Kate Long at Tipton Library - Wednesday 14th May

(Posted Monday January 28, 2008)



Tipton Library is pleased to announce an exciting author event in May.

As part of the BCLIP Big Book Fortnight best selling author Kate Long will be dropping in to talk about her books and life as a writer.

Kate Long was brought up in Lancashire in a small village half-way between Wigan and Bolton. Her book ‘The Bad Mother’s Handbook’ was published in 2004 and became a number one bestseller, serialised on Radio Four’s Book at Bedtime and nominated for a British Book Award. It has also been made into a popular ITV programme.

Her two other novels so far are Swallowing Grandma and Queen Mum both published by Picador. A fourth, The Daughter Game has just been released to critical acclaim

As well as novels, Kate has had short stories published in Woman’s Own, Woman and Home, The Sunday Express magazine and the Sunday Night Book Club anthology.

Tickets for what promises to be an interesting and humorous night are priced at £3 full and £1.50 concessions with concessions available to members of any library reading or writing group.

The event starts at 7.30 pm and to book a ticket or for more details phone the library on 0121 557 1796

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Comment Facility added to Website

(Posted Tuesday January 8, 2008)



A comment facilty has now been added to the news section of the West Midlands Readers’ Network website. Simply click on the link at the end of each news item to read comments or add your own.

If this function works well we may add it to the recommended books section.

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Catherine O'Flynn wins Costa First Novel Award

(Posted Monday January 7, 2008)



Birmingham author Catherine O’Flynn has won the Costa First Novel Award for What Was Lost, her novel published by Tindal Street Press. The judges described it as:

A formidable novel blending humour and pathos in a cleverly constructed and absorbing mystery. An extraordinary book and a superb first novel.

Many readers’ groups in the region will have enjoyed this book, and may possibly have met Catherine (for instance at Birmingham Book Festival’s Readers’ Day in October).

For more information on the Costas go to Costa Book Awards

For more information on Catherine’s book and Tindal Street Press go to Tindal Street Press

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Hereford Readers' Afternoon

(Posted Sunday December 2, 2007)



The Hereford Readers’ Afternoon was a terrific success. Anne-Marie Dossett has written the following short account:

Herefordshire Libraries Readers’ Afternoon

The first Readers’ Afternoon organised by Herefordshire Libraries in Partnership with the West Midlands Readers network took place on Saturday 1st December 2007.

The afternoon featured Clare Brown author of The Creation Myths and Dream Laboratory, both published by Bloomsbury, and Paul McDonald author of Kiss me Softly Amy Turtle and Surviving Sting, both published by Tindal Street Press.

Jonathan Davidson of the West Midlands Readers Network was compere and kept the ambitious programme of discussions and readings almost to the timetable. Despite the fact the it was a very busy weekend in Herefordshire, with lots of Christmas school and village fetes happening and the Hay Festival Winter Weekend, 42 people attended the event.

The afternoon included discussion groups on topics such as Should we take comedy more seriously and Escapism V Reality. Paul McDonald had everyone laughing when he read the opening chapter of one of his novels which was set in a Walsall hospital.

There were four very different presentations called Our Reading Lives, in which people talked about the different stages of their life and what they had been reading. From the tattered childhood picture book to the much-loaned reference book, these short talks really conveyed in their individual ways a passion for books and the wonder of reading. They certainly inspired many in the audience to add yet more titles to their own personal reading lists.

Votes were cast for the best and worst readers’ group book- The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini was the clear winner whilst Toast by Nigel Slater was voted the worst book. There was a literary quiz with a £10 book voucher prize kindly donated by Waterstones.

The majority of people who came to the event were in readers groups already but there were a few people looking to join a group. They will now be put in touch with a suitable local readers group.

The final act came from the Harold Street Readers, when they performed their very own light-hearted poem about readers groups, which they had written especially for the day.

Comments from readers

“ It was enjoyable, informative and fun but I thought it was a shame about the paucity of male readers!! Well done for organising it all; the two authors were great and I found Lara’s reading life talk completely mesmerising”

“It was great to get in some thought-provoking discussion on a weekend, and both authors were interesting and guided the debates well.”

“I hadn’t really known what to expect so it was lovely to be part of a nice friendly crowd of like-minded people and to get to talk and hear about books for a couple of hours!! When you’re organising one in the future I’ll make sure to keep my diary free for it!”

“When are you organising the next one? I will definitely come”

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West Midlands Readers' Network Short Stories

(Posted Wednesday October 17, 2007)



The short stories commissioned by the West Midlands Readers’ Network and BBC Radio Four were recorded in October and will be broadcast from 24th to 28th March 2008 at 3.30pm (Starting with Helen Cross, then Nicola Monaghan, Will Buckingham, Lindsey Davis and Mil Millington).

Copies of these five short stories are now available for readers’ groups in the West Midlands to read and discuss. Please get in touch via the website if you would like copies as word documents. We hope to include all the short stories on this website once they have been broadcast by BBC Radio Four in March 2008.

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