Chatterton Books started as a personal project: a blog about reading every Booker Prize-winning novel. That idea still lingers on the virtual shelves here, but somewhere along the way the project changed shape.
Where we live, there’s no local bookshop. No place to browse the shelves, stumble on something unexpected, or ask someone what they’re reading. So this became the next best thing — a local bookshop in spirit, if not in bricks and mortar.
You’ll still find reflections on literary prize winners — Booker novels and beyond — but the focus now is wider. There’s fiction and non-fiction, new titles and old favourites, science fiction and nature writing, and space for the kinds of books that don’t always get noticed.
Much of what you’ll find here is my own writing — notes, reviews, thoughts on books I’ve read — but not all of it. Others will contribute their voices too, and you’re welcome to do the same. Everyone reads different books differently, that’s part of the fun.
Chatterton Books isn’t trying to be everything to everyone. It’s a quiet space to explore what people are reading — and perhaps discover your next favourite book. If you don’t have a bookshop nearby, maybe this can fill a little of that gap.
If you’re local, welcome. If you’re not, pull up a chair anyway.