It’s been almost two months since The Lost Bookshop was published and in that time, I have been blown away by the response from readers. As if that wasn’t enough, it spent three weeks at number one on Amazon’s ‘most sold’ UK Chart! To say I am utterly and profoundly overwhelmed by this amazing news would only convey a fraction of all the feels I’m having right now!
I was featured in The Irish Times at the end of the month as my book topped the charts on Kindle AND the paperback is in the Top 50 Sunday Times bestseller chart. What a wonderful feeling! You can check out the weekly roundup here . I also wrote an article for the Irish Times about my favourite books that are set in bookshops, which you can read here.
“The Lost Bookshop is my own love letter to book lovers everywhere, no matter which side of the counter they find themselves. We all go through those doors in search of magic and the hope of finding a hidden part of ourselves between the covers of the next book.” Evie Woods
The best part has been reading the reviews. Yes, I know, they say authors probably shouldn’t read their reviews and perhaps that’s true, but not this time.
“Read it in one day! I could not put it down after the first few paragraphs. Still sitting in the same place taking in all that I read. Fantastic book, your imagination is wonderful!“
“Love love love!”
“Every once in a blue moon, I come across a book that just blows me away with such intricacies that I finish the book and feel completely tranquil. This book did just that.”
“Wow! just Wow! This is a genius of a book and one that deserved some form of literary recognition. Buy it, you won’t put it down and you will feel enriched for reading it.”
It’s currently available on Amazon for 99p or if you want to enjoy the cover in all its glory, it’s available from pretty much everywhere – The Works, Easons, Dubrays, Waterstones, Sainsburys and a few Indie bookshops too. Don’t forget, you can also pick up a copy at your local library too (I’m a huge library fan).
I can’t believe this story has reached so many people in so short a time. I know I have signed with the best publisher in this regard (actually, in every regard, they are the bomb!) Publishing has changed so much, even since I first self-published back in 2013. Back then, they said a self-published author would never get a traditional book deal, let alone with one of the big five. They said eBooks would destroy paperbacks, but this year was the first time since 2012 that fiction paperbacks outsold eBooks! You see where I’m going with this 🙂 Trends change and I think publishers who see this as an opportunity to do things differently and reach more readers by engaging with them in new and exciting ways are the future. Anyway, that’s my view on it – especially having dipped my toe in BookTok this year – there is a whole new generation of readers out there with the one thing that doesn’t change, a love of stories and that’s so heartening to see.
I guess what I really want to say to people is, if there’s a story you want to write – you know the one, that you’re not quite sure you can pull off? Just write it. Write the hell out of it. Because people really do need your book. The amount of messages I have received from people who maybe just wanted a book to get them out of a reading slump, to people who have been going through some of their darkest moments and found comfort and even a reflection of themselves between the pages – it makes it all worthwhile. This story got me through some really difficult moments and I poured all of my emotion, hope and despair into it. Writing helps me to figure out the way forward and I forgot that readers are trying to do that too. That’s why when we find a book that resonates with us, it becomes so much more than a story. It’s a connection between two hearts and minds, a chance to say ‘I’ve felt that too’. Anyway, I’ll leave it there or I’ll get all emotional again, but I will say that the response has given me something I never expected. I write about characters who are on the outside, searching for their place in the world. I’ve found mine. Thanks everyone x
It feels significant and more than just a coincidence that I’m sitting here on the eve of book publication, on Solstice night. I’ve been wishing on every new moon that the planets would align and my dreams would manifest. But I’ve also been working. Hard. For 10 years I’ve been growing towards this moment, this book.
I wish I was the kind of person who could ‘just enjoy things’. But no, I have completely worn myself out with stress and worry and over-compensating, as per usual. Oh well, that’s just me and I guess that has to be okay. That’s what got this book written in the first place. That’s what gave me the stamina and the resilience to withstand the rejections.
