Newsletter: February 2005

It's a bit of a dreary time of year, weather-wise, here in the UK. During the last month in the north of England there has been some quite serious flooding, and it's generally been pretty cold and dark. So what better to do than stay in and lose yourself with a good book? On the enCompass discussion boards I've been asking for suggestions from around the world for great 'winter warmers', books to curl up with and forget cheerless winter weather, and we've had some interesting suggestions so far. You can add yours by clicking on the discussion thread. And if you're somewhere where it's currently warm or sunny, then spare a thought for us and send in a recommendation anyway...

These days it's not just books us readers interested in, but also the people who write them. What a strange and lonely business writing is. Whatever compels people to spend hours sat on their own, struggling to find the right way to express their ideas and catch the imagination of a reader? If you've always wondered what it's like to be a writer, how they work or how they develop their ideas, take a look at some of our author interviews. All the questions come from visitors to enCompass. The most recent is with the multi-talented fiction and poetry writer Jackie Kay. Jackie answers questions about the varying demands - and rewards - of the several genres she writes in. Next under the enCompass spotlight will be the thought-provoking writer Alain de Botton, whose non-fiction works have been described as tackling 'the philosophy of everyday life'. De Botton's most recent books are Status Anxiety (which he also made into a TV programme) and The Art of Travel. If you'd like to send in a question for Alain, go to the enCompass discussion boards - you've got until Friday 11th February.

Since the enCompass site got a makeover last year, it's been even easier to add your own reviews of books listed on the site. If you're browsing and come across something you've read, or if you enter the details of a title you have in mind into the search engine, you can tell us just whether you rated it or not. We're always delighted to receive new reviews from readers - don't you find someone else's opinion of a book more convincing than the blurb printed on the back? - and those reviewed titles which receive the highest acclaim from enCompass visitors are listed in our 'five star' chart, accessible from the homepage.

Best wishes,

Susan

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