North London Reading Group

Literature is a broad church – but some times these days it doesn’t seem so. One of the reasons we began Bookstock was because we were bored with seeing the same old writers laid out on tables in Waterstone’s. Like Madonna or Bob Dylan, many are still plugging away to diminishing returns. We wanted to explore a wider variety of fiction by some newer or lesser known names.

Result! Some of the books we’ve most enjoyed over the last three years have written by Bookstock authors. Anna Stothard’s The Pink Hotel, Patrick Gooch’s The Dark Side of the Balcony and Michael Nath’s La Rochelle are just three that spring immediately to mind.

So here’s a run down of books that five fresh writers will introduce you to at the next Bookstock this Saturday 26 Jan. It’s our most varied ‘Bookstock bookshelf’ yet – and we think it’ll be almost impossible not to find something new that piques your interest.

Shakespeare on Toast – Ben Crystal
I was no fan of Shakespeare in school. It is only over the past decade I’ve conceded that people who label him the greatest writer in the English Language may have a point. Actor and writer Ben Crystal’s Shakespeare on Toast is for people like me. In it, he aims to bust the myth that Shakespeare is stuffy and elitist. Ben argues that the Bard is full of beans – a writer of modern, thrilling and uplifting drama. We approached Ben after being dazzled by him at the Edinburgh Festival – you are in for a treat!

Distant Thunder – T.D. Griggs
We’ve been looking to the latest novel by this Bookstock favourite for some time. Distant Thunder is an epic love story following the doomed relationship of two young people during the British Empire in the late 19th century. Bangladesh-born Frank has witnessed an assault on his mother, while Grace is a privileged child raised in England who questions her background. The novel follows them across country house England, bohemian Vienna, the Northwest Frontier, the slums of London and the deserts of Sudan.

Seven Days to Tell You – Ruby Soames
The Southern France based University lecturer’s first published book is about a woman whose seemingly perfect husband goes out one morning, and doesn’t come back. Three years later, she wakes up to find him asleep in her bed. He asks for seven days to tell his story. This melancholy but fast paced novel has been popular with reading groups – it won the People’s Book Prize and was shortlisted the Beryl Bainbridge First Novel Award.

Some Place South of Perfect – Andrew Byrne
We invited Andrew because (a) living in Muswell Hill, he’s a true North London writer, and (b) we loved the sound of his debut. Some Place South of Perfect concerns a disparate group of people (including a narcissistic, philandering sportsman; a lovelorn journalist; taciturn bankers; idealistic academics; a couple attempting to reignite their marriage; musicians; youths from the wrong side of the tracks and amoral men from the margins of paramilitary organisations) whose lives interconnect during eight days in London.

The best Waterskiier in Luxembourg – Keith Kahn Harris
After seeing Keith talk about his book – The Best Water Skier In Luxembourg: Tales of Big Fish in Small Ponds on YouTube, we had to book him for Bookstock. He is unique amongst our authors in that his book is still being written. He is crowdfunding expeditions to meet unsung heroes such as the most powerful politician in Alderney and the most popular heavy metal band in Botswana.

Bookstock is on Saturday 26 Jan. Tickets cost just £6 and you can reserve yours here.