Golsboro Glass Bell Award Shortlist

 

Goldboro Books have announced the shortlist for the £2000 Goldsboro Glass Bell Award 

The shortlisted novels are:

We Are All Birds of Uganda by Hafsa Zayyan, (Merky Books)

Sistersong by Lucy Holland (Pan)

Ariadne by Jennifer Saint, (Wildfire)

Mrs March by Virginia Feito, (Fourth Estate)

The Wolf Den by Elodie Harper, (Head of Zeus)

Daughters of Night by Laura Shepherd-Robinson, (Pan).

Administered by independent bookshop Goldsboro Books, the Glass Bell Award rewards storytelling in all genres, and is awarded annually to ‘a compelling novel with brilliant characterisation and a distinct voice that is confidently written and assuredly realised’.

In The St Hilda's Spotlight:- Beth Lewis

 

Name:- Beth Lewis

Job:- Author

Website:-.http://bethlewis.co.uk 

Twitter:- @bethklewis

Introduction

Beth Lewis is the author of three novels. Her debut novel The Wolf Road was published in 2016 and was shortlisted for the inugural Glass Bell Award. It was also one of Amazon's best books of 2016. Her second novel Bitter Sun was published in 2018. Her most recent novel The Origins of Iris was published in 2021. Her fourth book Children of the Sun is due to be published in 2024.

Current book? (This can either be the current book that you are reading or writing)

I’m currently reading The Black Drop by Lenora Nattrass. I am on a bit of a historical fiction kick having just finished the most excellent Daughters of Night by Laura Shepherd-Robinson. As for writing, I’m just waiting on the final edits for my next book, Children of the Sun which I am so excited to publish! 

Favourite book

Ever? Gosh, that’s a hard one. It’s changed a lot over the years but the recent one I can’t get out of my head is The Overstory by Richard Powers. It’s a wonderful, immersive read which made me look at trees and nature in whole new way.

How do you relax?

I have a toddler, relaxation is a foreign concept but when I collapse on the sofa at the end of the day, it’s usually in front of the TV, watching Bridgerton or a new shiny science-fiction show.

Which book do you wish you had written and why? 

I don’t wish I’d written anyone else's book as I probably wouldn’t have written it like they did.Though I do have some ideas I’d like other writers to tackle because I don’t think I could do them justice. 

What would you say to your younger self if you were just starting out as a writer.

I would probably say, “Writing is fun, publishing isn’t always, but it’ll be worth it in the end. Just play the game, kid.”

How would you describe your latest published book?

The Origins of Iris is about a woman escaping her abusive wife and meeting another version of herself who made different choices. It’s about love, hope, family, regret, the path not taken and it also explores domestic violence in a female LGBT+ relationship, something I’d never seen before in fiction. 

With Town and Country: Green Lanes to Mean Streets being the theme at St Hilda's this year, Where is your favourite town and where is your favourite country? Why have you chosen these?

I’ve just come back from a weekend in Amsterdam so right now, that’s my favourite town. A wonderful mix of old and new, rickety, leaning buildings housing trendy cafes and galleries, winding canals, it’s a city full of stories. I loved it. 

My favourite country is Canada. I adore it. It’s like a second home to me which is why I set my first book there. Majestic wilderness, incredible wildlife, just raw, untamed beauty everywhere. 

What are you looking forward to at St Hilda's?

I can’t wait to hear so many amazing authors talk about subjects they are passionate about and hear all about their new books. My TBR will never recover!

The Origins of Iris by Beth Lewis (Hodder Studio)

One woman. Two lives. How far will she go to find herself? On the outside, Iris and Claude have a perfect marriage, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. One terrible night Claude’s abuse goes too far and Iris flees into the Catskill mountains. In the wilderness, Iris comes face to face with another version of herself. A woman who never met Claude and seemingly made all the right choices in life. Trapped by an oncoming storm, Iris must uncover why they are there, what it means, and if the other Iris is even real. As the storm hits, the truth of what happened that fateful night will change everything. An important, searing novel about one woman’s journey in fleeing an abusive relationship and confronting the secrets of her past.

Information about 2022 St Hilda's College Crime Fiction Weekend and how to book tickets can be found here.

Goldsboro Books Glass Bell Award 2021 shortlist announcement

 

A Booker-longlisted exploration of the Israel-Palestine conflict; the second novel from the Costa-winning Stuart Turton and a British Book Award-shortlisted story of a young Nigerian girl’s struggle for an education are amongst the six titles shortlisted for the 2021 Goldsboro Books Glass Bell Award, announced today (Thursday 5th August).

