Northern Bookshelf by New Writing North and Durham Book Festival

With details of Festivals and events:

The latest news from New Writing North Welcome to the first issue of Northern Bookshelf, brought to you by New Writing North and Durham Book Festival.  This quarterly newsletter is a place to celebrate exciting new books by northern authors, champion independent northern publishers, and to discuss with book groups, bookshops, libraries and each other what we're reading and which books we really love.  Most of all, we hope you find a good read.  In this issue we cover books that were recently published and those out in December 2017-February 2018. If you're an author, publisher, book group, bookseller or librarian and you'd like to be considered for the next issue, please see details at the end. Giveaway! We have three copies of Devil’s Day by Andrew Michael Hurley to give away. To enter, follow us on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram and tell us what you’re reading using #NorthernBookshelf. Winners will be drawn on 20 December 2017. Thank you to John Murray Press for donating the prize.  What we're reading – The NWN Books of the Year New Writing North staff were asked to choose their Book of the Year. After weeks spent staring into their mulled wine for answers, eyes glazing over in contemplation as they chomp on their mince pies, missing a step in their present wrapping as this frustrating decision overwhelms them, the verdicts are finally in. New Writing North staff...who does the crown go to this year? On our radar  What our chief exec Claire Malcolm is browsing and listening to on the web this winter.  A haunting: I really enjoyed reading Anne Enright’s unnerving story, The Hotel in The New Yorker. It’s part of the series of wonderful podcasts from the New Yorker. I also love their series where writers choose stories from the magazine’s archive to read. Speaking of haunting, the Backlisted episode on Shirley Jackson was great – full of personal facts and fascinating anecdotes.  Too many books: I have too many books (or rather too many books for my house). I’m looking to Emily Temple for advice as she shares the lowdown on how some of our literary stars organise their many books. (P.S. I would like to live in Hanya Yanagihara’s apartment). On balance: Claire Dederer in the Paris Review gives a personal reflection on the critical subject of 2017 – how to square what we now know (or have known but not faced up to for a long time) about certain male artists with our reading and enjoyment of their work? Auden and Anxiety: There is a fascinating look at Auden and his yellow Beetle car in Stop All the Clocks: WH Auden in the Age of Anxiety over on BBC iPlayer, made as part of the BBC’s Contains Strong Language season. Quiz time: It’s practically Christmas and here at NWN we love a good literary quiz. Can you tell your Shakespeare quotes from your Beyonce? Enjoy watching Malorie Blackman and Tracy Chevalier have fun trying. In the run-up to the launch of her debut novel in the UK, award winning writer Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi tells us about the inspiration behind Kintu, writing Uganda and the impact of the North on her writing.  A celebration of North-East England in poetry and song. An eclectic mix of old and new, this anthology edited by Neil Astley is a vibrant record of the region, mapping its rhythm through its people, places, culture, language and history. The first collection of poetry from the late, much-loved author Helen Cadbury. These poems chart the lives of extraordinary, ordinary humans, including the poet herself; but also those she has lived among, observed in the world or discovered in the archives. The latest in Mari Hannah's Matthew Ryan series finds a mysterious offender sending shocking DVDs to Northumbria Police. Directed to crime scenes with no bodies, DS Ryan knows someone is playing games with him – but in order to track the killer he must first find the victims… A nameless, wild girl defies her people after falling in love with a human. Inspired by folklore, Joanne M Harris' dark and magical coming-of-age story follows the girl’s struggle to get revenge and regain her powers. With the strains of folk horror seeping out of the atmospheric moors of Lancashire, Devil's Day is the tale of the lengths a community will go to hang onto the old stories that hold them together in a modern world where we need monsters and devils in order to measure our own goodness. Ottila McGregor is thirty years old and has decided it's time to sort her life out. She's going to quit drinking, stop cheating and finally find true happiness. Easy, right? Of course not. Think 'Emma steeped in ethanol' for this funny, raw novel.  