Later this week the town will no doubt be painted green in honour of the Patron Saint of Ireland. Did you know Saint Patrick’s Day is celebrated in more countries than any other national festival? Did you also know that four Irish writers have been…
Keep a careful look out this week and you may spot the Gangsta Granny, Harry Potter, Where’s Wally, The Gruffalo and many other fictional characters making their way to school. Yes, Thursday 7th March is World Book Day and children will be dressing up to…
I like to try a book that’s been shortlisted for the Booker Prize – in 2018 in this case. Without giving too much away this is an updated version of a classic Greek tragedy. It manages to conjure a way of life on the rivers…
I am a volunteer at the wonderful Jesmond Library. I had been considering getting involved for some time and after a period of well-organised training am now reasonably adept at wielding the date stamp. But there is a lot more to it than simply meeting…
Rachel Kushner’s novel The Mars Room focuses primarily on a young mother named Romy Hall who is serving a life sentence in jail. Romy’s experiences are rendered in unflinching detail, tacking between the circumstances that led to her criminal conviction and the reality of life…