Critically acclaimed novelist Colum McCann leads the shortlist for his powerful seventh novel Apeirogon, which was longlisted for the 2020 Booker Prize. Also shortlisted is  The Devil and the Dark Water, the highly anticipated second novel from Stuart Turton, whose debut The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle was longlisted for the 2019 Glass Bell, as well as winning the Costa First Novel Award.

They are accompanied by four celebrated debut novels across a range of genres: Eight Detectives by Alex Pavesi, acclaimed as an inventive and exciting reworking of the detective novel; The Girl with the Louding Voice, Abi Daré's New York Times bestseller about a young Nigerian housegirl fighting for her freedom and her education; People of Abandoned Character by Clare Whitfield, a historical thriller about a woman who suspects that her husband could be Jack the Ripper; and The Court of Miracles by Kester Grant, a fantastical reimagining of the French Revolution featuring the characters of Les Misérables.

David Headley, Goldsboro Books co-founder and MD, and founder of the Glass Bell, says:"For five years now, the Glass Bell Award has sought to celebrate the best of contemporary fiction, regardless of genre or stage of the author’s career, and this year is no exception. The 2021 shortlist may be the most innovative and outward-looking yet, with its international focus and the way it plays with the literary canon. Our judging discussions are always lively, but with these powerful literary novels, imaginative historical thrillers, whirlwind bestsellers – and four superb debuts which deserved more attention in a very busy year, I’m sure we’ll all have a lot to say this year!”

Judged by David and his team at Goldsboro Books, the Glass Bell is awarded annually to a compelling novel, of any genre – from romance and thrillers, to historical, speculative and literary fiction – with brilliant characterisation and a distinct voice that is confidently written and assuredly realised. The winner, who will be announced on Thursday 30th September, wins £2,000 and a beautiful, handmade glass bell.

2021 Goldsboro Books Glass Bell Award Longlist

Bestsellers, Booker Nominees and Debuts: Richard Osman, 

Collum McCann and Abi Daré on Longlist for the 

2021 Goldsboro Books Glass Bell Award

Goldsboro Books today (Thursday 17^th June) announced the twelve titles longlisted for the 2021 Glass Bell Award. Now in its fifth year, the Glass Bell Award celebrates the best storytelling across contemporary fiction, regardless of genre. The 2021 longlist heralds a particularly strong year for debut novels: eight out of the twelve longlisted titles are first novels – including the bestselling sensation The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman and The Girl with the Louding Voice by Abi Daré, both of which were nominated for the British Book Awards.

Spanning crime, literary, historical, fantasy and science fiction genres, the Glass Bell longlist also includes the Booker-nominatedApeirogon by the critically acclaimed Colum McCann; and Three Hours, the Sunday Times Top Ten bestselling thriller from Rosamund Lupton. They are joined by two highly anticipated second novels, The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton, whose high-concept debut thriller The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle won the Costa First Novel Award; and The Familiar Dark by Amy Engel, whose debut thriller The Roanoke Girls was a #1 bestseller.

The longlist also includes two fascinating debuts which skilfully reimagine historical events: The Sin Eater by Megan Campisi,set in an alternate Elizabethan England, and The Court of Miracles by Kester Grant, which follows a failed second French Revolution. Also longlisted is Clare Whitfield’s gripping historical thriller People of Abandoned Character, a compelling take on the Jack the Ripper story. They are joined by two critically acclaimed debut crime novels – Blacktop Wasteland by S. A. Cosby, which was longlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger, and the extraordinarily inventive Eight Detectives by Alex Pavesi. Rounding off the list is The First Sister by Linden Lewis, a sweeping debut space opera.

The Sin Eater by Megan Campisi (Mantle)

Blacktop Wasteland by S.A Cosby (Headline)

The Girl With the Louding Voice by Abi Daré (Sceptre)

The Familiar Dark by Amy Engel (Hodder & Stoughton)

The Court of Miracles by Kester Grant (Harper Voyager)

The First Sister by Linden Lewis (Hodder & Stoughton)

Three Hours by Rosamund Lupton (Viking)

Apeirogon by Colum McCann (Bloomsbury)

The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman (Viking)

Eight Detectives by Alex Pavesi (Michael Joseph)

The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton (Bloomsbury Raven)

People of Abandoned Character by Clare Whitfield (Head of Zeus)

David Headley, Goldsboro Books co-founder and MD, and founder of the Glass Bell, says:

‘I can’t believe that this is our fifth Glass Bell Award. My team and I are incredibly proud of the prize that we’ve built over the last few years, celebrating contemporary storytelling of all genres. Stories unite and entertain us, and after the year we’ve had, this couldn’t be more important.

