ON THE BOOKSHELF: with AJ West

Join me as we take a look through the bookshelves of our favourite writers, readers and book lovers - today we're talking all things books with AJ West.

Aside from being a truly brilliant writer and co-founder of the legendary book party, he is one of the simply loveliest people in the book community and it's been a joy to be able to work with him. AJ is a huge history fan who loves finding forgotten stories, and you can clearly see that in everything he does - he said if he could have one superpower, it would be to travel back in time to see the stories happen first hand.

What are you reading now?

Mathilda: Empress, Queen, Warrior by Catherine Hanley.

What are you reading next?

A book about medieval sex and sexuality.

What’s the first book you remember reading?

Winnie the Pooh

What book made you love reading?

Wind in the Willows

What book can you always re-read?

I never read a book twice!

What book do you think is under-rated?

Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy

What book makes you cry?

The Ballad of Reading Jail, Oscar Wilde

What book makes you laugh:

Anything by PG Wodehouse

What book do you think everybody should read?

A Magician Among The Spirits, Harry Houdini

What’s the last book you wrote?

The Spirit Engineer was my debut novel, based on a very mysterious true story which I discovered while working in Northern Ireland. I had been waiting to find a story I wanted to tell for many years and I instantly knew William Jackson Crawford was calling to me. I hope people are inspired to consider hope society can turn people into monsters, rather than simply condemning those of the past for actions we cannot understand.

What are you writing next?

A novel about a hidden world in the 18th century. Hidden though clearly in view.

You can find out more about AJ and his work here.

Read my review of his debut novel here.

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REVIEW: This Could Be Us by Clare McGowan

Genre: Fiction | Literary Fiction Release Date: Expected 1st June 2023 Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group | Corsair Kate has done the unthinkable. She'd worked hard to build a perfect life for herself, while ignoring her growing unhappiness. But when her second child was born profoundly disabled, reality hit. Unable to cope, Kate left - disappearing without a trace. She ends up in LA, with a glittering career and a new family of sorts, but the guilt is still suffocating. Husband Andrew was left to pick up the pieces and care for their disabled daughter and angry, confused son. Bereft and broken, he leaned on Olivia, Kate's best friend. She's been by his side ever since, ignoring her own needs to meet his. Years later, Andrew has written a memoir about his daughter learning to communicate against all odds. But when Kate's new producer husband decides he wants to make a film of it, their worlds collide once again. Now, Kate must return to the life she abandoned and reck...

REVIEW: Live, Laugh, Lesbian by Helen Scott

Genre: Non-Fiction | Memoir | LGTBQ+ Release Date: 19th October 2023 Publisher: Jessica Kingsley Part memoir, part guide, part conversation and all queer joy — Live, Laugh, Lesbian is a brilliantly warm and friendly journey into the queer experience, not only from the author but from plenty of other lesbian, queer, bisexual and pansexual contributors who bring a unique viewpoint and voice and also show a beautiful diverse, intersectional scope of the queer spectrum and welcomes in queer people and allies of any kind to come feel the love. The book is very conversational, talking to the reader in a fun, friendly way — at times I rolled my eyes as the use of “famalam” but as a previous patron of Colours and Chicagos I’m not in a position to judge the Essex-isms. It’s full of anecdotes and observations that were witty and relatable as well as talking is through the more difficult side of queerness like dealing with workplace discrimination, religious trauma and coming out to family...

BOOK TOUR STOP x RANDOM THINGS TOURS: Thirty Days of Darkness by Jenny Lund Madsen

" This town has secrets that are best left alone." Author Hannah is a success, on paper at least. She's receiving critical acclaim and praise worldwide and her work is regarded as some of the best. She writes literature, not just books. But the reality is, outside of the literary circles nobody actually reads her work. But when she finally snaps at a book event and publicly criticises the genre fiction books that outsell hers, claiming they're easy and mindless she's challenged to write her own crime fiction novel in just thirty days by an author she loathes. Desperate not to lose to him, her editor arranges for her to spend a month in a quiet, cold village in Iceland hoping that the solitude will spark inspiration. But instead of writing a murder story - she's in one . Just before she arrives, the body of a young man is pulled from the icy waters and her search for ideas soon becomes a search for a killer. And if she's not careful, she might end up the...

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