By Charlotte Ndupuechi. Onjali Q. Raúf’s The Boy at the Back of the Class is a beautifully written, thought-provoking children’s novel, full of fun, friendship, adventure, and standing up for what’s right. This is a timely and important read for families and schools, and a story that encourages compassion...
Books
Opinion: big book awards: is there a place for horror, fantasy, and sci-fi?
By Laura McCarthy. As both a writer and a reader, I am finding the lack of recognition for big concept horror, fantasy, and science-fiction of late to be depressing. And when I mention these genres, I am referring to narratives which fully embody ambitious, large concepts; so not just...
Book Review: Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid
By Sadie Jones. Published earlier this month (on June 3rd) by Hutchinson Heinemann, Atmosphere is Taylor Jenkins Reid’s latest novel about our protagonist Joan, a woman with a passion for the stars, as she signs up to join NASA’s Space Shuttle programme. Well, the first thing to say is:...
Pride Month: Book Review of Mattie Lubchansksy’s Simplicity: A Novel
By Laura McCarthy. To be released at the end of July from publisher Pantheon Books, Mattie Lubchansky’s graphic novel Simplicity is set in the year 2081 and follows shy but passionate academic, Lucius, as he ventures out of the futuristic, walled security territory of New York. He leaves in...
Pride Month: Book Review of William Rayfet Hunter’s Sunstruck
By Laura McCarthy. How quickly can sunshine fade and clouds dominate when you are taken in by the wrong crowd? British-Jamaican writer William Rayfet Hunter, winner of the #Merky Books New Writers’ Prize 2022, has released his debut novel; Sunstruck was published by Penguin Random House UK this May....
Book Review: Stephen Graham Jones Reinvents the Vampire in The Buffalo Hunter Hunter
By Laura McCarthy. Stephen Graham Jones’ latest horror novel is a spectacular, haunting tale of vampirism like you’ve never seen before. It is written in such a way that the reader is forced to slow down to process the narrative and the complex philosophical questions which come with it....
Books which feel like spring
By Laura McCarthy. The spring equinox has passed and we’ve been blessed with brighter and warmer days. It’s not a secret that spring is my favourite season of the year. The weather is not swelteringly hot or miserably cold, but is at that Goldilocks point of perfect balance. The...
Interview: Graphic Novelist Craig Thompson On Ginseng Roots
By Laura McCarthy. Craig Thompson is a graphic novelist, well known for titles such as Blankets and Habibi. Now that his serialised comics Ginseng Roots are being released in the UK as one larger graphic novel, I spoke to Craig about the project and his inspirations behind it. ...
Preview: A to Z of Romsey by Martin Brisland
Local tour guide and author, Martin Brisland, will launch his sixth book on Thursday 24 April. The event take place at Waterstones bookshop in The Hundred, Romsey from 7pm, and tickets are available on Eventbrite via waterstones.com/events. “Despite growing up just outside Romsey and thinking I really knew the...
Book review: Modern Poetry & Frank: Sonnets, by Diane Seuss
By Anita Foxall. Modern Poetry and Frank: Sonnets were my first encounters with Diane Seuss’s poetry, both Fitzcarraldo Editions published in February this year which I picked up from Southampton’s own October Books. This Michigan born poet grabbed my attention as soon as I started reading the first...