‘I think that this year’s longlist might be the most varied and diverse we’ve ever had – with everything from speculative historical thrillers to a thoroughly modern space opera, to one of the most imaginative crime novels I’ve ever read. And I am delighted to see how many debut novelists we have on the longlist this year! If this list is anything to go by, the future of publishing is strong.’

The Glass Bell Award is judged by David and his team at Goldsboro Books. It is the only prize that rewards storytelling in all genres – from romance, thrillers and ghost stories, to historical, speculative and literary fiction – and is awarded annually to ‘a compelling novel with brilliant characterisation and a distinct voice that is confidently written and assuredly realised’. The shortlist of six will be announced on 5^th August, with the winner, who will receive both £2,000, and a beautiful, handmade, engraved glass bell, to be announced on 30^th September.

Last year, the American novelist Taylor Jenkins Reid was awarded the Glass Bell for her ‘immersive’ and ‘captivating Daisy Jones and the Six, which tells the story of the rise and fall of a fictional 70s rock band. Previous winners are Everyone Brave is Forgiven by Chris Cleave, The Heart’s Invisible Furies by John Boyne and VOX by Christina Dalcher.

2020 Goldsbsoro Books Glass Bell Award Shortlist

DEBUTS, BESTSELLERS AND A BOOKER WINNER: ALL-FEMALE SHORTLIST ANNOUNCED FOR THE 2020 GOLDSBORO BOOKS GLASS BELL AWARD

A Booker-winning story of intergenerational black womanhood, a serial boyfriend killer thriller, a historical novel about the slave trade, a fantastical tale of a secret library, a post-war ghost story and a tale of rock and roll excess are in contention for the 2020 Goldsboro Books Glass Bell Award, announced today (Monday, 11th May).

Bernardine Evaristo and New York Times #1 bestseller Erin Morgenstern have both made the shortlist – Evaristo for her award-winning Girl, Woman, Other, an exploration of what it means to be a black British woman, and Morgenstern for her long-awaited second book The Starless Sea, an enchanting and immersive fantasy novel.

They are accompanied by three critically acclaimed debuts, Oyinkan Braithwaite’s darkly comic My Sister, the Serial Killer, about a woman who must cover up her younger sister’s habit of killing her boyfriends; Blood & Sugar by Laura Shepherd-Robinson, a historical thriller about the horrors of the slave trade; and the haunting and beguiling ghost story The Lost Ones by Anita Frank.

Rounding off the list is the critically acclaimed Daisy Jones and The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid, written as the fictionalised oral history of a 1970s rock and roll band called The Six.

David Headley, Goldsboro Books co-founder and MD, and founder of the Glass Bell, says: ‘Losing yourself in an incredible story is one of the greatest comforts available to us in these trying times – and each of these stories construct very different but equally immersive worlds for readers to inhabit. This shortlist highlights six of the best writers of fiction around today – who all happen to be women! I’m looking forward to our judging discussions – there’s so much to be said about each one of these remarkable novels, and choosing a winner will be difficult but very rewarding.’

Judged by David and his team at the bookshop, the prize rewards ‘compelling storytelling with brilliant characterisation and a distinct voice that is confidently written and assuredly realised’ in all genres. The winner — announced on Thursday, 2nd July — will be awarded £2,000 and a beautiful, handmade, engraved glass bell.

2020 SHORTLIST

My Sister the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite (Atlantic Books)

Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo (Hamish Hamilton)

The Lost Ones by Anita Frank (HQ)

Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid (Cornerstone)

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern (Harvill Secker)

Blood & Sugar by Laura Shepherd-Robinson (Mantle)

Dystopias, Thrillers, Ghost stories and a Booker Winner make Longlist for Goldsboro Books Glass Bell Award 2020.

Goldsboro Books today (Monday 6th April) announced the twelve titles longlisted for the 2020 Glass Bell Award, the prize which celebrates the best storytelling across contemporary fiction. A longlist which sees an incredible range of genres represented, it includes a Booker-winning exploration of black womanhood in Britain; a speculative thriller which imagines the world 800 years after a complete technological collapse; and two serial killer thrillers – with a twist!

Bernardine Evaristo’s Girl, Woman, Other and Oyinkan Braithwaite’s debut My Sister the Serial Killer are both on the longlist – their latest literary nominations. Both were longlisted for the Booker, ultimately won by Evaristo (jointly with Margaret Atwood) and both have been shortlisted for a British Book Award. In addition, both have been shortlisted for the Women’s Prize, although in different years. They are joined by international bestseller Robert Harris’s latest #1 bestseller The Second Sleep.

