Books by and for independent women

And Finally…

Everyone’s talking about…

Harry’s all grown up. Everyone’s favourite boy wizard, Harry Potter Daniel Radcliffe is back on the big screen in the adaptation of Susan Hill‘s The Woman in Black. Reactions to the film, which opened last weekend, have been mixed with some people praising Radcliffe’s development into a mature role, some being confused that he didn’t have Ron and Hermione in tow, and some people, well… some people made me want to break things (overheard at my local cinema: “They expect me to be scared? It’s not even in 3D”. I despair!). Whether you are a die-hard fan of Hall’s eerie gothic masterpiece or more than happy for screenwriter Jane Goldman to take more than a few plot liberties, the consensus seems to be that it will scare your socks off. Like a good ghost story should.

In case you missed it…

Jess Haigh’s ‘My three least favourite…fictional couples‘ post got everyone talking on Valentine’s Day, with the comments suggesting everyone from Romeo and Juliet (who should ‘get over themselves’) to Twilight’s miserable pairing of Bella and Edward (who never go out anywhere and need to ‘get off their arses’). Which fictional couple has you throwing your book at the wall?

We also had a nifty Valentine’s promo when you were able to get the Short Stack anthology for just 99p – what better way to rally against the slushiness than by curling up with ten tales of sleaze, zombies and heroines hellbent on vengeance? If you missed getting it, fear not, you can still buy the Kindle edition and the paperback will be soon to follow! (If you can’t wait, we have five copies up for grabs).

In other news…

We like books, we like parties. So we were excited to hear that next Thursday (23rd Feb), Dulwich Books will be hosting a shindig to celebrate the first paperback editions from Slightly Foxed magazine. Ysenda Maxtone Graham will be talking about her memoir-cum-history of St Philip’s school, Mr Tibbits’s Catholic School, and Slightly Foxed editor Gail Pirkis will also be speaking about editing a journal that, in their own words, is ‘more like a bookish friend’ than a regular periodical. What’s more, it’s absolutely free and rounds off Dulwich Books’ Indie Presses Series.

Tomorrow (that’s Saturday for anyone who, like me, doesn’t know if they’re coming or going this week), Glasgow Women’s Library are holding a LGBT History Month Open Day 10am-3pm. They say: “Are you a young lesbian or bi-sexual woman interested in finding out more about the pioneers of the LGBT movement? We are looking to recruit volunteers for the National Lesbian Archive based at the Library and we need you!” If you’re planning on going, you can drop them a line on 0141 248 9969 or register on the site. (If you’re not a member, you can sign up for free).

If you’re on the look out for a bargain, you could head to the Bluecoat in Liverpool for their book fair. It runs from 10.30am to 5pm today and tomorrow packed full of collectors’ editions and second-hand books.

And if you are the organised type and want to get planning ahead, booking is now open for a free ‘Putting the science in fiction’ workshop in Manchester, exploring how science provides challenges and opportunities for the creators of fiction… bringing together leading entertainment professionals, novelists, arts scholars, and scientists. It isn’t until April 25th, but it’s hosted by the British Society for Literature and Science  and places are limited.

Happy weekend!

 Alex Herod

Photo from  Brit.’s Flickr photostream