The Literary Sofa
Listings
French Fiction Special Edition
In a normal year about a quarter of my reading is in French but due to the toxic combination of Covid and Brexit, I didn’t read a single French novel in 2020 and really missed it, along with everything else I love about France. That changed when I read All Men Want to Know by … Continue reading
Book Pitch Spotlight – Call for Entries
As part of the Literary Sofa’s fast approaching 10th anniversary celebrations, in early October I’m hoping to dedicate a post to 50-word book pitches* from unagented writers, featuring the 10 best ones in my opinion – and it is only my opinion! They will be chosen on the strength of the pitch, not my personal … Continue reading
Summer Reads Extras 2021
There’s a heatwave on, I’ve got my reading mojo back and it’s time to share the follow-up to my main Summer Reads selection which met with a great response last month. Here are five more novels worth shouting about before the blog goes quiet for August: 1.Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi (Penguin) As a child … Continue reading
Summer Reads 2021
Here we are, facing a second weird summer but I’m as excited as ever to share my 2021 Summer Reads selection with you. These 11 books explore a huge range of people, life experiences and places including France, Algeria, Germany, Italy, Japan and the USA when the transporting power of fiction has never been more … Continue reading
Spring Spotlight 2021
I’m a bit rusty on the art of the chatty intro so here is my Spring Selection: 8 fantastic books, including several which give a voice to people and subjects we don’t hear often enough. I look forward to hosting some of the authors – see the Sofa Dates – and an honorary addition to … Continue reading
Books of 2020 – Non-fiction
As we haul ourselves towards the end of the January that makes other Januarys look good, I’ve had to remind myself that while I don’t have people to see or places to go, I do have a blog to run. I didn’t read much non-fiction in 2020 so this pick of the titles that resonated … Continue reading
Books of 2020 – Fiction
The less said about 2020 the better, except where books are concerned. For me it’s been a thoroughly atypical year for reading as with everything else. Like many others I lost the ability to focus for at least a month – since then books have been such a comfort, pleasure and respite. I’ve read 70, … Continue reading
Reading Round-up – October 2020 #2
Welcome to the my latest reading round-up. I soon realised that covering four books a week would be a stretch once I’d cleared my backlog (I read fast, but not that fast, and if everything was worth recommending there wouldn’t be much point to this) – so I hope you’ll continue to join me ‘as … Continue reading
Reading Round-up – October 2020 #1
The first quick-fire round-up went down well last week, prompting lots of shares and interesting conversations, which was the whole idea. Thanks to you I also added a few promising titles to my own TBR list. Today I’m going to dive straight in with four more novels I’d recommend as there’s lots to say about … Continue reading
Summer Reads 2020
Welcome to the Literary Sofa’s biggest event of the year. This isn’t the summer any of us were hoping for but the supply of new books is as good as ever. Like everything else, my Summer Reads has encountered logistical challenges but it’s happening anyway, along with the best guest programme I can put together. … Continue reading
My new novel SCENT – April 2021
