More about books

Catherine Larner

Hello, I'm Catherine Larner, a freelance journalist, editor and presenter living in Suffolk. I contribute features, profiles, reviews, comment and analysis to regional and national magazines, newspapers and online. You can take a look at my published articles on my website here.

I also interview on stage for festivals, organisations and bookshops, 'in conversation' with novelists, historians, politicians and personalities.

Reading extensively and widely, I report on the books I've enjoyed in a weekly e-newsletter and on this site which now provides a resource of more than 800 titles. I hope you'll find it helpful in choosing books for yourself and for your friends and family.

Thank you for reading

 

My More About Books bookstore where books can be purchased online can be found here or from any 'buy this book online' link. If you buy books linked to this site, I earn a commission from Bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookshops.

What's on

Angela Harding in conversation
Sunday 17th November, 3.00pm
at Riverside Theatre, Woodbridge
read more
Cartoonist Matt Pritchett
Sunday 17th November, 6.00pm
at Riverside Cinema
read more

Events Archive

Visit my archive pages for details of all events in recent years.

Listening in

For more than 10 years I co-hosted a monthly book club on BBC Radio Suffolk with the presenter Lesley Dolphin. You can listen to past discussions here.

Book Groups

WOODBRIDGE

I've been hosting an open Book Group in Woodbridge for the past 17 years. We used to meet in the town's bookshop but are now gathering in a hall just off the Thoroughfare. Please ​​​​sign up for the weekly e-newsletter here to receive details. 

Horse
by Geraldine Brooks
A discarded painting in a junk pile, a skeleton in an attic, and the greatest racehorse in American history, 'Horse' is described as a gripping, multi-layered novel highlighting enslavement and racism. What will we think of it?
Monday, 25 November 2024 - 7:30pm

Archive
Take a look at the titles discussed by the Woodbridge Book Group since our launch in 2007, here.

Readers recommendations
At the end of each year, members of the Woodbridge Book Group meet together to share their favourite titles and offer ideas for gifts for friends and family, and for new authors to try ourselves. For 2023 the titles that were mentioned are listed here.

FRAMLINGHAM

I'm leading a monthly adult book group at the fabulous Ottie and the Bea children's shop in Framlingham. You can find out about how to join in the meeting and sign up here or call in to the shop to learn more and browse the wonderful selection of children's books and gifts. The book we are reading this month is

For thy great pain have mercy on my little pain
by Victoria Mackenzie
Wednesday, 13 November 2024 - 7:30pm

Buying books

I've linked the reviews on my website so that you can purchase online if you wish (and I will receive a small commission for each purchase, with a further commission going to all independent bookshops). 

Click here for my page on bookshop.org and do consider using it whenever you wish to buy online. 

Book reviews

My recent recommendations

Here are the books I've been enjoying recently, both fiction and non-fiction titles.

The Prince Rupert Hotel for the Homeless
Christina Lamb
Recommended non-fiction
Publication date: 8th June 2023
Buy this book online
Playground
Richard Powers
Another incredible read from Richard Powers, this time celebrating the wonders of the ocean in an expansive novel where four lives coincide.
read my review
Publication date: 26th September 2024
Hardback edition
Buy this book online
Under the Hornbeams
Emma Tarlo
Recommended non-fiction
Two men have been sleeping in the trees at Regent's Park for five years. The author takes them food and befriends them. Astonishing and...
read my review
Publication date: 18th January 2024
Hardback edition
Buy this book online
The lives of Lee Miller
Antony Penrose
Recommended non-fiction
The essential guide to the story of the phenomenal Lee Miller, with brilliant photography included.
read my review
Publication date: 29th August 2024
Buy this book online
Tell Me Everything
Elizabeth Strout
Another beautiful peek into the lives of Strout's characters in this small town in Maine, USA.
read my review
Publication date: 19th September 2024
Hardback edition
Buy this book online
Sleepless
Annabel Abbs
Recommended non-fiction
A wonderful memoir about rediscovering the night, enjoying the safety, comfort, solitude and inspiration it offers when sleep is elusive.
read my review
Publication date: 3rd October 2024
Buy this book online
The Switch
Beth O'Leary
A fun, enjoyable read about a young woman and her grandmother doing a life swap! All about friendship and community, and second chances.
read my review
Publication date: 21st January 2021
Buy this book online
Meditations for Mortals
Oliver Burkeman
Recommended non-fiction
How we have to accept that there is always too much for us to do - and the future will always be out of our control. So how do we live better?
read my review
Publication date: 12th September 2024
Hardback edition
Buy this book online

For more reviews click here

For children

These are my most recent recommendations for children. Click here to see listings by age.

