Sara Grady's sneaky reading list

Sara Grady, Director of the Children's Programme at Edinburgh International Book Festival, drops in to stir things up...

Spring seems to come and go in Edinburgh. One day it’s gloriously sunny, perfect for picnics and frisbee, the next I’m digging for my gloves and hat in a freezing torrential downpour. But one thing in my May diary is consistent: I finally have time to read a lot.

This time of year, the Book Festival programme is finished (with 350 events, I don’t think I can handle anymore!). Brilliant authors are coming and no one in the whole world knows the line-up except me. Until I have the big reveal at our launch in June, it’s my little (well, big) secret.

So in May, while I avoid spilling the beans, I spend a lot of time reading. It takes my mind off of things. And there is a hidden bonus: lots of people assume my current reading list equates to the Festival guest list. So, I switch things up with decoys. I read a huge variety of books to throw everyone off the trail. Sneaky eh?

So, here is my reading list so far. Try and guess which ones will be in Edinburgh this summer, I dare you.

Lately, I’ve Read:

How to Drink From a Frog by Michael Cox. A truly awesome collection of food facts. I have been telling everyone about how when Paris was besieged and starving in wartime, the zoo auctioned off its animals to the highest bidder for exotic feats!

Cosmic by Frank Cottrell Boyce (pictured top right) – Absolutely brilliant and great fun. No wonder it’s up for the Carnegie.

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. I love all Gaiman’s work, and here the simplicity of the storytelling perfectly suits his quirky, otherworldly narrative of a boy raised by ghosts (and check out the awesome illustration by Chris Riddell, left).

What I Saw and How I Lied by Judy Blundell. This book just won some major prizes in America. It’s a compelling story about growing up just after WWII, well worth a read though probably my girliest pick of the month.

The Wizard the Ugly and the Book of Shame by Pablo Bernasconi. It’s not everyday a picture book comes all the way from Patagonia, and this oddball fairy tale lives up to its exotic origins.

Next Up is:

Diary of a Wimpy Kid 2 by Jeff Kinney. This comic/diary series is a massive blockbuster in the states and soon to be a film. You’ll laugh until milk comes out your nose, promise.

The Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness (pictured right). I’ve been dying to read the sequel to the amazing The Knife of Never Letting Go (don’t let the weird title put you off, this shocking thriller is a page turner like no other). The first book ended on such a wild cliff hanger, I’m on the edge of my seat already.

What is the Point of School by Guy Claxton. I don’t only read children’s books (mostly, but not only). Sometimes I read books about childhood and education and things to programme events for parents and teachers. If the title is anything to go by, this one should be cracking.

The Thornthwaite Inheritance by Gareth P. Jones. A Lemony Snicket-like gothic tale of intrigue, this story sees twins in a duel of endlessly complicated murder attempts. Dark, odd and totally fun.

And then we’ll see. Possibly the new (and last) Confession of Georgia Nicholson. But who knows? Before I know it summer will be here and Festival preparations will envelope me again, so I’m reading all I can in the next couple of weeks. In fact, do you have anything I absolutely must read? I’m always on the hunt for something new…

Thanks again to Sara!

Plus, if you don't have enough reading suggestions from Sara's list, we just got news in today of the shortlist for the Branford Boase Award 2009:

The Traitor Game by B R Collins, edited by Emma Matthewson (Bloomsbury)
The Toymaker by Jeremy De Quidt, edited by Bella Pearson (David Fickling Books)
Flood Child by Emily Diamand, edited by Imogen Cooper (published originally as Reavers Ransom by Chicken House)
Between Two Seas by Marie-Louise Jensen, edited by Liz Cross (OUP)
Bloodline by Katy Moran, edited by Denise Johnstone-Burt, (Walker Books)
The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness, edited by Denise Johnstone-Burt (Walker Books)Ways to Live Forever by Sally Nicholls, edited by Marian Lloyd (Marian Lloyd Books)

Nicola Morgan Walks The Dog

Nicola Morgan drops in to tell us about the life of a full-time writer, how she copes with doing "nothing" and her latest novel, Deathwatch.

I suppose you think that since I’m a full-time writer, I must spend most of my time writing. Or even maybe half my time, at least. If only!
Do the maths - (don’t worry, I’ll do it for you) - say I’m writing a novel of 60,000 words; and say I write about 1000 words an hour; and say I wrote from 9 – 5 with an hour for lunch, Monday to Friday. I’d finish the novel in a bit more than ….…. eight and a half days. Whereas it really takes me months.

