The countdown to Keshed begins. Shouts to @regretteruane.bsky.social @heidijames.bsky.social @ortacpress.bsky.social @davidcollard.bsky.social @saloneurope.bsky.social @blackwellsmcr.bsky.social @oziasmidwinter.bsky.social @serenitybookshop.bsky.social stuhennigan.substack.com/p/countdown-...

My favourite films of the year. No particular order but One Battle After Another and Sinners take the top two spots. Sister Midnight was criminally under seen - a delightfully dark, Lynchian gem!

Favourite books of 2025 For the last 3/4 months of the year I’ve been sidetracked by my quest to the Dark Tower so I feel there were quite a lot of 2025 novels that I missed, but I still read a lot of great books that were published over the last 12 months and these are my 15 favourites… #Booksky

Menswe@r reunion confirmed!

The BEST post waiting for me in Stockport this morning - new Willy Vlautin! Out in May from @faberbooks.bsky.social

Watched Doctor Sleep last night - no escaping The Dark Tower!

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Robin Ince is one of the best! Always a joy to listen to and this will be a delight!

Spent the morning of my birthday yesterday in London at the beautiful Conway Hall chatting all things Independent Publishing as part of the Indie Press Network Marketing and PR day. Had a wonderful time talking to Ann Morgan alongside my old Blackwell’s colleague Zool and Cat from Burley Fisher.

October reads… After a few months of preliminary reading, I’m now on the path of The Beam and have finally started Stephen King’s The Dark Tower series. Had an absolute blast with the first three books - The Gunslinger, The Drawing of the Three and The Waste Lands!

And any North West based @qedcon.org people - I will be doing a gig with @serenitybookshop.bsky.social in STOCKPORT on 11th November www.ticketsource.co.uk/booking/sele...

Preliminary Dark Tower reading done (going to do Hearts in Atlantis and Everything’s Eventual after book 4) and just finished THE GUNSLINGER. Heard mixed things about it as an introduction to the series but I absolutely LOVED it. Now to also start the @talkscaredpod.bsky.social deep dive episodes.

Three of the best books of the year! So excited for this - join us!

Absolutely incredible event - powerful, inspiring and full of hope and joy. Len is both an astonishing poet and wonderful person.

September reads… GHOST DRIVER - Nell Osborne INSOMNIA - Stephen King HEART THE LOVER - Lily King THE EXPANSION PROJECT - Ben Pester VIGIL and THE VERY PERSISTENT GAPPERS OF FRIP - George Saunders FLUFFY and HOW TO MAKE LIFE BETTER WHEN IT FEELS LIKE IT’S GETTING WORSE - Simone Lia 💙📚

She's not on here but my pal Terri White has made this powerful and moving documentary about child poverty full of heart and muscle. Please watch it, we should all watch it – vital viewing: www.theguardian.com/society/vide...

TOMORROW NIGHT! Elliot Sweeney will be joining us in Stockport to talk about WE DON’T USE WORDS LIKE ‘CRAZY’ - a heart-warming, darkly funny and eye-opening account of the state of mental health services in the UK drawn from 20 years of working on the frontline. 🎫👇🏻

A serene evening at @serenitybookshop.bsky.social , with @oziasmidwinter.bsky.social 's hospitality & @andrewmcmillan.bsky.social 's shrewd interviewing of @damianbarr.bsky.social about The Two Roberts. A joyful time (typography fans: I learnt how to say 'florón' in English!). Highly recommended.

Here I am in @serenitybookshop.bsky.social today - I will be doing a poetry event with them in 11th November - meanwhile look out for me in Tiverton, Dartmouth, Budleigh Salterton, Plymouth, Penzance and a bunch of Devon libraries - here is a poem about a lost balloon Robinince.com

Tonight was SUCH a joy! Loved, loved, loved hearing Damian talking to Andrew McMillan about The Two Roberts.

Finished reading Stephen King’s INSOMNIA this morning. Very much enjoyed it in its own terms but (although I’ve not read the series yet) it also felt a bit like a massive Dark Tower deleted scene.

Lucky enough to have read an early copy of Stu’s Keshed and it’s stunning - a brilliant and brutal beast of a book that will be one of THE novels of 2026 for those who know their stuff. Stu and Terri are a match made in heaven and I cannot wait for this event!

"The labubu -- no, I will not say it. I will not legitimize this absurdity, not even in mockery. A rabbit in a suit, my god, and they sell for how much? I see, and -- no. No. What in the devil is a lafufu? Am I having some species of stroke?"

Happy publication day to @damianbarr.bsky.social and THE TWO ROBERTS - his captivating and beautiful novel about art, class and queer love based on the true story of working class artists Robert Colquhoun and Bobby MacBryde. Don’t miss Damian at our Stockport shop on Tuesday 16th September 💜📚 🎫👇🏻

A great month of events coming up at Serenity Booksellers! Super excited to meet Damian Barr and Len Pennie and hear them discuss their work with two of my faves - Andrew McMillan and Terri White! Utter highlight of the year though is getting to welcome the wonderful Nadia Shireen to Romiley!

