I start reading Bookworm in my childhood bedroom, unaware of how perfect the setting is. All around me lies the backdrop of my imagination – the library that raised me – and by the end of the first chapter, I’d laughed and wept and texted three of my friends to find out if they’d read … Continue reading Book Review: Bookworm, Lucy Mangan’s Memoir of Childhood Reading
Perhaps it’s the passing of yet another birthday (oh hi I'm 27 now) or perhaps it’s the autumnal turn in the air, but September for me has always been a time to embrace change. It’s a month of shedding the worries of the last year and making good on those promises made back in January. … Continue reading Inspirational books to curl up with this autumn
Let The Dead Speak by Jane Casey Unpicking her twistiest crime scene yet, Maeve Kerrigan is back – and she’s had a promotion. At the end of 2015, the book I wanted to read didn’t seem to exist. There seemed to be a lack of crime novels with ambitious young heroines as protagonists, though there were … Continue reading Book Review: Let The Dead Speak, Jane Casey’s Twistiest Mystery Yet
"Subject your senses – all five of them – to a wide range of different experiences. Challenge your preferences and dare to be uncomfortable. I think that if we always stay inside a narrow comfort zone, this weakens our ability to perceive and understand the world around us. Make your brain work!"
Get shit done. As a mantra, I don't imagine my granny would approve. But it's seen me through deadlines, races, awkward meetings, breakups, and pretty much my entire twenty-something life. More thousands of words to write than hours in the day? Get shit done. No sleep, surviving on coffee, horrible "real-life" workload? Get shit done. Want to stay in … Continue reading Idea Debt & Getting Sh*t Done
Dot Matrix by Jack Binding - a darkly amusing revenge story with a spooky twist that's perfect as the year creeps into winter.
For anyone who has ever struggled with their mental health - or who knows some who has - Walking On Custard is an absolute must-read. In a recent Q&A with the author himself, we discussed this stunning book and what he's up to next.
Matilda is one of my favourite literary heroines - strong-minded, smart, sassy, an enthusiast in life. And Roald Dahl's novel, other than being the rebellious nerd's handbook to growing up good, has a very special message I don't think any other makes quite so brilliantly: books are magic (uniquely, portably so) and they give us power - super powers - that we barely notice.
Here are my musings upon that, with some ideas for how we can become Real Life Superheroes.
The Scribble Bug 