Books Archive
15th September 2014
The Life of Leo Tolstoy
On the 186th anniversary of Leo Tolstoy’s birth, Alister Pearson remembers the life of the famous writer, philosopher and political thinker.
27th March 2014
Review: The Beggar Maid by Alice Munro
Books editor Annie Muir encourages you to read the novel that Alice Munro always wanted to write
10th March 2014
Review: The Pillowman
Martin McDonagh’s The Pillowman, though deeply unsettling, is one of the best plays I have read, says Alex Webb
22nd February 2014
Poets & Players
James Jackman experienced some naughty poems by Jo Bell and a public exorcism by Grevel Lindopp, all in one Saturday afternoon at John Rylands in Deansgate
22nd February 2014
Aftermath exhibition at the John Rylands Library
Bianca Boorer thinks the Aftermaths exhibition, marking the centenary of World War I, is definitely worth a visit, but James Jackman advises you not to try and make a day of it
22nd February 2014
WWI novels: A retrospective
To mark the 100th anniversary of the First World War, Books Editor Esmé Clifford Astbury encourages readers to tuck into one of these novels
22nd February 2014
William S. Burrough: The man and the legend
Alister Pearson looks back at the life of the controversial writer William S. Burroughs, who was born a century ago this year
22nd February 2014
Review: The Avenged by Charles Prandy
Alister Pearson predicts that Charles Prandy’s self-published Jacob Hayden series is likely to gain him some loyal fans, despite a few typos
10th February 2014
Top 5 happily ever after books
To mark Valentine’s day, Elizabeth Linsley reveals her favourite love stories that actually have happy endings
10th February 2014
The Other Room: experimental poetry
Alex Webb enjoyed his first insight into the strange world of experimental poetry at The Castle Hotel
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4th February 2014
Top 5 Campus Novels
1. Engleby, Sebastian Faulks This is not just another campus novel about a boy, Mike Engleby, who attends an ‘ancient university’ and falls completely and unrequited-ly in love with a girl, Jennifer Arkland. It is so much more than that. Read it and find out. 2. Starter for Ten, David Nichols Set in 1985, Starter for Ten […]
4th February 2014
February Events
Don’t miss out on all the literary events going on in Manchester this month
4th February 2014
Short stories come to life at Selfridges
Elizabeth Linsley heads to Selfridges to hear Emma Jane Unsworth, Richard Hirst and Marli Roode each read a short story as part of Selfridges Festival of Imagination
4th February 2014
Trainspotting: Book vs. film
Pam Kaur compares the groundbreaking novel by Irvine Welsh to Danny Boyle’s celebrated film adaptation
10th December 2013
Sorting out your Christmas list
Alex Webb gives readers a hand in sorting our their Christmas list
3rd December 2013
Top 5 second-hand bookshops
Books Editor Annie Muir reveals her favourite second-hand bookshops in Manchester
3rd December 2013
Classics digested: The Old Man and the Sea
A tale of passion, perseverance and faith, Ernest Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea is a gem of American literature, says Shanda Moorghen
3rd December 2013
Literary daytrip: John Rylands Library
Elizabeth Linsley heads to Deansgate to explore one of Manchester’s most treasured buildings
3rd December 2013
The Embassy of Cambodia by Zadie Smith – review
Zadie Smith’s The Embassy of Cambodia is a unique, thought-provoking novel, which shows how the small things in life can raise big questions, says Books Editor Esmé Clifford Astbury
25th November 2013
Dysfunctional families in American literature
As Americans look towards spending quality family time together during Thanksgiving, Katie Myerscough examines some of the most dysfunctional families in American literature