Newsletter: March 2005

Greetings from chilly Manchester, where we've had a dusting of snow and some sub-zero temperatures over the last week or so. Thanks to everyone who's been in touch, either through the enCompass discussion boards or by sending in book reviews - there have been loads! I always enjoy hearing about what you've been reading, and I still think the best recommendations come not from reviews in the press, or from the blurb on the back of the book, but from people who've just been bowled over by something they've read. Please keep them coming.

Here's a round-up of book news from the UK...

Harold Pinter - regarded by many as Britain's best living playwright - shocked a lot of people, including his fans, by announcing recently that he's abandoning his career as a playwright to concentrate on politics. 74-year-old Pinter, who has written 29 plays (including The Caretaker and The Homecoming), has spent much of his time in the last few years campaigning against the conflict in Iraq. He does, however, plan to keep on writing poetry.

It's World Book Day on Thursday 3rd March, and as usual schoolchildren in the UK will be receiving £1 book vouchers which they can either top up with cash and use to buy full-price books, or redeem against a range of £1 titles produced specially for the occasion. There will also be a host of events celebrating books and reading held in schools and libraries throughout the UK.

Fiction heavyweights Ian McEwan and Kazuo Ishiguro have been receiving lots of media coverage for their new novels, Saturday (McEwan) and Never Let Me Go (Ishiguro). Both have appeared on television, and in in-depth interviews in the press, and so far the reviews are looking favourable. Personally, I'm itching to get my hand on Never Let Me Go, and when I do I'll put up a review on the site.

The longlist for the Orange Prize for Fiction will be announced on 14th March. This award, which recognises the best books by female authors, has in recent years catapulted many writers to fame who might otherwise have languished on bookshop shelves. Last year the winner was Andrea Levy for her book Small Island, which went on to win several other awards too. Keep an eye out to see if your favourite reads will be included in the line up.

Best wishes,

Susan

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