‘Truly powerful’ HWA ‘A warning’ Carolyn Kirby ‘Relish this’ S. G. MacLean Britain’s biggest witch trial; the mass, all-female campaign to free the accused. ‘The Wicked Of The Earth’. Shortlisted for the HWA Debut Crown Award.

The God of Bryneich in especially generous mood this morning.

10th October 1928, King George V officially opens the new Tyne Bridge, a powerful symbol for the city confirming the central significance of its wealth-giving river, as has been the case since the Roman dedication to Oceanus upon completion of the first bridge, Pons Aelius, c. 122AD. Also shown, the same sea-creature motifs adopted by the Newcastle Trinity House in 1721, and, to the present day, upon the Newcastle United club crest.

] ]work ]face ] ] if not, winter ]no pain ] Sappho, Fragment 22, worked by Anne Carson

Following on from a fascinating talk this week with @es_thomson, her latest, ‘Saltwater’, evocative, suspenseful, unsettling, would definitely be a recommended seasonal read as we approach Halloween, alongside such old and newer books as: @naomikelsey_ ‘The Burnings’ - claustrophobic, needle-sharp, draws the reader in to the rising fear surrounding the North Berwick witch hunt. The dark unraveling which is @DianeSetterfie1 ‘The Thirteenth Tale’. Perhaps even ‘The Wicked Of The Earth’ - the biggest of witch trials, a mass, all-female campaign to free the accused, a missing sister, and the clammy web of conspiracy closing in…

the weighing is done in autumn and the sifting what is to be threshed is threshed in autumn what is to be gathered is taken Diane Di Prima, ‘The Belltower’

Great discussion with the wonderful @es_thomson yesterday to open @BerwickLitFest encompassing historical fiction, ghosts, the perils of research, writing productivity and the smell of pen ink, all centred upon her latest book, ‘Saltwater’, which is chillingly perfect for the season. Thanks to @agentjenny & @SceptreBooks @thestrawyardberwick

Some good research reading for what looks likely to be a disjointed engineering works-hit train journey. Still, Max is snuggled on my jacket, and there’s additionally a new, promising long-read substack (about Salt) from @antonhowes to dive into, so shouldn’t be too bad…

‘Unfortunately critical thinking — and imagination, and empathy — is becoming a lost art. Reality is receding.’ Thought-provoking piece from @LeeChildReacher whose highlighting of the inadequacy of cultural conformity provides a brilliant summary of the issues facing publishing and the wider arts. unherd.com/2026/09/why-cultu…

27th September 1598, birth of Robert Blake, General-at-Sea for Parliament 1649-1657. In a little more than eight years, Blake established English naval dominance, including the doctrine of blockade, defeating Rupert’s Royalist fleet as well as those of Portugal, Spain and the Dutch. He died from the effects of wounds, still on active service, within sight of Plymouth. Upon the Restoration, his body was ripped from its resting place in Westminster Abbey. In terms of his significance to naval history, Blake deserves to be at least as well known as Nelson.

Widely asked to extend the indie bookshop gazetteer to Scotland, where there are a great range of absolutely top booksellers working with incredible dedication to keep businesses open and bring together readers. I had the best time visiting places such as @EdinBookshop (pictured with Max) @ToppingsEdin @PortyBooks @Furtherfrom @WedaleBookshop @heronandwillow @thereadingroommelrose @nightowl_books @mainstreethare @BookNook_Sarah @bookhouse_broughtyferry @yeadonsofelgin @nairnbookshop @undertheleavesbooks Apologies also to bookshops the ‘Wicked’ tour didn’t quite reach. Thanks to stockists such as @orcadianbookshop The Baltic Bookshop, @tackleandbooks @bookpointdunoon @AtkinsonPryce @TheWeeBookShop @adventureintobooks & having heard multiple other authors highly laud such as @UllapoolB @highlandbookshop @thebookmongerbearsden @beinnbooks @aberfeldywatermillbookshop @dornochbookshop I promise to put that right with ‘Jerusalem Staggers’!

Some more images from the fantastic Berwick Heritage Open Days. Thrilling to enter the tunnels, cellars and storerooms of the old fortress town, normally tantalisingly so close yet shut closed.

Hanged man graffito (C18th) from the old town cells at the top of Berwick Town Hall #hods #berwickupontweed

So many great books here @HistoriaHWA - congratulations to all listed and particularly pleased to see @cjcooke_author @dgjones and @LauraSRobinson

‘Everything that a society does is grounded in its sense of the past.’ I may not agree with Martha’s article in its entirety - I believe that the practice of history with rigour and openness will continue, the more so as a response to cultural flattening, whether within in the academy as presently formulated or not - but as a statement of the importance of that rigour, her piece deserves to be widely read.

Now this is uplifting to see.

It’s great to see so many indie bookshops opening. The industry remains brutal, retail margins fragile, overheads and regulation suffocating, so much done for love rather than any expectation of profit, yet still more amazing people enter the business and work hard to create new connections within their local communities. I’m very much looking forward to meeting many more new faces further afield when touring ‘Jerusalem Staggers’ nationally next year, but newcomers in the north east alone include @thebookloft_berwick in Berwick-upon Tweed, Amble’s @bridgestreetbooksamble and @houseofstories in Morpeth, @thesinfulspine in Newcastle, South Shields’ @electricbeaconbooks @booksandbakes_ne in Washington as well as Sunderland’s @chapter13books. Visit them if you can, talk to the booksellers, browse and buy something unusual.

Fantastic to see @northodoxpress appreciated here, Dwell is a brilliant addition.