Happy Betwixtmas! And welcome to the final weekend miscellany of 2023. Tomorrow, I’ll be posting my favourite reads of the year – I always enjoy the little ritual of sitting down with my year’s reads and reflecting on the highlights. And, of course, putting them in strict order! I try not to think about it too much in advance, so at the time of writing I have no idea what will appear where.
And here, to tide you over the liminal land of new year, is a book, a blog post, and a link…
1.) The link – Miranda asked me to come and talk with her about the British Library Women Writers series, and I had a lovely time chatting with her. You can hear our conversation on her blog.
2.) The book – Barbara Comyns is beloved by the blogosphere, and it seems criminal that there hasn’t been a biography of her to date – but thankfully that is going to change! Avril Horner’s Barbara Comyns: A Savage Innocence will be coming out in March 2024. I have a review proof copy that I’m really looking forward to diving into.
3.) The blog post – I always enjoy bloggers’ end-of-year lists. Of course, I want everyone to put books in a particular order, but I am a open-minded man and can also enjoy the ones which are in no particular order. Jacqui divides her best books into new releases and backlisted titles – and, of course, it’s the backlisted titles I’m most interested in.
Bonus blog post: Ali’s year of reading Margaret Drabble!
See you tomorrow with my top ten! Or my top 12, if I can’t whittle is down sufficiently…
I look forward to your best of list SO MUCH. Last year you introduced me to A Jest of God by Canadian writer Margaret Laurence and a wonderful year of reading all her books. I can’t thank you enough.
Many thanks for including a link to my backlist/reissues of the year! Funnily enough, I’m thinking of going back to reading more ‘old’ books next year as much of the contemporary fiction I read in 2023 left me feeling a bit underwhelmed. There were exceptions of course, but deep down my heart belongs to the mid-20th century. :)
Like Barbara, I’m very much looking forward to your end-of-year list – it’s always one of my favourites!
Happy Betwixmas to you too and many thanks for this generous weekend miscellany – like an extra Christmas present! I am very much looking forward to listening to you and Miranda talking about BLWW series, hopefully later today; I loved the photos on that link – what a gorgeous place Miranda has!
Thanks for the heads up re the Comyns bio.
I feel well set for 2024 reading, as I had already enjoyed and taken inspiration from Jacqui’s post and signed up to read a Drabble alongside Ali. However, I am sure | will add more books to the list once I read your, much anticipated, end-of-year list. Several of my favourite reads of 2023 were prompted by your 2022 list!
I am so looking forward to that Barbara Comyns biography. I love her so much and this book is highly anticipated.
Thanks for linking to my Margaret Drabble Post.
Happy New Year.