Features

We all have pet peeves. Whether it's dogs dressed up, people cracking their knuckles or socks with sandles, there's something that gets you irrationally angry and winds you up. So, today we thought that we would address our top ten bookish pet peeves. Movie Covers Yes, this is one of our biggest bookish pet peeves. The movie cover goes on the movie, not on the book! We like the book cover – yes, we understand it’s for publicity and so the reader relates the book to the movie, but ...

Hilary Downey published her fourth book, CentreStone, in November 2017. As a returning author, we felt it was time to catch up with Hilary and find how life has treated her since becoming a published author. Did you always dream of becoming an author? I always saw everything I did in life as a natural progression to be achieved one step at a time. I did write, and win awards for writing at school. I also knew it was important to learn grammar, type, overcome shyness and...

We all have some old favourites that we fell in love with a children, and continue to hold close to our hearts, even in adulthood. So, we've decided to list five our our favourite childhood reads. 1) Guess How Much I Love You, by Sam McBratney (illustrated by Anita Jeram) An all-time favourite of ours, Guess How Much I Love You is a wonderful children's book about two hares (a baby hare and a parent hare) comparing how much they love each other. Each time, the baby attempts to out-do hi...

Anne Bueno released her debut sage, Estrellada, in November 2017. With the new year, we felt is was time to check in with the author, now that she's a published author. Did you always dream of becoming an author? No. I did not really think about it until I started working for film script writers and then, in my spare time, helping a poet to organise and prepare his work for publication. What was your first job? My first job was a Saturday job as a cashie...

Have you made your New Year's Resolution yet? If not, take a look at our 20 Bookish New Year's Resolutions: Go to a new bookstore We are creatures of habit and tend to stick with what we know. But why not try heading over to a new bookstore, and see what gems you can unearth? Try a new author We all have our favourite authors, whether it is J.K. Rowling, George R.R. Martin, or Stephen King. But maybe it's time to give a new author a go? You never know, you might just surpri...

Tom Bridge, author of The Mystery of Gogarth Abbey, released his new book in November 2017. We wanted to catch up with him before the end of the year and see how things had changed for him since becoming an established author. Did you always dream of becoming an author? Ever since I started to have story ideas in my head, I have wanted to share them with everyone. I started an idea in my teens, and then wrote and self-published The Watcher in 2010. This gave me the writ...

It's less than a week until Christmas, and who knows, maybe it'll be a white one this year! In that (very unlikely) situation, you're going to want to have some Christmas books to read. So, here are our best Christmas books to read if you're snowed in: 1) Holly and The Snow Fairy, by Genna Rowbotham If you fancy a sweet and lighthearted tale, then look no further than this little wonder. Although a children's book, there's nothing to stop you reading about Holly's Christmas adventure on a...

Ian M. Evans released his debut book, The Eye of Kuruman, in September 2017. We felt it was time to interview the author and find out how life has been treating him since becoming a published author. Did you always dream of becoming an author? Not exactly! During the forties and fifties, my Scottish mother, Jean Evans, writing under the pen name “Jane Shaw” (see www.amazon.com/Susan-Friends-Jane-Companion-books-ebook/dp/B005584LQQ) was a prolific author of adventure...

Since it's so close to Christmas, here are Ten Facts You Probably Didn't Know About Christmas 1) Christmas supposedly marks the birth of Jesus Christ on December 25. However, there is no mention of December 25th in the Bible and most historians actually believe he was born in the spring. December 25th was probably chosen because it coincided with the ancient pagan festival Saturnalia, which celebrated the agricultural god Saturn with partying, gambling, and gift-giving. 2) T...