Author Buzz | Doctor Hendrix | Group Activity

Matthew Brown edited the blog post Survival acid indicator in the group Matthew D. Brown (Author)

Thu, 07 May 2026 21:37:55 +0100

Survival acid indicator I needed to have a character test the acidity of the water without any access to modern technology. Fortunately, there are some fairly common foods that can be used. Red cabbage is the best indicator, but cherry, rose petals, and beets alsoContinue reading“Survival acid indicator”

Blog: Having Spent Life Seeking by Kae Tempest review – painfully earnest tale of trauma and transition from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Tue, 28 Apr 2026 08:00:45 +0100

An ex-offender searches for meaning and beauty in the second novel from the spoken-word performerKae Tempest’s new novel is dedicated to “you”, the reader. It also […]

Blog: This Dark Night by Deborah Lutz review – Emily Brontë’s world from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Tue, 28 Apr 2026 06:00:43 +0100

Tactile details and a no-nonsense approach make this biography a refreshing change from more lurid fareBoth Emily Brontë and her only novel Wuthering Heights […]

Blog: Zadie Smith: ‘I don’t know when I read men any more’ from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Mon, 27 Apr 2026 14:30:50 +0100

At a talk on her latest essay collection, Dead and Alive, Smith said she ‘sometimes’ reads male novelists, but more often seeks the wisdom of older female wri […]

Blog: Famesick by Lena Dunham review – when celebrity causes side-effects from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Mon, 27 Apr 2026 08:00:38 +0100

The Girls creator has endured brickbats and breakdowns – but she doesn’t always make it easy to feel sorry for herAt the end of last year, Netflix released Too Muc […]

Blog: The Things We Never Say by Elizabeth Strout review – readers will delight in these new characters from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Mon, 27 Apr 2026 06:00:37 +0100

The Olive Kitteridge and Lucy Barton author branches out with the tale of a Massachusetts teacher haunted by traumaThe American author Elizabeth Strout famously […]

Blog: ‘It’s still a no-go area’: German author Matthias Jügler on the trauma surrounding the GDR’s ‘stolen children’ from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Sun, 26 Apr 2026 11:00:16 +0100

The reaction among officials in Germany to his bestselling novel has been hostile. As Mayfly Season is published in the UK, its author explains whyA few weeks after […]

Blog: Do stronger borders ever work? from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Sun, 26 Apr 2026 11:00:15 +0100

Leaders have thrown up walls and barriers throughout history – but their effects are unpredictableFour millennia ago, a Sumerian king, his frontier beset by n […]

Blog: Joe Dunthorne: ‘Growing up in Swansea, I developed an allergy to Dylan Thomas’ from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Fri, 24 Apr 2026 09:00:35 +0100

The author on feeling Thomas Hardy’s pain, being duped by Donna Tartt and how reading his sister’s copy of Trainspotting made him want to writeMy earliest rea […]

Blog: A Family Matter by Claire Lynch audiobook review – an award-winning story of homophobia and divorce from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 14:00:15 +0100

Dual timelines reveal the real reason a mother was forced to leave her daughter in the 80s, in this Nero prize-winning novel inspired by real-life eventsThe debut […]

Blog: Communion by Jon Doyle review – a charged debut about sin and solace from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 08:01:02 +0100

A man who meant to be a priest is faced with a moral crossroads in this ambitious and affecting first novelJon Doyle’s debut novel tells the story of Mack O […]

Blog: The Fallen by Louise Brangan review – an enraging account of Ireland’s Magdalene laundries from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 06:00:01 +0100

The horrifying story of the Catholic-run institutions that incarcerated thousands of women and girlsMany readers, and surely most Irish readers, will finish this […]

Blog: When an author says she had to decline a $175,000 prize, what does it say about the publishing world? | Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 05:00:02 +0100

Helen DeWitt turning down the Windham-Campbell literary award caused controversy. But her bold act highlights that such prizes aren’t always as meritocratic as t […]

Blog: Michael Rosen wins Hans Christian Andersen award from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Tue, 14 Apr 2026 15:24:58 +0100

The former children’s laureate missed the announcement of the award in Bologna due to post-Brexit passport rule changesMichael Rosen, the poet and author known f […]

Blog: On Memoir by Blake Morrison review – lessons in life writing from a master from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Tue, 14 Apr 2026 08:00:04 +0100

Don’t be fooled by the A-Z treatment – this thoroughgoing guide asks deep questions about the art of autobiography“I’ve had a life and I’ve also had a life as a […]

Blog: My Year in Paris With Gertrude Stein by Deborah Levy review – wonderfully entertaining from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Tue, 14 Apr 2026 06:01:02 +0100

Biography mingles with fiction as Levy explores the avant-garde writer through the story of three female friends in ParisThe narrator of Deborah Levy’s witty s […]

Blog: Tucker Carlson to launch publishing imprint with books by Russell Brand and Milo Yiannopoulos from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Mon, 13 Apr 2026 15:05:26 +0100