I say 10 years, because it’s that long since I self-published my first book. But I’ve been writing for a lot longer than that. I remember crying tears of joy in my mother’s kitchen when I got full MS request back in 2008. I thought I’d made it. Then I cried again when it got rejected. I don’t know how many rejections I’ve received over the years. Unlike some other authors, I don’t keep count and I delete the emails. I don’t want to build a shrine to that. Instead, this evening, I’m building a shrine to never giving up on the dream. I know there are so many of my fellow authors out there on the same road as me – we’ve supported each other and cheered each other on. It’s the prevailing opinion that getting a traditional publishing deal is like winning the lottery. And yet, against these odds, we keep writing. Because guess what? It’s not like winning the lottery. That’s just the kind of thing people say to perpetuate this crushing idea that trying is pointless because you’ll never succeed. But the more times you fail, the closer you are to success. You have to believe in that. Take this as your sign.
Anyway, here I am, alone in the stillness of the longest night, reflecting on what it took to get here and imagining what the future will hold. I love the sense of being on the threshold – that’s where all of the magic happens. They say that Solstice is a time of transformation and rebirth. I feel it. I have a new name ~ Evie Woods. She represents everything that I have been becoming. This book has my heart and soul inside of it, the sun, moon and stars. The rejection, the pain, the hurting; as well as the hope, love and wisdom I’ve gained. I’ve found it hard to let go and enjoy the moment. I realise tonight that it’s because it means so very much to me. It’s not a simple fact of raising a glass and toasting a job well done. It’s a lifetime of searching for a way to outwardly express the inner landscape of emotion through creative endeavour. It’s a jumble of heart and mind. It’s everything. And for once, I’d like to feel that. All of it.
I’ve been guarding this secret since last summer, but what a sweet secret to keep! I cannot wait for you to escape into the world of The Lost Bookshop, which is a story full of literary intrigue and as one reviewer said, it has all the things! This is a book for book lovers and lost souls, because ‘in a place called lost, strange things are found.’
My amazing publisher – One More Chapter (Harper Collins), have been so enthusiastic about my manuscript from the moment they read it and it’s been a whirlwind ever since. Working with the entire team at OMC but especially my editor, Charlotte Ledger, has been such an enriching experience and I feel so fortunate to have found the perfect home for my books.
So, what’s it about?? Described as…
“The Keeper of Stories meets The Lost Apothecary in this evocative and charming novel full of mystery and secrets.“
Partly set in the 1920s Golden Age of rare and antiquarian book dealing, The Lost Bookshop is the story of a female bookdealer, an unusual bookshop, a hidden manuscript and the two people drawn together in order to solve the mystery, one hundred years later. This book celebrates not only the power of books themselves to change our lives, but the wonder they awaken within us, reminding us that anything is possible. Think Midnight in Paris meets Emily Henry!
I’m actually in love with this book. I loved writing it, researching it, refining it and crafting these characters. It’s the kind of story I’ve always dreamed of writing and exactly what I would want to read myself. As far as my writing career goes, this really feels like the stars have aligned. It feels right to begin this new chapter (sorry!) with a new pen name, Evie Woods. I guess this means I’m married to my writing! Which feels kind of true. It’s my home, where I go to find myself and lose myself in equal measure. And I hope you’ll come on this journey with me.
So here it is, The Lost Bookshop, out on 22nd June and bound in this enchanting cover, just waiting for you to step inside…
‘Beautifully written and captures the wonder and awe that a story can bring to its reader…a delightful story for any book lover…an ode to storytelling and the connections that books can make!’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Wowwww!! It’s been awhile since I read something so fascinating, captivating and special all in one…It takes you on a journey like most books do, but this one, I just want to inscribe on my back and hope that it becomes a part of me so that I can carry it with me always’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘A must read for readers that love books’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘A beautiful story that begs to be read in one sitting…a magical story filled with beautiful prose and many surprises that readers will not soon forget’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘This spellbinding book hooked me from the very beginning and I couldn’t put it down til the end’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘A love story, one with books and booklovers at its heart. A warm, wonderful novel that sweeps up the reader into an absorbing, magical tale’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘If you enjoy books by the Brontë sisters … then I would fully recommend you read this book’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘This novel has it all: wit, a dash of magic, and a large heart. A fantastic read’⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Books, I am learning, have a life of their own. Long after the story has left my pen, I watch it dip and rise on the tides. It amazes me – the power of a book to go on its own journey, as if the author is but a distant spot on the horizon.
