Isabel Costello

LATEST ARTICLES ( 428 )

• My Books of 2022

  

  Hello and happy new year! After a four-year tsunami of personal crap no novelist would get away with in a book, 2022 was a really eventful and positive year... Read more

  Posted on 03 January 2023 BOOKS, CULTURE

• Reading in the Interest of Writing

  

  When I set out to write this as a regular round-up and it felt really flat I put it down to being out of practice – followers of the blog may have noticed that ... Read more

  Posted on 25 October 2022 BOOKS, CULTURE

• Visible and Vocal – a Post for Bi Visibility Day 2022

  

  I haven’t posted anything of substance for two months but today is Bi Visibility Day all over the world and a milestone in my world, as the first time I’ve... Read more

  Posted on 23 September 2022 BOOKS, CULTURE

• September – First Drafts and Fresh Starts

  

  Hello and happy September! Thought it was about time I showed my face after a long break from the blog. I hope you’ve had a good summer. Read more

  Posted on 05 September 2022 BOOKS, CULTURE

• Summer Reads Extras 2022

  

  Welcome to the second instalment of my 2022 Summer Reads – shorter than the original selection but right up there on quality with the bonus of two titles... Read more

  Posted on 12 July 2022 BOOKS, CULTURE

• Guest Author – Lynn Bushell on Being an Artist Writing About Artists

  

  We all have subjects we’re particuarly drawn to and in the almost 11 years I’ve been running this blog, novels about art and artists, real or fictional, are... Read more

  Posted on 11 July 2022 BOOKS, CULTURE

• Guest Author – Julie Owen Moylan on Women and Shame

  

  A big thank you for the enthusiastic response to the first part of my Summer Reads selection last week. I’ve been doing this for over ten years and it’s... Read more

  Posted on 14 June 2022 BOOKS, CULTURE

• Summer Reads 2022

  

  Hi and welcome to the first part of my Summer Reads selection that’s less about sun, beaches and cocktails – great as they are – and more about these being the... Read more

  Posted on 08 June 2022 BOOKS, CULTURE

• Scent Paperback Publication Day

  

  You’re joining me on a very happy day as the paperback edition of my second novel Scent is released. It’s had a gorgeous summery makeover by designer Jamie... Read more

  Posted on 19 May 2022 BOOKS, CULTURE

• Writers on Location – Melissa Fu on Western China

  

  It’s suddenly gone a bit ‘London buses’ here – less than a week after Ethan Joella’s beautiful piece on how personal grief inspired his debut novel A Little... Read more

  Posted on 27 April 2022 BOOKS, CULTURE

• Guest Author – Ethan Joella: How Personal Grief Inspired a Debut Novel

  

  Now it feels like spring is here to stay and I hope you’ve enjoyed some sunshine and time off over the holidays. Today I’m joined by fellow Muswell Press... Read more

  Posted on 23 April 2022 BOOKS, CULTURE

• Scent – Paperback Cover Reveal

  

  As promised a few weeks ago, today I’m very excited to share the cover for the paperback of my second novel Scent, which will be published on 19 May. Read more

  Posted on 30 March 2022 BOOKS, CULTURE

• Writers on Location – Sophie Haydock on Vienna

  

  It’s such a joy to be hosting Sophie Haydock on the day her stunning debut novel The Flames is published. The buzz surrounding this book about the four muses... Read more

  Posted on 16 March 2022 BOOKS, CULTURE

• February 2022 Round-up

  

  Due to my lack of activity on the blog lately – you know there’s too much going on when you’re posting your February content in March – I decided to throw... Read more

  Posted on 01 March 2022 BOOKS, CULTURE

• Guest Author – Jon Ransom on Three Unspoken Words

  

  Today I’m hosting the first guest post of 2022 and it’s a huge pleasure to welcome fellow Muswell Press author Jon Ransom whose debut novel The Whale Tattoo... Read more

  Posted on 02 February 2022 BOOKS, CULTURE

• Books of 2021 – Non-fiction

  

  Following December’s post on my top novels of 2021 and a (mostly) nice long break, it’s great to start 2022 on the blog with my 8 personal favourite... Read more

  Posted on 12 January 2022 BOOKS, CULTURE

• A New Year on the Sofa

  

  Happy new year! This one has to be easier, right? I know it doesn’t work like that but I’m feeling optimistic. Last year showed me that positive things do happe... Read more

  Posted on 05 January 2022 BOOKS, CULTURE

• My Books of 2021 – Fiction

  

  It’s strange looking back on something nobody wanted: a full year of pandemic. Doesn’t 2021 feel like it’s been dragging on forever? Despite everything, it’s... Read more

  Posted on 07 December 2021 BOOKS, CULTURE

• Sunburnt Saints – An Anthology of Climate Fiction

  

  Q A with Andy Leach and Hannah Persaud, Founders of Seventy2OneNovember has flashed by since my Reading Round-up early on. Read more

  Posted on 30 November 2021 BOOKS, CULTURE

• Queer Life, Queer Love: an Anthology

  

  This week’s unashamedly subjective post is all about a fantastic queer book which includes my first published poem as one tiny part (there’s a sentence I never... Read more

  Posted on 17 November 2021 BOOKS, CULTURE