Last Wednesday 26th February, I (though arguably ‘we’) hosted the first Author’s Afterword Live! event. Alex Hay of The Queen of Fives and The Housekeepers, Lucy Barker of The Other Side of Mrs Wood, and Stacey Thomas of The Revels very kindly came down to Hampshire from London and Bath for a real life effective sequel to our previous podcast episode together. We were hosted by the wonderful and relatively new independent bookshop, Goldfinch Books in Alton which is one of those bookshops that has a real vision and as a result a thriving community.

We had a good-sized audience and great support from Louise Morrish, Goldfinch Books’ writer in residence and all-round busy literary person (her book club has 80 members!) Bookshop owner Gary set us up on a small stage with wonderful lighting and incidently saved the day with his video recording of the event when I realised my own had shut off early (I have since bought an SD card that will run to 5 hours…)

The conversation was a real deep dive into writing – I had planned some questions, but Alex, Lucy, and Stacey love talking about the writing and research process and know each other well so we went even further into topics than I’d thought possible. Among other subjects we covered Stacey’s use of language given that The Revels is set in the Jacobean period and book two will be about the 1950s (and an audience member’s question later took us back to that subject for more which was awesome); Alex dived into the need to carefully decide when to reveal aspects of a story; Lucy brought up deadlines and discussed questions of character, and later supported Alex in discussing setting and research in that vein.

There were cheers for books published, laughter at Alex’s use of reality television in a Victorian con novel, and the audience questions caused so much fantastic back and forth conversation that I’m happy to say that section of the evening overran to good effect.

I’m excited to say that I’ll be hosting a second live show on Friday 4th April at P&G Wells in Winchester; it’s the oldest bookshop in England and my long-time favourite. The authors will be Jessica Bull of Miss Austen Investigates, Flora Carr of The Tower, and Sarah Marsh of A Sign Of Her Own. Doors open at 19:00 and tickets can be purchased from P&G.

For the Goldfinch event, my thanks goes to Alex, Lucy, and Stacey, as well as Gary, Louise, Adrian, Caitlin, and Johnny. Thank you all! The video of event one will be available in the next couple of weeks – it’s going to take some time to put together.

This list is missing only Amy Jordan’s The Dark Hours as I included it in my January round up.

Carmel Harrington: The Stolen Child – From the publisher for interview which has since gone ahead. (It was one of the most comprehensive interviews I’ve had!) The book is out on 27th February and its core strength, I’d argue, lies in two places – firstly the fact that Harrington provides answers up front so that you know a lot of the book will be about character development and the ‘how’ (though it’s not quite that simple), and, secondly, the twist is phenomenal.

Jennifer L Armentrout: From Blood And Ash – I’ve seen this book in various places, of course I have, but it was the twin recommendation from a close friend and Booktok that made me take the leap.

Kate Packman: You Can See The End Of The World From Here – From the author for review/coverage. I met Kate at a book launch and she reached out to me about a month ago in regards to her debut novel. I’ve recently finished it – it’s literary, has The Bell Jar vibes, and a moody atmosphere but very welcome ending.

Molly X Chang: To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods – I’d seen this but then saw the ‘middle grade’ target audience. I later found out that the book has been continually wrongly categorised – it’s actually for adults, very much so. This is a book that has become controversial for what some reviewers deem a colonial romance however it has a blurb, in pride of place, by Xiran Jay Zhao that suggests it may be a case of things not being that straight forward. Having wanted to read it before finding out about the controversy I have got a copy – the author has a new book coming out, she hasn’t been cancelled, so I do wonder what’s going on here.

Naomi Novik: Spinning Silver – This came as a pair with the next book which is the one I was wanting. This said, I’m not against retellings, far from it!

Naomi Novik: Uprooted – I should’ve read this years ago, it’s been on my list for ages, so when a Booktoker recommended it to me when I asked about fairytale retellings, I bought it.

Rebecca Yarros: Onyx Storm – I haven’t read Iron Flame yet, but Fourth Wing was brilliant.

Samantha Sotto Yambao: Water Moon – An author I’ve been reading since her debut, I’m thrilled to see Samantha Sotto publishing in the UK for the first time. This is her fifth book and it’s a bit different – she’s added ‘Yambao’ to her pen name to show the genre difference from sci-fi/magical realism to straight out fantasy – but very good.

Sarah Brooks: The Cautious Traveller’s Guide To The Wastelands – That story about me wanting to buy Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀’s Stay With Me in hardback and then having to track down a used copy later? I didn’t want to do it again. Having walked around Waterstones Chelsea (it’s lovely) with this book but ultimately putting it back on the table because of cost, I bought a copy some months later.

