Isabel Costello

LATEST ARTICLES ( 428 )

• My Poolside TBR List 2012

  

  I’ve been amazed at the interest in my Top 10 Summer Reads 2012 – 3,000 hits and counting! The thing is, I’ve already read them, so for my long-anticipated two... Read more

  Posted on 10 August 2012 BOOKS

• Book Review – The Lighthouse by Alison Moore

  

  Less than 24 hours ago, an advance copy of The Lighthouse by Alison Moore dropped onto my doormat. I have read it. Writing a review wasn’t on my list of things... Read more

  Posted on 07 August 2012 BOOKS

• Guest Author – Susanna Quinn on The Secrets of Plotting a Novel

  

  I’m very pleased to welcome to my Literary Sofa Glass Geishas author Susanna Quinn, who has generously decided to reveal the plot secrets that helped her get... Read more

  Posted on 06 August 2012 BOOKS

• Book Review – Canada by Richard Ford

  

  In my Book Review: The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides I talked about the fear and apprehension that sometimes come with reading something new by a... Read more

  Posted on 31 July 2012 BOOKS

• A Year Online

  

  It’s a year since my friend Louise Millar persuaded me to start using Twitter. Her debut novel The Playdate, was still nine months away from publication and... Read more

  Posted on 22 July 2012 BOOKS

• Guest Author Interview – Harry Bingham on Writing Crime

  

  Harry Bingham is the founder of Writers’ Workshop and the York Festival of Writing. He’s also the author of multiple works of fiction and non-fiction,... Read more

  Posted on 17 July 2012 BOOKS

• Not About Rejection

  

  I’m writing this post on impulse, before I have a chance to change my mind. Please note the title, because I put some thought into that: it’s not a post about... Read more

  Posted on 10 July 2012 BOOKS

• Guest Author – Suzanne Joinson on the Challenges Facing New Writers

  

  I’m very pleased that Suzanne Joinson is visiting me On The Literary Sofa as part of her blog tour to mark the release of A Lady Cyclist’s Guide to Kashgar. Read more

  Posted on 09 July 2012 BOOKS

• Online Book Reviews – The Good, the Bad and the Downright Nasty

  

  My favourite reading cornerI’m writing this piece from a slightly uncomfortable position on the fence that separates readers and writers. Read more

  Posted on 03 July 2012 BOOKS

• Things I Love and Hate About the London Underground

  

  Life’s a bit hectic with my new manuscript at the moment (up to chapter 6 already!)– no time for features, hence this week’s non-bookish offering. Read more

  Posted on 26 June 2012 BOOKS, SELF EXPRESSION

• Book Review – The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker

  

  I’ve never posted a review on the day a novel is published before, but I’ve been excited about The Age of Miracles since I first heard about it last year and... Read more

  Posted on 21 June 2012 BOOKS

• A Summer’s Afternoon in Marylebone

  

  It says something about this year’s so-called ‘summer’ in the UK that an afternoon out in my home city without getting soaked merits a blog post, but this, in... Read more

  Posted on 18 June 2012 BOOKS

• Guest Author – Wendy Wallace on Being a Debut Novelist

  

  Many thanks to Wendy Wallace, author of one of my Top 10 Summer Reads 2012 The Painted Bridge, for writing the first in a new series of Guest Author posts for m... Read more

  Posted on 11 June 2012 BOOKS

• Guest Author – Wendy Wallace on Being a Debut Author

  

  Many thanks to Wendy Wallace, author of one of my Top 10 Summer Reads 2012 The Painted Bridge, for writing the first in a new series of Guest Author posts for m... Read more

  Posted on 11 June 2012 BOOKS

• Taking No Prisoners – My View of Fifty Shades of Grey

  

  Warning: This article makes reference to sexually explicit material.By the time I finished the first chapter of E L James’s Fifty Shades of Grey, two things wer... Read more

  Posted on 30 May 2012 BOOKS

• Book Review – Arcadia by Lauren Groff

  

  The question of what literary fiction is, or isn’t, is one that both frustrates and fascinates me. I’ve read many novels designated literary and not understood... Read more

  Posted on 26 May 2012 BOOKS

• Top 10 Summer Reads 2012

  

  Welcome to my Top 10 Summer Reads 2012.  Competition has been fierce and the list could have been five times longer, but I hope my selection has something to... Read more

  Posted on 15 May 2012 BOOKS

• Book Review – The Light Between Oceans by M L Stedman

  

  Sometimes you just get a feeling about a book. As I mentioned in a recent post Book Titles – (Don’t) Call It What You Like, I wanted to read The Light Between... Read more

  Posted on 10 May 2012 BOOKS

• A World Away – Geographical Settings in Fiction

  

  Every time I write a new piece for my blog I end up with ideas for two or three more! I’m now compiling my Top 10 Summer Reads listing (coming 18 May) and I’m... Read more

  Posted on 05 May 2012 BOOKS

• Book Review – The Last Summer by Judith Kinghorn

  

  When a review copy of Judith Kinghorn’s debut The Last Summer found its way to me just before Christmas, I had only recently published my Fiction Hot Picks for... Read more

  Posted on 26 April 2012 BOOKS