Drawn to Change the World

Emma Reynolds, Ann Maulina, Natasha Donovan, Teo DuVall, Devon Holzwarth, Erin Hunting, Margarita Kukhtina, Victoria Maderna & Federico Piatti, Shivana Sookdeo. HarperCollins. (208p) ISBN: 9780063084216
Draw to Change the World

Draw to Change the World

I received a copy of this early from Emma and NetGalley to have a look and give an honest review. This excellent book is being released on the 12th of September.

This book brings together the stories of sixteen young climate activists and tells their story through the use of short illustrated passages, each passage is worked on by a different artist in their own style.

The book emphasises that it is indigenous people and other marginalised people who will face the brunt of the disasters that the climate emergency will bring about and the majority of the youth written about in the book are from those communities.

The message is strong and consistent throughout and shows the draconian obstacles that are met at every turn by these activists, whether it is in a country that already arrests and cracks down on its population or in countries that are passing laws that make protest and activism harder and harder.

The artists that have been used to support this message show a wide range of styles and each one is brilliantly done.

At the start and end of the book there are information sections talking about the science and on what you can do as an individual to make a stand about the climate emergency.

A fascinating look at the inspirations and lives of young people who had no choice but to stand up and speak out.


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Jon Cox – Author Q&A

Jon Cox

Jon Cox

Born in Penzance, Jonathan Cox is a former Fleet Street journalist and international news agency correspondent. He recently completed a postgraduate writing degree at Falmouth University with a first class honours degree (distinction). The Cornwall Sabbatical is his first, but hopefully not last, book. To make ends meet as a writer, he also works as a consumer analyst.

Jon can be found at:
Website: www.oceancox.com

Tell me what inspired you to write your (debut) book?

A long pent up demand – I wrote my first, unpublished book, in my early 20’s, a Martin Amis-esque bonk and booze buster, got rejected a lot, lost heart and it toom me another thirty years to build up courage to have another go. I took a sabbatical, doing a writing programme at Falmouth university in Cornwall, where I was born, and that led onto the book about Cornwall, my first love.

What came first the characters or the world?

In this case the world – Cornwall. I arrived in 1967.

How hard was it to get your first (debut) book published?

Very – I like to think I am not a bad writer (former news agency journalist, now analyst so regularly write reports). I was turned down by around 100 agents and probably close to 200 publishers. I had a couple of tentative offers at the end of it. No advances that was for sure.

How long did it take to write?

About six months.

Do you have a writing playlist? If so do you want to share it?

I am a big techno head – so compilations of EDM/dance/trance. Who doesn’t like Beachball by Nalin & Kane?

How many publishers turned you down?

See above

What kind of reactions have you had to your book?

Some people said it ended too quickly and there is not enough of me staring at my navel, feeling sorry for myself, and then at the end getting some sort of redemption. You get the picture. I didn’t want to write about my mother’s nervous breakdowns or my brother in law’s brain cancer (both true) and plenty of more that I would not mention here for fear of hurting the people. I wanted to write what looks like a light hearted, comical but informative memoir/travelogue about Cornwall.

The Cornwall Sabbatical

The Cornwall Sabbatical

What’s the favourite reaction you’ve had to your book?

Helen Lederer is pure class — I met her in Falmouth when she was doing a book festival (my first not sure I would do many more) and she wrote a nice quote for me.

What can you tell us about your next book?

I want to do fiction – I actually never set out to write The Cornwall Sabbatical.

Do you take notice of online reviews?

Whoever says they don’t either doesn’t read them or is dead inside.

Would you ever consider writing outside your current genre?

Yep, see above.

What did you do before (or still do) you became a writer?

I am an analyst – yes, one of those type of analysts from Industry, the TV series, if you know what I mean, but based in Zurich. I don’t mention that a lot in writing circles (or that I was a news agency journalist, see the part in TCS when an established author looks like there is an unpleasant smell when I say I worked as a wire hack)

Which author(s) inspire you?

Too many to mention – at the moment I am recycling into Ed McBain. Legend in the genre I want to actually do more of. In that genre there is Lee Childs – hat great stripped down language. I love Tom Wood’s Victor the Assassin series. I also like Nordic noire crime, like Jo Nesbo, whose best books are actually stand alone rather than Harry Hole. I include Edinburgh in the genre, Sir Ian Rankin, another legend. I also like spy stuff, Ian Fleming, now we have Mick Herron, I love his description of London. I don’t think the Apple TV series does it justice. I want to be part of that gang. Outside of that, I am a child of Martin Amis, easily my biggest influence in my late teens, while Tom Wolfe’s Bonfire of the Vanities (along with Amis Money) is probably the best book I have read.