A Roman Road, rooted in superstition, becomes the setting for three intertwined narratives. An ancient boy discovers a terrorist plot; two twenty-first century trauma victims clash; and in a degraded future, a gang of feral children struggle to safety.  Bryan Talbot's anthropomorphic badger detective returns for a final time. A tale of love, treachery and tenacity, Inspector LeBrock finds himself on the run from both police and gangster assassins, as he attempts to outsmart the mastermind crime lord Tiberius Koenig. One night, in a small town in north west England, Arla Macleod bludgeoned her family to death, in an unprovoked attack known as the ‘Macleod Massacre’. Now incarcerated in a mental-health institution, Arla will speak to no one but Scott King, an investigative journalist, whose ‘Six Stories’ podcasts have become an internet sensation. The Tragic Death of Eleanor Marx, Tara Bergin's second collection, is shortlisted for the TS Eliot Prize (to be announced on 15 January 2018) and is a Poetry Book Society recommendation for 2017.  Thanks to Carcanet for allowing us to share Tara's brilliant poem Bride and Moth.  Dead Ink Books Liverpool-based independent publisher Dead Ink Books publishes literary fiction by authors they consider brave, bold and different. From Know Your Place: Essays on the Working Class by the Working Class to Naomi Booth's eco-horror Sealed, 2017 has been an exciting year for Dead Ink. Publisher Nathan Connolly reflects on a successful year and looks ahead to 2018. Poetry Book Society Based in Newcastle, the Poetry Book Society celebrates the best in contemporary poetry every quarter. Alice Mullen recommends books from the North and beyond, plus there's a special offer for our subscribers.  The Book Corner, Halifax The Book Corner is an independent bookshop set in the newly refurbished historic Piece Hall in Halifax. Bookseller Katie Ashwood shares her must-read books of the moment.  New Parents Book Group Helen Parker leads the New Parents Book Group in Newcastle, where novels need to be as fast-paced as a toddler's getaway . Did Solar Bones by Mike McCormack hit the spot? Seven Stories: The National Centre for Children's Books Gift the gift of reading this Christmas with recommendations from one of the finest children's bookshops in the country, housed in the wonderful Seven Stories.  A Winter Showcase of New Writing and Music – Wednesday 13th December, Middleton Hall, Hull A celebration of new voices. The end of Hull 2017 sees the best of this year’s poets, singers, and tale-spinners come together for a night of pure talent. Wordplay: Live Music and Poetry Night – Wednesday 13th December, Square Chapel Café, Halifax Square Chapel café-bar brings to best on the block to Halifax for a night of poetry, performance and live music. Open-mic slots up for grabs. Flambard Poetry Prize Award Ceremony – Thursday 14th December, Culture Lab, Newcastle University The announcement of this year’s Flambard Poetry Prize winner, with readings from judges Rebecca Goss and Ellen Phethean. Lemn Sissay: Something Dark – Thursday 25th January, Coliseum Theatre, Oldham The critically acclaimed performance, Something Dark tells the story of Lemn Sissay’s upbringing in children’s homes and foster care in Lancashire, and the search for his family and true identity. Author and World: Paul Muldoon & Michael Krüger – Thursday 25th January, The Storey, Lancaster See Lancaster academic and poet Paul Muldoon in conversation with fellow poet Michael Krüger. An Evening with Joanna Trollope – Tuesday 20th February, Teesside High School DRAKE The Bookshop presents an evening with the internationally best-selling author Joanna Trollope. Paul Anthony Jones aka @HaggardHawks and the author of The Cabinet of Linguistic Curiosities: A Yearbook of Forgotten Words, brings us 15 Winter Words Worth Remembering to get us through the cold and slightly chaotic season. Enjoy!  Northern Bookshelf is published by New Writing North and Durham Book Festival. If you have news about books by northern authors or you would like to recommend books as a bookseller, librarian, book group or reader, please contact charlotte@newwritingnorth.com. The next issue will be published in March 2018 and will cover March-May 2018. The deadline for receipt of information for the next newsletter is 16 February 2018. While every effort has been made to ensure that the information contained in this newsletter is correct at the time of going to press, things do change, frequently at the last minute and very often without our knowledge. New Writing North PO Box 1277, Newcastle upon Tyne NE99 5BP Tel: 0191 204 8850 office@newwritingnorth.com     Like     Tweet     Forward