Former Fox News host says publishing house Skyhorse ‘looking for books that nobody else will publish’Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson is set to launch his own […]

Blog: Ghost-Eye by Amitav Ghosh review – a climate-crisis novel let down by its prose from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Mon, 13 Apr 2026 11:00:39 +0100

A reincarnation mystery drives this exploration of spiritual interconnectedness in a globalised worldWhat happens when a novelist cares more about their plot, or […]

Blog: Walking Shadow by Greg Doran review – Shakespeare’s healing power from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Mon, 13 Apr 2026 06:00:38 +0100

After the death of his husband, Antony Sher, the former RSC director embarks on a quest to see every First FolioThis is really two books in one. The first part […]

Blog: Is AI the greatest art heist in history? from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Sun, 12 Apr 2026 11:00:17 +0100

New technologies of reproduction are plundering the art world – and getting away with itIn 2026, its easy to see why generative AI is bad. The internet has n […]

Matthew Brown posted an update in the group Help and Support: I'm about to live-test something. Possible disruption should […]

Mon, 30 Mar 2026 06:08:45 +0100

I’m about to live-test something. Possible disruption should last about 5 minutes.

Matthew Brown edited the blog post Website improvements in the group Help and Support

Sun, 29 Mar 2026 08:40:52 +0100

Website improvements A big old feature update today. The activity feed for the site now runs from the same dynamic system as the rest of the site. Which means: You […]

Matthew Brown wrote a new blog post My writers' group challenged itself to write easter themed stories in the group Matthew D. Brown (Author)

Sat, 21 Mar 2026 09:00:00 +0000

My writers' group challenged itself to write easter themed stories I started brainstorming ideas right there and then. Which is partly why there are so many Easter-themed writing prompts on The Muse of Last Resort.

Matthew Brown commented on the post, Mermaid's purse, what is that?, on the groupblog Matthew D Brown

Fri, 20 Mar 2026 04:50:56 +0000

True. Traditionally American’s spell it with a Z but we Brits tend to use an S.

Blog: The Barbecue at No 9 by Jennie Godfrey audiobook review – secrets and lies in suburbia from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Thu, 19 Mar 2026 15:00:52 +0000

Gemma Whelan and Stephen Mangan are among the cast in this multi-voiced tale of family tensions and trauma, set during the 1985 Live Aid charity concert It is July […]

Blog: A Queer Inheritance by Michael Hall review – the National Trust’s LGBTQ history revealed from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Thu, 19 Mar 2026 09:00:03 +0000

It’s recently been accused of turning ‘woke’ – but the institution has been gay since the beginning, argues this deeply researched bookWhen it emerged that the Nat […]

Blog: Mare by Emily Haworth-Booth review – profound story of a woman’s love for a horse from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Thu, 19 Mar 2026 07:00:01 +0000

Where does it come from, this passion for an animal that isn’t even hers? An astonishing debut delves into deep truths about love, motherhood and careMare, Emily H […]

Blog: Derek Owusu and Seán Hewitt shortlisted for Dylan Thomas prize from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Thu, 19 Mar 2026 00:00:53 +0000

Six writers are now finalists for the prestigious annual prize, which awards £20,000 to a writer aged 39 or underDerek Owusu and Seán Hewitt are among the writers s […]

Blog: Almost Life by Kiran Millwood Hargrave review – a will-they-won’t-they queer romance from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Wed, 18 Mar 2026 09:00:28 +0000

Two women fall into and out of each other’s lives over decades, in a moving examination of love and choicesGiven that novels are routinely touted as the new v […]

Blog: This month’s best paperbacks: David Szalay, Han Kang and more from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Wed, 18 Mar 2026 09:00:27 +0000

Looking for a new reading recommendation? Here are some wonderful new paperbacks, from a Booker-winning tale of one man’s life to a gossipy account of the golden a […]

Blog: When the Forest Breathes by Suzanne Simard review – the Indiana Jones of trees returns from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Wed, 18 Mar 2026 07:00:26 +0000

The author of Finding the Mother Tree is back with an inspiring call to the next generation of ecologistsIt’s 2021, and Suzanne Simard is in a police vehicle, b […]

Blog: Howl by Howard Jacobson review – a tragicomic portrait of a Jewish man’s despair from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Mon, 16 Mar 2026 09:00:12 +0000

A suburban headteacher navigates antisemitism in Gaza-outraged London in Jacobson’s latest novelHoward Jacobson writes characters at their wits’ end; those cha […]

Blog: The Infinity Machine by Sebastian Mallaby review – the story of the man who changed the world from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Mon, 16 Mar 2026 07:00:10 +0000

A journalist charts the progress of AI pioneer Demis Hassabis from child chess prodigy to Nobel prize winnerIt was March 2016, and at the Four Seasons Hotel in […]

Jason Latnar commented on the post, Changes and updates, on the groupblog Author Buzz Developer Blog

Sun, 15 Mar 2026 18:19:09 +0000

Ace!

