I was away in Italy when the 2026 Booker shortlist was revealed last week but I did my own little reveal video beside the Mediterranean and I'm ...

First ImpressionsGwendoline Riley is a well-regarded author who's received considerable award attention over the years, and plenty of readers and critics ...

First ImpressionsI just read "Black Bag" with my online book club, and it was such a pleasurable experience, both because the novel is genuinely fun and ...

First ImpressionsIs it a novel? A play? An essay? Does it try to be all three at once and not quite land any of them? “Helen of Nowhere” is a slender ...

First ImpressionsMay We Feed the King is a really intriguing new kind of historical novel that quite surprised me. Going in, I'd seen a reader response ...

First ImpressionsI love an engaging family epic that gets into all the messiness and drama of family life, and there's certainly a lot of that in ...

The 2026 Booker season is officially here, and after making my predictions I'm relieved to say the book I was surest about made it: "John of John" by ...

Dubai oh Dubai! A continuation of the travails and tribulations and the struggles I’m going through in my writing. These are just little hints I’m ...

I enjoy it when immersive historical fiction introduces me to fascinating individuals from the past. It inspires me to want to find out more about them. ...

And just like that, another season of the Booker Prize comes to an end! It's been so enjoyable reading and discussing all the books listed for this ...