Animals doing human things, a very occasional and frankly unnecessary series. No. 1: Gull Steps On Lego

Historical buildings types: was there an earlier equivalent to Pevsner's Architectural Guides in the Thirties? Something you could have looked a stately home up in before visiting, sort of thing? Pevsner didn't start his guides until 1945, which scuppers something I'm writing a tiny bit.

This week's Book Pitch Doctor's Surgery is about origin stories and finding your deeeeep motivation: mailchi.mp/b6804d723b0d... #booksky

Yesterday I heard a publishing corporate merger being described in trope terms: "rivals become allies" lol #booksky

Playing along with Last One Laughing, at home, is *excellent* (and torture)

Have you read this book, @iammilliam.bsky.social ? It occurred to me you might like it, and not just because it includes Anthea Bell references ...

Musos of a certain age insist on saying 'New Musical Express' in full, the same way Liverpool fans say 'Liverpool Football Club'. That is all. #InconsequentialSky

This book is such a feat of diligent research and unflinching reporting. It’s based on deep care for the victims and provides the accurate record they and their surviving relatives deserve.

This book by Stephen McGinty is the definitive, forensic, deliberately unsensational telling of a tragedy that destroyed lives, devastated a town & - thanks to the tireless campaigning of the parents- changed the law/ the country. It feels important that events have been recorded so meticulously.

This week's Book Pitch Doctor's Surgery picks some favourite tips from @dominiccolenso.bsky.social excellent book IMPACT. Link here: mailchi.mp/db1ebd036729... #booksky

still haven't recovered from Kathy Burke's verdict on Kerry Fox, in her memoir 🔥😂

This is THIS WEEKEND, wtf. Please say hello if you come along!

If you'd like to come work for us at Good Law Project we are currently recruiting four new roles! (Please do share.) 🧵

Randomly remembered that excellent editorial line from The French Dispatch: 'Just try to make it sound like you wrote it that way on purpose'

Glad Maggie finally got a shout out

Waterstones has a whopping 25% off pre-orders of Noisy Valley until tomorrow! www.waterstones.com/book/noisy-v...

Hello Andy the archaeologist from Bury St Edmunds I signed a hardback for today. Currently he is mainly digging up Saxon graves, I think for work, but maybe just for a laugh.

been working with a few other booksellers from different shops to compile a contemporary dictionary of book trade slang. here is how it stands at the moment - please, if you are "in the trade", let us know what we've forgotten. (NOT lingo specific to just one shop, pls - only widely-understood terms

I doubled down (nearly) on 66 fascinating hours of the audiobook of The Power Broker, by listening to about 30 *more* hours of @romanmars.bsky.social and Elliott Kalan discuss it. Worth every second. Clever, funny, richly rewarding on every level. Sending warm vibes of gratitude to all involved.

This week's Book Pitch Doctor's Surgery takes us back into trope-land. Link here: mailchi.mp/1d24ef8c1f20... #booksky

From tomorrow, @jamesbluecat.bsky.social will be coming to a @waterstones.bsky.social near you! Swipe through to see the full list. Do pop in to say hello, not least because he is bringing *multiple* Muppets t-shirts with him and we need photographic evidence: www.waterstones.com/events/searc...

why are templates in Outlook so shit? Why is *everything* in Outlook so shit? In fact, why is everything microsoft so shit? Accursed software.

My mate Stef and the amazing @xobikes.bsky.social (plus their new barbers' shop) www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Waterstones, where I used to work as a bookseller, have made Pagans their Science Fiction/Fantasy book of the month (with two quid off). THE MOTHERSHIP HAS CALLED ME HOME. www.waterstones.com/campaign/boo...

This was ACTUAL FUN.

This week's Book Pitch Doctor's Surgery is all about the joy of tropes! Link here mailchi.mp/c00176d5dc2a... #booksky

The one thing I would definitely wear if I was on The Traitors: *quiet shoes*

This week's Book Pitch Doctor's Surgery is all about the self consciousness of team pitching mailchi.mp/91e79b716d58...

Caught up with this. So good. Need to re-read a few of these for the names alone (think there was a Roman athlete called Gluteus Maximus??) ... and pretend I understood the satirical subtext all along 👍

So good!

So lame of Labour politicians to adopt the Tory messaging tactic of using the word 'clear' as though it has magic properties.

Dear X, This is a message from The Traitors. The Traitors have murdered you, by order of The Traitors. Signed, The Traitors

Benoit Blanc is so Shelby Foote 👌

I use Amazon more than I'd like, so I was pretty chuffed to get a Kobo reader for xmas. Now it's ebooks from them (and hopefully via @bookshop.org in future) and audiobooks from @xigxaguk.bsky.social hurrah.

Amadeus ep1: reet good imo

Back from xmas shopping, pleased to report King's Road booksellers are nailing it. Staff at Sandoe and Waterstones ultra helpful (and speedy, and well-informed). Didn't buy anything at Book Bar but the vibes were welcoming and I'll be back there soon. Handshakes all round. Keep it up lads. #booksky

This year’s card :)

Check it out!! Hodder & Stoughton have an open submission window for all fiction genres. Get in quick. Details in link. Please share :)

As a children’s bookseller I spent quite some time every week explaining two things - why visual literacy is important and why comic books are ‘real’ books. And why certain books are better read when a child is older and more able to understand the emotional complexity on the page.

This week's Book Pitch Doctor's Surgery is all about different types of publishing enthusiasm. Link here: mailchi.mp/ae28d1738360... #booksky

Weird to hear I Live You by Spacemen 3 on the soundtrack of Malice. Same side (crucially 🤓) of the same album as Big City, used in Succession.

I read a lot of opinions about AI and the future of work, and this post by @naomialderman.bsky.social is the best I've come across in a long time. It was written for young people the same age as my daughters, and the best compliment I can give it is that I immediately shared it with them.

WHYYY has nobody created a category shorthand for the stuff that can’t be categorised (my three: The Supernatural Enhancements, The Library At Mount Char, and ultimately Little Big, because WHAT IS IT apart from amazing but indescribable)

What are your Unpitchables? Books you love but can't seem to get across to other people ... I've nominated three. Let me know yours! mailchi.mp/d86b588872a9... #booksky

Here's #Autumn2025 with box fresh #ShortStories from Helon Habila, Ephameron, @cclarklewes.bsky.social Kōtuku Titihuia Nuttall and Kasimma – plus Chadwick Allen on the classics of #Indigenous #literature Catch them at fictionable.world #books #reading #writing #fiction #comics #translation #blog

I know nothing about Dr Who, but, for Londoners, the phrase "Going For Dinner With Billie Piper" is the absolute best way to remember the order of the vertical streets running east to west in Soho (Greek, Frith, Dean, Wardour, Berwick, Poland) and has saved many a late night out

Morning terrace. A rare private commission.

In which I visited Milton Keynes, and committed a faux pas. And had some thoughts about the city's 200 miles of cycle routes, known as the redways lauralaker.substack.com/p/milton-key...

I had expected Riot Women to be cringey (based only on the press photos I think) but it’s blimmin’ excellent!