What I’m reading for the summer

I’ve just read Amanda Palmer’s The Art of Asking. She’s such a fascinating artist and this is not only a biography but an examination of kindness and how we pay – or ‘pay’ – for art these days. I’m now going to pass it on, as she suggests. I’m going to re-read Blindboy’s short stories The Gospel According To Blindboy because it’s a year since I read them and the writing’s just so damn good. And on deck is June Caldwell’s Room Little Darker. More short stories (perfect for reading in the sun, which I believe I’ll need as these are apparently gorgeously dark). I first came across June’s work in the Long Gaze Back anthology (another great read) and can’t wait to read a whole book of her inventiveness and use of language. And... cough... my own book of essays, Rage-In (Mercier Press) is in shops and ideal for reading in short bursts on planes, trains, automobiles (passengers only), in gardens or on pebbly beaches.