Isabel Costello

LATEST ARTICLES ( 420 )

• 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

• November 2021 Reading Round-Up

  

  As I’m now hard at work on my new novel as well as my other work, I’ll be posting less often than usual for a while but hopefully the quality of the books I’m... Read more

  Posted on 08 November 2021 BOOKS, CULTURE

• Writers on Location – Peter Papathanasiou on the Australian Outback

  

  The last couple of months seem to have raced by. As usual I’m juggling several projects including a new mentoring role on the Retreat West novel course, which... Read more

  Posted on 27 October 2021 BOOKS, CULTURE

• Book Pitch Spotlight 2021

  

  Following last week’s Ten of my favourite novels of the last ten years, it’s exciting to be doing something new today: hosting my first spotlight on pitches... Read more

  Posted on 06 October 2021 BOOKS, CULTURE

• Ten of My Favourite Novels of the Last Ten Years

  

  There was a lovely response to last week’s post looking back on ten years of the Literary Sofa and since book selections have always been a big part of what I d... Read more

  Posted on 29 September 2021 BOOKS, CULTURE

• 10 Years of the Literary Sofa

  

  This week is the 10th anniversary of the Literary Sofa and this is my third attempt to write something coherent about running the blog. It’s brought on an attac... Read more

  Posted on 22 September 2021 BOOKS, CULTURE

• French Fiction Special Edition

  

  In a normal year about a quarter of my reading is in French but due to the toxic combination of Covid and Brexit, I didn’t read a single French novel in 2020 an... Read more

  Posted on 14 September 2021 BOOKS, CULTURE

• Book Pitch Spotlight – Call for Entries

  

  As part of the Literary Sofa’s fast approaching 10th anniversary celebrations, in early October I’m hoping to dedicate a post to 50-word book pitches* from... Read more

  Posted on 11 September 2021 BOOKS, CULTURE

• Autumn 2021 on the Sofa

  

  It’s great to be back in circulation after a long break from blogging and social media and even better to have got my usual September fired-up feeling back afte... Read more

  Posted on 02 September 2021 BOOKS, CULTURE