Blue Heart
by Nicola Davies
Stunning book about whales, combining beautiful illustrations, poetry, memoir and fascinating facts for all ages from four upwards.
read my review
Publication date: 19th September 2024
Hardback edition
Buy this book online
Betty and the mysterious visitor
by Anne Twist and illustrated by Emily Sutton
A charming story about plants and wildlife, and living alongside them both, beautifully illustrated by the incredible Emily Sutton.
read my review
Publication date: 5th September 2024
Buy this book online
On the wall
by Anne Fine
Finley intrigues his classmates and teachers alike with his calm composure. What's his secret? A wonderful story about being at peace with...
read my review
Publication date: 5th September 2024
Buy this book online
Almost Nothing Happened
by Meg Rosoff
A brilliantly funny, life-affirming, classy adventure set in Paris over a very hot weekend.
read my review
Publication date: 15th August 2024
Hardback edition
Buy this book online
Rosa by Starlight
by Hilary McKay
A wonderful, magical, uplifting tale of resourcefulness and courage. Fantastic!
read my review
Publication date: 8th August 2024
Hardback edition
Buy this book online
Nowhere Island
by Tania Unsworth
A brilliant adventure about survival and what it means to be family.
read my review
Publication date: 1st August 2024
Buy this book online
The Dictionary Story
by Oliver Jeffers and Sam Winston
Trying to find a story in the dictionary - tremendous!
read my review
Publication date: 1st August 2024
Hardback edition
Buy this book online
Hot Dog
by Doug Salati
A beautifully simple, evocative tale of a hot summer's day, from the perspective of a small dog. Fantastic illustrations. Wonderful!
read my review
Publication date: 4th July 2024
Hardback edition
Buy this book online

Look out for

These titles will soon be published but are not yet available in the shops. 

The Proof of My Innocence
by Jonathan Coe
A brilliantly funny and clever story of politics, society, literature and family, melding genres. Loved it!
read my review
Publication date: 7th November 2024
Order this book online
The Lives and Deaths of the Princesses of Hesse
by Frances Welch
Recommended non-fiction
A gripping account of the fates of the granddaughters of Queen Victoria.
read my review
Publication date: 7th November 2024
Order this book online
The Troubled Deep
by Rob Parker
The first in a brilliant new series set on the Norfolk Broads with Cam Killick, a former Marine and SBS diver investigating cold cases.
Publication date: 16th January 2025
Order this book online
The Bookseller
by Tim Sullivan
A DS Cross thriller this time based in the world of secondhand books!
Publication date: 16th January 2025
Order this book online
Black Tag
by Simon Mayo
Publication date: 30th January 2025
Order this book online
The Honesty Box
by Lucy Brazier
Recommended non-fiction
A memoir of being in a relationship with someone who is neurodivergent. It's fun and enlightening, and talks of family life in Dorset as well as giving an insight into a career in the media.
Publication date: 27th February 2025
Order this book online
The Homemade God
by Rachel Joyce
Publication date: 17th April 2025
Order this book online

 

 

For my reviews on radio click here

News

Sunday 3 November 2024

Knitting ideas

When I'm about to write an article, or find a theme for these newsletter messages, I need to have an opportunity for my mind to wander. And I have discovered that inspiration often strikes when I'm driving. (These are easy-to-navigate journeys with relatively light traffic and when I'm not carrying any passengers, you understand.) It's regularly proved a very productive time - I solve all sorts of problems while I'm moving along. The trick is remembering them all when I get to the destination.

But I haven't had reason to get in the car in the past few days so have looked to other means of triggering my thought processes. And I've found that knitting can do the trick!

For the past couple of years I've been knitting socks. They're small projects which are very satisfying, easily transportable with no complicated instructions to follow so I've taken them with me when I know I'll be somewhere with a lot of downtime (or when I'm watching television which doesn't require full concentration).