Which genres do you read yourself?

See above.

What is your biggest motivator?

Fear of failure.

What will always distract you?

My day job. I actually really like it and it pays the bills. I just find something is missing there while I feel immensely fulfilled when I write creatively. So I am pretty tortured on the work/writing balance.

How much (if any) say do you have in your book covers?

You know I was really disappointed as my son, who is a graphic designer in the ad world, did a cover with my input, a kaleidoscope of Cornish images (the full title of my book is The Cornwall Sabbatical: Observations Through a Returning Pirate’s Kaleidoscope). There was sky, sea colours, moody shading, Celtic looking. Publisher said not commercial enough but would use it on inside cover. People forget he wrote Blackboard Jungle under his.

Were you a big reader as a child?

Yes – having an unusual family life does that to you.

What were your favourite childhood books?

Famous Five, Secret Seven, The Three Detectives that sort of stuff.

Do you have a favourite bookshop? If so, which?

Sorry, you will hate me, got to be Waterstones (on Piccadilly in London is my favourite). So many floors, so many books.

What books can you not resist buying?

Actually because I moved around a lot I moved online very quickly (also ipod very first mover) so it is mostly electronic copies (the print books I add to a collection of pre-2,000 books now tend to be biographies). Electronically, I am one of those people pre-ordering all my favourite writers (Childs, Baldacci etc etc) and then get excited when they appear in my kindle library app.

Do you have any rituals when writing?

Hardest thing is starting.

How many books are in your own physical TBR pile?

One – my son gave me Rutger Bregman’s Humankind: A Hopeful History, he says I am too cynical. I tell him I am reading it but am quietly going through the whole Ed McBain back catalogue. After a chapter or two of “another thing we are all so nice about …” I couldn’t take it.

What is your current or latest read?

Ed McBain’s Blood Relatives – number 30 of the 87th Precinct series, we are now in the 1970’s (it starts in the 50s). I have another 26 to go. I loved the first few in terms of his comments, many years later, about his relationship with his publisher (who he didn’t seem to like very much). People forget he also wrote Blackboard Jungle under his Evan Hunter real name.

Any books that you’re looking forward to in the next 12 months?

Got to be the next Tom Wood Victor book series.

Any plans or projects in the near future you can tell us about?

Getting The Cornwall Sabbatical out of the door but then I need to get back into it. I find short series or flash fiction a good way to get back into it.

Any events in the near future?

I am waiting for the invites for the book festivals – we’ll see.

and finally, what inspired you to write the genre you do?

As mentioned the first book is a labour of love about Cornwall. The crime/thriller genre just keeps you gripped.


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The Notebook: A History of Thinking on Paper

Roland Allen. Profile Books. (416p) ISBN: 9781788169325
The Notebook: A History of Thinking on Paper

The Notebook: A History of Thinking on Paper

I love those feelings of serendipity that sometimes happen.

I had just added this book to my Wish List when Roland contacted me to see if I wanted to read a copy…

So I immediately took this off the list and waited with great anticipation for it to arrive.

As a lover of notebooks Roland wanted to find out the history of them, but found no easy answers and this is where this book was born from and what a fascinating book it was. A great social history but also a history of an emergent technology that supported the development of so many more technologies and breakthroughs.

We follow the different aspect of the notebook throughout history, from the start of double entry bookkeeping in Florence all the way up to the development of patient diaries with a lot in-between.

Roly explores the advantage of a portable paper product over that of the the other mediums of written information, such as papyrus and vellum, including cost and availability.

We are also taken on a tour of notebooks belonging to people such as Darwin, Newton, Bob Graham, etc and how the small portability of these were perfect or anything that could be imagined.

Bullet journalling, sketch books, common-place books, artists aides, and my absolute favourite, zibaldoni, a place to put all your thoughts, important excerpts from others, and pretty much anything that came to mind (how I use my notebooks), we have an exploration of the various forms that have come to mind to use notebooks/paper/writing utensil.

I’ve been absolutely engrossed in this book from start to finish, both with the insights and writing. A must have for all fellow lovers of notebooks and those who love a great social history.