Matthew Brown edited the blog post Changes and updates in the group Help and Support

Sun, 15 Mar 2026 18:17:14 +0000

Changes and updates Some of you have noticed some changes being made in Author Buzz UK. Under the hood, this is not a big change, but I hope it will go some way to making […]

Blog: Shahrnush Parsipur: ‘The women of Iran will cause the fall of the Islamic Republic’ from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Sun, 15 Mar 2026 12:00:24 +0000

As her banned 1989 novella, Women Without Men, is published for the first time in the UK, the Iranian author looks back on a life of resistance and repressionAs I […]

Matthew Brown edited the blog post Artisanal hand crafted coding, writing, blogging, talking, and so forth in the group The Fantastic (Group) of Lord Matt, Super Geek

Sat, 14 Mar 2026 19:15:17 +0000

Artisanal hand crafted coding, writing, blogging, talking, and so forth If you want something a bit more special than mass-produced (AI-generated) code and storytelling, I am available to hire at a moment’s notice at the highly […]

Blog: ‘My ideas are a little revolutionary’: ecologist Suzanne Simard on intelligent forests, the climate and her critics from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Sat, 14 Mar 2026 09:00:14 +0000

Her research popularised the idea of the wood wide web, but the scientific backlash was brutal. As the author of The Mother Tree returns to the forest in a new […]

Blog: Grammarly removes AI Expert Review feature mimicking writers after backlash from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Fri, 13 Mar 2026 17:00:07 +0000

Feature generated editing suggestions inspired by well-known authors and academics, prompting a class-action lawsuit over the use of real names without […]

Matthew Brown commented on the post, Time for a fresh coat of paint?, on the groupblog Author Buzz Developer Blog

Fri, 13 Mar 2026 15:27:32 +0000

Mostly just forums, groups, and blogs. Groups having a blog and a forum to group them. That is something else I could look into making clearer.

Danny H commented on the post, Time for a fresh coat of paint?, on the groupblog Author Buzz Developer Blog

Fri, 13 Mar 2026 15:08:45 +0000

I think I’ve said this before, but there’s so much going on here I sometimes get confused as to how I’m supposed to do something. You’ve got forums, groups and blogs, and I don’t know what else you might have […]

Blog: The best recent science fiction, fantasy and horror – review roundup from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Fri, 13 Mar 2026 12:00:49 +0000

The Library of Traumatic Memory by Neil Jordan; The Red Winter by Cameron Sullivan; Travel Light by Naomi Mitchison; Between Two Fires by Christopher Buehlman; […]

Blog: Daisy Johnson: ‘I wasn’t a fan of David Szalay, but Flesh is a masterpiece’ from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Fri, 13 Mar 2026 10:00:48 +0000

The Booker-shortlisted author on a momentous teenage encounter with The Bone People, getting a buzz from Peter Høeg’s Miss Smilla, and trying to avoid The Lo […]

Blog: Light and Thread by Han Kang review – a tantalising book of reflections from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Fri, 13 Mar 2026 09:00:45 +0000

These essays from the Nobel literature winner open up her novels and offer beautiful imageryWhen Korean novelist Han Kang won the Nobel prize in literature in 2024, […]

Blog: Hooked by Asako Yuzuki review – follow-up to global hit Butter from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Fri, 13 Mar 2026 07:00:44 +0000

A Tokyo high-flyer tries to befriend her favourite blogger in a novel that wears its aura of black comedy lightly, and its political statements more heavilyAsako […]

Blog: Strange Beach by Oluwaseun Olayiwola audiobook review – a debut that dances with passion from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Thu, 12 Mar 2026 15:00:34 +0000

The dancer and author gives this collection clarity and warmth as he narrates poems about family, queer identity, hedonism and raceThe first poetry collection from […]

Matthew Brown edited the blog post Time for a fresh coat of paint? in the group Help and Support

Mon, 09 Mar 2026 19:34:10 +0000

Time for a fresh coat of paint? I am seriously considering redesigning the Author Buzz UK site with a fresh new theme built from scratch. The site has a few broken bits that no […]

Blog: How can we really protect Britain’s environment? from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Sun, 08 Mar 2026 12:00:21 +0000

Well-intentioned laws designed to safeguard nature frequently have the opposite effectThe importance of protecting nature is not up for debate. One in six species […]

Blog: Vladimir author Julia May Jonas: ‘We’re imprisoned by our obsessions’ from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Sun, 08 Mar 2026 12:00:20 +0000

As her debut novel becomes a Netflix series starring Rachel Weisz and Leo Woodall, the American author talks about comparisons with Lolita, moving on from #MeToo […]

Matthew Brown edited the blog post Emoji things code: thisCall() in the group The Fantastic (Group) of Lord Matt, Super Geek

Fri, 06 Mar 2026 15:54:54 +0000

Emoji things code: thisCall() So, I recently made a little toy I call Today In Emoji. It shows you some emojis that relate to the day. If you mouse over them, you get some text […]