The latest edition of The Thursday Book Club was broadcast on 19th September 2024 at 2pm on Phonic FM. Joining host Jonathan Posner was Su Bristow and Cathie Hartigan. Click the names to find out more about them, and use the audio bar below to listen to the full show.
We reviewed The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams.
Our discussion was on Is it ever OK to change history in a historical novel?
The next show is at 2pm on the 17th October. We’ll be reviewing Sewing Sequins On My Straight Jacket by Sharon Cook. Read along with us and send us your thoughts on the book – either through the Contact page, or via the Facebook page, and we may well read them out on air.
NEWS
In the News section, we announced books by local authors and local news:
- Kate Kelly has just released a dark fantasy, called Dragons of Dunmoray. According to the blurb Dragons have always been part of our world – from the cloud dragons of the storm to the fire dragons of an erupting volcano – only most of us cannot see them. Alba MacGregor can see the dragons. She thinks she is alone in this, or that maybe they are all in her head. But when she meets Al she realises, not only that the dragons are real, but that there are others like her, spread across the world. The dragons are stirring. There’s a war coming. A war that has been ongoing for millennia. Only Alba can break this cycle, but to do so she must first defeat a foe much closer to home and far more human. Available on Amazon.
- Cheryl Dummer says her first book, originally published last November, is now on Prime reading and is shooting up the rankings! It’s called I’m no Shakespeare: Walking the South West Coast Path, and is the unlikely but perfectly true story of how a nosey menopausal linguist threw away her pills, pulled on a backpack, and accidentally wrote a best seller. She walked for 630 miles, with her life on her back, her heart on her sleeve, and a wickedly sharpened pencil behind her ear.
- Denise Smith’s second crime novel Never Let Her Go, part of a series set in Lincolnshire (though she says she is based in Devon now!) will be released on Amazon on 1st October. The first in the series, Never Forget, Never Forgive is already available.
- Eclipse is an anthology of short stories and flash fiction, set mainly in the West Country. It’s a collaboration between local authors Anne Thomson, Tony Rea and John McKenna, and is available online and at The Ivybridge Bookshop. The official launch is on Thursday 10th October at 5:30pm at The Ivybridge Bookshop and kicks off the third South Hams Literary Festival.
- Talking of the South Hams Literary Festival, it runs from 10th to 13th October, in Ivybridge. There’s lots of events for adults and children to enjoy, and for both readers and writers. These include a Meet the Authors event at the bookshop, a fancy dress competition and a Brian the Bear Children’s Event with Mark Blackburn, who’ll also be doing the author advice session (which Jonathan will be at too). There’s a book fair, plus a writing workshop being run by our regular guests on this programme, Keith Rossiter and Jason Mann. There’s lots more – you can see the full programme at southhamsauthors.co.uk. Tickets are at ivybridgewatermark.co.uk.
- Acclaimed author and Britain’s foremost folklore expert, Mark Norman, is launching his book at Dartington on September 28th. It’s called, Zoinks! The Spooky Folklore behind Scooby-Doo, and Mark will be taking us on a guided tour through the myths and legends that the show’s writers have drawn on to deliver the wealth of memorable villains we’ve seen over the years. Don’t miss this very special event, and learn about how real-world folklore has influenced the show’s portrayals of ghosts, witches, monsters, and more. Go to dartington.org and click on What’s On, then Talks and Tours. The event will be followed by a book signing.
- Staying on the subject of festivals, here’s a heads-up for the Blandford Literary Festival, coming in mid-November. There’s info at blandfordliteraryfestival.co.uk, but I’m sure we’ll be saying more about it in next month’s show.
- Murder in the Countryside by Helena Dixon is set in Stoke Gabriel and was released on September 4th. It’s book 17 of the Miss Underhay cozy mystery series, and it’s available on Amazon, as well as the Ivybridge bookshop, who have signed copies of all of the Miss Underhay series.
- Lily Style’s new biography of George Matcham, dubbed the most unsettled man alive, came out in July. George Matcham was born in East India controlled Bombay, and undertook three epic overland treks between Asia and England before marrying the favourite sister of the not yet famous Horatio Nelson. Intimate details about George’s life have been preserved because of his close relationship with Nelson and his famous paramour Emma Hamilton, whose rise and fall he observed first-hand. The book is called A Most Unsettled Man: A Biography – the Triumphs and Travails of George Matcham and is available on Amazon. It provides an unprecedented glimpse into the private life of a modest 18th century English gentleman, as well retelling the enduring love story of Nelson and Emma from an entirely new perspective.
- Then Time Stands Still by Mary Georgina de Grey is set around Zaragoza in northern Spain. English archaeologist Dr. Amancia Harding has looked after her family for five years. Now it’s time to take care of herself, and leading a team on a dig in Spain is the perfect way to propel her career forward. Her good intentions are threatened when she meets vineyard owner Max Serrano. The book was published yesterday and can be ordered on Amazon.
- We mentioned this last month, but wanted to raise it again. A new resource for writers is being launched called Writing at the Edge. It’s a collective of authors, journalists and marketing professionals who have built up knowledge and experience of publishing over their writing careers. The aim of the collective is to share this learning and help other authors. It means pushing authors to the edge – and beyond – challenging them to become the best they can be at their craft. So whether you plan to query or to self-publish, Writing at the Edge aims to be an invaluable help and support in your writing journey. There will be a series of FREE webinars, starting on October 3rd with ‘Pitch Perfect’ A great pitch is essential for a novel. How do you craft a compelling message that will sell your story? How do you pitch your new novel – to agents, to publishers – and of course – to readers? It’s on Thursday 3 Oct 2024 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM BST. The booking link is here.
- Elizabeth Ducie’s new thriller Retribution! came out on 1st September. Fourth in the Jones Sisters thrillers, it starts out in Devon but travels all over the world, with cameo appearances from some of the main players in the rest of the series. Available on Amazon. More info at http://elizabethducieauthor.co.uk.
- Fresh Fiction TRAVEL is a short story show which takes place on September 27th. Writers, Liz Delo, Lara Dagnell, Helen Frances, Pippa Marriott, Stuart Nuttall, Paul Toolan, Grace Palmer and Helen Williams are taking part. It’s at the David Hall in South Petherton, and tickets are at www.thedavidhall.com. More info at www.novelnights.co.uk.
- Here’s one we missed on the show: Reason and Rebellion is a book on women’s fight for the vote in Devon – written by Pamela Vass. It will be out this autumn. Do you have any anecdotes about suffragettes locally? Pamela would love to hear them. More at www.boundstonebooks.co.uk
