Looking for a way to get back into reading during the #NationalYearofReading? Joining a book club is a great way to make reading a community activity!

In 'My Year of Reading Welshly', Alex Johnson reads one book about or from Wales every week. Every chapter ends with discussion points and themes that you can bring to your book club chat!

Somebody just told me that Edith Wharton marked up in her copy of Anna Karenina every mention of Karenin's ears. I can't find confirmation of this but do any of you know if it's true or just a great big joke?

I am speaking on book curses for the Victor Wynd Museum/ The Last Tuesday Society. But if book curses aren't your thing, there's a plethora of other talks on scapulimancy, fish, sin-eating and bonkbusters, to name but a few.

This has been a marvellous series. Well worth catching up with previous episodes.

THINGS YOU CAN DO WITH A HISTORY MAJOR

Beautiful everyday Ladybird things Village shop (1964) Artist: Harry Wingfield

2026 is the #NationalYearofReading! It can be overwhelming deciding where to start when you're beginning or restarting your reading journey. Why not take the lead from Alex Johnson @shedworking.bsky.social who spent a year reading 52 books from and about Wales? 📚 www.uwp.co.uk/book/my-year...

Other work by the Ladybird artists. 'The Old Farmyard, Findon Place' Artist: SR Badmin

🥁 Drum roll please... My next book will be about the Victorian pier engineer and architect EUGENIUS BIRCH so I took the opportunity yesterday to visit the Scarborough Art Gallery exhibition about his 1877 Aquarium. Demolished in 1968 the building was an amazing Indo-Moorish fantasy - with fish!!

Rothschild Vienna Mahzor 15th Century Hebrew Prayerbook Sold for $6.4m www.finebooksmagazine.com/fine-books-n...

Batman No. 1 and Superman No. 1 Comics Sell for $13m Total www.finebooksmagazine.com/fine-books-n...

Printing Errors Celebrated in Upcoming Yale Library Exhibition www.finebooksmagazine.com/fine-books-n...

Begin your journey here: www.uwp.co.uk/book/my-year... @shedworking.bsky.social

This #NationalYearofReading, why not add more Welsh books to your reading list? In 'My Year of Reading Welshly', Alex Johnson reads one book from or about Wales every week! Included is a reading log so you can keep track of your own journey of reading Welshly! 📚

Sheds by the sea, under the sand www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Wow. We can announce 3rd place in the hunt for the Nation's Favourite Stained Glass Window and it goes to a glorious explosion of colour created by Alan Younger ... 🥉 Rose Window at St Albans Cathedral 🥉 Congratulations! Read more about the window here ⤵️ https://ow.ly/gC6c50Y8Bi9

Sad news about John Virgo, the voice of 21st century snooker.

Everyday Ladybird things The sweet shop (1967) Artist: Kenneth Inns

Just read that Gareth Southgate is a contender to be the new Watford manager #hahahahahahahaha

“When we see the hazel catkins turn yellow, we know that spring is not far off” Writer: EL Grant Watson Artist: CF Tunnicliffe

4th and final batch of 2026 marmalade completed. That's 28 jars in total, so hopefully will see us through until Christmas.

Georgia Fort, an independent journalist and vice president of the Minnesota NABJ chapter, was also arrested by federal agents this morning I was sent this video of agents at her door:

Hemingway Letters: Five Rare Letters for Collectors www.finebooksmagazine.com/fine-books-n...

Bamboo Cutter, Beatrix Potter, and Jim Harrison: January Books Roundup www.finebooksmagazine.com/fine-books-n...

Philip Glass is the latest artist to pull work from the stages of the Kennedy Center. His Symphony No. 15 was slated to premiere there in June. "The values of Kennedy Center today are in direct conflict with the message of the symphony," he wrote in a statement. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/27/a...

Some excellent things here. Just snapped up Mrs Dalloway: Biography of a Novel by Mark Hussey which I've had my eye on for a bit.

My latest book 'When Books Go Bad' is officially published in Australia at the weekend. This is how the excellent distributors New South Books celebrated its launch - I've been writing books for 15 years now and I think this is my favourite piece of promotion material in all that time.

Other work by the Ladybird artists ‘Early Evening’ Artist: Ronald Lampitt Magazine cover, 1948

I'm here to tell you that haggis leftovers make a very tasty soup.

One for The Dance to the Music of Time fans

Other work of the Ladybird artists. The park in winter Artist: SR Badmin

Unboxing the Manderley Press Tote Bags, while grinning from ear to ear! #booksky #totebags #manderley manderleypress.com/shop/p/tote

Assistant Library sought! www.queens.ox.ac.uk/vacancies/as...

Honey & Wax Book Collecting Prize Winner Alexandra E. LaGrand on Shakespearean Breeches Actresses www.finebooksmagazine.com/fine-books-n...

Other work by the Ladybird artists. ‘January’ (1958) Artist: Ronald Lampitt

I've been thinking a lot about the Duddon valley recently, not least because I'm giving a talk about photographing Hardknott Forest at the University of Cumbria Ambleside Campus on February 3rd. Details here: www.ticketsource.co.uk/cultural-lan...

An appropriate time to mention that my recent book 100 Words for Rain (published by The National Trust) has plenty of information about rain, weather lore such as the indisputable fact that when cats sneeze it is a sign of rain, and other weather in general. Available wherever decent books are sold.

Massive scale copyright theft is so damn cheap

How would you describe a whimsical shed? It's for a thing Would a folly be? Lots of flowers, greenery? Are Little people (Faie, Tylwyth Teg, Pixies, Sprites, Elves) there Other Folklore Green man/women? Magic/Mysticism Just a nice place to have a cup of tea or a wee dram An Escape? Pub Shed?

Don Quixote is, in popular culture, a much more likable and far less powerful character than Donald Trump. But as this thread ingeniously shows, their shared hostility to windmills is revelatory.

Reminder that the #paperback edition of mine and Hannah Ryley's _Recipes and Book Culture_ can be pre-ordered here: www.liverpooluniversitypress.co.uk/doi/book/10..... There are also 2 #openaccess chapters available on the same site! #research @ulenglish.bsky.social @livunipress.bsky.social

First batch of marmalade constructed. Doing smaller batches this year to hopefully improve the set. Feeling good about this lot.

Northern publishing co-op makes its mark The UK’s only author-run co-operative publisher Gritstone celebrates its tenth anniversary By Andrew Bibby

Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art Releases 2026 Exhibition Schedule www.finebooksmagazine.com/fine-books-n...

New figures for last year listing how many people took out my books from libraries show Shed Manual (published by Haynes) in first place, with How To Give Your Child A Lifelong Love of Reading (@blpublishing.bsky.social) a smidgeon behind, and then Rooms of Their Own (@quartobooksuk.bsky.social).

A massive "Hands off Greenland" protest is happening right now in Copenhagen to demonstrate against Trump's threats. "The aim is to send a clear and unified message of respect for Greenland's democracy," organisers said. “Respect for Greenland, respect for Greenlanders, respect for Denmark.”

Ladybird book in the spotlight. The Story of Newspapers, 1969 Artist: Ron Embleton

There is a precedent for a person getting someone else's Nobel Prize. In 1943, the Norwegian writer Knut Hamsun, gave his Nobel Prize in literature to Joseph Goebbels uwapress.uw.edu/book/9780295...