Up North Books

Hello all!

We hope you're well. 

Hellooo!

WELCOME BACK! 

At the end of last year, we took a bit of time away from the podcast to get some much-needed rest and relaxation. Now we're back and kicking the new season off with a wonderful author interview with Karen Powell, author of The River Within.

This incredible novel is a must-read that will get all of your emotions flowing. It's set in post-war Yorkshire and the story is inspired by Hamlet, but of course with a northern English twist. 

Hello, hello folks, you're in for a treat with this episode because we had the absolute pleasure of chatting with Jenn Ashworth about her new novel Ghosted: A Love Story, published by Sceptre in June 2021. 

Listen to hear Jenn read from the novel, tell us about her inspirations and craft, and, of course, give you guys (and us!) some fantastic northern recommendations!

Grab a warm cuppa and a biscuit or two, we think you'll love this one. 

Mentioned in this episode: 

Hello listeners and welcome back to another episode of Up North Books! In May, we had the privilege of chatting with Jennifer Saint, author of the hugely popular Ariadne. Jennifer is from Yorkshire and Ariadne is her debut novel, so it was really exciting to delve into how this book came to be. 

Mentioned in the episode:

Hello everyone! Have you missed us? After a brief hiatus throughout April, we are back and better than ever (hooray!). In this episode, we update each other (and you lot) on our lives and chat about the books we've read recently. So, grab a cuppa and join in the conversation like the old pals we are -  we really hope you enjoy listening!

Life update links:

Hello everybody! We are back again with another episode, and we are especially excited about this one...

A few weeks ago, we spoke to J.A Mensah about her stunning debut novel, Castles from Cobwebs, which follows the story of a foundling brought up on a remote Northumbrian Island who travels to Ghana to find out who she really is. 

Listen to this episode to hear more about J.A Mensah's crafting of the story, the importance of diverse books, and sinking tourists' cars at the Holy Island causeway. You're in for a treat!

You can find J.A. Mensah's Northern book recommendations here:

Hello lovely listeners, we are back again with another episode!

We spoke to Blair James about her recently-published debut, Bernard and Pat, a novel that explores the peculiarities of memory and the vulnerability of childhood. 

Listen to hear more about Blair's research into neuroscience and psychology, writing in the child's voice, and her opinion on "gross old men" writers. 

You can find Blair's Northern book recommendations here:

Happy New Year to all of our lovely listeners!

We're kicking the year off with a brilliant conversation we had with Stuart Evers at the end of 2020, all about his newest novel: The Blind Light.

Listen to hear more about the origins of this fantastic (and indeed, monumental) novel which spans decades of British history, beginning in the 1950s and meeting with the present day.

We encourage all of our listeners to seek out an independent bookshop to purchase Stuart's novel, currently available in hardback. Lots of shops are still delivering and would appreciate your business during such a difficult time. The paperback will be released in June 2021.

In this episode of Up North Books, we decided it was time to shout out all of our favourite indie presses in the North of England and mention some of their books that we’ve loved over the years, as well as what we're looking forward to! The independent publishing community is strong in the North and is a key part of the industry — we must support them, particularly during such hard times. They’re often pioneers of new, diverse and marginalised voices which is a key step towards making positive change in publishing, so let's keep supporting that work!

Books and publishers mentioned:

In this episode of Up North Books, we're bringing you something a bit different. This week, in partnership with Durham Book Festival, we were very excited to get the chance to interview Mim Skinner. Mim is the author of Jailbirds, published in 2019 by Seven Dials. Inspired by her work in a women's prison, her memoir gives voice to women's experiences and rewrites the narrative on prison life. We asked Mim about the process of creating this book, as well as her newly commissioned piece with New Writing North, Camaraderie and Chaos.

Links to things mentioned: