Read This: Sarah Leipciger’s recommends three books which are hidden gems

/ Claire Fuller / 27 Comments

Read This is a weekly post written by a guest author – often a friend of mine, or someone I’ve met on my writerly travels, who recommends three books that they think deserve more recognition. If you’re interested in buying any of the books, please on the covers and give these hidden gems some love.

Read This: Sarah Leipciger

I first met Sarah back in 2016 when we appeared at bookshop event together talking about our debut novels. I’ve loved all of hers, but especially her third, Moon Road. You can see the breakfast picture I took of it and read my brief review on Instagram here. And I’m delighted and proud that the quote I wrote for the book made it to the front cover. Here’s a bit more about her:

Sarah Leipciger has written three novels, The Mountain Can Wait, Coming Up for Air (currently being adapted as an opera with the Leipzig Opera House), and now Moon Road, published spring 2024. Sarah is an Associate Lecturer on the MA in Creative Writing at Birkbeck University and also teaches at City Lit, London. She is undertaking a PhD in Creative Writing at Goldsmiths University and is currently researching her fourth novel, which means she gets to read about bootlegging, rum running, lake folklore and drafty old penitentiaries

You can find her on Instagram and X (Twitter). Here are Sarah’s recommendations:

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The Memory of Animals, a novel about love and survival is published in paperback in the UK

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The Memory of Animals is published in paperback in the UK today, 4th July. There might be other things on people’s minds on the day of the general election, but I’m delighted to see this novel about love, survival and octopuses out in the world. I’ve heard from my editor at Fig Tree Penguin that lots of copies have gone out to Waterstones, and independent bookshops, and of course there are plenty of places online to buy a copy.

Click here to buy a copy from Bookshop.org

Newsletter giveaway
I’ll be running a giveaway for a signed copy to a UK-based reader on my newsletter. So sign up here.

Instagram collaborations
I’m very excited to be collaborating with four fantastic authors over the next four weeks on Instagram to giveaway copies of their novels and The Memory of Animals. I’ll be starting next week with Sarah Freethy, the author of the fabulous The Porcelain Maker, and culminating in a very exciting giveaway in conjunction with my publisher. So do follow me on Instagram.

Book club visits
If your book club would like to read The Memory of Animals (lots of meaty themes and issues to discuss) I’d be delighted to visit your group when you meet to discuss it, either in person if you’re in Hampshire, or online. All I ask in return is a donation (of any amount) to Read Easy Winchester – an organisation that helps adults learn to read. Drop me a line to discuss further.

Book club questions and signed bookplates
If you would like book club questions for The Memory of Animals (or any of my previous novels), or signed bookplates, please get in touch. No charge, but I would appreciate a small donation to Read Easy Winchester.

Event in Wendover, Buckinghamshire
I’m delighted to be celebrating the publication of the paperback with an event at Real Magic Books in Wendover, Buckinghamshire on 9th July. Tickets and more information here.

Read This: Francesca Ramsay recommends three under-rated books

/ Claire Fuller / 26 Comments

Read This is a weekly post written by a guest author – often a friend of mine, or someone I’ve met on my writerly travels, who recommends three books that they think deserve more recognition. If you’re interested in buying any of the books, please on the covers and give these hidden gems some love.

Read This: Francesca Ramsay

Here’s the disclaimer: Francesca is a friend of my son’s and it was via him that I was sent her book. Of course it doesn’t always work out when you’re sent a book via a friend or relation but this time it did. I loved Pinch Me, and you can see the breakfast picture I took of it and read my brief review on Instagram here. And only a couple of weeks ago I finally met her in real life when I was in Bristol with Henry. She’s as lovely in real life as she is on the page. Here’s a bit more about her:

Francesca Ramsay is an author, editor and art history teacher based in Bristol. Often working at the interface between art and the public has made her adept at writing about what we see in ways that are both accessible and entertaining. Her first book, PINCH ME: Trying to Feel Real in the 21st Century came out last year, and has recently been published in Italian as Toccami (Touch Me). 

You can find her on Instagram. Here are Francesca’s recommendations:

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Read This: Three Undiscovered Gems Selected by Louise Morrish

/ Claire Fuller / 36 Comments

Read This is a weekly post written by a guest author – often a friend of mine, or someone I’ve met on my writerly travels, each of whom recommends three books that they think deserve more recognition. If you’re interested in buying any of the books, please on the covers and give these under-rated books some love.

