More about books

As a writer and editor, I have enjoyed many years meeting and interviewing many fascinating people, and visiting wonderful locations worldwide. Take a look at my website here for an archive of my published articles.

These days I also indulge my passion for books, reading and writing by interviewing authors, hosting events and sharing my reviews and recommendations.

For more than 10 years I co-hosted a book club on air for BBC Radio Suffolk with the afternoon presenter, Lesley Dolphin. You can listen again to our conversations by following the link below. 

In 2008 I launched an open book club for leading independent Browsers Bookshop in Woodbridge and we have been meeting each month ever since.

I also have the pleasure of chairing and organising author talks for children and adults at events and festivals thoughout the year.

Past events with Browsers Bookshop in Woodbridge include Alexander McCall Smith, Margaret Drabble, Victoria Hislop, Griff Rhys Jones, Kate Mosse, Deborah Moggach, Maggie O'Farrell, Michael Morpurgo, Robert Peston, Kate Humble, Max Hastings.

I've interviewed Simon Mayo for the First Light Festival; Simon Garfield, Anna Pavord and Melissa Harrison for The Cut Halesworth; Louise Doughty, Salley Vickers and Esther Freud for Felixstowe Book Festival; Barbara Erskine and Alan Johnson MP for Suffolk Libraries, and many more.

Each week I compile an e-newsletter offering book news, author events, my reviews and recommendations. If you'd like to receive it, please click here.

Thank you for reading
Catherine

What's on

I am always planning new events but at the moment I have nothing quite ready to announce.

Events Archive

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

Listening in

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

Browsers Book Group

I've been hosting the Browsers Book Group for the past 16 years. We used to meet in the bookshop in Woodbridge but during lockdown I ran a monthly online discussion. We are now meeting in person again at a nearby venue. Please ​​​​sign up for the weekly e-newsletter here to receive details. And support this independent bookshop by purchasing your copy of the book from Browsers, with a special book group discount.

The Sentence
by Louise Erdrich
A Native American woman has been convicted of a horrible crime. While in prison books prove her salvation so when she is unexpectedly released she finds a job in a bookshop though has to contend with the resident ghost. Louise Erdrich won the Pulitzer prize for her last novel, 'The Night Watchman'. What will we make of this?
Monday, 27 March 2023 - 8:00pm

Reader recommendations

At the end of each year, members of the Browsers 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 2022 the titles that were mentioned are listed here.

Buying books

As you get ideas for book purchases, please do remember to use your local high street bookshop. 

But perhaps you've read about the new online bookshop initiative? It's called bookshop.org.

There are curated booklists to browse, drawn up by booksellers and reviewers and, for every purchase made through the site, independent bookshops receive a commission. 

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). 

However, please note that it is still best to order direct from your local high street bookshop!

Book reviews

My recent recommendations

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

Liz Nugent
Publication date: 2nd March 2023
Hardback edition
Fran Littlewood
Publication date: 19th January 2023
Fflur Dafydd
Publication date: 19th January 2023
Hardback edition
Blake Morrison
Recommended non-fiction
A memoir on childhood and family as the author presents his guilt and grief in having recently lost two sisters, interwoven with a contemplation of...
Publication date: 16th February 2023
Hardback edition
Dan Morice
Recommended non-fiction
An inspiring, uplifting and energising account of some good news stories behind the headlines.
Publication date: 25th February 2021
Tom Hindle
Publication date: 2nd February 2023
Hardback edition
Hannah Rudd
Recommended non-fiction
A powerful but very readable guide to the extraordinary life of our seas, and what we can do to protect them.
Publication date: 19th January 2023
Ajay Chowdhury
Publication date: 19th January 2023
Louise Swanson
A gripping and challenging thriller set in a near future when storytelling is banned.
Publication date: 23rd March 2023
Hardback edition
Fflur Dafydd
An odd and bleak thriller set around the National Library of Wales, exploring how we assess and value books and literature.
Publication date: 19th January 2023
Hardback edition

For children

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

by Lesley Parr
A wonderfully nostalgic adventure, with the miners strikes of the 1970s as a backdrop.
Publication date: 16th March 2023
by Kaye Umansky and illustrated by Ben Mantle
He doesn't look very delightful on the cover, but this is about the day when Dick got out of bed the wrong side.
Publication date: 2nd March 2023
by Sarah Todd Taylor
Planes and motorbikes, couture and patisserie, models and spies - this book has it all! And it's set in Paris at the 1931 World Fair.
Publication date: 12th January 2023
by Abi Elphinstone
A feminist, modern retelling of Peter Pan with Martha Pennydrop and her brother Scruff.
Publication date: 5th January 2023
Hardback edition
by Fleur Hitchcock
A gripping, sinister, snowy murder mystery!
Publication date: 3rd November 2022
by Tanya Landman
A very moody time-slip novel set in Devon with evacuee Alfie learning about an ancient legend.
Publication date: 3rd November 2022
by Emma Thompson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler
All about a very special dog who lives in the V&A Museum and helps deliver the very first Christmas card.
Publication date: 27th October 2022
Hardback edition
by Yeva Skalietska
The vivid and powerful diary of 12-year-old Yeva as she experiences the first twelve days of war in the Ukraine.
Publication date: 25th October 2022
by Emma Bettridge and illustrated by Josephine Birch
The most beautiful illustrations and a charming and touching story about coping with grief and loss through two friends, the dogs called Merlin and...
Publication date: 11th October 2022
Hardback edition
by Robin Stevens
The first in a new series to follow on from the hugely popular Murder Most Unladylike series.
Publication date: 6th October 2022

Look out for

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

by Jenn Granneman and Andre Solo
Recommended non-fiction
If you (or someone you know) have a heightened sense of empathy, notice tiny details that other people don't or often feel overwhelmed in a busy environment, you'll also find this of interest.
Publication date: 30th March 2023
by Catrina Davies
Recommended non-fiction
Publication date: 13th April 2023
by Leila Slimani
Recommended non-fiction
Publication date: 20th April 2023
by Kate Worsley
Publication date: 27th April 2023
by Han Kang
Publication date: 27th April 2023
by Emily Critchley
Publication date: 11th May 2023
by Tom Fort
Recommended non-fiction
Publication date: 11th May 2023
by Jade Angeles Fitton
Recommended non-fiction
Publication date: 18th May 2023

My blog

Sunday 19 March 2023

Top of the list

It's lovely to see the spring flowers, hear the birds singing and hope for some warmer weather and sunshine very soon. Next weekend we'll be changing the clocks to enjoy lighter evenings, but it does feel as though time is rushing by!

Of course, with the end of the month in sight, this is the first call for the book group meeting. We'll be gathering to discuss 'The Sentence' by Louise Erdrich (scroll down for details) and if you'd like to come along, please do let me know by replying to this email. It's really helpful for me to know the numbers to expect so that I can have the chairs and catering in place. 

If you haven't been to the meeting before, do consider coming along. Whether you've finished the book, or not, enjoyed it or not, it's always so interesting to hear other people's comments and views on characters, themes or storytelling. 

It's great to try new writers or genres, but with so many books published each month the choice can sometimes feel rather overwhelming. This week I've found the shortlists for two book prizes rather interesting and may explore some of the titles that are unfamiliar.

The Yoto Carnegie prize for children's literature revealed an all-women shortlist, dominated by titles for young adults but which included The Blue Book of Nebo. This is one of my favourites and which we discussed in book group last summer.