“I love a dedicated second-hand bookshop as much as the next collector.” #parisfantastique #readindies
Confingo Publishing is an indie press based in Manchester, and they have an intriguing list of titles on their books. They've appeared on the Ramblings before as they issue Dave Haslam's 'Art Decades' series of intriguing, slim volumes and I've read three of these so far. However, one of their recent newsletters alerted me to the fact that they also publish another…
“… stay under the radar.” #readindies #corylusbooks
I'm happy to be able to share my thoughts today on a book from a really interesting indie press - Corylus Books. As I mentioned when I reviewed another title they released, "Black Storms", they specialise in bringing new voices into English, with a specific focus on European crime which might not usually get translated. I very much enjoyed my earlier foray into their fiction and they very kindly sent me another title…
'The Post Office Girl' (Rausch der Verwandlung) by #StefanZweig reviewed for #ReadIndies.
https://wp.me/sezD85-pog
“The thought had flashed through his mind that he might not be the most eccentric person on the train.” #readindies #pushkinpress
For me, February is of course Reading Independent Publishers month and all the books I share will be from indie presses of all kinds. However, it's also Hungarian Literature Month, hosted by Stu at Winstonsdad's Blog, and I was very keen to join in as I do love translated literature. I had a half-hearted rummage in Mount TBR, hoping that…
“…poets are the greatest of all lovers.” #readindies #michaelwalmer
Today I want to share my thoughts on another book from Michael Walmer; my last post was on one of his older titles, but today's is on a brand new release, and an interesting one at that! The title is "The Worshipper of the Image" and the author is Richard Le Gallienne. I'd come across neither author nor title before but was keen to explore this book as the blurb makes it very tempting.
“I have measured out my life in used books…” #renardpress #readindies
One indie press which needs no introduction here on the Ramblings is Renard Press. I've been a huge fan of their books for years and am happy to support them via monthly subscription. The range of works they release is always impressive, from new works, lost classics, essays and poetry to non-fiction - their books are always interesting as well as being beautifully produced.
“I just have a queer streak.” #readindies #godlike
One thing I often find about indie presses is that they're great at picking up books which might have otherwise gone under the radar. Whether a new title or a reprint which didn't get the attention it deserved, so many works are saved from obscurity by indies. Today's book is a case in point, as it's one I would have picked up on its initial release, but it somehow passed me by; now, however, it's been rescued by NYRB…
“…the inevitable limitations of music written on a page.” #readindies #discord #jeremycooper
It's entirely appropriate that I should read a Fitzcarraldo book for #readindies, as this event grew out of a previous one, Fitzcarraldo Editions Fortnight, which Lizzy and I co-hosted back in 2020. Both of us had a great love of their releases, and in fact I do still have some unread volumes hidden in Mount TBR. However, today's book is a new title (published tomorrow), and…
"The footprints of others": review of 'After Kenyon', a sequence of thirty poems by Jeanne Griggs, published by Broadstone Books. #ReadIndies #Bookstodon https://wp.me/sezD85-knyn
“I will walk into the sea/with no drama…” #readindies #brokensleepbooks
A good number of the indies I follow issue poetry collections, and today I wanted to share a couple of slim volumes released by a press I've covered on the Ramblings before - Broken Sleep Books. I've previously read three of their titles and found them very varied and really thought-provoking; so I was hoping to find these new books as interesting.
My review of 'Spies' (2002) by Michael Frayn for #ReadIndies #BookSky @FaberBooks https://wp.me/sezD85-spies
“A truncated cone of flame…” #skyhigh #readindies
One indie press I'm always happy to spend time with is British Library Publishing; as is fairly obvious, I'm a huge fan of their Crime Classics and Women Writers imprints, and so #ReadIndies is the perfect time to pick up one of their books. A recent release sounded particularly interesting, and as it's by an author I'm pretty sure I've not read before, I decided it would be a good one to try next - …
“…none of Yermil’s plans succeeded.” #readindies #agreedypeasant
One of the things I love about independent presses is the wide variety of books they publish. Some will focus on new works which wouldn't necessarily get a chance of exposure with a mainstream press whilst others will unearth older or lost works which definitely deserve to be rediscovered. Michael Walmer is one of the latter; originally based Down Under, he now operates out of the Shetland Islands and his…
“…something painful twisted free.” #readindies @TheEmmaPress
The first book I want to share for #ReadIndies is from a small, Birmingham-based outfit called The Emma Press. I've featured their titles on the Ramblings before, and like previous books, this one was a lovely gift from HeavenAli. It's a slim work called "Hailman" by Leanne Radojkovich, and it's a thoughtful and intriguing read. The stories in "Hailman" (first published in 2021) are set in Aotearoa New…
My review of award-winning children's novel 'Hox' by Annemarie Allan (from Floris Books). #ReadIndies
https://wp.me/sezD85-hox
Launching Reading Independent Publishers Month 2026 – with a pile of possibilities! #readindies
When I decided in January that I would continue hosting Reading Independent Publishers month, my first instinct was of course to make a pile of possible reads. I mean, what's more fun than digging around in the stacks to see what options you have for a particular bookish event?? So I had a bit of a rummage and was actually a little shocked at how many unread indies I…
Announcing Reading Independent Publishers Month 6! #ReadIndies
Regular visitors here will know that for the last five years, I have had the pleasure of co-hosting Reading Independent Publishers Month alongside Lizzy from Lizzy's Literary Life. This grew out of a number of events which focused on small presses, in particular a Fitzcarraldo Editions Fortnight which we ran during February 2020. Because of our attachment to that month, …
Reading Independent Publishers Month 2025 – the index! #readindies
You can now find the 2025 index here - thanks to my co-host Lizzy for putting this together! Thank you to all who contributed - ReadIndies 2025 was another bumper year! Please check to see that all your reviews are included with correct linkage. Do let Lizzy know if anything needs adding or correcting. It’s a matter of moments to update the index. Here's to reading indie presses all year round! 😊
“…while things may disappear, they are never gone entirely…” #ceesnooteboom #letterstoposeidon
Today I'm going to share a book which I *had* considered for #ReadIndies, until I realised that the publisher was no longer independent and is now owned by Hachette! It's a title which was a Christmas gift from lovely JacquiWine, and it's by an author who is a recent discovery for me - Cees Nooteboom, whose "The Following Story…
“… you can fool an inexpert buyer in two ways…” @BL_Publishing #readindies @medwardsbooks
Despite having covered two British Library Crime Classics last month for #readindies (as well as a Galileo GA mystery) my taste for classic crime has not diminished, and I'm still playing catch-up with review copies!! Today's title is one I read during February but ran out of slots on the blog to cover; so here it is now and hopefully it counts are we are in the catch-up period.