What books have you acquired recently?

The good thing is that I’m finding a routine. The bad thing is I’m not yet great at it and so I’m behind on my usual end of year and start of year housekeeping. That said, I have spent enough time thinking about what my goals should be that I’ve come to a firm decision about Vanity Fair, the book that has been languishing on my reading list, moved from year to year with no reading movement.

I suppose the first thing to say, before continuing on my Thackeray decision, is to say that, broadly, I’m going back to a reading goal I had some previous years – I will read as much as I comfortably can. In looking at past goal posts I noticed I haven’t written one since 2021, which makes sense though still surprised me – I think, even now, I’m starting to forget just how stressed I was – and, more of a surprise was the fact I’d actually listed some goals. I thought I’d said ‘read as much as I comfortably can’ more often.

That dealt with, then, Thackeray – I have decided to leave his tome on my 2024 reading list and not carry it forward. I know – unthinkable! But it’s time. I have chosen to deliberately leave it in its unfinished…glory?… on that list instead of removing it as I usually do if I decide I haven’t read enough of a book to carry it over from one year to the next. Let it stand as a testament to my on-off history with it and also, if I do end up reading it some time, I think considering that new time to be a blank slate would be best. This all said, you may be surprised by the following. While I don’t want to make any hard and fast goals, I like the idea of some things I’ll aim to do if I can:

1) Here it goes: I’m going to see if I can read Vanity Fair, as though it’s new to me. I’m going to keep it in mind for when my reading time is not too busy and have a ponder.
2) I would like to finish Drums Of Autumn which I barely started in December. For all my talk of it being a tradition for me, I failed to read Outlander at Christmas.
3) I’d like to go back and finish the Venatrix Chronicles, my favourite fantasy series that I flew through right until the seventh and final book where I stopped because I wasn’t ready for it to end. I do not want to do another The Amber Spyglass and wait for years – that way leads to too much anticipation which will render any successful ending not good enough. (Not that I found the Pullman to be any objective success.)
4) I want to read more fantasy. TikTok and the romantasy trend is helping and I have some very popular books on my shelves waiting to be read.
5) I would like to re-start and read the whole of Burney’s Cecelia. I was very into it, in fact I checked my Kobo and I was 70% through volume one, but, likely, rabbits… Actually, the thing that concerns me most with Burney is that I don’t remember much at all of Evelina even though I found it an okay enough read. Please don’t tell Jane Austen.

And that’s plenty. If I do the above, great, if I don’t, I’ll have read other great things.

What are your reading goals for this year?

I’ve had a tiny moment of celebration with each book finished this month, especially as two were on my non-podcast reading list. I have one book left to read from that list and then I get to make a brand new one. It’s been a good experiment.

Amy Jordan – It’s 2024 and retired DI Julia Hart is called back to the Irish police force because a current murder case has echoes of one Hart solved in 1994. We also get that narrative from 1994 wherein Julia became traumatised, lost her marriage or her husband (we don’t yet know) and dealt with sexism. This is an excellent thriller.

Gabrielle Zevin – Sam and Sadie met as children when Sam was in hospital after an accident and Sadie was there because her sister has cancer. They bonded over video games but a conflict separated them for many years. We join them in adulthood as they decide to start a game development company. It lacks emotion, but the last quarter of the book was exceptional.

Gill Paul: Another Woman’s Husband – In the 1940s, Mary watches her childhood friend Wallis burn one marriage, not appreciate another, and start a relationship with the Prince of Wales. In the 1990s, Rachel and Alex are witnesses to Princess Diana’s death and while Rachel has her boutique to get back to, Alex is determined to create a documentary on what really happened that fateful night. A very good read.

So, it’s been a good month. Amy Jordan’s book may make my best of list; of Zevin’s I found the two main characters impossible to read but a third character was wonderful and had me quite emotional; and of the Paul, I personally preferred the Wallis Simpson narrative as it was mostly factual and fascinating, but there are parts where Rachel’s chapters shine through.

I ‘actively’ carried over two books into February, Orlando Ortega-Medina’s Emerald Road, and Samantha Sotto Yambao’s Water Moon. Yes, the same Sam Sotto whose work I’ve loved for years. This latest book is her UK debut and I’m thrilled for her. I’m also hoping to get to book 10 on my non-podcast list, Jennifer Saint’s Ariadne, as well as Kate Packman’s You Can See The End Of The World From Here. And of the ‘not actively’, Drums Of Autumn I’m going to read slowly. I have officially decided to stop carrying Vanity Fair over – it would’ve been year 13 this time. I’ll try and start it another time – who knows, maybe leaving it off my list now will help me get back to it.

