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.
Meanwhile the New Angle Prize, which recognises literature associated with East Anglia, listed three novels, a book of poetry and two non-fiction titles in its shortlist. There were some familiar names here. Jill Dawson was recognised for her latest novel, and KA Hayton was nominated for her time-travelling children's story. The judges included children's writer Sophie Green and novelist Liz Trenow, both of whom have spoken to us here in Woodbridge. How good it is to bring some new writing to the fore.
Thank you for reading.