Books
I have now written six books, and discovered that writing longer form is the best and worst thing on Earth. This will not surprise anyone who has written more. I’ve also written two introductions for other peoples’ very good books, The Magic Of Terry Pratchett and Best Pick: A Journey Through Film History And The Academy Awards, and a comic about a character called Thunderbolt the Avenger (not those ones) who dates back to the 1960s.
Please note that if you’re looking for the Helen O’Hara who wrote the memoir What’s She Like, that’s the former violin player from Dexy’s Midnight Runners and not one of mine (but I have met that Helen. She’s delightful, I recommend her book). My Goodreads and Amazon UK profiles are below, and there are links to specific books, including those where I merely contributed a foreword, at the bottom of the page.
A Christopher Nolan Dictionary
Published in summer 2027 from Welbeck, ‘A Christopher Nolan Dictionary: An A-Z of the iconic director and his work,’ aims to give you a comprehensive look at the work and life of the Oscar-winning director. We held it long enough to have an entry on The Odyssey (maybe my favourite of his films) and yes, it includes an entry on dead wives. It’s in an A to Z format, as you might expect from the title, and gives you a nice little bite-size way into his work. Fabulous illustrations by Cat Sims
Thoughtfully crafted to elevate what matters most.
A Quentin Tarantino Dictionary
Published in March 2025 from Welbeck, ‘A Quentin Tarantino Dictionary: An A-Z of the iconic director and his work, from AK-47 to Zed’ is a trip through the life and work of the Pulp Fiction and Inglourious Basterds director through the medium of dictionary entries. Yes, there’s an entry for “feet” but the other F-word is under “swearing”. Illustrations by Laurene Boglio
50 Film Ideas You Really Need to Know
Part of the Greenfinch series of Ideas You Really Need To Know, this is an attempt to boil all of film history and practice down into 50 easily-digestible entries covering everything from early experiments in projection to the latest in VFX, while also tripping through as many international cinema movements as I could cram in. 50 Film Ideas… was published in summer 2025.
Women Vs Hollywood
The Fall And Rise of Women In Film
Published in 2021, my book Women Vs Hollywood was an attempt to sum up 135 years of Hollywood history from the perspective of the women who the system never quite embraced. From the female pioneers who were pushed out by the studios, to the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements of recent years, it’s been a continual struggle between women with big dreams and money men with no intention of giving them too much power. The Sunday Times called it “a fascinating polemic”; Edgar Wright was kind enough to call it “a must-read”; my sister called it an excuse not to take my turn making dinner during the pandemic. Well, you can’t please everyone. I also recorded the audiobook, and drank my own weight in lemon and honey tea during that process.
Press for the book
