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Not much to share with you this week as I took some time out after the Easter weekend and made a trip to Nottingham.

I'd chosen to 'let the train take the strain' in terms of the journey but it turned out to be rather less than straightforward.

A missed connection caused me to be an hour late on the way up, and a succession of problems (including a service termination, cancelled connection, and two delayed trains) led to me being two and a half hours late getting home.

It wasn't the best scenario, for either journey, but I didn't have pressing engagements to miss and the staff at the stations and on the trains were all very friendly, helpful and attentive. What's more the inconvenienced passengers formed a little community helping each other with luggage and information, sharing stories about their lives (and other train journeys).

It was tiring but not an unpleasant experience, all things considered, and I did get through two books so time is never wasted when you can lose yourself in a good novel! 

Thank you for reading. 

It's been a rather lovely spring weekend. I hope you've been able to get outside to enjoy the sunshine.

It would have been perfect conditions for rowing the Deben yesterday morning, but we were a crew member short so our outing was cancelled. But I stood by the river this morning for a special Easter sunrise service and shortly afterwards had a run along the river wall, spotting wading birds in the low tide.

It's a glorious way to start the day, enjoying the tranquility and beauty of the natural world, and appreciating the privilege of living in this corner of Suffolk.

I've hunkered down this afternoon, though, enjoying some newly acquired chocolate with a book in front of a roaring fire (it's still a bit chilly!).

My book of choice today has been one I've been saving for this weekend (as a date on the sporting calendar rather than suitable reading matter for Easter Sunday). It's called 'The Boat Race Murder' and I picked it up on a visit to Cambridge a few months ago from an independent bookseller near Pembroke College, called Bodies in the Bookshop. This slim novel was first published in 1933 and was written by RE Swartwout, the first American to cox Cambridge to victory in 1930.

I did watch the 2026 Boat Race on telly yesterday, but was left wanting more detail about the training, technique, and the personal challenges and achievements of the rowers. 

So this book gave me a welcome fix of life for an elite athlete, albeit in the 1930s and with a murder committed in their midst. Was the weapon the rower's 'rigger jigger'? Was the victim killed for his place in the boat? 

Whatever the genre of book, it's always fun to have a window opened into a world we usually only glimpse, even if it is make-believe. And I haven't read that many novels about rowing. Of course there's 'Three Men in a Boat' and a few years ago there was a murder mystery novel by Deborah Crombie called 'No Mark Upon Her', set in the rowing community in Henley. I wonder what stories we could tell about rowing in Woodbridge?!

Thank you for reading. And Happy Easter!

Some books, some stories, don't stand the test of time. The language palls, the characters date and the message feels no longer relevant. But the 'classics' of literature prove timeless. 

So it is that we mark twenty-five years since the publication of Malorie Blackman's groundbreaking novel for teenage readers, 'Noughts and Crosses'. A stage production is touring and Blackman, as a former Children's Laureate and patron of the National Year of Reading is championing literature for children in interviews and events. 

Sadly, though, her book is as much a challenge to our lives today as it was a quarter of a century ago. 

The novel imagines an alternative Britain where black people (the Crosses) are the privileged class and white people (the Noughts) are the underclass and the target of racism.

With ‘Romeo and Juliet’ as its inspiration, we meet two young people: Sephy (a Cross) and Callum (a Nought). Their friendship is tested by the racist attitudes of their family, friends, and society as a whole in a world where Crosses dominate Noughts.

It's a hard-hitting, compelling novel which I read many years ago. The production I saw this month at the New Wolsey Theatre in Ipswich certainly did it justice, reaching across the generations and making a huge impact.

Whether or not you're familiar with the book, I urge you to take a look, or to see the play, as it's an important story, not least because of Malorie Blackman's own life experience, which she describes starkly in her memoir (scroll down for details).

As she said in a recent interview in the 'Sunday Times': "Reading is walking in someone else's shoes for a while and seeking the world through their eyes. And goodness knows we need more of that."

Thank you for reading.

It seems the latest fashion accessory is a book. Who'd have thought it?

There was a fascinating article in the Guardian yesterday, suggesting that 'clever is the new cool'. In the world of celebrities and pop stars, it seems hosting a book club is now an essential feature of the brand, and promotional or papped photos should feature a book in hand (or pocket).

Film and tv dramas are also using books as shorthand to flag up foibles and traits of characters and give clues in plot development. And fashion shows are being inspired by designers' current reading.

The books aren't props or gimmicks, though. Celebrities want to be identified not only as readers, but thinkers - intellectuals, even.

When our world appears to be dominated by a spirit of anti-intellectualism, it's fascinating and encouraging to see how popular culture is seeking to counter that trend. 

What's more, a book in your hand opens up the opportunity for conversation and community in a way that a screen cannot do - it's always been a joy for me when travelling on the train to see what other people are reading.  

And just as there has been a return to vinyl, tape cassettes, even typewriters, so young people are increasingly adopting print copies of books, says James Daunt, MD of Waterstones. 

Some good news then, I think! It was a fascinating article and it will be interesting to see where this trend leads.  

Thank you for reading!

This week I spent a couple of nights in Bath, catching up with a friend and making long overdue visits to the glorious bookshops in the city.

The train journeys were without incident and we packed a lot into our short stay, dodging showers and remaining upright in the gales. 

It's been quite a while since I was last in the area and there was so much to explore. Beautiful buildings, friendly people, good food, wool shops and stationery, plus exquisite quilts at the American Museum and striking posters through the ages at the Victoria Art Gallery.

But the bookshops and the literary associations of Bath were always going to be a highlight.

We witnessed a customer taking tea with a bookseller at the amazing Topping & Company, a bookshop in a former chapel, near to the Roman Baths. We bought cards and bookmarks featuring the beautiful endpapers of Persephone Books at their shop at the top of town. There were numerous secondhand shops to browse and an impressive Waterstones.

We decided against taking tea with Jane Austen re-enactors and shunned the Mary Shelley Escape Room, but we were treated to an author event at the remarkable Mr B's Emporium on Thursday evening. Here, seated between bookcases, we heard Angela Tomaski talk to bookseller Lottie May about her debut novel 'The Infamous Gilberts' (look out for my review very soon). 

It was a wonderful occasion and very special to be in this stunning bookshop where the booksellers are so clearly passionate about all they do here.

It's full of quirky features - trees in the children's area, an Imaginarium corner where authors sit to chat and sign their books, a bath filled with books on the main bookshop floor, a Tintin-covered wall beside the staircase.

There were author's pens fixed to the ceiling above the counter, identified by luggage labels hanging down (still high above my head). There were notices throughout the many rooms of books declaring forthcoming events and also the various subscription packages on offer, and there were recommendations and items of bookish merchandise everywhere. It was bliss!

I've returned home energised and inspired, and will be following the bookshops and their activities from afar, though I won't be leaving it too long before I visit them again.

Thank you for reading!