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Betsy Tobin

Goodreads Author

Born

in Columbus, Ohio, The United States

Website

http://www.betsytobin.co.uk

Twitter

betsytobin

Genre

Literature & Fiction, Historical Fiction, Science Fiction & Fantasy

Member Since

February 2014

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Betsy Tobin was born in the U.S. and moved to England in 1989, where she now lives with her husband and children. Her first novel, Bone House, was short-listed for the Commonwealth Prize, and won the Herodotus Prize in the United States. Her other novels include The Bounce, Ice Land, and Crimson China. Crimson China was Radio 4 Book At Bedtime in the UK, and was short-listed for Epic Romantic Novel of the Year.

Her latest book, THINGS WE COULDN'T EXPLAIN, is available for pre-order now on Amazon in the UK. (Digital ebook available in August. Paperback coming in November 2014!)

Watch the trailer at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zA_TX...
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Will you ever write another book like Ice Land? That book is truly amazing.

Betsy Tobin Thanks so much Jess! So glad you enjoyed it. All 5 of my books share some similarities. Things We Couldn't Explain also has a love story between adole…moreThanks so much Jess! So glad you enjoyed it. All 5 of my books share some similarities. Things We Couldn't Explain also has a love story between adolescents at its heart, though it is written in a very different style, and of course the subject matter is very different. I don't know if I will ever return as a writer to the setting of Iceland at the turn of the first millennium, but I certainly wouldn't rule out the possibility of revisiting myth through my work. Hope that answers your question. Betsy(less)

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What are you currently working on?

Betsy Tobin This is a good question for me at the moment because for the first time ever I'm working on a sequel to my forthcoming novel THINGS WE COULDN'T EXPLAI…moreThis is a good question for me at the moment because for the first time ever I'm working on a sequel to my forthcoming novel THINGS WE COULDN'T EXPLAIN. While sequels are common in many strands of commercial fiction, they are much rarer in literary fiction. But I went to a literary lunch with the always-entertaining Deborah Moggach in London last month and one of the many memorable things she said was that characters who refuse to lie down and die after publication are like party guests who won't leave! They demand a sequel, or in the case of minor characters, a story of their own. I felt this way about the setting of my fifth book: a quirky small town in northern Ohio with an engaging cast of characters who had more stories to tell, so I am going to allow them to roam awhile longer in my imagination and see what happens. I have been ruminating on the subject of sequels more generally, as novels usually come from big ideas, and once the book has been written the idea has more-or-less run its course. So for me as a writer, both the story and the idea have to be in place in order for the magic to happen. Hopefully it will all come together...

THINGS WE COULDN'T EXPLAIN is on UK general release in Nov 2014, and is available for pre-order on Amazon from August 14th.(less)

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Betsy Tobin’s books

Average rating: 3.58 · 1,941 ratings · 350 reviews · 12 distinct works • Similar authors

	Ice Land 3.57 avg rating — 1,079 ratings — published 2008 — 15 editions	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
	Bone House 3.52 avg rating — 424 ratings — published 2002 — 21 editions	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
	Crimson China 3.62 avg rating — 338 ratings — published 2010 — 6 editions	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
	The Bounce 3.85 avg rating — 54 ratings — published 2002 — 7 editions	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
	Things We Couldn't Explain 3.45 avg rating — 33 ratings — published 2014 — 3 editions	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
	Dora 4.29 avg rating — 7 ratings — 3 editions	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
	The Clockmaster: A Short Story really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 6 ratings — published 2014	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
	Joyride: A Short Story it was ok 2.00 avg rating — 2 ratings — published 2014	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
	Nathan et les lions 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	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
	[Ice Land] [Author: Tobin, Betsy] [August, 2009] by Betsy Tobin (Goodreads Author), Unknown Author 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	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

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The Art & Etiquette of Book Rating

I have a confession to make: I've never rated a book on any website EVER before today. Not even my own. Honest. (For the record, I've never solicited reviews from other people either, but that's a different story.)

As an author, I've always felt that reader reviews existed in a sacred, ethereal, reader's-only place that authors should not intrude upon. As authors we are grateful for each and every Read more of this blog post »

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Published on March 10, 2014 05:28 • Tags: book-rating, book-reviews, reader-feedback

Betsy is Currently Reading

Betsy Tobin is currently reading

Que sea amor del bueno: Por qué la responsabilidad afectiva es clave en tus relaciones

by Marta Martínez Novoa

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Aug 27, 2025 12:16AM

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Betsy Tobin is currently reading Que sea amor del bueno: Por qué la responsabilidad afectiva es clave en tus relaciones by Marta Martínez Novoa	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
Aug 27, 2025 12:16AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Que sea amor del bueno by Marta Martínez Novoa. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Que sea amor del bueno by Marta Martínez Novoa <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Betsy Tobin rated a book it was amazing Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie	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
Jun 14, 2024 11:51AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">

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Quotes by Betsy Tobin (?)

“Cats, I decided, had certain advantages over men. There were loyal without being sycophantic, independent without being absent, and affectionate without being rapacious. That they choke up balls of fur and leave dead rodents at my feet is unfortunate. But it is not grounds for divorce.”
― Betsy Tobin, Ice Land

tags: humor

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“It takes more than wings to release one from the bonds of kinship.”
― Betsy Tobin, Ice Land

tags: family, kinship

2 likes

“The Earth is inconceivably old. But Iceland is barely a child.”
― Betsy Tobin, Ice Land

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Polls

April 2015 Our April book will be in a genre of myth and magic: Norse Mythology. Whether about vikings or Asgard itself, the novels in this poll will surely bring you closer to Odin, Loki, Thor, Freya, and all of their legends and lore.

Poll dates are from Sun:3/6/16 to Sat:3/19/16.

Loki
by Mike Vasich

4 votes, 57.1%

Runemarks
by Joanne Harris

Runemarks (Runemarks, #1) by Joanne Harris

2 votes, 28.6%

The Sword of Summer
by Rick Riordan

The Sword of Summer (Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard, #1) by Rick Riordan

1 vote, 14.3%

The Sea of Trolls
by Nancy Farmer

The Sea of Trolls (Sea of Trolls, #1) by Nancy Farmer

0 votes, 0.0%

Ice Land
by Betsy Tobin

0 votes, 0.0%

If you don't care
which book wins:

0 votes, 0.0%

7 total votes

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The Next Best Boo...: The Title Game	20218	14584	May 30, 2013 12:53PM

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