A Little Drive to Wales

This lot are from Rhyl.  Sweethearts 💓

Anyone who knows me will know that I love Wales.  North, south, mid, west - I don't care so long as I'm in Wales.

Which is sort of a shame because I live in Norwich which is quite a drive away.

So I was delighted to do a mini tour of Wales for the Welsh Books Council and Hot Key Books to celebrate 'The Nearest Faraway Place' winning a 2018 Tir na n-Og award.

I packed a lot into a few days.  Here's a quick summary:

I drove across Britain, 

said hi to Newtown Library at the start of Libraries Week,

met the smashing kids of Llanidloes, 

marveled at the boys who plotted an entire thriller 

IN JUST FIVE MEASLY MINUTES,

literally looked at 'witch things' with Helen from 
the Welsh Books Council,

went in the oldest WH Smith's IN THE WORLD,  

had a quick trip to Llangollen,

drank a pint of beer that was too strong for me in Wrexham,

met Boo the Staffie,

met loads of very cool kids from Rhosnesni High,

ate a scone the size of my head,

visited Wrexham Football Club and talked about 1970s football with Shoned,

played 'Hunt the Radio Station' in Glyndwr University,

found it, 

recorded a radio interview,

danced on the beach all by myself in Rhyl,

had a very big chat with the bright young people of Rhyl,

drank a pumpkin spice latte with Kat Ellis - writer and Rhyl girl,

   walked almost to Prestatyn,

watched 'The Apprentice',

drove back to Norwich.

It was good!  And I met so many great people and I feel like a have a whole load of new friends.

It was also a bit knackering.  Next week I'm going to Aberystwyth...

Newtown WH Smiths.  Proper old skool.

Shoned from the Welsh Books' Council.  lyfli 💓 (I don't know if that's how you say lovely in Welsh but it looks right.)

Rhyl girl and horror writer Kat Ellis.  Not actually horrific at all.

A Very Rare Book Review: The Goldfinch

Books.  I love them.  I’ve been reading them – one after the other – since I was five.  And some books make me laugh.  And some make me sick.  And some get on my nerves.  And some I love and keep on my shelf forever.

And then there’s The Goldfinch.

I asked for Donna Tartt’s latest breeze block for Christmas.

I’ve just finished reading it.

And I’m in a state of complete and utter discombobulation.

Never ever has any book made such a powerful impact on me.   

For me, The Goldfinch was extraordinary.  Right from the horrifying bomb blast at the start to the deeply philosophical discussion of why we are here at the end.  The characters and the settings – they were extraordinary too.  As was the entire plot.  Donna Tartt’s story-telling is audacious.  I’m experiencing twin waves of shock and awe. 

And when those waves have calmed down a bit, I’m going to pick that book up and start reading it all over again.  So I can squeeze some more meaning out of it.

That’s it.  That’s all I wanted to tell you.

(Except that, also - I’ll be on a panel with other teen fiction writers Lucy Christopher and Kat Ellis, Saturday 8^th March in Chapter, Cardiff.  More details here.