Book news, reviews and recommendations
Back in March 2016, which seems a very long time ago now for all sorts of reasons, I reviewed Austin Duffy’s debut, This Living and Immortal Thing, ending by saying I was looking forward to his second novel if he found time to write it – he’s an oncologist. As enthusiastic readers of first novels […]
Ten Days by Austin Duffy: No second novel syndrome here Read More »
The first part of March’s fiction preview began with three novels I’d already read whereas in this part there’s just the one: Claire Fuller’s Unsettled Ground. I’ve long been a fan of Fuller’s writing. Each of her novels – Our Endless Numbered Days, Swimming Lessons and Bitter Orange – is different from the others. This
Books to Look Out for in March 2021: Part Two 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 Redhead by the Side of the Road to Wide Sargasso Sea Read More »
The seventeenth century isn’t my usual literary stomping ground but two things attracted me to Lucy Jago’s first novel: the theme of female friendship and a glowing puff from Andrew Miller whose own historical fiction I love. Beginning in 1609, A Net for Small Fishes explores the intimate bond between Frances Howard, the daughter of
A Net for Small Fishes by Lucy Jago: Love knows no bounds Read More »
I’d not heard of Afonso Cruz before Kokoschka’s Doll popped through my letterbox, probably because it’s the first of his novels in translation to be published by a relatively mainstream publisher. He turns out to be a prolific and versatile writer, much acclaimed in his native Portugal. Taking its name from the artist so distraught
Kokoschka’s Doll by Afonso Cruz (transl. Rahul Bery): Stories within stories Read More »
A healthy two-parter preview for March with a wide range of books to look out for including several I’ve already read beginning with Alexis Schaitkin’s enjoyable Saint X, a casualty of last year’s slipping and sliding in the publishing schedules. A little outside my usual literary territory as you can probably tell from that cover,
Books to Look Out for in March 2021: Part One Read More »
I don’t think a novel’s title alone has convinced me I’d want to read it before but I couldn’t resist that wordplay: Mrs Death Misses Death promised to be clever, funny and all about a subject we privileged Westerners do our best to sanitise with all sorts of euphemisms. Salena Godden’s debut rubs our faces
January seems to be Delphine de Vigan month for me. This time two years ago I reviewed the gripping Based on a True Story with which I was very impressed; last year’s Loyalties not so much. This year it’s Gratitude and I’m back to being a de Vigan fan. This brief of novellas explores ageing
Finding links between novels in the first part of February’s paperback preview was hard enough but it’s even worse with the second, I’m afraid. Best start off with what I’ve already read. Daniel Khelmann’s Tyll was one of my books of last year, an uncharacteristic choice for me but I’m a huge fan of Kehlmann’s
Paperbacks to Look Out for in February 2021: Part Two Read More »
Olivia Sudjic’s Sympathy has been on my TBR list for as long as it’s been published. No idea why I haven’t got around to buying a copy but when I spotted Asylum Road in the publishing schedules I put my hand up, attracted partly by the multitude of glowing puffs from the likes of Megan
Asylum Road by Olivia Sudjic: ‘Noli me tangere’ Read More »
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 »