Also on the longlist are the long-awaited second novels from Erin Morgenstern, whose debut The Night Circus was a New York Times bestseller eight years ago, and from author and screenwriter Stephen Chbosky, whose hugely successful coming of age novel The Perks of Being a Wallflower was made into a film starring Emma Watson, Logan Lerman and Ezra Miller. Morgenstern’s new novel The Starless Sea is an ambitious fantasy novel about a quest launched by a mysterious library book, described as ‘assuredly beautiful’ by The Guardian, whilst Chbosky’s new novel Imaginary Friend is a departure – a terrifying Stephen King-esque horror story.

As well as My Sister the Serial Killer, four other critically acclaimed debuts have made the longlist: Joanne Ramos’s The Farm, an alarming dystopia about the commercialisation of the fertility industry which was a BBC Radio 2 Book Club pick; The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides, a million copy bestselling thriller with an unguessable twist; Blood & Sugar by Laura Shepherd- Robinson, a historical crime novel set in eighteenth century, about the disappearance of an abolitionist; and The Lost Ones by Anita Frank, a spine tingling ghost story reminiscent of the works of Susan Hill.

Rounding off the list is Nothing Important Happened Today by international bestseller Will Carver, a pitch black noir thriller about an unstoppable cult; Daisy Jones and the Six, Taylor Jenkins Reid’s breakthrough novel about the internal dramas and excesses of a 70s rock band; and Darkdawn, the epic third and final chapter of Jay Kristoff ’s celebrated Nevernight series.

David Headley, Goldsboro Books co-founder and MD, and founder of the Glass Bell, says: ‘When I launched the Glass Bell Award in 2017, it was to shine a light on the wonderful storytelling found in contemporary fiction, that can so easily be overlooked by subjective genre boundaries. As authors increasingly take risks, play with words, and push the boundaries of genre to new limits, compiling our longlist becomes more and more exciting every year.

‘The books on this year ’s longlist all spoke to our team of judges in many ways. Each one is a genuinely unique tale for our time, from unlikely serial killer thrillers, to tales of rock and roll excess from the 1970s; from terrifying ghost stories to two incredibly different, but nonetheless equally believable and relevant dystopias; four very talented debut novelists and of course the hugely deserving winner of last year’s Booker prize! Narrowing it down to a shortlist of six is both an exhilarating and daunting challenge.’

The Glass Bell Award is judged by David and his team at Goldsboro Books. It is the only prize that rewards storytelling in all genres – from romance, thrillers and ghost stories, to historical, speculative and literary fiction – and is awarded annually to ‘a compelling novel with brilliant characterisation and a distinct voice that is confidently written and assuredly realised’. The shortlist of six will be announced on 11th May, with the winner, who will receive both £2,000, and a beautiful, handmade, engraved glass bell, to be announced on 2nd July.

For further information, and to join the conversation please visit: www.goldsborobooks.com | twitter.com/GoldsboroBooks #GlassBell | www.facebook.com/GoldsboroBooks

2020 LONGLIST

Imaginary Friend by Stephen Chbosky (Orion Books)

Darkdawn by Jay Kristoff (HarperVoyager)

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern (Harvill Secker)

The Lost Ones by Anita Frank (HQ)

My Sister the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite (Atlantic Books)

The Farm by Joanne Ramos (Bloomsbury)

Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo (Hamish Hamilton)

The Second Sleep by Robert Harris (Cornerstone)

Blood & Sugar by Laura Shepherd-Robinson (Mantle)

Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid (Cornerstone)

Nothing Important Happened Today by Will Carver (Orenda Books)

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides (Orion Books)

Urgent, Timely’ Feminist Dystopian Debut VOX Wins 2019 Goldsboro Books Glass Bell

Debut novelist Christina Dalcher has been awarded The Goldsboro Books Glass Bell Award 2019 for her thought-provoking and suspenseful dystopian thriller VOX, which imagines a near future in which an evangelical sect has taken control of the US and women have been limited to speaking just a hundred words a day. 

VOX won against five other novels, including Belinda Bauer’s Booker-long-listed Snap, for the Glass Bell Award, which rewards ‘compelling storytelling with brilliant characterisation and a distinct voice that is confidently written and assuredly realised’ in any genre. Also shortlisted were Dalcher’s fellow debut novelists Kelleigh Greenberg-Jephcott for Swan Song, a fictionalised account of the rise and self-inflicted fall of Truman Capote, and Heather Morris, author of the million-copy bestseller The Tattooist of Auschwitz; M.W. Craven for his Gold Dagger-shortlisted Cumbrian thriller The Puppet Show, and Louise Candlish, for ‘property thriller’ Our House, which went on to win the British Book Award Crime & Thriller of the Year. 

