I very much admired Anthony Shapland's taut, lyrical & political debut novel, A Room Above A Shop. Here's my review in the Guardian

In a Deep Blue Hour by Peter Stamm (translated by Michael Hofmann) is a very good novel about a novelist. Read my review in the TLS here

Last call for this: The Republic of Consciousness 2025 shortlist readings at the Deptford Lounge 6.45-8.30pm tonight, 13th March. I'll be there with fellow judges Alice Jolly & Houman Barekat & writers, translators & publishers inc Les Fugitives, Peninsula, CB Editions, Divided & Bullaun Press. Tickets here

I reviewed Hugh Thomson's wonderful counterfactual Byron novel, Viva Byron!, which imagines what would have happened if Lord Byron had gone to fight for Simon Bolivar and not for the Greek War of Independence. It you know your Romantics, this one's for you. Read my Spectator piece here 

For February's Substack I wrote about the perennial problem of how to start. Read Beginning: Conquering the Blank Page for free here

My first Substack of the year goes the full Nigel Slater. I wrote about surviving the culinary delights of the 1970s in About a Boyhood. Read it for free here

Tremendously proud to be one of the judges for the 2025 REPUBLIC OF CONSCIOUSNESS PRIZE. Here's the 10-strong longlist. An impossible choice, and so many books narrowly missed inclusion. But it represents some of the best of what small presses are currently publishing. More details here