The Literary Sofa
Books
Summer Reads 2018
I’m delighted to be bringing you my Summer Reads 2018. I’ve been hard to impress recently but the outcome is a selection of compelling and powerful titles which I really loved and for each one I tell you why! As always, there is a wide variety of settings – Italy [1], Australia [4], Chicago/Paris [8], … Continue reading
Guest Author – Louise Walters on Writing in a young person’s voice
This week is a first and a third! I’m really delighted to welcome Louise Walters as the first author ever to appear on the Literary Sofa three times (links to her previous posts are included below). Louise has been a loyal supporter of the blog since it started over six years ago, we have got … Continue reading
Guest Author – Michael Dean on Fictionalising the Life of a Famous Artist
As readers most of us have fictional themes or settings we especially enjoy. The art world is undoubtedly one of mine, just as visiting exhibitions and galleries is one of my favourite pastimes, both here in London and on my travels. Often I find the stories behind the works and the lives of the artists … Continue reading
Book Review – A Secret Sisterhood by Emily Midorikawa and Emma Claire Sweeney
Last year this book caught my eye for several reasons, not least the beautiful cover which also graces the new paperback edition I finally got around to reading. A Secret Sisterhood by Emily Midorikawa and Emma Claire Sweeney uncovers the ‘hidden friendships’ between Jane Austen and family governess Anne Sharp; Charlotte Brontë and former schoolfriend … Continue reading
Writers on Location – Alicia Drake on Paris as a longterm ex-pat
Hosting today’s guest author and featuring her debut novel, another of my Spring Sofa Spotlight titles, feels like a special occasion and not only because until now I’m the only one who’s written about Paris here. That was destined to change the moment Alicia Drake stood up to read from I love you too much … Continue reading
Guest Author – Claire Dyer on Research and Imagination
Last week’s Spring Sofa Spotlight met with great enthusiasm and lots of my favourite feedback: that people discovered books they may not otherwise have heard of and can’t wait to read. Thank you for the appreciation and for helping to spread the word – I wouldn’t still be running this blog if I didn’t believe … Continue reading
Sofa Spotlight – Spring 2018
Spring is in the air, I’ve been reading (as always) and it’s time for my latest selection of recommended new releases. Narrowing it down is never easy – I’ve enjoyed far more than I can include, especially as there were many with overlapping themes. There’s huge variety amongst the ten which stood out (and I … Continue reading
Quick Reads 2018
This is a quick post about the launch of Quick Reads 2018 from The Reading Agency, a selection of six short books (only £1!) by bestselling authors which are aimed at less confident adult readers or anyone who wants a cracking story but is short on time. There are so many reasons I’m keen to … Continue reading
2018 Reading round-up #1 – Two Books about Vietnam and America
This was just going to be a review of two superb books I read on holiday in Vietnam, both set partly in that country and partly in the United States. But then I decided to make round-ups of my reading a new regular slot because it’s bothered me for a while that some of the … Continue reading
My Books of 2017
This is one of the most fun posts to write but it’s also difficult, when I spend the entire year featuring books I’ve really enjoyed and rated here on the Literary Sofa. So please do look beyond today’s list of my personal favourites to the many brilliant guest author posts I’ve hosted in 2017, which … Continue reading
My new novel SCENT – out in paperback on 19 May 2022
The Literary Sofa 