This Friday, 12th June, we are kicking off the first of our Friday Bookish Chats over on The Good Book Life Channel.
Our first guests are Lisa Fransson and Maggy Whitehouse – two authors with some opinions about the National Year of Reading, our first topic.
The 2026 theme, ‘Go All In’, encourages people to explore reading through their passions, and emphasizes that reading is not limited to books. The goal is to make reading relevant, fun, and accessible to everyone. We discuss the decline in reading enjoyment in both children and adults and why campaigns like this are important.
But is enough happening from the top down, or is this just a branding exercise for community initiatives that already exist?
Two vibrant voices in contemporary spiritual and imaginative writing, Maggy Whitehouse and Lisa Fransson offer readers two very different doorways into wonder and storytelling. Whitehouse, a long‑time teacher of Judaeo‑Christian mysticism and the Western Mystery Tradition, blends humour, depth and lived wisdom in everything she creates. Her work spans Kabbalah, sacred geomancy, ministry, comedy, and twenty books, each infused with her signature mix of insight and playfulness. Whether she’s exploring the Tree of Life, healing land energies, or crafting mystical fiction, her writing invites readers into a world where ancient wisdom meets modern curiosity. maggywhitehouse.com
Fransson, by contrast, writes from the enchanted forests of her childhood and the rich inner landscapes shaped by a lifetime of reading, wandering and imagining. Beginning her storytelling journey at just four years old, she has since become a multilingual author whose work ranges from Swedish children’s books to English‑language fiction. Her stories are steeped in folklore, adventure and the quiet magic of everyday life, and are shaped by years spent between libraries, linguistics studies, and work in translation. lisafransson.com
Find out what our guests have to say on Friday 12th June. The video premieres at 5pm, UK time.
The Slab Press 