Blogs

Who are you and what are you? Rosaleen McDonagh’s collection of essays attempts to answer that question. ‘Unsettled’ is the title. The paradox: those she tries to unsettle don’t read books much and certainly don’t read books about ingrained prejudices with words like ‘intersectionality’, racism, ableism, and institutional abuse. Can you be made to care? The answer is no as McDonagh shows again and again. The shame is not hers but ours. But if we...

Hey everyone, Pre-orders are now available for my upcoming novel Family Man. The book will be published next month. If you fancy bagging yourself a copy the book can pre-ordered on Amazon. The cover reveal won't be until next week. Book Synopsis: Adolfo Ali makes his long-awaited return in this fast-moving and unpredictable third outing. Complex anti-hero, Aldo, is the de facto head of Edinburgh’s most powerful crime family. But being a crime...

Ewan has asked me to make sure you've all seen this: I don't know if it's just me (although I'm sure it isn't), but is anyone else's inbox stuffed full of emails like this? Hello Dear Author, After careful evaluation this month, your book has been identified as a strong candidate for our 2026 Book of the Week program. We would be pleased to highlight your title across our platform, positioning it directly in front of our engaged readership and...

Filed by Fletcher Moody — Literary Correspondent ​ I want to be clear about something: I was not on the first plane. The first plane was a Cessna 180 that clipped a telegraph wire over Murchison Falls on January 23, 1954, and dropped Ernest Hemingway, his wife Mary, and their pilot Roy Marsh into crocodile country along the Nile. That was a private charter. A Christmas present from Hemingway to Mary. I was not invited, and given what happened, I...

Philip K. Dick wrote forty-four novels in cheap California apartments while behind on rent. He was classified as a pulp science fiction writer, and almost nobody took him seriously while he was alive. He also kept an eight-thousand-page private journal - his Exegesis - trying to work out whether his mystical experiences were divine or delusional. He never decided. On March 2, 1980, he wrote in that journal that he believed a higher intelligence...

Posted by airyfairy. It's been lovely to read all the contributions this week, and apart from the inherent pleasure, they've provided a welcome distraction from debates about whether the municipal daffodiils are blooming far too early and do the council plan roadworks with vicous intent. So I am grateful for a bit of magic on ABC Tales. Our Story of the Week is Lille Dante's 'Never Gonna Give', another episode in Danny and Julie's story. This is...

Is forgiveness an excuse for sin? If we continue to sin deliberately after coming to a knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sin is left but only a terrifying fire that will devour the enemies of God. We are insulting the sacrifice that Christ made for us on the cross and insulting the Spirit of God. The Bible warns strongly against this. It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of God. Hebrews 10:26-31. Forgiveness requires a...

Damian Le Bas was born and bred a gypsy. We’ve all got ideas what that means. My middle name is Damain. I had to check if it’s spelled with an ‘a’ or ‘e’. I don’t use it much, but it’s there, lurking. Le Bas dedicates his book to his dad who died in 2017. His gypsy dad is my age, or would have been, if he hadn’t died. I’m pretty sure I’ve read this book before. Most books become mush in my head and I can usually pick out highlights that resonate...

Claire Mitchell and Zoe Venidtozzi (2025) How to Kill a Witch: A Guide for the patriarchy. ‘This book is dedicated to the people, mostly women, who were accused, tortured and executed as witches, and those who still face these unfounded accusations today.’ Claire Mitchell and Zoe Venidtozzi write about their ‘journey’ which began around 2020. What they wanted was a public apology and a memorial for those involved in these ‘historical outrages’...

ABCTales' very own Tony Cook has asked me to share this recommendation for a book by his friend and wife of long-time partner of ABCTales Steven Gardiner. There's a link to buy at the end. Respectable People by Bridget Gardiner London 1928. Twenty-two-year-old Irene Savidge, a factory worker, dreams of going on the stage. She meets a member of the Establishment who promises he will introduce her to influential people. The couple's arrest for...