Past Tense by Lee Child
Past Tense is the 23rd novel in the Jack Reacher series by Lee Child. Reacher finds a road trip leads him into more trouble than he bargained for.
May 2021
March 2021
Redhead by the Side of the Road by Anne Tyler
Redhead by the Side of the Road, by Pulitzer prize winner Anne Tyler, is absorbing, poignant and funny, a study in human nature with acute observations of how people interact with each other seen through the eyes of the protagonist, Micah.
What’s in a Name?
Some things to think about when giving names to your characters.
The Dutch House by Ann Patchett
In The Dutch House, by Ann Patchett, we see human nature observed through the eyes of a confident storyteller. Weaving from past to present the story unfolds slowly telling how Danny and his sister, Maeve, came to the house and how their father’s second wife evicted them after their father’s death. It’s a tale of obsession, siblings, love and betrayal. An examination of the injustices that life often throws at us and how resilience and justice find a way through.
February 2021
V2 by Robert Harris
V2 by Robert Harris is a fascinating account of the V2 missile, its inception and use in Hitler’s last attempt to win the war. It blends fact with fiction in a skilful manner and the characters of Rudi Graf and Kay Caton-Walsh are well-rounded and credible characters in a story based in fact but embellished by fiction.
Becoming by Michelle Obama
‘Becoming’ by Michelle Obama is her absorbing, eloquent and highly acclaimed memoir. It has received great praise as a thoughtful and candid account of an extraordinary life, before and during eight years in the White House as First Lady of the United States.
January 2021
Five Things About Research
An overview of some of the ways research can be used to help with stories and the advantages and disadvantages of extensive research. How much research is enough?
The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell
The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell is a mystery story about obsession, cruelty, love, abuse, identity and finding redemption that examines the darkness of human nature and the dangers of cults.
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
The Midnight Library is an engaging and unusual story in its narrative structure and in the way it combines philosophical discussion with humour and contemporary dialogue. An extraordinary book for extraordinary times it examines choices and how the main character, Nora Seed, could have had different lives if she had made different choices. It has been serialised for Radio Four and highly acclaimed as a Goodreads Choice Award for Fiction 2020.
New Year. New Hope.
As we look back on 2020 and the year that life changed for the world , we look forward to what this new year brings.