Gothic Revived | Sara Collins Interview

Sara Collins interview The Confessions of Frannie Langton

10 Jul Gothic Revived | Sara Collins Interview

Posted at 07:37h in Books, Library, Reading by admin 0 Comments

This edition of the podcast features an interview with rising star Sara Collins, winner of 2019’s First Novel prize at the Costa Book Awards. The Confessions of Frannie Langton begins in 1826 at the Old Bailey murder trial of a former slave accused of the murder of her employers Mr and Mrs Benham. Sara has talked about how, as a black woman, she’d initially been reluctant to write a novel about a woman who had been a slave, but realized that, as a younger reader, she’d have loved a gothic romance about a woman who happened to have been born into that life.

Mary and Kate also talk about the new library service We Select, You Collect, where library staff handpick a selection of books based on your preferences for your to collect from the library. Visit the Ready Reads webpage to find out more or call 01962 454747.

In the second part of the episode, Mary and Kate are joined by Ellie, one of the team from Lockswood Library, to talk about the 1960s classic The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark which is one of the many unlimited titles available on BorrowBox this month. If you want to find out more about the inspiration behind this iconic character, there’s an article in the New Yorker by Muriel Spark about her own teacher, Miss Christina Kay.

Other new unlimited titles for July on BorrowBox include:

The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christie Lefteri, a moving and realistic description of the refugee experience told through the eyes of Nuri – a Syrian beekeeper – and his wife Afra. This is July’s Hampshire Libraries’ virtual book club choice. You’ll find links to this online reading group, which we call Digital Readers, on the Hampshire Library Service Facebook page.
An Unsuitable Match by Joanna Trollope. There’s an interview with Joanna about this book in one of our earlier podcasts.
The Unexpected Return of Josephine Fox by Claire Gradidge, a murder mystery set in Romsey during the war. We’ll be uploading a podcast interview with Claire about this book shortly.
A bumper collection of children’s books to mark the start of this year’s Summer Reading Challenge, the annual library programme to help boost literacy skills for primary school children over the summer.
The Runaway Species by Anthony Brandt
Heartbreak Hotel by Deborah Moggach
Murder Games by James Patterson
Lies by T M Logan

Thanks to Sara Collins, Ellie from Lockswood Library, Doc Jon for our music, and to our supporter BorrowBox, the library app that allows you to download eBooks and audiobooks straight to your phone or tablet. All you need is your library membership number and PIN.