So, WHAT am I playing at the rest of the time? That’s a lot of time to be a “full-time writer” and not be writing. So, you might like to know what’s really going on when my husband thinks I’m working: writing other things (like my blogs, or ideas for a new book, or newspaper articles or reviews); checking or redrafting what I thought I’d finished writing - my publisher has people who do lots of checking and every time they do it they have to send it back to me to check their checking; doing school or festival events , with loads of travelling; boring stuff like ordering printer cartridges or going to the post office; work emails; REALLY ANNOYING things like dealing with my computer when it goes wrong; nice things like answering emails or letters from you; reading - very important for a writer, but a pleasure too, of course. Promotion is a big part too - so I’ll soon be busy promoting Deathwatch.

But even all that doesn’t take up most of the time. There are two more things, which are the biggest parts of my writing life. THINKING and DOING NOTHING. I can’t think of ideas or what happens next in my stories if I’m sitting at my computer, or sitting anywhere. And I can’t exactly write walking around, can I? Wouldn’t want to fall into the canal. But I discovered that there are three things that make ideas come: 1. Walking (that’s where the dog comes in) 2. Cooking (my favourite hobby and I can do it without thinking so it frees my brain for ideas) 3. Ironing (please don’t tell my family this as I pretend I hate it).

What about the appalling DOING NOTHING? Surely I should feel really guilty about it? After all, if someone does nothing at work or goes out for long lunches, they get into trouble. But when you’re doing nothing you actually are doing something - you’re thinking, dreaming, planning, making space for important ideas to come. For a writer, thinking is definitely the most important part of our lives, and we need to make plenty of time for it.

Actually, thinking time is important for everyone. Don’t fill your lives so full that you have no time to dream and wonder and let your thoughts free-wheel. But for me, it’s work too. So, if you see me doing nothing, please don’t worry: I’m WORKING.

Well, that’s my excuse.

Nicola Morgan’s next novel, Deathwatch, is published in June 2009

Author website: http://www.nicolamorgan.co.uk/
Author blog: http://www.ghostlygalleon.blogspot.com/
Blog for writers: http://www.need2bpublished.blogspot.com/
Facebook Group: “Nicola Morgan’s Readers”

In Other News...
Publishing houses across London shut their doors today as the capital crumbled under the weight of 3inches of snow. Our friendly publicist friends had to make do with answering emails from the warmth of their duvets whilst supping on hot chocolate...some people have all the luck!

Congratulations to Neil Gaiman (who we did an event with in October) for winning the Newberry Medal in America for his amazing novel The Graveyard Book. The Newberry is the biggest accolade in American children's books!

"Underpants, charcoal, a best ever friend..."

Hello faithful readers! This week we've got another of our touring authors to add their own unique contribution to the blog. Writer and illustrator Simon Bartram (that's him on the left) came on the Scottish Friendly Children's Book Tour with us around Moray this September - check out the pictures here - and he's written a fantastic poem that perfectly sums up his experiences on the tour.

Here it is:


Newcastle, Edinburgh
Firth of Forth
Dundee, Montrose
Motoring North

Aberdeen, then left
And along a jot
On target for Elgin
For events and whatnot

School and library
And school once more
Town and village
Sea and shore

Aliens, Rockets
Astronaut types
Powerpoint pointing
Red and white stripes

Shouting, screaming
Peeled eagle-eyes
Odd looking canines
Mini pork pies

Underpants, charcoal
A best ever friend
Pet shop, Craters
'Hooorays' at the end

Dimly lit breakfasts
Lunch by the sea
Coffee in staffrooms
Findhorn for tea

Fine Scottish cuisine
My haggis debut
'Cullen Skink Sir?'
- 'Don't mind if I do!'

A choice of twin beds
Travel-iron mishaps
New trousers soaked
By all powerful taps

Long winding roads
The purest of air
Soup made just here
+ Whiskey just there

School and library
School once more
Town and village
Sea and shore

Books to be signed
Names to spell right
Then south through the Cairngorms
And into the night

Farewell to Scotland
Off on the train
Edinburgh, Newcastle
And back home again





Big thanks to Simon, we love his poem, and we think he's pretty awesome too!

