Authors Electric

My May offering is a children's title aimed at readers aged 9+ (or 'middle grade' as it is known in the US). As a fantasy title aimed at younger readers, this one is much closer to my own territory than the books I've reviewed so far this year. But the gorgeous cover complete with golden highlights on the paperback edition caught my adult eye, while the mermaid-themed plot subtly blends fantasy with our real world, making it accessible to readers who might struggle with completely fantasy worlds. Stormswept by Helen Dunmore The island off the coast of Cornwall where our heroine Morveren lives is connected at low tide to the mainland, where she and her twin sister Jenna and their younger brother Digory attend a normal school - no lessons in wizardry or riding broomsticks here! The fantasy happens on their island in a quiet, understated way, when they find a strange boy called Malin injured on the beach after a storm and try to help him. This is complicated because, inste...

Ali Bacon out and about Time was when I regularly listened to audio books  that was when I had a part-time job involving a half-hour commute - perfect for picking up a story and letting go of home or work preoccupations. This was some time ago, of course and my audio books were on cassette - sets of tapes encased in big library boxes and taking several hours of listening. For some reason after I left that job,  and even though I still spent considerable periods driving, I somehow lost the habit of audio books. Possibly this was because I had started writing and spent most journeys worrying over my own characters. Remember these? I do remember the pleasure of those journeys and how the narrat out and aboutor was as important as the book. I discovered a penchant for a quiet American voice, perhaps because I also like quiet American books. and particularly remember losing myself in the cult hit of the time The Bridges of Madison County, to the extent of arriving at wor...