Sally is a friend of mine and I went to her book launch a few weeks ago. I loved her first book WAYS TO LIVE FOREVER, but although I thought ALL FALL DOWN was an epic read, I didn’t connect with it in so well. So I wasn’t sure what to expect from CLOSE YOUR … More Close Your Pretty Eyes – review
I bought some lovely fairtrade roses from Sainsbury’s about a week ago. They’ve lasted brilliantly, especially considering they were only about £5 for the bunch. They opened right out and I had to remove some browning petals after a week (if you pull them out gently, the brown won’t spread and the roses last longer). … More Arty flower display
I had a lovely surprise the other day – a parcel arrived containing copies of two of my Sweet Hearts books in Vietnamese! Aren’t they gorgeous? I had no idea they were coming! You see, when you sell ‘world rights’ for a book to a publisher, that means they can sell your books overseas without … More Sweet Hearts in Vietnamese!
I found this note yesterday: I have NO IDEA what any of it might mean! I’m wondering if it’s a series of set-ups for photographs, or a short story scene breakdown. It’s definitely my handwriting, but it means nothing to me now! The note must be several years old, I should think. Any creative suggestions? … More What does this mean?
This is a cute book. It feels great (this is why I can’t love the Kindle, despite its usefulness): the paper is thick and good quality, and it’s full colour throughout (which is why it’s £9.99 RRP). The author is 18-year-old Isobel Harrop, who loves drawing and making general observations on life. The blurb says: … More The Isobel Journal – review
Over the weekend, I went to Blenheim Palace with my family. We live fairly near it, and we didn’t actually go into the palace this time, just the grounds. But we walked down a track I’d never taken before, and there was this beautiful lake, glittering in the sun. And we were lucky enough to … More Blenheim Palace in the autumn sunshine
On Friday, I went to the annual Oxfordshire Book Awards. I love going to the OBAs. The organisers are brilliant, and there are always loads of kids from local schools who are passionate about books and reading. The winners get to do a little speech and any local authors who attend are made a fuss … More Celebrating great books in Oxfordshire
Last week, it being half term, I took my daughter to see the new comic strip outside the Story Museum in Oxford. The Museum isn’t properly open yet (we keep our fingers crossed that it will be next year!) but artist Neill Cameron has done some fantastic artwork to explain what’s happening and what the … More Cartoons at the Oxford Story Museum!
Jo Cotterill 