Such has been the experience with my debut novel, The Heirloom (which is conveniently 99p at the moment on Kindle!) When I first published this timeslip story, I just couldn’t get any traction with it. I was a first-time, self-publishing author and no-one knew I even existed. I hadn’t a clue how to reach readers or where to promote my book.
Fast forward a few years and The Heirloom has now become my most popular selling title! I cannot tell you how happy it makes me, to know that people are not only discovering this story, but really enjoying it!
I spent waaaaay too long researching this novel, but judging from the reviews, it seems to have paid off. It all started when two completely different ideas collided. I love history and was interested in the Spanish Armada ships that crashed into Irish shores during one of the worst storms in history. Miraculously, a letter from one of the knights who survived, has outlived its author and gives a harrowing account of his time in Ireland. In Galway (where the book is set) there is still a monument to the 300 Spanish sailors who were massacred by the English on Fort Hill cemetery. Through the kindness of strangers, Captain Francisco de Cuéllar was given shelter and managed to return home to Spain (after many adventures!) Here is a trailer for a short film based on his time here, which is kind of amazing because I like to pretend this is a trailer for my book!
Armada 1588 : Shipwreck & Survival (Film Trailer – English) from Omedia on Vimeo.
But of course, that’s not the end of my story. Given my love for timeslip novels (it began with Kate Mosse, blame her!) I wanted to write the story in a format that brought the reader into the present day. I feel so strong that our past is the answer to all of the mysteries we face in our lives and I love exploring those links in fiction. So, when I discovered a book called Many Lives, Many Masters written by the American psychotherapist, Dr. Brian Weiss, I knew I’d found my key. It tells how one of his patients began recalling past-life traumas and through the use of therapy and hypnosis, they resolved to cure her recurring nightmares and anxiety attacks.
Well, I’ve always had an over-active imagination and the idea of remembering past lives really intrigued me. I wonder where I lived, or who I was, in previous lives? Books like Cloud Atlas ignite my passion for this idea and the beauty of it is, no-one can really say for sure whether or not it’s possible… In more recent times, there have been increasing studies into inherited trauma and whether transgenerational inheritance can really affect a person’s biology. But that’s for another story.
For now, I’m just delighted to see my story about past and present lives colliding on the wild shores of the west coast of Ireland finally charting a steady course to a whole new readership. These reader reviews have made my heart soar and reminded me that stories can go on forever and heirlooms are made to be passed on.
“I loved this book! Following the history of Miguel and Annora was fascinating.”
“It almost seemed like two books in one, which is great for avid readers. Skillfully the author links the life stories of four well-developed characters across centuries.”
“Once I started this book I found it difficult to put down. I like the way it slips easily from modern Ireland to the time of the Spanish Armada.”
“A beautiful story of love, loss and courage . This beautiful story wraps history and a great love into one. Good read!”
“Anyone who likes a mystery that takes you to another country plus searching for family tree i could not put this down. 3 o’clock in the morning is not a good time to go to sleep!! loved it.”
Hello my people! Wow, I’ve really abandoned this blog of late. I could blame, you know, the global pandemic and stuff, but the real reason is that I’ve been saving all my writing for my new book (which I am SUPERDOOPER excited about!!) It’s a slightly different genre, no history or magic, but lots of humour and uplifting themes around relationships and finding your place in the world. Sometimes I wonder if it even matters what genre you write, as most writers tend to return to the same themes, no matter what the plot. And my theme is always that of self-discovery, which I think we’ve all done a lot of over the past few months.
When this all started, I did what I usually tend to do in a crisis – ignore it! I figured it wouldn’t affect my lifestyle because I work from home anyway, so what would be the difference? I tuned out the news and escaped into my book. But after a few weeks, I just hit a wall. It became clear that I wasn’t immune to everything that was going on and it was expecting waaay too much of myself to remain unaffected by it. Anyway, I won’t dwell on it, it’s been weird for everyone, but luckily I had these wonderful characters and their story to return to. But – I don’t know if anyone’s told you this – writing is hard! There’s always that doubt in the back of your mind, “Will I finish this? Will it be good enough?” So, when I typed the words ‘The End’ this week, I felt all the feels! It was emotional, joyous, hopeful and kind of surreal. It was really when I printed it out (I find it easier to run through the second draft on paper) that it hit home – I’ve made another book! My fourth!! It’s something like a little miracle.