Plus, if you haven't done so yet, be sure to listen to our brilliant Neil Gaiman interview, and watch the Michael Rosen video podcast. In fact, you can watch it right here:

The Lighthouse

The Lighthouse

Hello readers of textbooks, readers of fun books and readers of this here blog. Chris is back in the blog seat this week and he has lots and lots to tell you.

I’ve been travelling round Scotland quite a bit since I spoke to y’all last; Moray with Simon Bartram, Argyll & Bute with Chris Mould (you can now listen to our exclusive chat with Chris) and I have just returned from a weekend away in a remote lighthouse on Wester Ross.

It was a wild place: single track roads, horizontal rain, gale force winds that could blow you off your feet, stunning lightning storms, power-cuts and fresh hens eggs. I would recommend it to anyone who is brave (or stupid enough) to venture that far into the wilderness. I love travelling round this country, it’s amazingly beautiful and it constantly changes and on a road trip or tour you get to see so much that you just wouldn’t see or know about, The Drovers Inn, McCaig’s Tower or Rua Reidh.

I have just arrived back in the office following a fantastic event at the Filmhouse in Edinburgh with literary genius, Neil Gaiman, who flew up from London to do this special event for us. Neil was talking about his new book The Graveyard Book, a dark and spooky tale that will send tremors down your spine and have you hooked from the very first page. It was such a pleasure and privilege to meet such a hugely talented author. Celia, from the children’s team, was lucky enough to get to interview Neil (she is a massive, massive fan) and this will be up on the website soon so keep your ears cleaned out.

But all of these things are in the past and at the moment I am working like only a member of Scottish Book Trust knows how on a variety of projects. Of course there is the Royal Mail Awards, fast drawing to a close, votes flooding in but a huge ceremony to organise (its gonna rock)in Aberdeen. But I am not the only one who is working hard on the Royal Mail Awards, children right across Scotland have been reading the books, discussing them, voting for them and some like this lot from St Joseph’s College in Dumfries have been videoing and blogging about them. The videos are completely brilliant, crazy music, dazzling costumes and wonderful camera angles – you should not miss them and the best bit is that there is even more to come!

We also have a Halloween event with Vivian French in the spooky Caves on Friday complete with fancy dress and atmospheric lighting that promises to be a huge amount of fun. So I guess its all hard work with a few fun things thrown in there too.

Witch reminds me, as Halloween is almost upon us, we have this special feature from Debi Gliori who tells us her Top 5 Scary Places:

1 Any knife-edge mountain ridge. I am the kind of wussy hillwalker that lies down and sobs with acute vertigo when I find that the only way onwards is across one of these things. The only other option being turn back, descend and cross a field of cows. A knife-edge mountain ridge is one of those crumbly things about as wide as your boot with a sheer drop on either side. That's 'sheer' as in 'killer'.
Examples - An Teallach, Liathach Ben Ailligin( sp?), and just about everything in the Cuillins on Skye. Why do I go to these places if they scare me? Because clambering up to the roof of Scotland is the best fun this woman has ever had, even if it scares me witless.
2 Anywhere in front of a microphone in front of an audience. I may look as if I'm cool, calm and collected, but inside I'm a sobbing blob of terror.
3 Walking along the corridor in my house after dark when my partner Michael isn't home. I jump at shadows, imagine axe-murderers, hear rustlings...how pathetic am I?
4 Walking into the 'Lounge Bar' in Lerwick on the island of Shetland with my fiddle in hand to join in with the frighteningly talented Shetland Fiddlers. The only seat left in the entire bar was right in the middle of these geniuses. This is a bit like an enthusiastic amateur tennis player walking onto centre court at Wimbledon. Or a useless hillwalker like me heading off up to the summit of Everest.
5 Some nameless underground station in the bowels of New York City.
The platform was no wider than my handbag, there were rats running on the line below and I felt as if I had a big sign over my head saying "This woman is lost. Please steal her handbag and fling her off the platform for the rats to eat". Of course, this didn't happen. A complete stranger said 'Hey, Lady. You look lost. Can I hep' you?'.

Which only goes to show that the scariest places are inside your own imagination.


After all this I am going back on the road, heading north to see my niece for the first time and I might try and go surfing with a couple of friends.

Things im enjoying
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
Conor Oberst
Andrew Marr’s History of Modern Britain on Audiobook
The West Wing

Quote of the week
"Writing is acting for shy people" - Neil Gaiman