Dalcher was awarded the Glass Bell at a party held at Goldsboro Books in central London on the evening of Monday 16^thSeptember, receiving £2,000 and a handmade, engraved glass bell. The prize was judged by Goldsboro Books founder David Headley and his team at the bookshop. 

David Headley said: ‘Hard-won rights sometimes feel like a luxury that we can never take for granted, and VOX is an urgent and timely reminder of this. A terrifyingly plausible yet dazzling thriller which prompted passionate discussions during the judging, it’s a story about the importance of communication, the power of language and a lesson that freedom is continually being fought for around the world. I set up the Goldsboro Books Glass Bell Award to celebrate stories like this – which challenge us, frighten us and stimulate us.’

Founded in 2017 by David Headley, Managing Director of Goldsboro Books, the Glass Bell Award is given annually to a compelling novel with brilliant characterisation and a distinct voice that is confidently written and assuredly realised. Now in its third year, the Glass Bell is the only award to reward storytelling in all genres, from romance and crime to historical and speculative. The winner receives £2,000, as well as a beautiful, handmade, engraved glass bell.

The inaugural winner was Chris Cleave, for his extraordinary Everyone Brave is Forgiven (Sceptre), the moving and unflinching novel about the profound effects that the Second World War had on ordinary citizens back at home in Britain. Last year, the award went to John Boyne for his sweeping, poignant and comedic odyssey of post-war Ireland, The Heart’s Invisible Furies (Transworld).

THE GOLDSBORO BOOKS GLASS BELL AWARD

The Goldsboro Books Glass Bell Award:  

Three Debuts on a Shortlist Dominated by Women. 

A chilling dystopia, a ‘property thriller’ and the story of Truman Capote’s downfall are amongst the six titles shortlisted for the 2019 Glass Bell Award, which was announced at midday on Thursday 1st August.

Leading the shortlist is the international bestseller The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris, which has sold almost a million copies worldwide, and was last week announced as the UK’s fourth bestselling book for the first six months of 2019.

It is up against three thrillers – the Man Booker longlisted Snap by celebrated crime writer Belinda Bauer, Our House by Louise Candlish, which won the British Book Award Crime & Thriller of the Year, and M.W. Craven’s CWA Gold Dagger-shortlisted The Puppet Show. 

Rounding off the shortlist are celebrated debuts Swan Song by Kelleigh Greenberg-Jephcott and VOX by Christina Dalcher.

The winner of the prize, which rewards ‘compelling storytelling with brilliant characterisation and a distinct voice that is confidently written and assuredly realised’ will be announced at the bookshop on Monday 16th September. The prize, which is judged by Goldsboro Books founder and MD David Headley and his team at the bookshop, sees the winner awarded £2,000 and a beautiful, handmade, engraved glass bell.

David said: ‘I strongly feel that this is a really topical and relevant shortlist, reflecting a range of modern concerns, from property anxiety and the redemptive power of love to toxic friendships and the erosion of hard-won rights. These utterly incredible stories, all of them eye-opening, gripping and completely absorbing, have prompted much discussion and debate during the judging process, and we have a hard task ahead of us deciding the winner.’

2019 Glass Bell Shortlist

Snap by Belinda Bauer (Transworld)

Our House by Louise Candlish (Simon & Schuster)

The Puppet Show by M.W. Craven (Little, Brown)

VOX by Christina Dalcher (HQ)

Swan Song by Kelleigh Greenberg- Jephcott (Cornerstone)

The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris (Bonnier Zaffre)

The Glass Bell Award 2019 Longlist announced

About The Glass Bell Award

Launched in 2017, the Goldsboro Books Glass Bell Award is awarded annually to an outstanding work of contemporary fiction, rewarding quality storytelling in any genre. The winner of the Glass Bell will receive £2,000 in prize money, and a handmade, engraved glass bell. The jury of ten consists of team members from Goldsboro Books, DHH Literary Agency and The Dome Press. There is no fee, or limit to the number of books that a publisher may submit, allowing both established and debut authors a chance to win. The inaugural winner was Chris Cleave, for his extraordinary Everyone Braveis Forgiven (Sceptre), the moving and unflinching novel about the profound effects that the Second World War had on ordinary citizens back at home in Britain. Last year, the award went to John Boyne for his sweeping, poignant and comedic odyssey of post-war Ireland, The Heart’s Invisible Furies (Transworld).

Congratulations to all the nominated authors.