There is no time limit on reading books from Wales or those written by Welsh authors in this house but St David’s Day on 1 March kicks off a month of Reading Wales in the blogosphere.
If you’re interested in finding out more about Welsh writing beyond Dylan Thomas, here’s your chance.
Karen at BookerTalk took over the baton last year (from Paula at BookJotter) and, while I usually join in under the radar, this year I’ll be co-hosting. We’re excited to be doing two readathons, one fiction and one non-fiction:
Glass Houses by Francesca Reece was shortlisted for the Wales Book of the Year in 2025. It is her second published work.
At the heart of the novel is a story about relationship played out against a background of class divisions and the growth of a violent form of nationalism.
The novel has been praised for its very strong sense of place with Reece drawing on her knowledge of the landscape and culture of North Wales.
Buy the book: https://amzn.to/3LUnub0
Sugar and Slate by Charlotte Williams is a memoir about a search for identity, belonging and home. It relates her journey from the small town in north Wales where she was born to Guyana, Africa and then back to Wales.
Born to a White, Welsh mother, and Black Guyanese father, her mixed background caused her to feel an outsider wherever she was. Her book explores the challenges of trying to “fit in” while always feeling that you belong elsewhere.
This book forms part of the Black Writing Back series selected by Booker Prize-winning author Bernardine Evaristo.
Buy the book: https://amzn.to/49YDcuN
Please join us in reading one or both of these books during March and use the hashtag #ReadingWales26
How to Join In
It’s pretty simple, all you need to do is read ONE book written by an author from Wales. Any genre — fiction, poetry, essays, travel diaries, drama. And any author with a connection to Wales will count. Post your thoughts between 1 March and 31 March and, if you don’t have a blog, you can share on Instagram or Goodreads.
Karen has some great suggestions on where to start Reading Wales but you also could check out My Favourite Welsh Fiction post from last year for some ideas.
From 1 March there will be a pinned post on Karen’s site with links to all your contributions. Karen and I would love you to join in during the month. Leave a comment to share any plans you have. You can help spread the word by using the image below, together with the hashtag #ReadingWales26 on your social media channels.
Darllen Hapus / Happy Reading!
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