Married 24 years today… ❤️

August reads… ‘SALEM’S LOT - Stephen King THE EYES OF THE DRAGON - Stephen King THE MEGA-COMPLICATED CRUSHES OF LOTTIE BROOKS - Katie Kirby THE WATERMARK - Sam Mills TONYINTERRUPTOR - Nicola Barker GLORIOUS EXPLOITS - Ferdia Lennon CONFESSION - Catherine Airey #BookSky 📚💜

Absolute (fever) dream of an event last night with Samanta Schweblin. A beautifully eloquent conversation with the fabulous Jodie Matthews discussing her new collection GOOD AND EVIL AND OTHER STORIES, the uncanny, storytelling traditions in Argentina, working with translators and so much more!

The BESTEST evening eating pizza and watching Moulin Rouge! with Emily! God I love this show - going to be hard not going to every night whilst it’s on in Manchester!

We have a very special #WomeninTranslationMonth event coming up with Samanta Schweblin next week! The International Booker Prize shortlisted author of FEVER DREAM will be joining us in Stockport on Wednesday 27th August for the launch her new book of GOOD AND EVIL AND OTHER STORIES. #BookSky 📚💜 🎫👇🏻

I am one of the 14 authors who chose to leave the Polari Prize, and I find myself frustrated and saddened at the way this entire story has been represented. 1/

This is going to be quite the event!

Until proven otherwise, I’m choosing to believe that this is father and son and Magnolia and Weapons are set in the same cinematic universe…

Cannot wait for this! Absolutely LOVED Fever Dream and Little Eyes! #Booksky 💜📚

Excellent book post from @canongate.co.uk today! Very excited to be welcoming both Damian Barr and Len Pennie to @serenitybookshop.bsky.social in Stockport next month. Tues 16 Sept: THE TWO ROBERTS - Damian Barr w/ Andrew McMillan Mon 29 Sept: POYUMS ANNAW - Len Pennie w/ Terri White 🎫👇🏻

My cartoon for this weekend’s @theguardian.com books.

Books read in July… I REMEMBER - Joe Brainard LORD JIM AT HOME - Dinah Brooke THE OLD FIRE - Elisa Shua Dusapin (tr: Aneesa Abbas Higgins) THE STAND - Stephen King STRANGE HOUSES - Uketsu (tr: Jim Rion) Three bangers from @dauntbookspub.bsky.social and LOVED my first @stephenking.bsky.social

TOMORROW NIGHT! Join us in Stockport for an evening celebrating the joys of food and community as we welcome Shahnaz Ahsan to the shop for the launch of her new memoir THE JACKFRUIT CHRONICLES - Memories and Recipes from a British-Bangladeshi Kitchen. 🎫👇🏻

Happy publication day to Shahnaz Ahsan and her stunning new memoir THE JACKFRUIT CHRONICLES - a beautiful and heartfelt love letter to family, food and Bangladesh. Don’t miss Shahnaz in conversation with Olivia Potts in Stockport next week on Tuesday 22nd July. @harpernorth.bsky.social 🎫👇🏻

‪I read Slanting Towards the Sea a few weeks ago when we were on holiday in Cavtat and it was perfect. Another absolute banger from the mighty Daunt Books and highly recommended as a beach / Summer read.‬

Happy publication day to @lidijahilje.bsky.social and her stunning debut novel SLANTING TOWARDS THE SEA. It’s a beautiful book about love, family and long kept secrets set against the backdrop of an emerging Croatia, which almost feels like a character in itself. @dauntbookspub.bsky.social

Despite having never read any of his books (other than Mr. Mercedes), for a while now I’ve had an urge to read @stephenking.bsky.social’s THE DARK TOWER series but been put off due to the length of the series and the references throughout to his other works. However, I’M GOING IN! #BookSky 💜📚

Always love doing events with @robinince.bsky.social and last night was one of the best! An utter joy to hear him discuss his new book NORMALLY WEIRD AND WEIRDLY NORMAL and get to chat with him afterwards. A true force for good!

Dug out my Herzog / Kinski boxset to rewatch some of their films before getting stuck into Benjamin Myers’ incredible sounding JESUS CHRIST KINSKI. Out in October it’s a meditation on censorship, creativity and loneliness centred around Klaus Kinski’s one man show based on the life of Jesus Christ.

Always hard reading a book by a mate but needn’t have worried here. @stuhennigan.bsky.social’s KESHED is a brilliant and brutal beast of a book which unflinchingly explores themes of class, masculinity, addiction, depression and parenthood. Not an easy read but pretty much an essential one.

Had THE BEST time last night watching John Cameron Mitchell perform songs from Hedwig and the Angry Inch as well as whole host of Bowie hits! An incredible show and proper dream come true!

I’m petrified about today’s science news. Genetically modifying crabs to have cheetah genes? This could go sideways fast.

📣 JULY EVENTS! 📣 We’ve a jam-packed July coming up featuring events with Chris McDonald, Robert Rutherford, John Sutherland, Lily Samson, Steph McGovern, Gràinne O’Hare, Laura Shepherd-Robinson, Robin Ince, Harriet Constable, Shahnaz Ahsan, Leigh Radford, Dominic Nolan and Guy Hale! #BookSky 📚💜

This book is A JOY - one of my faves of the year! Incredibly funny and utterly heartbreaking, it’s a poignant slice of modern life that beautifully captures the messy and complex lives of the three main characters. Plus loads of Taylor Swift references - what’s not to love!