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Calling the Whales

Jasbinder Bilan, Skylar White. Barrington Stoke. (80p) ISBN: 9781800901803
Calling the Whales

Calling the Whales

This was another book I asked NetGalley for, Jasbinder Bilan and Barrington Stoke, what could go wrong?

Absolutely nothing could go wrong! A wonderfully emotional tale of two friends on the coast of Scotland, just finishing primary school and growing up.

The core of the story is about Tulsi and Satchen saving a whale that has been entangled in cast off fishing net, but there is a lot about friendship, family, and the environment.

This is a well written story with beautiful illustrations from Skylar White that puts across an important message about how we treat those that share the planet with us and some of the things we can to do to help.

And as usual wonderful writing by Jasbinder Bilan gets the story across with great clarity and emotion.

Excellent read.


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The Sealey Challenge

The Sealey Challenge

The Sealey Challenge

In August I usually take part in the Women in Translation Month, reading as many books as I can that are by women and translated from their language into English. I’ve always enjoyed this but this year felt I needed a change though I will still read some books like this for the month.

This year I’ve been discovering a love of poetry which I always felt I was denied as a working class boy growing up in the 70s, of course we were forced to read Burns (I’m Scottish) and some other classics but only in the context of tearing them to pieces for school rather than for pleasure.

Whilst expanding my poetry follows on Twitter I came across The Sealey Challenge, another month long challenge but this time the challenge is to read a poetry book a day throughout August.

I’d already collected a reasonable amount of poetry to read but I’m off to York or Durham this coming week to get myself several more to make sure I’ve more than enough to get me through the month.

Once I’ve read a book I’ll put a small review on here and tweet about it with the hashtag #thesealeychallenge to join in with the community side of the challenge, though I’m not going to go for the whole read a book a day part of the challenge but I will read poetry every day and engage with the poems and the community.

Really looking forward to this and have a couple of books about the craft and history of poetry to see me through the month as well.

I’ll add a list of the books to this post that I’ve dipped into as I dip in, with thoughts on the poem that I’ve read from that book. This may eventually be a really long post.

Day 01: Dog Woman by Helen Quah published by Out-Spoken Press. The beach was the perfect place to read a poetry book, all were strong poems but my personal favourite was [When I Marry A White Man] III,

I’m left with the image
of a dog in pain

Day 02: Milk Snake by Toby Buckley published by The Emma Press. Another strong collection of poems, full of emotion and gripping imagery. Visits brought back a lot of memories:

Her last words were a panicked whisper:
the foreign nurses were stealing her
sheep — canned tangerines — her slippers —
some of her socks — her possessions leaking

Day 03: Tidal Pools and Other Small Infinities by Kristen Costello published by Central Avenue Publishing on the 3rd October 2023. The poetic meanderings following the traces of a romance and love through the up and downs and ins and outs from independence to independence.

My voice
is so different from yours – I never should have let
you use my tongue to speak for all those years.


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Locke & Key: The Golden Age

Joe Hill, Gabriel Rodriguez. Idea and Design Works. (264p) ISBN: 9781684057856
Locke & Key: The Golden Age

Locke & Key: The Golden Age

As a big fan of the Locke & Key television series I thought it was about time that I went to the source material, and I thought that starting with The Golden Age would be a great way to get into them.

I was also overjoyed when I found out that there was an official Sandman crossover story, Hell & Gone.

Overall solid writing from Joe Hill and great art from Gabriel Rodriguez.

This acts as a prequel to the main storyline of the Locke & Key world as portrayed in the comics from Welcome to Lovecraft onward.

The collection introduces us to many of the familiar keys and to one especially that we hadn’t realised that the Lockes had made, and all build up to the Sandman crossover.

Small World sees the introduction of the small world key and the dangers and interactions that can come about through it’s use, as well as a foreshadowing for a later story. Well written and quite brief it still packs a punch.

Open the Moon the saddest of all the issues in this collection, wasn’t quite sure what was happening to begin with but the outcome was sad and sweet.

Face the Music a hilarious short interlude, and of course cats will be cats, and introduces us to the Head Key.

In Pale Battalions Go John Locke wants to use the keys as weapons in WWI and manipulates and sneaks to get what he needs and in the process there are a lot of unexpected consequences.

Hell and Gone This is brilliant, what a crossover. It also explains a lot of things that happened in future Sandman issues, and twists and turns in on itself. The best of a really good collection of stories.


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