Isabel Costello

LATEST ARTICLES ( 428 )

• Summer Holiday Seven – the Verdict

  

  September is one of my favourite months and having just returned from a glorious fortnight in Provence I’m all fired up for a busy autumn with a big writing... Read more

  Posted on 01 September 2014 BOOKS, CULTURE

• My Poolside TBR List 2014

  

  It’s been a great summer so far. The weather has been fantastic for weeks on end, even in England. In June I went on a solo trip to Paris and Brittany. Read more

  Posted on 05 August 2014 BOOKS, CULTURE

• First Person, First Draft – The Story of a Second Novel

  

  I haven’t posted anything about my writing since the new year, but many of you know my current project is to write the first draft of my second novel in six... Read more

  Posted on 29 July 2014 BOOKS, CULTURE

• Book Review – A Girl is a Half-formed Thing by Eimear McBride

  

  This review and the novel contain strong language.It’s an occupational hazard of literary blogging that people are always asking if you’ve read a particular... Read more

  Posted on 18 July 2014 BOOKS, CULTURE

• Writers on Location – Kerry Hudson on Siberia

  

  It is a huge pleasure to have Kerry Hudson join me on the Literary Sofa today. She burst onto the scene in 2012 with her debut Tony Hogan Bought Me an... Read more

  Posted on 17 July 2014 BOOKS, CULTURE

• Writers on Location – Laura McBride on Las Vegas

  

  The Writers on Location slot returns today and I’m delighted to welcome Laura McBride, debut author of We Are Called to Rise, which is one of my Summer Reads... Read more

  Posted on 09 July 2014 BOOKS, CULTURE

• Guest Author – Linda Grant on The Self in Fiction

  

  Linda Grant is one of the UK’s leading literary novelists and writers of non-fiction. She has been awarded many prizes including the Orange Prize for her... Read more

  Posted on 03 July 2014 BOOKS, CULTURE

• Book Review – The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton

  

  I am writing fewer reviews these days so only pick the books which really stand out for me. That is true of The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton, a debut which is... Read more

  Posted on 30 June 2014 BOOKS, CULTURE

• Coping with Rejection

  

  I recently wrote this article about rejection for a competition and rather fittingly, it didn’t get anywhere. When I was telling some writer friends about this... Read more

  Posted on 27 June 2014 BOOKS, CULTURE

• Guest Author – Carys Bray on Writing About Mormonism

  

  The reasons we read fiction and what we get out of it are numerous and complex. Two things which crop up over and over when discussing books are a need to try t... Read more

  Posted on 24 June 2014 BOOKS, CULTURE

• Guest Author – Jonathan Gibbs on Setting His Debut Novel in the Art World

  

  It’s no surprise that certain subjects and professions lend themselves to fiction better than others. I attended a talk by a top literary agent a few years ago... Read more

  Posted on 15 June 2014 BOOKS, CULTURE

• Guest Author – Anya Lipska: The Challenge of Setting Crime Fiction in London’s...

  

  Crime is rare on the Literary Sofa, but I am not immune to it. I have real admiration for anyone who can write good crime fiction, which seems to demand a... Read more

  Posted on 10 June 2014 BOOKS, CULTURE

• Guest Author – Rachael Dunlop: An Unpublished Novelist Faces Reality

  

  Firstly I want to say thank you for the phenomenal interest in Summer Reads 2014 which has already had over 2,000 hits and made May the busiest month ever on th... Read more

  Posted on 05 June 2014 BOOKS, CULTURE

• Summer Reads 2014

  

  *SEE END OF POST FOR COMPETITION DETAILS*I’m very excited to unveil the Literary Sofa SUMMER READS 2014. From a field of over 50 titles considered, the twelve... Read more

  Posted on 21 May 2014 BOOKS, CULTURE

• Guest Author – Juliet West on Narrative Voice

  

  In the year marking the centenary of the start of World War One I was expecting a flood of historical fiction set during that period but that doesn’t seem to... Read more

  Posted on 14 May 2014 BOOKS, CULTURE

• The Literary Guilt and Inferiority Quiz

  

  Many of you book-lovers will have seen this very interesting, possibly funnier than intended article by the supremely erudite Will Self in The Guardian,... Read more

  Posted on 08 May 2014 BOOKS, CULTURE

• Three Days in Barcelona

  

  If you were in the UK last winter, you’ll remember the rain that went on for months. By January I was googling cheap flights to get away for Easter weekend... Read more

  Posted on 04 May 2014 BOOKS, CULTURE

• Making a Difference – the WoMentoring Project

  

  I’m back on the Literary Sofa after a lovely Easter break in which I got to spend some time with my sons (to my great relief I didn’t have to nag my eldest to... Read more

  Posted on 25 April 2014 BOOKS, CULTURE

• Six Degrees of Separation in Books

  

  Thank you to writers Emma Chapman and Annabel Smith for inviting me to take part in their Six Degrees of Separation blog meme – I say no to these all the time... Read more

  Posted on 07 April 2014 BOOKS, CULTURE

• Book Review – Look Who’s Back by Timur Vermes

  

  This has been quite a week. I’ve had a breakthrough in the planning of my new novel. I read Jenny Offill’s extraordinary Dept. Of Speculation in one sitting... Read more

  Posted on 04 April 2014 BOOKS, CULTURE