Pages

▼
Monday, 27 April 2026

The comfort of unlikeable characters and why we do not need to like who we read about

›
There is a particular kind of discomfort that comes from spending time with characters you do not especially like. They make poor decisions....
Sunday, 19 April 2026

Why it is time to go deeper into the big Russian novels

›
If White Nights was your way into Dostoevsky, and Notes from Underground was the book that made you realise Russian fiction could feel unn...
Friday, 10 April 2026

The return of the reader as tastemaker

›
For years, literary taste was often imagined as something that travelled downwards. Review sections, prize lists, critics, established media...
Sunday, 5 April 2026

Seven Joan Didion quotes that reveal what made her writing so singular

›
Joan Didion is one of those writers whose lines seem to follow you around. There are lines I have read, then underlined, then found again ye...
Friday, 3 April 2026

Are readers craving seriousness again?

›
For a while, it seemed as if everything in reading culture had to arrive pre-translated into momentum. The hook had to be immediate. The con...
Sunday, 29 March 2026

What makes a distinctive sentence?

›
There are some writers I can recognise within a paragraph. Occasionally within a line. Not because they repeat themselves, and not because t...
Tuesday, 24 March 2026

The comfort reread, and what it says about your life right now

›
I have a small, slightly embarrassing ritual. When I can’t decide what to read next, I reread something I already know. Sometimes it is one ...
Friday, 20 March 2026

Why the literary middle is disappearing, and what it means for readers

›
There is a particular kind of book I worry about more and more. It is not the huge publishing event novel with a six-figure campaign and a t...
Wednesday, 11 March 2026

The BookTok canon is getting older, and that is not an accident

›
There is a particular kind of TikTok video that makes me laugh and then immediately makes me suspicious. You know the one. Someone holds up ...
Saturday, 7 March 2026

Reading slumps are not a personal failing

›
A reading slump has a particular way of messing with your self-image. It is not just that you are not reading. It is that you feel like you ...
Wednesday, 4 March 2026

The book hangover, and how to live with it

›
There should be a better word for the feeling you get after finishing a brilliant book. “Book hangover” is the closest we have, but it is sl...
Friday, 27 February 2026

The setting as a character, and why the places in some novels stay with you

›
Some books leave you with a plot. Others leave you with a place. You finish the last page and realise what you miss most is not the twist or...
Tuesday, 24 February 2026

10 UK literary agents currently open to literary fiction submissions (2026)

›
Literary fiction remains one of the most competitive categories in UK publishing. It is also one of the most subjective. Agents looking for...
Monday, 23 February 2026

10 UK literary agents looking for commercial fiction (2026 guide)

›
Commercial fiction is one of the most competitive areas of the UK publishing market. It is also one of the most dynamic. If you’re writing ...
Saturday, 21 February 2026

10 UK literary agents currently open to women’s fiction submissions (2026)

›
Women’s fiction continues to dominate the commercial fiction market in the UK. Often centred on women’s lives, relationships...
Thursday, 19 February 2026

The two Kate Atkinson books we should talk about much more

›
There are books that arrive with a chorus of approval already attached to them. You can hear the noise before you even turn the first page: ...

10 UK literary agents currently open to Young Adult (YA) fiction submissions (2026)

›
Young Adult fiction remains one of the most dynamic areas of the UK publishing market. From contemporary issue-led novels to fantasy, dystop...
Wednesday, 18 February 2026

When books become screen dreams: adaptations that make us reread

›
There is a particular moment that happens when a beloved book is announced for adaptation. Excitement flickers. Then dread. Then the quiet,...
Tuesday, 17 February 2026

10 UK literary agents currently open to science fiction submissions (2026)

›
Science fiction continues to evolve. From climate fiction and dystopian futures to space opera and near-future speculative thrillers, UK age...
Sunday, 15 February 2026

10 UK literary agents currently open to romance fiction submissions (2026)

›
Romance fiction remains one of the most commercially powerful genres in publishing. From contemporary romantic comedies to historical love s...