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My goal for 2023 was actually to read fewer books, because I wanted to read slowly and also tackle longer books. In 2022 I read 135 books, and in 2023 I read… 146. So I actually read more. What can I say? I really like reading. In 2024 my goal is to read fewer books, read more slowly and tackle longer books. See you in 2025, when I will have done the opposite again. In my best books of the…

January is nobody’s favourite month. I don’t know about where you are, but here in Scotland it’s cold, it’s dark, and our wallets are now as empty as our Christmas stockings. So, if you’re as skint as I am, feast your eyes on the riches of this Top 10 (plus bonus #11) list I made, just for you. They’re all brilliant, and they’re all free. The library. New books, old books, classic books, cult books, books by authors you follow on Twitter….

Confession time: I have a love for spin-off novels, particularly metafictional ones. By that I mean novels that don’t exist, but are mentioned in a film, TV show, or book as if they do exist. Think of the novels by Richard Castle in the TV show Castle. Sometimes, these novels are then written, and they do become real, and then I like to read them. The thing is, I only like it if they spin off something I haven’t seen…

On Thursdays, I invite my favourite writers to share the inspirations behind their work. Here’s one from short story writer Catherine McNamara. The Story: ‘Pelt’, first published in Pretext magazine, is the title story of the collection Pelt and Other Stories (Indigo Dreams Publishing, 2013). An Extract: Rolfe triggers it. In the way that is the way of all men. In his case a type of athletic bragging ruined by the self-defeat he hangs his hat on. I feel a plock…

Goodreads Book Giveaway The Rental Heart and Other Fairytales by Kirsty Logan Giveaway ends April 11, 2014. See the giveaway details at Goodreads. Enter to win

At BookTalk, I discussed death, autobiography, licking batteries, and what makes a fairytale.