Read This: Louise Morrish recommends three under-rated books

Louise and I got to know each other after she invited me to come to her book group which was reading Unsettled Ground. She is incredibly generous with her support for other published writers and those just starting out, and does a lot of work with the wonderful Goldfinch Books in Alton. Here’s a bit more about her:

Louise Morrish is an author and librarian from Hampshire. She writes stories inspired by the lives of women in the past, who achieved extraordinary things, but whom history has forgotten. Her debut novel, Operation Moonlight, won the Penguin Random House First Novel competition and was published in 2022. Louise’s next novel, Women of War, will be published next year. It is based on the real life adventures of two women in World War One – Dr Louisa Garrett Anderson and Dorothy Lawrence – who defied the limits placed upon them by the patriarchy, and ultimately achieved their dreams.

Passionate about books, Louise also loves to trail run. You can find her at louisemorrish.com, on X, on Instagram and Facebook. Here are Louise’s recommendations:

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The Memory of Animals: Paperback Publication Day in North America | Claire Fuller

/ Claire Fuller / 1 Comment

I couldn’t get a deer for my publication day image, so a couple of goats kissing will have to do. These two live at the end of my garden in a neighbour’s meadow, and when she goes away, I get to feed them. I don’t know their proper names but we call them The Fonz and Lady.

But I’m not here to tell you about goats, no matter how much I love them, instead I’m here to tell you that it’s paperback publication day for The Memory of Animals in North America. The jacket is still that wonderful hyper-realist painting of a deer with coral growing up its legs by Lisa Ericson, designed by Beth Steidle. So thanks to her and all the wonderful people at Tin House.

The paperback is available to buy from all bookshops and online, or if you fancy entering my giveaway on Instagram for a North American reader to get a signed copy, click here.

If you do spot the book in your local bookstore, don’t forget to take a picture and send it to me.

Happy reading!

Claire

Winchester Books Festival Big Book Club Read

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Did you know that Winchester Books Festival is organising a Big Book Club Read? On 21st April we’ll be gathering at The ARC in Winchester to discuss Alice Peterson’s novel, The Saturday Place, with Alice in attendance. Bring your whole book club or come on your own – everyone is welcome. I’ll be hosting the event, but I hope that most of the questions will come from the audience, just like a big book club.

‘Upifting, heartwarming and mouth-watering, The Saturday Place is the kind of book we all need now. A tale of friendship and food, it’s bursting with optimism and love. Charming.’ Veronica Henry author of The Secret Beach

‘A tender story of hope, friendship and the power of community.’ – Emily Houghton author of Before I Saw You

‘A warm, wise and really special book… I absolutely loved it.’ – Katy Regan author of Little Big Love

Three perfect strangers who help each other to believe in love again

Holly’s husband died, and she’s lonely. She needs to do something to save herself, quickly. Next thing she knows she’s interviewing for a voluntary cooking job, surprised to be ambushed by a scruffy man who looks like he has a past.

Angus has messed up. He’s lost the respect of his family and has none for himself. If it weren’t for his brother and friend who run the café, he’d be sleeping on the streets. Angus is about ready to give up – until he meets Holly, who sparks something in him.

Then Lauren arrives from the homeless shelter. She came to London with nothing but an old train ticket, a teddy bear, and the clothes on her back. With no family, no home, no friends, she doesn’t know what love is. People scare her. She’s terrified of Angus and Holly. At first.

Each of them finds themselves in the Saturday cafe at a time when they need something to grab hold of. It might have to be each other?

We’ll be discussing the book with Alice, including spoilers, so best if you’ve read it first. It’s available from P&G Wells, or there are some book sets available from Winchester library.

Book your ticket for the event, and come with your questions. See you there!

Cabinet Rooms Book Club

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Welcome to the Cabinet Rooms Book Club list. If you’d like to buy any of these books, future or past while supporting The Cabinet Rooms, you can do so here. To book a ticket for a book club, click here.

