Book news, reviews and recommendations
I know you’ve all get your minds on Christmas but I thought it might be time for a little taster of what 2015 has to offer before we get overdosed on carols and all that malarkey. It’s a good month, too. No huge names leap out for me but there are several interesting looking treats […]
Books to Look Out for in January 2015 Read More »
The last of my ‘books of the year’ posts begins with one of my two September favourites, Steven Galloway’s The Confabulist which tells the story of the man who killed Houdini not once, but twice. Far from a straightforward reimagining of the Houdini story Galloway’s novel is a very clever bit of business which didn’t
Books of the Year 2014: Part 3 Read More »
Looking back over the year for these three posts it seems that many of my favourite reads were crammed into the first two months of the year. March, however, saw only one, Shot gun Lovesongs, but that may well turn out to be my book of the year. Nickolas Butler’s American smalltown gem is a
Books of the Year 2014: Part 2 Read More »
It’s that time of the year again – best of this and that all over the place. When I did this last year I’d only been blogging for a few months and, foolishly, thought I’d restrict myself to a top six. It didn’t work and the so-called six spilled over into just under twenty so
Books of the Year 2014: Part 1 Read More »
A little while ago Kathryn Simmonds contacted me asking if I’d consider reviewing her novel. It’s published by Seren, a small publisher and I always have a soft spot for them, and it seemed interesting so I agreed to have a look at it. It was the Greenham Common theme that hooked me. I’ve never
Love and Fallout by Kathryn Simmonds: Easy reading for Guardianistas Read More »
Not so long ago I had a run of heart-wrenching reads so it’s a pleasure to report that Anna Quindlen’s Still Life with Breadcrumbs is in the opposite corner. Not that there were any guarantees that it would be – I remember two of her previous books, Black and Blue and One True Thing, being
Still Life with Breadcrumbs by Anna Quindlen: A touch of the Anne Tylers Read More »
I spotted this on MarinaSofia’s blog a few weeks ago and enjoyed her post so much I thought I’d have a go myself, it being that time of the year and all. I’ve linked to my own reviews where relevant and to other sources of information for books I haven’t reviewed.
Reading Bingo: Eyes down for a full booky house Read More »
I was drawn to Favel Parrett’s novel by the slimmest of synopses when checking out titles for my Books to Look Out for in November post. Antarctica was the lure. I’ve read several non-fiction books about it and had particularly enjoyed Jenny Diski’s Skating to Antarctica. In the event it’s not really about that but
When the Night Comes by Favel Parrett: The story of a sailor, a girl and the Nella Dan Read More »
I’m not the kind of person who’s obsessed with cats. I have one and I’m fond of her but she knows her place – on the sofa most of the time, naturally. I’m fully aware of why the first syllable of ‘Meow’ is what it is – it’s all about them after all. All this
The Guest Cat by Takashi Hiraide (transl. Eric Selland): A most uncharacteristic read Read More »
A new novel by Jane Smiley is always something to look forward to but the premise of Some Luck is a particularly attractive one. It’s the first in a trilogy which tells the story of an American century reflected and refracted through one family – the Langdons – beginning in 1920. Each chapter of this
Some Luck by Jane Smiley: An American century in microcosm Read More »
Now there’s a title certain to be mangled in bookshops throughout the land and a brave one for a debut. I wonder if Judy Chicurel’s publishers tried to talk her out of it. It’s the title of the final chapter of the book whose meaning becomes clear towards its end. Set in the summer of