Southampton-based author Yarrow Townsend has been shortlisted for a prestigious children’s book award. The Branford Boase Award acknowledges particular talent among debut children’s writers alongside the hard work of their editors. Yarrow’s book, The Map of Leaves, has been shortlisted for the award, alongside six others. Yarrow said: “To be...
Books
Under the Covers, June 2023: What the Dickens…?
Which Charles Dickens novel is your favourite? That’s the question which set In Common writer Nick Mabey on a two-year reading mission. Finding himself unable to answer because he hadn’t read any Dickens, Nick became aware of this gap in his literary knowledge and resolved there and then to...
Pay it forward with a book for Southampton school children
To celebrate the release of ‘City of Stolen Magic’ by Southampton’s own Nazneen Ahmed Pathak, independent book store October Books is organising apay it forward book scheme to gift copies of the book to local school children. An organiser of the scheme explained: “We’re super excited here at October...
Book review: Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
by Carolyn Thomas. Run, don’t walk, to your nearest bookshop and get yourself a copy of Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver. It’s just won the prestigious Pulitzer Prize for fiction – and other literary awards surely won’t be far behind as the novel has already become a best-seller on...
Book review: Violeta by Isabel Allende
by Charlie Hislop. A new Isabel Allende novel is always something to look forward to, and Violeta is no exception. It is the life story of a 100 year old woman in Chile. Set against a century of the country’s turbulent history, carefully described, its impacts are woven directly...
April Under the Covers: World Book Night and more
by Carolyn Thomas. This month In Common books editor Carolyn Thomas celebrates World Book Night. It’s World Book Night on 23 April – an annual celebration of reading for pleasure, honouring books, and the difference they make to our wellbeing. Organised by The Reading Agency, a national charity...
Book review: Mother Power – A Feminist’s Guide to Motherhood by Poppy O’Neill
by Carolyn Thomas. This empowering read encourages mothers to jettison the guilt and self-sacrifice so often associated with modern parenting and to put their own mental and physical welfare needs front and centre. As author Poppy O’Neill puts it, ‘You can’t pour from an empty cup’ – meaning that...
March Under the Covers: Mothers in literature
by Carolyn Thomas. As we celebrate Mother’s Day in the UK this month I started thinking about the vast range of mother characters in literature. From the 19th century’s loving and capable ‘Marmee’ in Little Women, through to the resourceful and resilient 21st century ‘Ma’, held captive with her...
Book review: Toy Fights, a Boyhood, by Don Paterson
by poetry editor Anita Foxall. Toy Fights, a Boyhood is the wonderful memoir by poet Don Paterson. However, straight at the beginning, we are warned not to expect poetry, as this book stops where the poetry begins. However, widely aware poetry cannot be omitted from his life, Patterson brought...
Literary homes and haunts – from Haworth to Hampshire
by Carolyn Thomas. Every year thousands of people travel to places associated with the authors they love. The link can be that it’s the place where a writer was born, lived, died, or set their novels. But does seeing a writing desk or following the route taken by a...