GREAT READS

Thanks to everyone for the book recommendations at Wednesday’s meeting. It’s always good to be introduced to writers we haven’t met before – and exciting to meet new characters with whom to engage. 


Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö, are a married couple of detective writers from Sweden. They conceived and wrote a series of novels about the exploits of detectives from the Swedish Police Homicide Squad in which the character of Martin Beck was the main protagonist, plotting and researching each book together, they then wrote alternate chapters. There are 10 books in the series – available in English – the first of which, ‘Roseanna’, came out in 1965. 
No doubt due to the huge international success of Scandinavian TV dramas, Martin Beck is being revisited in the 21st Century. Last year BBC Radio 4 ran a series of 5 of the Beck stories in the Saturday Drama strand and will complete the dramatization in the Spring of 2013. Books, hardback, paperback, kindle etc are available from Amazon – http://www.amazon.co.uk/Roseanna-Martin-Beck-Maj-Sjowall/dp/0007439113


Next up is Norwegian writer Jo Nesbø  -  http://jonesbo.com/ - where 9 titles (to date) are listed, together with a history of his protagonist Harry Hole. As the Literary Supplement (UK) said; ‘“Hole is all a fictional detective should be”.  Jo Nesbø’s ‘Phantom’ is the UK’s best- selling paperback this week, fighting off stiff competition from the film tie-in editions of ‘The Hobbit’ and ‘Life of Pi’. The novel is also No. 1 on the official Swedish paperback list this month. Books available from Amazon here; http://www.amazon.co.uk/Jo-Nesbo/e/B001JOJT6C


Kate Atkinson is another prolific writer who comes highly recommended. A good current read is ‘Human Croquet’ – described on Amazon - where it is available for download and other formats – as ‘Part fairy tale, part mystery, part coming-of-age novel’ the book is ‘A stunning feat of imagination and storytelling, Human Croquet is rich with the disappointments and possibilities every family shares’.  




Noah Gordon’s first book came out in 1976 and was on The New York Times bestseller list for 26 weeks. ‘The Rabbi’ is the story of Michael Kind, a young rabbi who falls in love with the daughter of a Protestant minister. Since that early success, Gordon has written eight best sellers, including the Cole Trilogy, the first book of which follows Robert Jeremy Cole from his 11th century boyhood in England, through Europe to an Arab medical school in Persia, where he studies under the immortal physician Avicenna.  In 1999, the Spanish booksellers who attended the Madrid Book Fair voted ‘The Physician’ one of the ten most beloved books of all time. ‘The Physician’ is now in development for a film. Gordon’s website http://www.noahgordonbooks.com/novels.ht is a mine of information about him and his novels, including the most recent, the Spanish-set ‘The Winemaker’ described by Gordon as his ‘love letter to Spain’. 



All great reads – and if anyone has a copy of any of the above that they would be happy to lend to the group – ‘twould be much appreciated I am sure. See you on Wednesday.  Lisa. 

Competition Information updated list

Group/Organisation	Cost	Prize	Closing Date
Thynks Publications (short stories and poems)  QUARTERLY www.thynkspublications.co.uk	WEB	PAGE	Jan Feb Mar Apr 2013
Pighog press www.pighog.co.uk	Pamphlet printed + 100 copies	10 poems of max 30 lines Cost £15 entry fee	31st Jan 2013
Kent and Sussex open poetry Competition www.kentandsussexpoetry.com	£5 for 1 £4 if 3 or more	£1000 £300 £100 £50 x 4	31st Jan 2013
Slipstream Poets www.slipstream-poets.co.uk	£3 per poem £10 for 4 £12 for 6	£250 £100 £75 £10 x2	31st Jan 2013
Open Poetry Competition www.kentandsussexpoetry.com	£5 per poem or over 4poems £4 each	£1,000 = 1 £300    = 2 £100    = 3 4 x £50	31st Jan 2013
NAWG Open Poetry Competition www.nawg.co.uk	£5	£250 £100 £50	31st Jan 2013
Prole Laureate Poetry www.prolebooks.co.uk	£3 1st poem £2.50 for 2nd	£130. + pblctn £30= 2runner ups	14th Feb 2013
Luman Camden Poetry Comp www.wardwoodpublishing.co.uk	£2.50 or 10 for £6	10 Bound copies of small poetry collection	14th Feb 2013
Grace Dieu Writers' Circle www.gracedieuwriterscircle.co.uk	£4 one poem or £12 for 4 poems, £3 for additional entry over four	1st prize £500; 2nd Prize: £200; 3rd Prize: £100; 4th Prize: £75; 5th Prize: £50	28th Feb 2013
Grace Dieu writers circle comp www.gracedieuwriterscircle.co.uk	£4 £12 for 4	£500 £200 £100 £75 £50	29th Feb 2013
Lightship First Poetry Book Competition www.lightshippublishing.co.uk	£20 for first 20 pages of a 50 poem collection	£1,000 and publication of 50 poems	31st March 2013
Fish Poetry Competition www.fishpublishing.com	£14 for 1 £8 subsequent 300 words	£1,000	31st March 2013
Words with Jam Humour poetry competition www.flash500.com	£3 for 1 £2.50 subsequent poems	£150 £100 £50	Quarterly 31st Mar 2013
Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY) www.c-r-y.org.uk	£5 for 3 poems	£1,000 £700 £300	30th Apr 2013
Ware Poets Competition Special prize for the best sonnet www.poetrypf.co.uk/images/compware13.pdf	£4 £12 for 4	£600 £100 £250	30th Apr 2013
Templar Poetry www.templarpoetry.co.uk	£20 for 18 – 24 pages	£250 advance + launch of short collection	7th May 2013
Poetry Space – FULL PUBLISHING SCHEDULE www.poetryspace.co.uk	THAT	NO SUBMISSION	2014

