All Posts By

Kath

October 20, 2018
0

Television Adaptation for Feminist Horror Collection Her Body and Other Parties

By | Adaptations, News | No Comments
FX is to adapt the feminist collection of short stories, Her Body and Other Parties into a television series, which the creators claim will be a ‘feminist Black Mirror’. The short story collection from Carmen Maria Machado has won several awards despite being the author’s debut collection and now we’re about to see it on the small screen, as announced by the author on her Twitter page. Read More

October 20, 2018
0

John Boyne – Birmingham Literature Festival

By | Guest Blogs, Literary Events | No Comments
On the final day of the Birmingham Literature Festival, John Boyne was in conversation with the city’s own Kit de Waal, discussing his latest novel A Ladder to the Sky and his life as an author.

The event began with Boyne briefly outlining the novel, the tale of wannabe writer Maurice Swift who will do anything to make himself a famous writer including begging, borrowing and stealing stories. This was then followed by a brilliant reading from the book by the author himself which drew me in and made me want to read the book all the more.

Kit told John that she had greatly enjoyed A Ladder to the Sky, listening to the audiobook, narrated by Richard E. Grant, she was so gripped she didn’t want to get out the car to do her food shopping. Read More

October 19, 2018
0

Swedish Academy Recruit New Members to Shake off Scandal

By | Literary Awards, News | No Comments
It’s been the worst time in the history of the Swedish Academy who hand out the Nobel Prize for Literature. Mired in scandal as one of its members was accused (and now convicted) of rape charges, the 2018 prize was cancelled. In the history of the prize it’s just the third time it hasn’t been handed out, but now three new members have been recruited as the Academy attempts to recover from the scandal. Read More

October 18, 2018
0

Book Launch: Once Upon a Time in Birmingham

By | Guest Blogs, New Releases | No Comments
This year we commemorate the centenaries for the end of the First World War and the success of the Suffragette movement getting some women the vote – partial franchise in which women over 30 who met certain criteria were granted this right. To celebrate and remember these important parts of British history, the Birmingham Remembers Campaign was launched. Once Upon a Time in Birmingham: Women Who Dared to Dream has been created as part of this campaign. On the penultimate day of the Birmingham Literature Festival, this inspiring book was launched at an event hosted by the Birmingham Rep.
Read More

October 18, 2018
0

PEN America to Sue Donald Trump for Restricting Freedom of Speech

By | Authors, News, Political | No Comments
Writers’ group PEN America, which consists of many well known writers and novelists, has filed a lawsuit in federal court in New York against President Donald Trump for ‘violations of America’s First Amendment’.

The group is attempting to “stop President Trump from using the machinery of government to retaliate or threaten reprisals against journalists and media outlets for coverage he dislikes”. The First Amendment of the US constitution protects freedom of speech and PEN aren’t the only group to voice concerns about how Trump has attempted to shut down journalism.
Read More

October 16, 2018
0

Waterstones to Open Two New Stores

By | Bookshops, News | No Comments
Reading has never been so cool and many bookshops are bucking the current high street trends and thriving. Today we hear the fantastic news that Waterstones is to open two new books and they’ll be trading in time for Christmas.

It’s a grim time for retailers with many proclaiming the high street ‘dead on its feet’ so the news that two new stores are opening is absolutely fantastic, especially as it’s bookshops in particular who are suffering from the effects of online trade and the digital revolution.

Read More