Book news, reviews and recommendations
April marks the real start of spring although I tend to be on the lookout for it from the beginning of March. I certainly felt it had finally arrived sitting in the gardens around Manchester Cathedral when we visited the city for the second time in three years. Just one title stood out for me […]
Books of the Year 2024: Part Two Read More »
Last year I managed to keep my books of the year to a mere twenty and felt very pleased with myself. This year, much to my surprise, I’ve done the same. Perhaps I’ve finally learnt some self-restraint. As with previous years, I have four posts planned, each roughly equivalent to a calendar quarter. Set in
Books of the Year 2024: Part One Read More »
Waiting for a Party is the second novel I’ve read by Vesna Main. I was so impressed by Good Day? I included it on my 2020 Women’s Prize for Fiction wishlist, knowing it didn’t stand much chance, and so was pleased to see it on the Goldsmith’s Prize shortlist later that year. Her new one
Waiting for a Party by Vesna Main: ‘Memory is all. Memory is her life now.’ Read More »
I’ve had mixed experiences with Tessa Hadley’s novels. I enjoyed Late in the Day but others I’ve read have left little impression on me. I’ve often thought her short fiction would suit me better so put up my hand for The Party. Hadley’s written many short stories, but this is her first novella which sees
The Party by Tessa Hadley: Coming of age in post-war Britain Read More »
I’m surprised it’s taken me so long to do a second Five Books I’ve Read post on Irish novels given how many excellent ones I’ve read since I started this feature. The five below are a mix of Irish and Northen Irish all with links to reviews on this blog, beginning with a writer who’s
Five More Irish Novels I’ve Read Read More »
I raced through Jean Hanff Korelitz’s The Plot while on last year’s Central European rail jaunt. It’s a literary thriller about a blocked writer who uses the surefire plot a student recounts to him after he learns of the student’s death with dire consequences. I dithered about reading The Sequel, having learnt my lesson with
Fire is the third in John Boyne’s novella series preceded by Water and Earth both of which I’ve reviewed. It follows Freya, already an eminent surgeon at thirty-six, living alone in a luxurious flat, once the home of a footballer who she helped convict of rape as a jurist. Since my twelfth summer, I have
Fire by John Boyne: Are abusers born or made? Read More »
I’ve read umpteen books by Americans, quite a few, although not as many as I’d like, by Canadian and Australian writers but not many by New Zealanders. Given the quality of those that I have read, I’m sure there are many more I’d like to, if only I could get my hands on them. Here
Five Novels I’ve read by New Zealanders Read More »
Despite a slightly patchy experience with Jonathan Coe’s novels over past few years, I couldn’t resist The Proof of My Innocence when it was pitched to me, particularly as I’d very much enjoyed Bournville, his last novel. There’s always a thread of state-of-the-nation running through his fiction, sometimes more overt than others. This one opens
The Proof of My Innocence by Jonathan Coe: More than one way of telling a story Read More »
That subtitle sums up the structure of Ben Shattuck’s beautifully constructed The History of Sound comprising twelve stories, each with a companion piece. That alone would have made me want to read it but the promise of a film adaptation starring Paul Mescal was an added spur; shallow as that might seem, he’s a such
December’s always dull month in the publishing calendar if you enjoy the kind of fiction I do. This year’s offerings seem particularly thin, just two, one of which I’ve already read. Gu Byeong-Mo’s Your Neighbour’s Table is set in a government funded apartment building; a pilot project aimed at addressing South Korea’s ever-dwindling birth rate.
Books to Look Out For in December 2024 Read More »