Book news, reviews and recommendations
Always a risky business agreeing to a review request from an author, something I rarely do. If I don’t like their book, it feels as if I’ve slapped them in the face. Last year, I struck lucky with Deirdre Shanahan’s Carrying Fire and Water which is perhaps what made me accept Barbara Bleiman’s offer of …
Kreminology of Kisses by Barbara Bleiman: Sealed with a kiss, or not Read More »
Lots of paperback goodies to help us all through the dank, dreary days of February, even more necessary than usual this year, more than enough for a two-part preview. I’ve already read several beginning with Rowan Hisayo Buchanan’s Starling Days whose poignancy leavened with wry humour and striking images echoes her debut, Harmless Like You. …
Paperbacks to Look Out for in February 2021: Part One Read More »
It’s been well over four years since I reviewed The Sunlight Pilgrims, Jenni Fagan’s last novel, a rare dip into dystopian fiction for me but Fagan’s the kind of author whose work I’d make a beeline for, regardless of the genre she’d chosen. Her new novel, Luckenbooth, is entirely different, spinning the stories of the …
I’d already spotted Gemma Reeves’ Victoria Park in the publishing schedules before I was offered it for review. The first copy failed to materialise, caught up in the Covid/Christmas Royal Mail vortex that hit the headlines in December, but I’m pleased to say the second arrived before I had to resort to NetGalley, not my …
Victoria Park by Gemma Reeves: Everybody needs good neighbours Read More »
This second part of February’s new fiction preview kicks off with two novels which explore something on which I spend far too much of my time. I’ve already read Patricia Lockwood’s No One is Talking About This which explores the seductive, addictive world of social media through a woman who finds herself a celebrated internet …
Books to Look Out for in February 2021: Part Two Read More »
Bryan Washington’s first book, Lot, made quite an impression on me. Billed as a collection of linked short stories it read more like a fragmentary novella, remarkable for its sense of place and its beautifully crafted prose. It was a contender for my books of 2019 list, only omitted because there were so many other …
Memorial by Bryan Washington: Saying the words out loud Read More »
This time four years ago I posted a review of Elizabeth Baines’ short story collection, Used to Be, which I thoroughly enjoyed making me keen to read her new book, Astral Travel. Framed as a novel within a novel, this immersive story follows an author as she attempts to understand her complicated father by writing …
Astral Travel by Elizabeth Baines: ‘Your Daddy loves you really’ Read More »
February’s always been the gloomiest month in my seasonal calendar, not much colour around often coupled with grey skies and rain. A hard one to get through and this one is likely to be harder than usual. As ever, the prospect of potential bookish treats keeps me going beginning with one whose blurb comes with …
Books to Look Out for in February 2021: Part One Read More »
Six Degrees of Separation is a meme hosted by Kate over at Books Are My Favourite and Best. It works like this: each month a book is chosen as a starting point and linked to six others to form a chain. A book doesn’t need to be connected to all the titles on the list, …
Six Degrees of Separation – From Hamnet to The Story of a Happy Marriage Read More »
You might be forgiven for thinking that’s a self-referential subtitle but the life it refers to is Michiko Kakutani’s, the New York Times’ book critic from 1983 to her retirement in 2017, renowned for her incisive criticism and knowledge. The beautifully presented Ex-Libris is a testament to her consuming passion for literature, listing over one …
Ex-Libris by Michiko Kakutani (illustrated by Dana Tanamachi): A life in books Read More »
I’m taking one more look over my shoulder at the end of this strangest of years with a meme that lots of blogger friends posted around mid-December. Like Annabel over at Annabookbel, I’m sticking to books I’ve read in 2020, most with links to reviews on this blog and I’ve also nicked her Covid question. …