15 Dec 26They by Kay Dick
18 Nov 26The Hunger by Alma Katsu
7 Oct 26The Spoiled Heart by Sunjeev Sahota
26 Aug 26Hunger and Thirst by Claire Fuller
15 July 26The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers
3 June 26Lost on Mars by Paul Magrs
22 April 26Small Bomb at Dimperley by Lissa Evans (WBF)
11 March 26The Rest of Our Lives by Ben Markovits6.5
28 Jan 26The Young Accomplice by Benjamin Wood6.4
Read Along 25Lonesome Dove9.8
Dec 25Kalmann by Joachim B. Schmidt (Marcus)5.9
Nov 25The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters8.4
Oct 25Beloved by Toni Morrison (Gary)7.3
Aug 25A Pale View of Hills by Kazuo Ishiguro (est. forgot to write the score)6.8
July 25Mrs Caliban by Rachel Ingells6.9
June 25The Friend by Sigrid Nunez5.9
April 25A Wreath for the Enemy by Pamela Frankau (Tim)7.0
March 25My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante (Sam)6.0
Jan 25Olga Dies Dreaming by Xochitl Gonzalez (Ellie)6.4
Dec 24The Behaviour of Moths by Poppy Adams (Emma)5.6
Nov 24Things We Say in the Dark by Kirsty Logan5.0
Sept / Oct 24Black Narcissus by Rumer Godden6.8
Aug 2024Guapa by Saleem Hadad6.1
July 2024Birdeye by Judith Heneghan (Judith will be attending)–
May 2024The Yield by Tara June Winch6.4
Apr 2024Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie5.7
Feb 2024Lord Jim at Home by Dinah Brooke 7.7
Jan 2024The Satsuma Complex by Bob Mortimer (3.7) + (6.4)4.7
Dec 2023Small Things Like These by Clare Keegan7.8
Nov 2023Swan Song by Kerry Andrew5.1
Sept 2023The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai8.5
July 2023The Memory of Animals by Claire Fuller–
June 2023Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf7.8
May 2023Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler5.7
Apr 2023I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai7.9
Mar 2023The Dud Avocado by Elaine Dundy5.2
Jan 2023The Bees by Laline Paull4.5
Dec 2022When the Night Comes by Favel Parrett6.2
Nov 2022The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri6.6
Sept 2022Early Morning Riser by Katherine Heiny8.2
?Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson4.2
Mar 2022Inlands by Elin Willows8.7
Feb 2022Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin7.6
Nov 2021Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia2.0
Sept 2021Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam8.6
July 2021The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett6.2
?In a Strange Room by Damon Galgut8.0
Apr 2021Unsettled Ground by Claire Fuller–
Mar 2021The Testaments by Margaret Atwood?
June 2020A Ladder to the Sky by John Boyne?
Apr 2020Severence by Ling Ma8.6
Feb 2020Everything Will be All Right by Tessa Hadley
Dec 2019Get in Trouble by Kelly Link
Oct 2019We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson
Feb 2019Dadland by Keggie Carew
Dec 2018Bitter by Francesca Jakobi
Oct 2018Bitter Orange by Claire Fuller

Teaching Editing at Arvon, May 2024

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Are you currently editing a novel or some non-fiction? In May 2024 I’ll be teaching on an Arvon residential writing week on how to edit fiction and non-fiction, alongside fellow writer, Adam Weymouth. Adam’s first book, Kings of the Yukon, tells the story of his 2000 mile canoe trip down the Yukon River through Canada and Alaska.

From a developmental review to the fine detail of the line edit, from comprehensive rewrites to the final polish, using exercises, readings, discussions and tutorials, we’ll share techniques, tips and best practices which will help you hone your voice, clarify your thoughts and transform your writing. Along the way, we’ll talk about the detail of hitting word-editing counts, creating and working with book maps, and how to break down your edit into manageable tasks. You will leave with a better understanding of how to know what needs changing, and how to know when it’s done. Whether you’re already published or just starting out, this course is for anyone with a draft that they want to bring to its best.

The week includes group teaching, workshops, one-to-ones with the tutors, as well as evening activities, accommodation and all meals. This writing week is held at wonderful house called The Hurst set in beautiful and inspirational grounds in Shropshire.

Arvon residential weeks are immersive, energising, and great fun!

More information / to book.

Alice Winn author of In Memoriam, in Winchester

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I’m absolutely delighted to be interviewing Alice Winn about her wonderful novel, In Memoriam, in Winchester on Thursday 21st March. In Memoriam is a searing love story between two men with WWI backdrop, and it won the Waterstones Novel of the Year 2023. Alice is over from Brooklyn for the paperback release and is only doing a few dates, so I’m very excited that she’ll be in Hampshire for an early event with Winchester Books Festival.

Tickets are on sale now.

Quay Words Hothouse: A three-day course for emerging writers

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I’m excited to let you know that I’ve been invited by Quay Words to host a three-day course for emerging writers with a focus on developing characters in your fiction. We’ll be discussing how to create ‘real’ characters on the page, looking at some published examples, workshopping pieces of writing, and doing some writing exercises.

It will take place in Exeter Custom House, Exeter, Devon, 26th to 28th April. The writers are selected via applications, and applications close on 10th March – so be quick! You can find more information about the course, how to apply, and costs here: https://quaywords.org.uk/take-part/hothouse-with-claire-fuller/