390 ratings | 12 reviews | avg rating:4.35

Jools’s Year In Books

Jools’s 2025 Year in Books

Take a look at Jools’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.

Go to Jools’s 2025 Year in Books

Jools Barnett’s Followers (6)

Jools’s Bookshelves

to-read (170)
currently-reading (1)
read (387)
1001-books-to-read-before-you-die (0)
spanish (1)
to-be-read (140)

Jools’s Friends (120)

Jemima Pett

2,138 books | 646 friends

David Owen

1,257 books | 1,333 friends

Steve Merrick

97 books | 223 friends

Victoria Limbert

2,384 books | 2,928 friends

Olivia

1,476 books | 621 friends

Rob Shaw

279 books | 45 friends

Paul

3,488 books | 2,163 friends

Lisa Cherry

174 books | 495 friends

More friends…

Jools Barnett

Goodreads Author

Born

in Leigh on Sea, Essex, The United Kingdom

Website

http://www.joolsbarnett.com

Twitter

joolsbarnett

Genre

Mystery & Thrillers, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Humor

Influences

Stephen King, Haruki Murakami, Raymond Chandler, Douglas Adams, Philip ...more

Member Since

July 2011

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/joolsbarnett

edit data

The name's Jools Barnett, and I'm an independent author and screenwriter, most known for the serialised Kindle novella series Watchtower.

I was born and currently live in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex in the United Kingdom.

I've been fascinated with writing and the written word since I was but a mere tiny child, often scurrying away to a darkened room with nothing but the flash of a monitor and brain full of insane dreams and file cards to keep me company. I penned many short stories when I was a kid (but, like most acts of youth, the art itself was beyond terrible -- I can even recall a short story about a talking cat that hunts ghosts using a time machine...) in addition to making plethora upon plethora of films with my friends whilst we grew up toge The name's Jools Barnett, and I'm an independent author and screenwriter, most known for the serialised Kindle novella series Watchtower.

I was born and currently live in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex in the United Kingdom.

I've been fascinated with writing and the written word since I was but a mere tiny child, often scurrying away to a darkened room with nothing but the flash of a monitor and brain full of insane dreams and file cards to keep me company. I penned many short stories when I was a kid (but, like most acts of youth, the art itself was beyond terrible -- I can even recall a short story about a talking cat that hunts ghosts using a time machine...) in addition to making plethora upon plethora of films with my friends whilst we grew up together.

However, when I was 19, I began to study for an undergraduate degree in Law with the Open University. During this time, I was struck by how utterly disinterested I was by the subject of Law, and how the only thing that consumed my mind day in and day out, was this unhealthy obsession with stories and the written word. At that point, it seemed silly to not pursue my interests to the fullest. I always dreamed of being a writer (a screenwriter, specifically), but it always felt to be just that -- a dream. But why couldn't that dream become reality? Why couldn't I do something with my life that actually engaged me. So I did.

The art is what captivated me, learning the craft all I could think about. Day in and day out I would read every script I could grab, analyse every TV programme, movie and book. Why did they work? Why did they engage me so? How can I give back to the world this feeling of entertainment and thematic resonance that these works have given me? And why were the rubbish ones so terrible?

I spent the next five years, whilst studying and working those dreary admin jobs, penning multiple projects, including the giant five series arc for my eponymous Watchtower series. Originally intended as a television series pitch, the project grew and grew until narrative fiction became the most sensible outlet for the story, that world and those characters.

I graduated with a 2:1 in Law in December 2010, and have been writing (and film-making) ever since. ...more

3 posts
Jools Barnett's Blog

Is the Daily Telegraph Ruining Journalism?

The British papers are a strange bunch.

There's nowhere else in the world where you can find the latest FTSE pages sandwiched between headline puns so excruciating they would make Groucho Marx kick a man in the teeth, and pictures of glass-eyed Skins rejects with their jubblies out, sporting the vacant melancholy you'd expect from someone who opened up their Christmas presents a week too late and f

Combine Editions
Jools Barnett’s books

Average rating: 3.75 · 12 ratings · 2 reviews · 1 distinct work

The Start of Something Beautiful (Watchtower Series 1, #1)

3.75 avg rating — 12 ratings — published 2012

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

* Note: these are all the books on Goodreads for this author. To add more, click here.

Jools is Currently Reading

Jools is currently reading

Children of Time (Children of Time, #1)

by Adrian Tchaikovsky (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Dec 31, 2025 12:25AM

rss
Jools’s Recent Updates

Jools started reading Children of Time (Children of Time, #1) by Adrian Tchaikovsky (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Dec 31, 2025 12:25AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Jools rated a book did not like it The Housemaid (The Housemaid, #1) by Freida McFadden (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Dec 29, 2025 05:50AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Housemaid by Freida McFadden. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Housemaid by Freida McFadden <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Jools rated a book it was amazing The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Dec 20, 2025 10:29AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Jools wants to read Dead Money by Jakob Kerr (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Dec 08, 2025 08:45AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Dead Money by Jakob Kerr. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Dead Money by Jakob Kerr <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Jools wants to read The Staircase in the Woods by Chuck Wendig (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Dec 04, 2025 02:54AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Staircase in the Woods by Chuck Wendig. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Staircase in the Woods by Chuck Wendig <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Jools wants to read We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Dec 04, 2025 02:53AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Jools wants to read Piranesi by Susanna Clarke	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Dec 04, 2025 02:52AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Piranesi by Susanna Clarke. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Piranesi by Susanna Clarke <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Jools is currently reading The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Nov 24, 2025 01:11AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Jools rated a book it was amazing The Firm (The Firm, #1) by John Grisham (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Nov 21, 2025 12:01AM · like
Jools wants to read The Terror by Dan Simmons	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Nov 03, 2025 07:35AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Terror by Dan Simmons. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Terror by Dan Simmons <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">