About Me

I love to read, whatever the genre. Reading has always been a huge part of my life. Books have been an escape, an inspiration, an education and a joy since I was tiny. When I was miserable at school, I dreamt of being at St Clare's or Mallory Towers; when I was an awkward, anxious teenager, I found an escape in the terrifying worlds of Stephen King, and in the acerbic wit and intelligence of Oscar Wilde. When I was discovering feminism and my political path, I fell in love with the Brontes, Simone de Beauvoir and Sylvia Plath. I learned restraint from Hemingway and Faulkner and the power of imagination from Salman Rushdie and Arundhati Roy. One of my biggest influences is Hilary Mantel. If I could only ever read one book again, it would be her lesser known, huge, complicated and brilliant A Place of Greater Safety. And I still have my treasured, hardback copy of Watership Down, given to me by an older cousin. Hazel, Fiver and Bigwig - beautifully drawn characters, who have stayed with me since then, and, I think, began the love of animals that is another passion.

My current favourite contemporary authors are Tom Cox and Andrew Michael Hurley. I also love Elena Ferrante, Sarah Waters, and Kate Atkinson. I have just discovered Carol Shields and Barbara Kingsolver. Where have these authors been all my life?

And that is partly why I have decided to post reviews not just of the newest novels, but also those books that I love and may have first read years ago, classics that I've just got round to reading (there are so many!) and authors that I've just discovered, even if their books were published years ago. 

A little bit about me - I have been working as a freelance editor and writer since 2012. I have a first degree in English Language and Literature and a master’s degree in creative writing. As part of my master’s degree I wrote my first historical novel, The Black Hours, based on the notorious Witchfinder General, Matthew Hopkins, published in 2014. I am currently revising the novel, and working on several new fiction projects.

I live in the beautiful village of Cenarth on the border of Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion in West Wales - a place steeped in history and tradition. I live with my husband, my daughter (a local farm vet), two rescued Galgos, Annie and Jasper (more about this horribly abused breed here), a typically-energetic cocker spaniel called Belle, a part-feral rescue kitten called Cosmo, and his newly rescued stray kitten step-brother Ziggy, a tortoise called Gus, and an ever-changing small flock of ex-laying hens. We also have a son who is the the final year of his Film and Philosophy PhD at Kings College in London.

Aside from reading, I love a good horror film - The Evil Dead, The Cabin in the Woods, the Final Destination films, and, of course, the terribleness that is Pet Sematary  -  although my all-time favourite film is Scarface. I love a good TV series - The Sopranos is the best thing that's ever been made for TV, followed by Mad Men, Mindhunter and Deadwood. Oh, and Last Tango in Halifax! I couldn't imagine life without music - David Bowie and Johnny Marr are particular obsessions. I am (re)learning to knit and crochet, and learning to sew (I'm terrible at all of these things but am persevering). I am pulled towards Witchcraft, particularly Eclectic and Green Witchcraft and am learning as much as I can. I have also just been elected as chair of our local RSPCA branch.

I blog about writing and editing here.

I blog about folklore, Witchcraft, superstition, and history here.

I hope you'll enjoy my reviews, and discover some new favourites (even if they are old novels). 

“Somebody who only reads newspapers and at best books of contemporary authors looks to me like an extremely near-sighted person who scorns eyeglasses. He is completely dependent on the prejudices and fashions of his times, since he never gets to see or hear anything else.”

Albert Einstein 

 

“There is no Frigate like a Book To take us Lands away.”

Emily Dickinson

Welcome!