26 members recommend for June

PG tips
www.drones.com certainly couldn't be accused of style over substance. But for PG Wodehouse fans like me, it’s a little gem. What you get is a single quote, which is changed every time you refresh the page. Perfect for a quick pick me up.
Here are two for size...

"He looked haggard and careworn, like a Borgia who has suddenly remembered that he has forgotten to shove cyanide in the consomme, and the dinner-gong due any moment."

"He walked as if on air, and the whole soul had obviously expanded, like a bath sponge placed in water."

Pure magic. JD

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The Sheep Market
A nice way to spend a $200 arts budget. Ten thousand workers at Amazon were asked to draw a picture of a sheep facing left, and were each paid 2 cents for their efforts. The results are being sold as sheets of stamps and also make for a very amusing website. www.thesheepmarket.com. NA



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‘Front Page’ at the British Library
A celebration of 100 years (1906-2006) of newspaper headlines, that should interest us all. Is it OK to celebrate GOTCHA and other examples of the headline writer's craft? I think so (and there's a good story attached to it that you can read at the exhibition). The exhibition is all about saying a lot in a restricted space, which is surely something we all have to do, whatever the writing we produce. 'Front Page' also gives you an unusual, enlightening record of the century's history. And it's uncanny how quickly some of these headlines start to look historic. You can also have a go yourself at writing and designing your own front page. All this and it's free too. Runs until 8 October at the British Library, 96 Euston Road, London NW1. JS

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‘Step On It, Cupid' by Lorelei Mathias (Little Black Dress £3.99 or £2.39 on Amazon)

A first novel by 26 member and 'Common Ground' contributor Lorelei Mathias is out on 3 July. She describes it as "a very girlie, pink chick-lit novel, set in an agency", while Amazon calls it "charming, engrossing and very romantic, a modern spin on the oldest story of them all, how to fall in love”.



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'The Perfect 10' by Richard Williams (Faber and Faber, £14.99, or £8.99 on Amazon)
In which the most elegant sportswriter of his generation nominates the most elegant footballers ever to grace a pitch. Eleven (yes, he's aware of the irony) playmakers are dissected under Williams' forensic gaze, with the goals, the lay-offs, the raking passes brought vividly back to life. It's an upmarket pub conversation for sure, but one that celebrates the chancers and dreamers of a sport that can sometimes forget about them. It'll make you hungry for August. Even after this summer. RD



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'Unseen UK', edited by Stephen Gill (Royal Mail, £20 Amazon £20)

Thousands of Royal Mail postmen and women were given disposable cameras and told to take snapshots while going about their daily business. Edited by Stephen Gill, the result is an entertaining and oddly moving assortment of mad dogs, equally mad customers, random locations and everyday encounters. The introduction is by Jon Ronson, who's always a good read, and the proceeds go to Help the Hospices. NA



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'How To Write A Novel' by John Braine (Methuen £9.99 list, or £6.59 on Amazon).

I managed to study English Literature without ever muddying my hands with the mechanics of the contemporary novel. I could give you 5000 words on the politics of irony, but left university having made almost no progress on matters such as what makes a good beginning. First published in 1974, Braine’s book is a practical guide to the basic but demanding principles of novel writing. His advice is clear, insightful and blunt. I disagreed with him often, but gained something from every page. I think every keen reader would enjoy his observations, and the view he offers behind the curtain. With a few tweaks it might happily be renamed 'How to Read a Novel'. TR



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The People's Act of Love, by James Meek (Canongate £7.99 list, or £6.39 on Amazon)
An everyday tale of canibalism, castration and cults set in post First World War Siberia. Nothing like as cranky as that description makes it sound, it's certainly worth your attention. Recently won some big fat literary prize but I can't remember which. RH



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This month’s plugs by Jim Davies, Roger Horberry, Nick Asbury, John Simmons, Rishi Dastidar and Tim Rich. These are not necessarily the views of 26, but we hope they’re not far off the mark. Any contributions gratefully received.

posted by jim @ 11:53 AM