Author: Em

Turnaround's resident social media addict, if I'm not reading awesome new queer stories, I'm probably making TikToks about them! Catch me on all platforms as @queersandbooks
Fiction, OtherLeave a comment

The Book Series That Broke the Internet: An Introduction to the Tik Tok Sensation Ice Planet Barbarians

Em

Warning: I am about to utter one of the most powerful buzz-words in publishing right now… ‘BookTok’ – a cute and classic blend of ‘book’ with the social media platform TikTok. Headlines have praised this as a renaissance in publishing, the industry-saving beam of hope that we’ve all been searching for since the release of the last Harry Potter book. During the first lockdown, BookTok grew to become an enormous force in the publishing, and all we have to do is turn to the phenomenon of Ice Planet Barbarians by Ruby Dixon to see its power. The Ice Planet Barbarians … Continue reading The Book Series That Broke the Internet: An Introduction to the Tik Tok Sensation Ice Planet Barbarians

Literary Fiction, OtherLeave a comment

Chinese superstar Zhang Yueran’s Cocoon – now in Jeremy Tiang’s new translation, hailed by Ian McEwan as a ‘triumph’

Em

Zhang Yueran is one of China’s most exciting up and coming writers.  International literature specialists World Editions publish her new novel, Cocoon, on 8 October. World Editions Publisher Judith Uyterlinde describes how she discovered the book:  “Years ago, I read Jung Chang’s Wild Swans, and was blown away by that story of three generations of women in twentieth-century China. Chang’s book was a wonderful voyage into a country that until then had been relatively unknown to me. After that initial encounter I read many other novels set in China, but none of them excited me as much as this captivating generational … Continue reading Chinese superstar Zhang Yueran’s Cocoon – now in Jeremy Tiang’s new translation, hailed by Ian McEwan as a ‘triumph’

Book of the Month, Non-Fiction, OtherLeave a comment

The Jive Talker: ‘Antelope’ sculptor dives deep into cultural and personal histories

Em

‘When my Scottish fiancée and I decided to get married, the consul at the High Commission in Malawi asked me: “Are you marrying Susan to get a British passport?” My reply to that was deliberate. “Not really” I said. The … Continue reading The Jive Talker: ‘Antelope’ sculptor dives deep into cultural and personal histories