 

 

Group/Organisation	Cost	Prize	Closing Date
Grace Dieu Writers' Circle www.gracedieuwriterscircle.co.uk 2,000 word story.	£5 one story £3 for additional entries	1st prize £500; 2nd Prize: £200; 3rd Prize: £100; 4th Prize: £75; 5th Prize: £50	28th Feb 2013
Flash 500 www.flash500.com	£5 for 1 £8 for 2	1st prize £300 2nd prize  £100 3rd prize £50	31st March 2013 QUARTERLY
Lightship short memoir Competition www.lightshippublishing.co.uk	£12 5,000 words	£1,000	1st May 2013
Lightship One Page Story Competition www.lightshippublishing.co.uk	£8 300 words	£250	31st March 2013
Lightship First Act Competition www.lightshippublishing.co.uk	£18 6,000 words	Play  performed in London	31st May 2013
Lightship Short Story competition www.lightshippublishing.co.uk	£12 5,000 words	£1,000	30th June 2013
Fish Publishing  Memoir www.fishpublishing.com	£16 4,000 words	£1,000	31st Jan 2013
Fish Publishing Flash Fiction www.fishpublishing.com	£14 for 1 £8 other 300 words	£1,000	28th Feb 2013
Bath Short Story Award www.bathshortstoryaward.co.uk	£5 or 2,200 words	£500 £100 £50	30th March 2013
Blue Thumbnail Short Story Competition   www.bluethumbnail.com	£6  for 3,000 words	Retreat to Greece!	30th March 2013
Bristol Short Story Competition www.bristolprize.co.uk	£8 for 4,000 words	£1,000 £700 £400 17 x£100	30th April 2013
www.prizemagic.co.uk Look on Website	LOTS OF	COMPS	INFO
Dark Tales www.literaturewales.org www.darktales.co.uk	£3 up to 5000 words	£100 £50 £25	Last day of every month
Exeters Short Story competition www.exeterwriters.org.uk	£5 for 3,000 words	£500 £250 £100	31st March 2013
Five Stop Stories – Monthly Competition www.fivestopstory.com	1 entry: £4 2 entries: £7 3 entries: £8 for 1,000 -3,000 words	£50	Last day of each month.
Flash 500 www.flash500.com	£5 for 1 story £8 for two For 500 words	£300	Quarterly 1st Mar 2013.
Home-Start Bridgwater Short Story Prize 2013 all proceeds go to charity. www.homestart-bridgwater.org.uk	£7for 2,200 words	£500 £200 £100	21st Jan 2013
Leaf Books tiny weeny story competitions www.leafbook.co.uk	£2 for 1 £10 for 6 Max 200 words	£100	28th Feb 2013
*Little House Short Story Competition www.nawe.co.uk	£5 for 2,000 words	£100	31st Dec 2012
Moth Short Story Prize www.themothmagazine.com	€8	€1,000	31st March 2013
Multi-Story www.multi-story.co.uk
Playing Bingo Short Story Competition Theme “Bingo” www.playingbingo.co.uk	Free 1,500 - 3000 words	£300 £100 £50 x2	28th Feb 2013
Writer's Worldwide Prize Theme “Travel” www.writersworldwideprize.com	£5 for 5,000 words	£1000	1st May 2013
www.thedock.info	Lots of	competition	info
I.B.P. Scribble competitions www.parkpublications.co.uk Lots of competitions.  Ongoing.  Look at the details on the web page under competitions			ongoing