I don’t know where this story will take me – that’s the joy/uncertainty of being a writer. You just never know. My last book has just hit the shelves in France this summer – I never dreamed in a million years that The Story Collector would be translated into French! La Collectionneuse d’Histoires And now I have a French publisher and a translator! It still hasn’t really sunk in. I had a good feeling about that book when I was writing it and I have a good feeling about this one too. It’s got something special – even though it was (like all books) a challenge to capture the ideas in my head on paper, it sort of flowed too. I just had to be present and let the serendipity happen.
Anyway, that’s what I’ve been doing and I can’t wait to get editing and get this story out there!! I want you all to enjoy this story as much as I have enjoyed writing it – giggling at the funny scenes and tearing up at the emotional bits. It’s a journey. And now my brain wants to outline ideas for book five, because if there is one thing I’ve learned it’s that there will never be a better time to do things than right now. Plus, I feel kind of lonely without a work-in-progress, so when one cast of characters move out, another bunch move in! With more interesting stories to tell and challenges to face. I’m fortunate that I can create fictional worlds in order to better understand this one – giving myself and my readers somewhere to escape to. If we didn’t value storytelling before this, we certainly do now. The arts is what has kept us all going – distracting us, consoling us, entertaining us. So if you’re thinking of writing a story – DO IT NOW! The world needs more stories.
Don’t forget, I have two FREE short stories that you can download now … Betwixt is consistantly in the Top 5 on Amazon and Girl in the Middle is a tongue-in-cheek look at loneliness in the modern world. And if you like those, please buy the other ones/leave a review! x
A quirky short story about a woman who discovers that not all heroes wear capes… some of them don’t even have a pulse. But they do have a name. Gerald.
I wrote a short story! girl in the middle And you can download it, for free, on whatever device you use.
Now, don’t labour under the misapprehension that I wrote this during lockdown. No siree. All I’ve done during lockdown is watch Poldark (because… I’m really interested in 18th century mining?!), curse my sinuses and basically fall apart, in an orderly fashion.
Writing during this time has been like everything else during this time – a mixture of extremes. Either I’m feeling really creative and motivated or I can’t even muster up the enthusiasm to switch on my laptop. I wrote this story last year with the full intention of submitting it for a short story award, but being the success-driven, laser-focused, ambitious writer that I am, I didn’t get around to it 🙂 But I’m so glad I didn’t, because finding it now feels like perfect timing. A gift from past-me to present-me. When I read it again, I found myself laughing out loud and enjoying the quirky characters I created. So I thought, what’s the best way to get this out into the world? Self-publish of course!
Also, it’s been a long time since I’ve released anything and the stuff I’m currently working on is more contemporary and more comedy. That’s the thing with novels – there is sooooooooooooooo much time in between, where your readers probably think you’re dead or off spending your royalties in Mauritius. When really, you’re writing TWO new novels, submitting, waiting, writing, reading, editing, deleting and repeating until another year has gone by and you’ve nothing to show for it. So releasing a little story is a great way to remind people that you’re alive and still writing stories.
And people do love a free book! It’s a great way to discover a new author. Betwixt – my first short story – which is consistently in the Amazon Top 5, is flying off the virtual shelves at the moment. So it’s a win-win, I get to share a bite-size piece of creativity and readers get a free story.
So please share, read, download, whatever it is you crazy kids do and help me to get this story out there. At a very short and sweet 15 pages, girl in the middle is fun, free and uplifting – and we could all do with a bit of that right now.
For so many of us, books have always offered the perfect escape from reality – now more so than ever.
I couldn’t read at all at first – just couldn’t settle down to anything. I spent my days completely distracted and on edge. One morning I spent 10 minutes making porridge, until I realised I hadn’t even switched on the cooker.
