Book news, reviews and recommendations
H and I loved last year‘s Airbnb so much we booked it again for our annual visit to our lovely friend M. Not going to pretend I hadn’t hoped for a repeat of supper on the sun warmed terrace looking out over the beautiful Holme valley, but it seemed increasingly unlikely. We did get to […]
Two Days in Yorkshire, Almost One in Lancashire, One in Shropshire and a Book Read More »
Back from my travels (more of which later in the week) with the second batch of July paperbacks beginning with one of last year’s favourites for me. Souvankham Thammavongsa’s Pick a Colour spans one day in a nail salon run by Ning who, in another life, was a boxer. Everyone’s called Susan at Ning’s: it
Paperbacks to Look Out For in July 2026: Part Two Read More »
The first batch of July’s paperbacks begins with one I enjoyed much more than I’d expected. When the unnamed narrator of Dominic Amerena’s I Want Everything spots a dead ringer for Australia’s most notorious bestselling novelist who apparently disappeared in the ’70s, he hatches a plan to rescue his own flagging writing career. Tracking her
Paperbacks to Look Out For in July 2026: Part One Read More »
I’ve a weakness for foodie fiction, devoting one of my Five Books I’ve Read to it, which was part of the attraction with Kit Fan’s Goodbye Chinatown, although his novel turned out to be much more than that. Through the experience of Amber whose parents brought her to London after the horrors of Tiananmen Square
Goodbye Chinatown by Kit Fan: Identity, belonging and food Read More »
June’s snapshot includes a short story collection which may turn out to be patchy, a biography for book nerds and a novel about art, writing, race and academia. The short story collection I’m reading is Irish writer Rebecca Ivory’s Free Therapy. I’ve read two stories, the best of which was the first about a two
A Snapshot of My Reading #16 Read More »
The second part of July’s preview begins with a book by an author whose bestseller I still haven’t got around to. Daniel Mason’s Country People is set in Vermont where a Californian family is spending a year, Miles ostensibly to finish his thesis which he’s continually chopping and changing, Kate as a visiting professor. When
Books to Look Out For in July 2026: Part Two Read More »
This is the latest in a series of occasional posts featuring books I read years ago about which I was wildly enthusiastic at the time, wanting to press a copy in as many hands as I could. Polly Morland’s book was all over social media when it was first published, and deservedly so. It’s a
Blasts from the Past: A Fortunate Woman by Polly Morland (2022) Read More »
Ana Kinsella’s affectionate portrayal of London life, Look Here, was my non-fiction read for April 2025’s Snapshot of My Reading. I enjoyed her collection of short pieces so much I was delighted to spot Frida Slattery as Herself on NetGalley. Kinsella’s first novel is a two-hander following Frida from her early acting days, and John
Frida Slattery as Herself by Ana Kinsella: ‘I could talk to you forever’ Read More »
With much of new fiction aimed at the holiday reading market, July’s often a patchy month for me but not so this year beginning with a novel by an author whose debut I loved. Chloé Ashby’s Family Friends is set over a fortnight in a crumbling chateau where two couples have holidayed for almost two
Books to Look Out For in July 2026: Part One Read More »
I put my hand up for Jem Calder’s first novel having very much enjoyed his linked short story collection, Reward System. He’s one of those writers who’s attracted puffs from the likes of Sally Rooney which may or may not predispose some readers towards him. Set in London, I Want You to Be Happy follows
I Want You to Be Happy by Jem Calder: ‘What are we?’ Read More »
Emma Straub writes reliably enjoyable fiction, tending more towards the commercial than the literary. I’ve read most of her novels but was surprised to find I’d only reviewed The Vacationers back in the early days of the blog. American Fantasy has an unusual premise: a full-on nostalgia cruise for over two thousand mostly female fans
American Fantasy by Emma Straub: ‘Who’s ready for the best weekend of their lives?’ Read More »