Compulsive Reader is 17 years old!

Hi fellow readers and happy new year to you! Can you believe that The Compulsive Reader  is 17 years old?  Internet years are like dog years, so I’m a bit proud of the site’s longevity and rapid growth.  It has been an amazing journey from our very humble beginnings to our current stage with nearly 10,000 subscribers (all book lovers), and some 20 exceptional reviewers from around the world. This month’s newsletter has the usual glut of literary news including the winner of the Bad Sex in Fiction award (always an annual favourite, though not with the winner - who was especially bad tempered about it this year),  the Grammys for best spoken book, the Australian Prime Minister’s Literary Awards, and much more.  We also have reviews of some exceptional new books including The Last Wife of Attila the Hun by Joan Schweighardt, Seven by Antonio J. Hopson, Fainting with Freedom by Ouyang Yu, an interview with Welcome to the Arms Race’s Justin Isis, a review of the album Diawara & Fonseca’s At Home (Live in Marciac), and a whole bunch more.  You should be receiving it shortly if you haven’t already but if you can’t wait, or if it got diverted, just grab a copy in our Archive.  Happy reading and all the best for a joyous, book-filled 2016.

Quick video update on Charity:Water Birthday Fundraiser

Hi everyone, in Oct 2014 I promised regular updates on the impact of your donations for my birthday fundraiser.  The money went directly to funding a water tower in Mali to provide water for people in the Segou region of Mali.  More than two million people live there, but only 72% of the population has access to clean, safe drinking water. Charity:Water (who is working with World Vision now on this project) is changing that, and your support has been critical.  So thank you!

Compulsive Reader News for Dec is out

The December issue of The Compulsive Reader newsletter has just gone out. This month’s issue features 10 new reviews, including, among others, M Train by Patti Smith, A Regicide by Alain Robbe-Grillet, and The Story of the Lost Child by Elena Ferrante.  There are also 3 book giveaways, as well as a round-up of November’s hottest literary news.  A copy should be arriving in your in-box very soon, but if you can’t wait, just drop by the Compulsive Reader Archive to grab a copy directly.  Enjoy!

  photo credit: Monday Morning via photopin (license)