The J.M. Barrie Ladies’ Swimming Club has been gathering much deserved attention in the press in that past couple of weeks, not least due to the remarkable story behind the writing of the novel. Inspiration can come from the unlikeliest places as Barbara recounted in this week’s Sunday Times Style magazine.
Adverse weather conditions never stopped the members of the J.M. Ladies’ Swimming Society from taking a dip and so it was at the fantastic launch of Barbara J. Zitwer’s novel at the Hampstead Heath Ladies Pond today. Wind, rain, freezing temperatures? They were simply mild irritants to the wonderful collection of friends, fans, journalists and the members of the Kenwood Ladies Pond Association, who met at the pond this morning to toast the publication of Barbara’s novel and to take a dip themselves. It was a great celebration of the restorative, invigorating and rather chilly pursuit of wild swimming and a very fitting launch for The J.M. Barrie Ladies’ Swimming Society…
They took to it like ducks to water…
Will she, won’t she. Barbara tests the water…
And she is in! A unique way to celebrate the publication of your novel…
Hot tea and cakes await the swimmers. many thanks to the brilliant High Tea of Highgate for the fantastic cakes and sandwiches – truly delicious!
Barbara (left) warms up with a well-deserved cup of tea.
A lovely review of Barbara J. Zitwer’s The J.M. Barrie Ladies’ Swimming Society in the Daily Mail today. As they so rightly point out with a combination of Peter Pan, wild swimming and a group of feisty octogenarians, what’s not to love? And for those of you that do enjoy dipping your toes into icy waters, the author Barbara is going to be launching her novel at, yes, you guessed it, Hampstead Ladies Pond on April 19th. There will be tea, cakes, a bookshop and surprise surprise a quick dip for those that feel they are made of steely stuff. If you would like to come and join us please email clemmie@shortbooks.co.uk. In the true spirit of The J.M. Barrie Ladies’ Swimming Society – everyone is welcome.
We never need much of an excuse to celebrate and we thought the leap year would be as good as any…
So we have ten free copies of The House on Paradise Street by Sofka Zinovieff up for grabs. All you have to do is leave a comment – first ten to do so get a copy!
Sofka’s debut novel is garnering some serious attention at the moment and it hasn’t yet published. Out on March 1st – it is set to get wide coverage over the national press in coming weeks. After all, Greece is quite topical these days…
For all those of you who are members of book clubs – this is a title you should be recommending to your groups – it has something for everyone from history, to romance, to politics and family feuds. It will definitely lead to some great discussions and everyone will thank you for helping them understand a tiny bit more exactly what has happened in Greece and how it’s past has played such a strong role in today’s crisis.
Just a little heads up… free copies of The House on Paradise Street by Sofka Zinovieff will be up for grabs on Wednesday. Only ten copies available so get ready to LEAP to it…!
I am very pleased to let you all know about this exciting event for any budding writers out there:
Writers’ Retreats
Find your inspiration. Exercise your creativity.
Writing workshops at Lower Coxbridge House near Glastonbury.
One day course: Saturday 25th February 2012 10.00am – 4.00pm
Weekend residential course: Friday 27th April to Sunday 29th April 2012
Short Books author Emma Craigie (Chocolate Cake with Hitler) will lead writing workshops to help you create powerful stories. At the weekend workshop Rebecca Nicolson, founder of Short Books, will lead a sessions on what publishers look for in potential authors.
There will also be opportunities to walk in the beautiful countryside surrounding Lower Coxbridge House, and optional yoga sessions, led by Sarah Orme, to keep you focussed and refreshed.
Delicious meals and refreshments cooked by Nicole Leathley.
Maximum 12 places. For more information: info@somersetstudiospace.co.uk.
www.somersetstudiospace.co.uk, www.emmacraigie.wordpress.com
Many thanks to all those who entered and the winners this month are…
Sonia Hawes – Eydon Book Group
Elizabeth Webb – Minster Readers
Csaba Bali
Jan Willetts
Tracey Atchison – Fairwarp WI Book Group
Jill Hailey
John Hausrath
Susan Pollard – Southway Readers Group
Please can those of you who haven’t sent me your mailing addresses drop me an email (clemmie@shortbooks.co.uk).
In the meantime – CONGRATULATIONS.
We don’t like to start Christmas too early but as the lights are up on Oxford Street and the first Christmas tree has been spotted near the office, we thought we would be forgiven for offering you a festive reading feast this month. We have just published Cooking for Claudine this month and it is just the ticket to get you in the mood for the fast approaching onslaught of turkey, baubles and mince pies.
John Baxter, an acclaimed film critic and foodie, impulsively moved to Paris to marry the woman he loved, only to discover the first test of his intentions would come in the form of a challenge: to cook Christmas dinner for her formidable, grand French family. His year-long quest to produce the perfect meal takes his readers to the farthest corners of France in search of the country’s finest receipes and ingredients. It is a charming, improbabale (but true!) tale of how a man raised on white bread, who didn’t speak a word of French, had to cook his way to the heart of his new family.
It has been a big hit in both the US and Australia so far. Here’s what they had to say about the book:
‘John Baxter is so erudite while being so funny. He’s much more than a tourist ‐ he’s got it all.’ ‐ Diane Johnson, bestselling author of Le Divorce
‘This is a gentle, amusing and elegant memoir… full of amusing tales of being an Aussie in France, a love affair with cooking and, most importantly his endless quest for the best ingredients to make a French Christmas dinner. The result is a sublime and entertaining celebration of a fascinating life ‘ – Sydney Morning Herald, Spectrum
‘This sweet old‐fashioned memoir is wrapped around the first time he cooks for [his wife’s] formidable French family… his quest for the perfect meal is a joyous food tour through France, navigating the strict local conventions about eating’ ‐ Herald Sun
‘Cooking for Claudine is Gallic gastroporn with a soupcon of crackling for good measure to rival Babette’s Feast. A tasty culinary education’ ‐ Vogue Australia
To enter the competition leave a comment below this post. As I have had problems getting people’s addresses off them, please sign in to the blog before you leave your comment so that I can email you if I have any problems.
On another note: I would love to hear from anyone who has been reading The White Lie, which was the September offer. All your thoughts are very welcome, whether good or bad!
Just to give you fair warning of another monthly free books offer tomorrow. This month is is Cooking with Claudine by John Baxter – the PERFECT Christmas read. Paris, food, family – what’s not to love. The books will go on offer tomorrow at 4pm. To enter you need to sign into the blog (that way I don’t get winner’s I can’t get in touch with) and then leave a comment on the post.
If you want to find out more about the book you can go here.
“John Baxter is so erudite while being so funny. He’s much more than a tourist – he’s got it all.” Diane Johnson, bestselling author of Le Divorce
Little do you know, but you are about to be bombarded by these three likely chaps, whose second series on Channel 4 is about to be launched. Challenged with surviving on no money and just their foraging, blagging and culinary skills by River Cottage’s Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, the three boys embark on a serious boy’s own adventure. They are a brilliant gang and their eco-minded, intrepid spirit deserves as much support as we can muster – at least that’s what we think. If you can’t wait until the series starts at the end of the month, then you can find out more about them here, and here. And you can get a sneaky preview of their book below.
As Hugh FW says:
“Tim, Thom and Trevor have a great take on food, on foraging, on fun. It’s a charming recipe and everyone should have a slice”
Active discussions