Episode 115: Éric Chacour (What I Know About You)

Charlie and Éric Chacour discuss Egypt in the 1970s for the Levantine community and LGBT people, the famous French-Egyptian singer Dalida, Romeo and Juliet, Éric’s use of the second person, and author and translator working together on writing that had been in place for 15 years.

If you’re unable to use the media player above, this page has various other options for listening as well as the transcript.

I thought I would have a look back at what I’ve written so far in these almost 15 years. I am thrilled that this list has changed from the last time I checked – for a very long time one of my most popular posts was of a very little known book and while I loved the book (I might as well include what it is) I don’t know if my review had any bearing on sales, which was disheartening. It’s also no longer available.

I love that newer posts are on here as well as some of my long-standing favourites and posts I worked hard on. They are in order of view counts and I have chosen to highlight the top 20:

1) What Happened To Faina At The End Of Eowyn Ivey’s The Snow Child?

I was incredibly happy with this post; I’d found the book compelling. With the book receiving a new edition, I wouldn’t be surprised if this post stays at number one for a while longer.

2) Alice In Wonderland: What Is The Appropriate Age?

This was to answer people who were coming to my site looking for, well, this answer. I found it a fascinating subject to write about because Alice seems younger than the text itself reads. (Though that could of course simply be down the the era.)

3) The Ending Of Kate Chopin’s The Awakening

I just had to explore this topic.

4) On The Reasons For Censoring Names And Places In Victorian Literature

In my early days of reading classics, why Victorian literature censored things was a question that took up my time. Me being me, I had to do some research.

5) How To Order Surnames

Still something I’m not perfect on without double checking, I admit to ordering my bookshelves by first name (though that does also help when the author is someone with three names, you can’t find any mention of them online, and you don’t know if the middle one is the first in a double-barrel or a middle name).

6) Did Scarlett Get Rhett Back?

Another question I asked myself that I had to explore. Was this the very early beginnings of my podcast? Quite possibly!

7) Is There Anything In The Fact Tolstoy Calls Both Karenin And Vronsky ‘Alexei’?

Something that definitely helped me get through the to-me slog that was Levin’s portions of Tolstoy’s book – study the parts I enjoyed.

8) Identity In Daphne Du Maurier’s Rebecca

The first exploratory post I wrote about the book and the first time I studied it.

9) Elizabeth Is Missing: Who Killed Sukey?

This did very well once the TV show started.

10) Frédéric Dard – Bird In A Cage

My review of the English translation of the classic French thriller. I don’t actually know why this has done so well.

11) The Reception Of Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland From Contemporary Reviewers

A study I decided to do whilst enjoying a week or so of reading The Athenaeum.

12) Lisa See – Lady Tan’s Circle Of Women

My review of See’s still-currently-latest book. I’m thrilled this is on there; our podcast episode together has done very well, too.

13) The Symbolism Of The Sphinx In H G Wells’ The Time Machine

Not much to say about this one other than it interested me.

14) Looking At The Theme Of Love In Daphne Du Maurier’s Rebecca

Last night I had to write about Rebecca again.

15) On The Maude And Pevear & Volokhonsky Translations Of Anna Karenina

I remember well spending a good amount of time trying to read the Maude translation. I hated it and actually later found out – if I recall correctly – that the Maudes did not like the book. I think Pevear & Volokhonsky did, though, and thanks to them I finished the book.

16) Tender Is The Night And Do You Mind If I Pull Back The Curtain?

Why did this line get repeated so much? It annoyed me enough that I wrote about it.

17) The Character Progression Of Far From The Madding Crowd’s Gabriel Oak

She said she’d never read that book. She read that book. She loved that book. She let herself do a tiny bit of study of that book.

18) Jealousy In Daphne Du Maurier’s Rebecca

There I went again.

19) Dolly Alderton – Everything I Know About Love

My review of Alderton’s memoir. I’ve been surprised to see this one on the list but it did prove to be a popular book.

20) Zelda Fitzgerald In Midnight In Paris

I really liked the character.

Compiling this post – a kind of tertiary source, I suppose – was both nostalgic and intriguing. I’m still struggling to write to the perfectionist standards I can’t quite shake away, but I’ve done it once, I should be able to do it again. It also illustrates how my reading has changed over the years – my original progression to adult literature, to my minor focus on classics, and now on genre fiction.

Episode 114: Edward Carey (Edith Holler)

Charlie and Edward Carey talk at length about the arts and the theatre in the context of his book and in general. They also talk about Norwich as Edward’s book is his love letter to the city.

Please note there is a mild swear word in this episode.

If you’re unable to use the media player above, this page has various other options for listening as well as the transcript.