HQ Book Club

What We’re Reading: Notes on Grief by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

This weekend, HQ are looking forward to reading this emotional and moving essay on loss and the people we love from Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, bestselling author of Americanah and Half of a Yellow Sun. What Notes on Grief is about ‘Grief is a cruel kind of education. You… Read More

What We’re Reading: Luster & Jews Don’t Count

In this month’s HQM&B I.D.E.A. (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Access) Book Club, we were really excited to dive into our fiction pick Luster by Raven Leilani and non-fiction pick Jews Don’t Count by David Baddiel – two very different books, both packed with lots to digest and discuss. What… Read More

Parting Shot – Short Story by Simon Berthon

Grab a few biscuits and a beverage of choice. Settle down and read Parting Shot, the gripping short story by Simon Berthon – author of A Time to Lie. If you’re into your mysteries or spy thrillers, then read on to find out about a retired man named Gwilym.   Parting… Read More

Read an exclusive extract of Amanda Jennings’ gripping thriller!

In preparation for our book club meeting this week, why not dip your toes into this gripping prologue of The Storm by Amanda Jennings.   The chill December wind blows in gusts, turning drizzle to slivers of glass and scoring the sea with angry white slashes. A boat… Read More

HQ Book Club: Lisa Hall’s top 5 psychological thrillers!

What is it that makes a psychological thriller a book to remember? For me, it’s not just about the twist (although, of course, the twist is very important); it’s also about the build-up and the tension, and very often I guess the twist ahead of its reveal but I read… Read More

Susannah Constantine on writing Summer in Mayfair

Ahead of this week’s live book club event, author Susannah Constantine tells us all about her writing process for Summer in Mayfair.    This is new to me – to be part of a book club, where I am talking about my own novel, Summer in Mayfair. Where better to… Read More

What to do When Your Book Comes Out During a Global Pandemic

Ahead of this week’s live HQ Book Club event, author Louise Hare tells us all about her debut novel This Lovely City, publishing at the beginning of a global pandemic, and finding creativity in lockdown.   Like many authors, the publication of my debut novel was a dream coming… Read More

The Tricky Art of Writing Women with Kia Abdullah

At the risk of starting a rumpus, I’ll start by saying this: it is far harder to write women than it is to write men. After all, men are so often excused for a long list of traits. They can be bossy, cocky, lustful, prideful, promiscuous, pugnacious, dogged,… Read More

Book Club: The Irresistible Power of What If with Miranda Dickinson

People often ask me where I find my ideas for books. The answer is, everywhere: a snippet of conversation overheard in a coffee shop; a news article that catches my eye; pictures, places or a piece of music that set my imagination firing. But in the end, it always boils… Read More