Then I picked up an old favourite of mine, One Day by David Nicholls and suddenly I was in a different world, with Dex and Emma and before I knew it, I was snorting out loud, crying, nodding along sagely at how twenty years can change a person.
Anyway, to that end, I’ve made all of my books available to download from Amazon for just £0.99/€0.99/$0.99. Just check out my author page here or try a preview below. Hope you are all hanging in there and finding calm where you can. x
Reading reviews can be a bit of an emotional roller coaster. The warm and fuzzy feeling when someone has connected with your characters; understood what you were trying to do and are happy they bought a ticket to your show. The shock and anger when someone dismisses your work, casually labels it ‘boring’ or the real killer, ‘light reading’. Some authors choose not to read their reviews, which is completely understandable. But for a lot of us, this is the only kind of feedback we get and so we cross our fingers, keep one eye closed and dive in, hoping for the best.
Over time, you come to realise that your book is no longer your private property. It belongs to anyone who hands over their hard-earned cash to buy it and their experience of reading it is unique to them and something you have no control over. This knowledge has given me a certain amount of detachment from reviews. As someone once said, reviews are for the readers and that is as it should be. But does that mean that authors don’t read their reviews?
I remember when I published my first book, The Heirloom. I hoped that people would buy it, read it and with any luck, enjoy it. It took roughly two years to research, write and rewrite. As a newly, self-published author, it took a very long time to get off the ground. If someone had told me back then that people would not only read it, but contact me to say how much they enjoyed it, well, I would have felt like my dreams were coming true.
That’s why I think the recent discussion on Twitter, sparked by an author who said it was ‘rude’ to tag them, is confusing a lot of people. On a basic level, writers write because they want to share a story with the world. Now, they might not care what the world thinks about their story (I’m thinking of Sally Rooney who said in an interview that she doesn’t read reviews or let them hold any sway for her) and that is their right. Writing a book does not automatically lock you into a contract where you have to be open to everyone’s’ opinion on it.
Remember: it’s generally pretty rude to tag authors in book reviews. We’re limited in how we can engage professionally, after all.
However, this is social media. It’s where you come to interact with people and if you’re an author (especially a well-known author), people are going to @ you. I see that Sally Rooney no longer has a Twitter account, which is really the only way to go if you don’t want to be involved in the conversation. I also noticed that Gail Honeyman, author of one of my favourite books, has also been inactive on her account since 2017. Now, I don’t know the reason for this (she’s probably writing another amazing book!) but prior to that, she responded to everyone who tagged her.
Which makes me wonder about the other part of the tweet – how we are limited ‘professionally’. Does this mean that publishers preclude authors from engaging with reviewers? Perhaps that’s a valid point – but I’ve never heard of this being the case and it certainly isn’t for me. In fact, the more interaction the merrier. But I think saying ‘thank you’ or liking a tweet is hardly going to create any conflict of interest. Or is the author referring to negative reviews and the unwritten rule that authors should not engage in online spats about their books (are you listening John Boyne?!) Maybe that is what she meant – it is so difficult to have a nuanced conversation on Twitter.
But speaking of negative reviews – I think it’s safe to assume that most authors do not want to be tagged on those! I saw Erin Morgenstern had to ask people to refrain from tagging her in conversations about how they didn’t really enjoy her new book. That’s just …. shit, really. I don’t know why anyone would want to call an author’s attention to their negative opinion of their book. Where is that conversation going to go? Is the author supposed to apologise? Give up writing?? Of course not. I like to use Goodreads to write my reviews, but I’m always cringing that an author might see the negative ones. Yes, it’s my honest opinion, but I’m not going to draw their attention to it by tagging them.
The fact is, everyone is entitled to make their own boundaries and I respect that. Judging from the comments, most people don’t expect a response from the author anyhow, but it’s nice when it happens. I tag other authors when I’m in love with their book – you can bet your butt I tagged Gail Honeyman with a link to a gushing review on my blog and she said something along the lines of Yay! thanks and we all went home happy. But I have tagged one or two authors who haven’t responded, for whatever reason, and that’s cool too. Maybe we should just agree that it’s not rude to tag and it’s not rude to not reply. Simples.
