The Literary Sofa
Isabel Costello
Guest Author – Beth Miller, the Accidental Psychological Thriller Writer
There’s an unusual backstory to this week’s post. I met my guest Beth Miller at a party hosted by her publishers and was given an advance copy of her second novel The Good Neighbour. I often get a sense of what people’s writing might be like from talking to them, about anything at all. Sometimes … Continue reading
Book Review/Conversation with the Author – The Age of Reinvention by Karine Tuil
This is my first in-depth look at a novel since Michel Houellebecq’s Submission back in March and coincidentally it is of another French bestseller that has caused a stir internationally. The Age of Reinvention (L’invention de nos vies) is the ninth novel by Karine Tuil and her first to be translated into English, by Sam Taylor. I … Continue reading
Writers on Location – Anja de Jager on Amsterdam
I’ve recently returned from a very enjoyable, stimulating and exhausting week in New York and there will be no drop in the pace over the next few weeks. There’s some great stuff coming up on the Literary Sofa, including several genres you won’t often find here: in this case, crime, and next week, the psychological thriller (even … Continue reading
Guest Author – Helen MacKinven on Setting her Novel in a Small Town
Once again I am very happy to be hosting a writer who has been following and supporting the Literary Sofa from the beginning and who has now achieved her goal of becoming a published novelist. Helen MacKinven and I have still never met in person but we’ve enjoyed exchanging manuscripts and supporting each other on … Continue reading
Guest Author – Stephanie Butland in Praise of the ‘Quiet Book’
Usually (and officially) when a guest author writes for the Literary Sofa it begins with me enjoying their book, getting in touch and suggesting a related topic that will interest my readers. Occasionally it’s the other way round and when Stephanie Butland offered me a piece in praise of the ‘quiet novel’, I didn’t hesitate. … Continue reading
Interior Life – Part One
There’s a post on Facebook that many of you will have seen and in some cases reposted on your own timeline as requested by the person who originally wrote it. I don’t know who that was or have it to hand but it goes something like everyone is fighting battles you know nothing about… The … Continue reading
Writers on Location – Lucy Brydon on Shanghai
My trip to Malaysia last winter left me with a hankering to get to know the Far East better but even before that, reading Tash Aw’s Five Star Billionaire had ignited my interest in Shanghai, a place that sounds exhilarating and intimidating in equal measure. Today I’m thrilled to welcome debut author Lucy Brydon to share the … Continue reading
Literary Lunch Blog Anniversary Competition 2015
Four years (and according to WordPress, 200 posts) ago I started the Literary Sofa blog without a clue what I was doing or where it would lead. Four years later I am still really enjoying it as a way of sharing my love of good books and connecting with other readers and writers both online and … Continue reading
The Verdict on my Summer Reading 2015
Since the follow-up verdict on my Summer Holiday TBR List was so popular last year, I’m doing it again, including a couple of other books which have impressed me recently. I may start to do round-ups of this kind on a regular basis because I read far more good books than I can feature on the blog. … Continue reading
Writers on Location – Jason Hewitt on writing a Road Novel
To start the autumn season on the Literary Sofa, I am delighted to welcome Jason Hewitt as the first author to appear twice in my Writers on Location series. I have got to know Jason in real life since he wrote about Arctic Norway, one of the settings for his acclaimed debut The Dynamite Room, and I’m impressed … Continue reading
My new novel SCENT – out in paperback on 19 May 2022
The Literary Sofa 