By Laura McCarthy. There are a few things which come to mind when you think about London: red buses, Big Ben, the relentless wailing of underground trains. For me? I think about Paddington bear and Sherlock Holmes. So when my mum surprised me with tickets for Paddington the Musical,...
Books
Books: reading on my travels – Lie with Me by Philippe Besson
By Laura McCarthy I take a plane to Bergerac in July, the temperature already reaching 26 degrees by our 10am arrival in France. Once past the airport and business parks on the outskirts, the town itself appears to me as a well-preserved pressed flower between the pages of a...
Award-winning author to give talk at Shirley library this month
Shirley library is hosting an evening with Southampton-based dark comedy writer J.S. Morton, best known for winning Bronze at The Readers’ Favourite Awards, later this month. Morton is the award-winning author of You’re Gone and has published eight books in total, including the popular series ‘The Arthur Norman trilogy’. ...
Book review: Neurodivergent Moments: Sex, Sunscreen, Turtles & How (Not) to Pack a Suitcase by Joe Wells and Abigoliah Schamaun
Why “Normal” Starts to Look a Bit Suspicious… By Rachel Jones @HMP_SHE. I have spent a significant portion of my life answering “How are you?” incorrectly. Neurodivergent Moments: Insights into the Lived Experience of Autism and ADHD by Joe Wells and Abigoliah Schamaun is the first book that suggests...
Poetry collection review: Suburban Locust by Antosh Wojcik
By Anita Foxall. For anyone familiar with Antosh Wojcik’s central presence on the poetry scene, the arrival of his debut collection Suburban Locust has been highly anticipated. Antosh is an incredibly skilled poet and these poems are undoubtedly masterfully crafted. The collection unfolds as a surreal, storm-ridden family chronicle...
Review: Wuthering Heights? More like Withering Whites
By books editor Laura McCarthy. Emerald Fennel’s latest film has garnered controversy since before it was even released. In a way, the controversy surrounding the film makes it like Brontȅ’s original novel, which also sparked public outcry… but this would be perhaps the only similarity between the text and...
Books: Series Retrospective -The Laundry Files by Charles Stross (2004-2026)
By Chris Taylor. ‘I asked why we had to leave the EU, in one of those informal breakout sessions at Number 10. … “Can’t bring back the death penalty without ditching the ECHR,” he replied. “Also, we need to get rid of free movement. Stop the blighters emigrating.” I...
Books – ‘Romantasy’ deserves respect, not derision
By Annabelle Clare. I talk a lot about books. They’re the cornerstone of my life, the start and the end of every day. They’re my primary form of escape and my absolute favourite hobby. But whenever I start talking about some of my favourite series, I feel almost embarrassed....
Review: Love, Death and the Crucial Three by Will Vigar
By Anita Foxall. Will Vigar’s Love, Death and the Crucial Three is a unique and touching novel that manages to be intimate and expansive at the same time; a story rooted in the life of Jake, which resonates with the universal truths of friendship, trauma, love, and the families...
Book review: Moving the ghost out the haunted house – thoughts on Michelle Paver’s novel Rainforest
By Laura McCarthy. In Rainforest, Michelle Paver leaves the classic ghost story setting behind in favour of something altogether different – no prizes for guessing where. She says “so long” to the spectral woman in black of Eel Marsh House and “good riddance” to the ominous presence of Hill...