Summer Holiday Reading 2012

I’m off on my summer holidays in July and I can’t wait. To me, holidays are all about three things: reading, sailing and kayaking, and eating. OK, four things! Five if you count hanging out with the kids – building sandcastles, paddling, rock pooling (I can happily spend hours poking around rock pools with my 9 and 6 year old), camping, messing around in boats. I feel lighter just thinking about it.

-

For me, reading plays a huge part of any holiday. Usually life is pretty busy and I don’t have all that much time to read. So for the few months leading up to my summer holiday I put aside books that I’d really like to read. All kinds of books.

-

Here is a photo of my book pile for summer 2012!Novels, reference books, short story collections, books about writing, YA books, books by friends . . . it’s all in there. Every year I re-read two old favourites, Are You There, God, It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume and Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom. Both books mean a lot to me, and I read them every year, along with Harriet the Spy.

-

Do you have a favourite book that you read over and over again?

-

And what’s in YOUR summer holiday reading pile?

-

Yours in books,

-

Sarah XXX

Book Festivals and Why I Love Them

Me and Some Amy Green Readers at the West Cork Literary Festival

Every year I’m lucky to be invited to lots of book festivals. This year I’ll be at Listowel Writers’ Week in Kerry in June; Dalkey Book Festival in June; Kilkenny Arts Festival in August; and Mountains to Sea Book Festival in Dun Laoghaire in September (all in Ireland). There may be one or two more on the cards also, including some UK events.

-

Why I love festivals so much:

1/ I get to meet YOU – readers! There’s nothing like meeting readers in person, it’s such a thrill.

-

2/ I get to hang out with my writer friends like Judi Curtin, Oisin McGann (lovely Irish fantasy writer), Don Conroy (nature writer and novelist from Ireland), Cathy Cassidy and loads of other cool wordsmiths. Plus I love hearing other writers talk about their work, it’s fascinating.

-

3/ I always learn something new - fantastic books to read, how other writers organise their writing lives - are they morning writers or evening writers; do they have any lucky writing charms; paper or laptop etc.

-

4/ My mind fizzes with new book ideas after book festivals. There’s nothing more inspirational than being surrounded by world class writers. So far my favourite festival talk ever was one given by Patrick Ness about writing with joy – it was spoken from the heart and very moving. If he’s ever at a festival near you, go! You won’t regret it. He is a truly gifted speaker.

-

5/ Book people are MY people and it’s lovely to be with my tribe, especially children’s book people, who truly rock!

-

Have you ever been to a book festival? Was it fun? Who did you see?

-

Yours in writing,

Sarah XXX

PS Check out the original version of this post at the Girls Heart Books blog - www.girlsheartbooks.com

Bisto Irish Book of the Year

Hi there,

Bog Child by Siobhan Dowd won the Bisto Irish Book of the Year Award yesterday. It's for teenagers and is set in Northern Ireland. I liked it, but I really wanted Eoin Colfer's Airman or Kate Thompson's Creature of the Night to win.

Eoin Colfer's an amazing writer and a lovely guy - so funny! I adore his Artemis Fowl books and Airman is an amazing book - set in Wexford - about a boy who escapes a prison island by making . . . well, I won't spoil it in case you want to read it one day.

Book awards are great for getting people talking about books, aren't they?
What's your favourite book of the year so far? Do you have one?
Do let me know - sarah@askamygreen.com

Always delighted to hear from fellow book fans!

SarahXXX