Your next great beach read
Looking for a fun beach read for yourself or a friend? Go on! Try Play Me! – double award-nominated and constantly in the Amazon best-seller list for political humour. I loved writing this freewheeling satire…
Uncovering the Truth: The Inspiration Behind Play Me!
A strange thing: The launch of the paperback of Play Me! is a bigger deal than the launch of the original hardback, which is its first appearance in the world. The hardback is the book’s first day…
Top 10 comedy novels to give your friends (or yourself) this Christmas
Merriest season’s greetings. Are you only now getting round to buying presents? Or is it just me? I always leave it late, though this year I have an excuse: just out of hospital and needing…
Review: The Bonfire of the Vanities
I asked in a blog some years ago if satire worked. If it does, why is the world in such a shitty place? But then, perhaps we’re misunderstanding. Perhaps satire was never intended to improve…
Can you help me deal with Amazon’s high-handedness?
I’d appreciate your help dealing with Amazon’s high-handedness. Some time ago on Amazon I had well over 100 reviews of my first novel, the satirical The Breaking of Liam Glass – the majority 5 star.…
Three books for humans
It’s not easy to find an entertaining book about the way we live now, climate change and politics. Even the words seem so off-putting. But I’ve just discovered three that are great reads in totally…
Orbital and other books and TV
Fall in love with the earth In my continuing search for books to recommend to you, a few months ago I read Samantha Harvey’s novel Orbital. Just two weeks ago, it won the Booker. Never…
Riots, politicians and tabloids
A little while ago, I told my (then) agent I was writing a satirical novel about tabloids and politicians who spark riots over knife crime. Guess what he said.
Staggering Hubris by Josh Berry – review
You’re a staggeringly brilliant spad (special adviser) working in Downing Street in the early days of a new government. The world is at your feet. Brexit is oven-ready. You have a degree from Oxford. Attractive…
Liam Glass #1 bestseller in Amazon mass media
A quick one today, to celebrate my award-shortlisted satire The Breaking of Liam Glass reaching the #1 bestseller spot in Amazon Mass Media this week. A thank you to everyone who bought the book and…
Special early Black Friday book offers
I’m off to the Brechin & Angus Book Festival next week and to honour the occasion, I’ve persuaded my publishers to give you two early Black Friday book offers. If you’re near Brechin next weekend…
Reading and writing satire: Mightier than the sword?
Satire is having a big moment. We have satirical novels winning the Mann Booker Prize, satirical TV shows hoovering up the ratings along with satirical movies. Some politicians are deemed to be too far gone…
Read Catch-22 for free
We know that the Internet thrives on free information. As the saying goes, “Information wants to be free.” But I was still surprised by what I found when I began writing my book on free…
Win a personally signed hardback copy of The Breaking of Liam Glass
To celebrate the launch of the second edition of my 5* darkly humorous thriller The Breaking of Liam Glass, I’m delighted to give away one of the very first hardback copies, which I’ll sign to…
Fight club: Review of Lionel Shriver’s The Motion of the Body Through Space
Bestselling author Lionel Shriver is not one to run away from a fight. In her latest novel, she runs full tilt towards it, in just about every sense of the word. This week, I’m looking…
Breaking bad? Review of Graham Greene’s Travels with My Aunt
I’m very into re-reading at the moment (if you’re interested there’s a great article on the subject by novelist Richard Bradbury) but this week’s review is of a book I re-read by accident. To be…
Will you be gripped by The Singapore Grip? Review
As disaster looms, the incompetents in charge can offer only complacency, arrogance and grandiosity. Sounds familiar? But this isn’t Covid-19, it’s Singapore in the Second World War. Based on an acclaimed satirical novel, the glossy…