However, I don’t like the idea of self-appointed spokespeople making sweeping generalisations on behalf of all authors everywhere. We have all taken different paths to this place and some of us see it as a validation of sorts when someone has taken the time to say, hey, nice work.
The point is, don’t tag authors I’m reviews. If we want to see what you have to say we can always come and find it.
Neil Gaiman added his tuppence worth, giving credence to the belief that authors do not want to read their reviews. Again, it came off a little patronising and, as happens on Twitter, we all have knee-jerk reactions. Later, he qualified his comment with the following:
I wasn’t thinking of bloggers and tweeted opinions. More the kind of people who are thrilled to discover a bad review of your latest book in their newspaper and immediately send you a link to it. I don’t want those.
This just goes to show what I believe to be the crux of the issue. Most of us would struggle to get reviewed in the mainstream media. Our aim is to be read by regular readers, not critics. So yeah, of course we want to hear from those people! The day I have a bad review in the Times and someone tags me in it, maybe then I’ll understand the annoyance these writers feel. But you know what? Maybe I won’t, because I’ve had to grow a very thick skin over the years – something all those articles written by publishers and agents tell us we need to do if we want to be authors!
It sometimes feels like all of this advice for writers is being sent in the wrong direction. I’m a fan of Neil Gaiman, but he does not speak for all of us. Just like he didn’t speak for me when he said eBook piracy was ‘an incredibly good thing’. Illegal downloads are having a seriously adverse affect on authors trying to establish a career in the digital age, affecting sales and creating an environment where readers no longer see the value in paying for books. You cannot assume that everyone in this industry is on a level playing field. We are a diverse ecosystem and one of the most integral parts of it are book reviewers/book bloggers. Elizabeth Bear’s tweet was especially dismissive of bloggers who read/review/promote book reviews and naturally tag the author as an FYI.
Whatever the intention was (and I’m learning that your intention can be very much misconstrued on Twitter) it has again highlighted the amount of unpaid work bloggers do with little or no credit. Another tweet (oh my God, I’m spending so much time on Twitter!! Help!) from a book blogger laid out how much time it takes and commitment to keep a blog going and how a simple high five from an author can make it feel worthwhile. It strikes me that in a multi-million euro industry, the people who do all the work get the least reward. Authors receive tiny royalties, have to do their own marketing and bloggers work for the price of a free book.
Anyway, I don’t want to end on a bum note. No-one is forcing us to be here, we do it because we love it, but as in life, it only takes some small courtesies to make it better for everyone. Try to not to illegally download books – I know we’re all on tight budgets, but please borrow from a library instead and if you can, leave a review. Show book bloggers some appreciation by liking their reviews – yes they love books anyway but I can’t imagine having to read loads of books I didn’t choose and then promoting them and promoting other bloggers, all for free! And do tag authors – most of us are not guaranteed newspaper reviews or even book deals. So it’s a lovely boost when someone takes the time to review your book (just don’t share the negative ones with us – no good can come from it!)
As Rebecca Solnit said, a book is a heart that only beats in the chest of another. We need each other.
Well, thank God that’s over. I am now over-weight and reluctant to do anything more taxing than switching channels on the TV. Thanks Christmas, thanks a lot!
But the sanctioned fun isn’t over yet folks, we have the New Year shenanigans to get through first! Although it is a bit exciting this year as we’re entering the 20’s. Still, not as edge-of-the-seat as 1999 when we were all worried about Y2K and the END OF THE WORLD AS WE KNEW IT.
Come what may, we will always have books and speaking of which, this is a little post to highlight the ones I’ve really enjoyed this year (which doesn’t necessarily mean that they’ve been published in 2019 – it’s just that this was the year I finally got round to reading them). I know, it’s an edgy, original concept that no-one else has thought of yet, so I’m thinking this is the post that’s gonna go viral.
