Tag Archives: readers

Testament of Mary (reading-as-a-writer 9)

Posted on Aug 15, 2018 by Hannah

View this post on Instagram I had to read Testament of Mary by Colm Toibin (2012) twice; the first time to get to the end of a gripping story, the second time to read the words. In between sittings, I … Continue reading →

Posted in 2018, Reading | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

A Whole Life (reading-as-a-writer 8)

Posted on Aug 7, 2018 by Hannah

View this post on Instagram I really don’t want to write about A Whole Life by Robert Seethaler (trans. Charlotte Collins 2015). I’m afraid I won’t do justice to it – or that thinking too hard about this exquisite book … Continue reading →

Posted in 2018, Reading | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Field Service (reading-as-a-writer 7)

Posted on Aug 7, 2018 by Hannah

View this post on Instagram I first read Field Service by Robert Edric a year ago as part of my research into the aftermath of the #GreatWar. I reread it this week as a writer. This is the first book … Continue reading →

Posted in 2018, Reading | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Brooklyn (reading-as-a-writer 6)

Posted on Aug 7, 2018 by Hannah

View this post on Instagram I didn’t want to read Brooklyn by Colm Tóibín because 1950s, small-town, Irish emigre, coming-of-age stories are really not my thing. (Plus, although I loved the clothes I found the film pretty insipid.) Then a … Continue reading →

Posted in 2018, Reading | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Brideshead Revisited (reading-as-a-writer 5)

Posted on Aug 7, 2018 by Hannah

View this post on Instagram I’ve just reread ‘Brideshead Revisited’ by Evelyn Waugh (1945) because I really didn’t appreciate the brilliance of this novel when I read it a decade or so ago. It feels mean-spirited to condense such bounty … Continue reading →

Posted in 2018, Reading | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

A Month in the Country (reading-as-a-writer 4)

Posted on Aug 7, 2018 by Hannah

View this post on Instagram Where to start with “A Month in the Country” by JL Carr (1980)? Would it be hyperbole to say this is one of the most exquisite short novels ever written? Another long, hot, post-war summer; … Continue reading →

Posted in 2018, Reading | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

A Winter’s Child (reading-as-a-writer 3)

Posted on Aug 7, 2018 by Hannah

View this post on Instagram My #writinginspiration: “A Winter’s Child” by Brenda Jagger. Why – oh why! – is Brenda Jagger no longer widely read? Published in 1984 this post #WW1 novel (and Jagger’s other eight Victorian/Edwardian era books) beats … Continue reading →

Posted in 2018, Reading | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Polish Officer (reading-as-a-writer 2)

Posted on Aug 7, 2018 by Hannah

View this post on Instagram #justfinishedreading “The Polish Officer” by Alan Furst. To my joy, just one of a dozen or so books by Furst on similar themes; this title published 1995, most recent 2016. Resistance, #espionage, bravery, lust and … Continue reading →

Posted in 2018, Reading | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Nineteen Twenty-One (reading-as-a-writer 1)

Posted on Aug 7, 2018 by Hannah

View this post on Instagram #justfinishedreading “Nineteen Twenty-One” by Adam Thorpe. One of those books that makes me as a writer just feel inadequate! It’s the long hot summer of 1921 and Joseph, who missed active service, is holed up … Continue reading →

Posted in 2018, Reading | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

In praise of … BetaBooks

Posted on Feb 22, 2018 by Hannah

Joining BetaBooks was a game-changer in my embryonic career; the moment when I came out as a writer and actually let people read my story. Continue reading →

Posted in 2018, Writing | Tagged , | 1 Comment