General

[Raffa]

You all know me but not necessarily each other. If you would like to, feel free to introduce yourself and your literary tastes here.

I'm based in Newcastle now with my two-year-old son (who is rather wonderful). I have begun studying for a medicine degree (a big change in direction) and although I enjoy it I also feel I'm an imposter in my new environment.

For much of my life I would always have a book on the go, hiding under the covers with a torch to keep reading past bedtime when I was a child. I still think that to "read, much of the night, and go south in the winter" is one of the best ways to live, yet I've got out of the habit of reading regularly in recent times. I hope this group will help me in that regard.

I struggle when it comes to picking favourites; I can say, though, that Elena Ferrante's Neapolitan novels stick in my mind. I'm also big fan of short stories, from Katherine Mansfield to Alice Munro.