the time.

For everyone who's signed up so far, I will be emailing as soon as I can after the Longlist is announced, at 2pm on Tuesday. It will then be a dash to get copies of the books before they sell out. It's all rather exciting...

Thank you for reading. 

There's a corner of East Sussex which I love to visit for the joy and inspiration it gives me through its artistic and literary connections, and this week I spent a few days there in the sunshine with friends.

Staying in the beautiful town of Lewes, I went back to Charleston to revisit the house where the Bloomsbury group of artists and writers lived until the 1970s. There was a trip to Berwick Church nearby where Duncan Grant and Vanessa Bell had been invited to paint the most incredible frescoes on the walls and pulpit in the 1940s. And there was Farleys House and Gallery, to enjoy the home of the photographer Lee Miller. 

There's always something new to discover and ponder, even among the familiarity of these locations. On this visit I was reminded, once again, of the implications of the unconventional lives led by these creative communities. And I was drawn to the glorious textiles at Charleston, and the inventive recipes and kitchen gadgets at Farleys! 

No opportunity this time to visit Virginia Woolf's home at Monk's House, but we did see a wonderful exhibition of the books produced by Virginia and Leonard Woolf in the Hogarth Press. We sampled a lunch created from one of Lee Miller's recipes at Farley's, learnt about the recently rediscovered artist Gladys Hynes in a talk at the gallery at Charleston Lewes, and discovered another beautiful bookshop, Much Ado Books at Alfriston.

I've come home full of ideas, inspired and stimulated by all I've seen and experienced, and, of course, I have brought back more books to devour and add to my groaning bookshelves! 

Thank you for reading. 

I've been distributing our latest Book Group book this week and have been congratulated on choosing another slim novel (scroll down for details). This is the third book in succession that hasn't stretched beyond 225 pages. And (spoiler) the title I've just ordered for our 27 July meeting is another short read.

It's not that we don't like a challenge - after all, as a group each year we read the Booker Prize Longlist. In fact we're coming up to the judges' announcement of their 2026 selection so if you'd like to join in our Booker Book Group discussion where we review and debate this year's contenders for the big prize, please reply to this email and I'll send you the details. The Longlist is announced on Tuesday 28 July and our meeting will take place on Monday 7 September.

The Booker books usually require some investment in time and effort, it has to be said, often being weighty in both subject matter and heft, so why have we enjoyed the novellas in our recent Book Group discussions?

An article in the 'Guardian's' Saturday supplement yesterday recognised that we are all feeling that our time is 'squeezed' and, instead of turning to a short story for an uninterrupted read, being able to experience the intensity of completing an entire novel in one sitting or one day is a great pleasure.

The writer of the article was a Booker judge last year and had to read 153 books in six months. In this piece he lists the titles he recommends as satisfying short reads. Are there any that appeal? Or perhaps you'll join me in reading this month's Book Group book before getting ready to clear the decks for the Booker Longlist?

Thank you for reading. 

So the big question today: who is staying up (or getting up) to watch England play Mexico?

Although FIFA's attempt at moving the game forward by six hours was rather bizarre, and ultimately unworkable, it would have been nice to have had an early evening fixture so that more of us could have shared in the moment. As it is, I will wait until tomorrow morning to find out the score.

I've been enjoying watching the sport on television in the past couple of weeks, though it's rather impinged on my reading time!

I spent yesterday evening gripped by the tennis. It was the match between Italian, Matteo Berrettini and Bulgarian, Grigor Dimitrov. It went to five sets and was a great display of tenacity and determination. 

In the courtside interview, Dimitrov, the winner, was asked how he felt about returning to Centre Court after last year's shocking exit when he had had to retire after suffering a catastrophic shoulder injury. He had been leading Jannick Sinner who went on to win the Championship.

Dimitrov said that while playing last night he kept reminding himself how grateful he was to be there. That, this time, it wasn't about the result but about enjoying the moment. 'It’s not about winning or losing,' he said. 'It’s just about conquering myself and playing tennis like that today, regardless of the outcome.'

His comments echoed those of the England captain Harry Kane when he gathered the team around him after their victory over DR Congo in the week. He told them to enjoy the win, to relish their success in that moment.  

'Sometimes as an England player,' he says, there are 'games you're expected to win [so] you don't celebrate as you should...we're through...enjoy it, we're at the World Cup'.

Here's hoping they, and we, will be able to celebrate their success tomorrow morning.

Thank you for reading. 

I've just got back from a packed weekend taking part in the Felixstowe Book Festival, now celebrating its 14th year.

The sun always seems to shine on these days in June when authors and audience gather at the amazing Harvest House on the clifftop in the seaside town. This time the sun was shining a little too brightly and we were all in danger of wilting slightly in the heat, but it didn't diminish the enthusiasm or excitement as much-loved writers shared their latest work with attentive and appreciative readers. 

I had a packed schedule, interviewing three authors yesterday. - Jay Griffiths about 'How Animals Heal Us', debut novelist Helen Bain about 'The Daffodil Days' and the ever popular and wonderfully charismatic Patrick Gale about his latest novel 'Love Lane'. 

Today there was a rural theme as I spoke with Richard Negus about 'Words from the Hedge', and Patrick Galbraith on 'Uncommon Ground'.

All the speakers were entertaining, stimulating and inspiring and though they appeared to have produced very different work, I did come away with some common threads.

It was fascinating, for example, to ponder how much animals, and the natural world as a whole contributes to our lives and how much we can learn from it - from the social structure and ethics exhibited by wolves, to the empathy of wood lice!

And how the issues of accessing and managing the British landscape are complex and various, but if we celebrate the birds and wildlife - and the people -who thrive in the countryside, we might be encouraged to seek answers to benefit us all.

How listening to birdsong calms the mind and how a walk by the sea can spark creativity. And how novelists Patrick Gale and Helen Bain both prefer to write with pen and paper rather than sitting in front of a computer or typewriter, as they draft their novels, choosing to craft each sentence more slowly and carefully by hand rather than dashing out paragraphs on a keyboard.

There's always something to ponder after an author event and I find the words spoken stay with me in the subsequent days and weeks, enriching my reading, writing and thinking. But for now I need to prepare for our book group meeting tomorrow evening. I hope to see you there!

Thank you for reading.