News

Readers and writers are thought of as solitary creatures. Even though we now have BookTok, blogging, social media and author appearances and events, it's still understood that the actual business of reading and writing needs to be done in isolation. 

But this isn't always the case...

I visited the London Library this week, in St James's Square behind Piccadilly. Founded in 1841 by Thomas Carlyle, it has always been a popular haunt of writers, actors and creatives and remains a place where people go to be among others working and studying. It encourages application and industry, the librarians say, to see others immersed in their projects. And apparently 700 books were completed last year by members of the London Library.

This library is one where silence or 'quiet' is still important and, though we can be so lost in a good book that we can be unaware of conversations or activities around us, reading is often best without distractions. 

So I've been intrigued to discover a new trend rising up in bookshops and also bars and cafes - the silent book club!

I read about it first in a mailing from a clothing company! White Stuff reported on the Silent Reading Club in Oxford which is part of a growing national and international community. 

Founded in San Francisco in 2012, the Silent Book Club is an opportunity to enjoy books, friends and drinks. People gather at an appointed time and place, order food or drinks, introduce their books to each other, then settle down for an hour of silent reading. When they've finished, they can chat together, or not.

And the New York Times recently reported on Reading Rhythms which are reading 'parties' but based on the same idea of an hour's silent reading!

Doesn't it sound great?! Certainly in a city, it seems a lovely way to meet new, like-minded people.

And I've seen that there are two bookshops in the eastern region who are also offering this opportunity.

The Book Hive in Norwich has Page Against the Machine - a quiet hour in the shop every Wednesday where you can read whatever you like without distraction, with wine and tea provided.

And Red Lion Books in Colchester is also trying out the idea for its customers. 

Well, I can't offer a silent book club for Woodbridge just yet, but it will soon be time for us to meet to discuss the title we've been reading together for the past couple of months. 

On Monday 29 January we'll have our first meeting of the year where we'll chat about 'Transcendent Kingdom'. I have a number of you already signed up for this meeting but if you are planning on coming along on the night, do please let me know by replying to this email.

Thank you for reading.

As the Post Office scandal has dominated Parliament and the news media in the past week, there has been a particular refrain in the debate and commentary. 'Why did it take a tv drama to bring the biggest miscarriage of justice in British history to light?'

For more than two decades hundreds of sub-postmasters throughout the country have been deceived and manipulated, tormented and maligned with devastating consequences. 

And despite tireless reporting and campaigning for a resolution, there was horrific inaction by those in the organisation itself, the authorities and the politicians. 

It is shocking and, well, terrifying really, that it has taken this long to expose such a horrific and widespread malpractice. 

But it does also show the power of television drama in bringing together a body of people engaged with the message in such a way that they were energised to say 'enough'. More than a million people signed a petition after the drama was aired.

The might of this public opinion has finally brought about meaningful decisions in Parliament.  

Chris Mason, the BBC's political editor has said of the response to the screening: 'How extraordinary. The power of drama. The momentum it has generated, the public opinion it has shifted, the government it has galvanised.'

We know that the stories we read, hear or see in books, theatre, film or television do open our eyes. We are moved and changed as we empathise with characters in often complex situations. 

Gwyneth Hughes who wrote 'Mr Bates vs the Post Office' says of drama: 'It's for reaching out across the stage or through the screen, grabbing you by the throat and saying: care about me. And when it works, it's incredibly powerful. 

'In this case, it's been put to the service of this terrible event in our country's history. If you want to really get people's attention, tell them a story. And in this case, a true story.'

Looking forward, let's hope more hard-hitting, meaningful drama is commissioned, though also as a society we might become better equipped at dealing with righting and preventing wrongs, and not wait twenty years for them to be televised?

Thank you for reading.

Over the past couple of weeks I've had the treat of reading books I don't normally get the opportunity to read, or at least not as much as I'd like.

I received three books as gifts which I would never have picked out myself and it's been quite an adventure dipping into them. There's been a ghost story from the 50s, a spy story from the 70s and a crime novel from the 1930s.

There's something calming and reassuring in reading a book from past times, I find, in both their subject matter and the style of writing, and it has been perfect for the winter afternoons when the outside world can be shut behind a curtain and the fire lit.

Earlier this week though I rekindled more happy reading memories from my childhood, though this was prompted by hearing the sad news of the death of the children's author KM Peyton, aged 94. Best known for her 'Flambards' series, Kathy visited us in Woodbridge in 2012 with her good friend Meg Rosoff. 

It was such a thrill to meet Kathy. For so many years her name and the title 'Flambards' has instantly transported me back to a library in Gloucestershire where I first discovered this wonderful coming-of-age series of stories about horses, flying, family and romance.

It seemed to me at the time, one of my first 'grown up' books. Though set in the period just before the first world war (and first published in 1967) it felt new and modern. There wasn't such a thing as 'young adult' literature then. The books were also beautifully dramatised on television and I can remember the sensations of both reading and watching the series with great power and significance still. 

So I'm wondering what new memories we'll be making with our reading this year. What will be the outstanding novels? What will be the life changing non-fiction titles?! Which children's books will set our young friends and relatives alight? And what will we remember of how we discovered them all?!

Thank you for reading.

Is it me or have there been fewer articles than usual looking back over the past year, and more pieces about what lies ahead?

Things have been tough on any number of fronts, haven't they, so the newspaper editors can be forgiven for trying to keep our spirits up this weekend (and I'm looking at the Arts pages, of course, let's not get into politics).

We are due, they say, to enjoy a surfeit of great books, numerous compelling film and tv dramas, plus a multitude of groundbreaking music releases and fashion trends to amuse and delight.

It's good to focus on the positive, to be hopeful and optimistic and to keep driving forward (though I have SO many books I still want to read before embarking on yet more new releases...!). 

But it is good to take time out to pause and consider what has gone before. 

To think on how far we've come, what we've enjoyed, who we've spent time with, and how much we've learnt and grown in the challenges we've faced, and the books we've read! 

So I'd like to take this opportunity to thank you for your company in this past year at book groups, author events and here on a Sunday evening. 

I've appreciated all your messages of support and encouragement and your online purchases, and am thrilled that so many of you find these e-newsletters helpful and enjoyable!

I hope we'll continue to read together in 2024, and will meet in person at author events and book groups as the months go by, too.  

And whether you are partying this evening, watching television companionably with family, or curling up with a good book, I wish you a very Happy New Year!

Thank you for reading.

I've changed my mind.

Last week I promised the usual book recommendations in this newsletter but, even though I have three titles I could mention, I've decided not to.

After all, I hope you've already picked out your book for this evening's Jólabókaflóð and tomorrow there may be a new book waiting for you under the tree, chosen with love and care by friends or family, so I don't want to distract you from these treats. 

I hope, then, you'll enjoy whatever book you have close to hand, and I look forward to comparing notes in the new year.

And if, among the people you meet over this festive period, there's anyone you think might like to receive these weekly missives with their reading suggestions, please invite them to sign up by following the link below, or send me an email.

For tonight, I'd like to thank you for all your kindnesses, encouragement and support over the past few months and wish you a very Happy Christmas!

Thank you for reading.