A quick glance at Goodreads reveals that I haven’t been a voracious reader this year – as per my previous post, it’s been a funny old 12 months. But what is clear is that my one and only five star rating went to …. (drumroll)
I stumbled across this book quite by accident (which makes it even BETTER!) while scrolling through my library eBook app thingie (BorrowBox). Saw the lovely Carmel Harrington’s quote and thought, yeah, I’ll give this one a go. OMG. You know when you find your book soul mate? Yep, this is THE ONE. I gushed about it in a full, dedicated, book crush post here, but just to give you a quick snifter –
This book is one of those rare treats that can surprise and delight and stretch the boundaries of genre. It’s got EVERYTHING; a little bit of history, a generous helping of clever, wry humour and tons of humanity. The characters manage to avoid the usual tropes and all bring their own very unique personalities to this quirky tale of family, love and finding your path in life.
Next on the list is …
Came across this book thanks to the Reece Witherspoon bookclub. Loved the ‘prickly’ main character immediately – very reminiscent of Eleanor Oliphant, so if you were a fan, this book is for you. I love stories that explore how being set in your ways is fine, but you can’t expect life to play by your rules. Life is chaos, basically, and trying to control things doesn’t always work. Funny, moving and clever, this book gets four stars from me.
Finally, one of my most recent reads (you didn’t think I could go a whole blog post without mention historical fiction, did you??) makes the list …
Hello?? Cover envy – moi? It’s a beautiful book with a story that just reels you in and won’t let go. One of those books you can’t wait to get back to. Wonderfully written and depicted, a bit like Eternal Sunshine for The Spotless Mind but for historical fiction lovers! Lush, unnerving and romantic – this one gets four stars from me (the beginning is a little drawn out, so hang in there!)
So that’s it, I’m sure you will all be compiling your own lists and I can’t wait to read them so I can add to my list for 2020. That’s the only resolution worth trying to keep – oh, that and trying to write a book or two of my own! Best wishes to you all for the coming year, hope it will bring good things for us all 🙂
‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all thro’ the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there…
How can so few words conjure up so much nostalgia and capture our imagination, year in, year out? This much-loved seasonal rhyme is the basis for so much of the folklore surrounding good old Santa Claus – what he looks like, his reindeer names and how he gets down the chimney! But what is especially intriguing is that it was first published anonymously in 1823 and ever since then, the authorship has been somewhat questionable.
Who would have the generosity of spirit to write such a magical poem and never claim the kudos? Well, in 1837 the poem was attributed to the American poet, Clement Clarke Moore (they just don’t name ’em like that these days!) and in 1844 he included the poem in an anthology, claiming his authorship of the poem. However, a professor of English in New York by the name of Donald Foster, challenged the authorship and believes that it was written by Henry Livingston Jr., a New York poet with Dutch and Scottish roots.
Having analysed the text, he was convinced that the phraseology and the optimistic approach was much more consistent with Livingston’s style than Moore’s. But the real argument (in my opinion) is Livingston’s Dutch heritage. The references to Saint Nicholas are very closely related to the Dutch ‘Sinteklaes’ tradition, with the reindeer names originally printed as ‘Dunder and Blixem’, Dutch for thunder and lightening.
Despite the fact that Livingston’s children also claimed that he had read them the poem before its publication, he never claimed authorship himself. Could it be the spirit of Christmas, to gift something so wonderful to the public without seeking recognition? There was even a mock trial held as recently as 2014 in New York, which reached the surprise verdict (hold on to your hats people) that Major Henry Livingston Jr is the true author of ‘Twas the night before Christmas’. Read all about it here http://christmastrial.com/
Maybe it’s just the fact that I always root for the underdog, but for whatever reason, my money is on Livingston. Unless of course it is as Virginia Woolf once said – For most of history, anonymous was a woman. Maybe we’ll never know the true author, but either way, it is the most magical Christmas poem ever written and you can enjoy it in full here.
And if you’re looking for a book to lose yourself in over the holidays, why not get a copy of The Story Collector – there is no authorship controversy and I take full responsibility for the magic that inks every page!
Books, I am learning, have a life of their own. Long after the story has left my pen, I watch it dip and rise on the tides. It amazes me – the power of a book to go on its own journey, as if the author is but a distant spot on the horizon.
Evie Gaughan 