Book news, reviews and recommendations
Daniel Mason is probably best known for the much acclaimed North Woods which has been recommended by several bloggers whose opinions I trust but I still haven’t got around to reading it. Country People is also set in New England this time in Vermont where a Californian family are spending a year, Miles ostensibly to […]
Country People by Daniel Mason: In which the hero is a dog Read More »
I thoroughly enjoyed Chloë Ashby’s debut, Wet Paint, back into 2022 which was why I put up my hand for Family Friends, although the setup of two families who’ve been getting together once a year in a run-down chateau for two decades piqued my interest. Family Friends spans two weeks in a French heatwave after
Family Friends by Chloë Ashby: Happy holidays Read More »
I snapped up Rebecca Birrell’s Venus, Vanishing, as soon as it was pitched to me. Opening in Berlin just as Hitler’s rise in popularity has begun, art historian Birrell’s first novel follows eighteen-year-old Hannah Sherman, determined to become an artist rather than marry into a life of domestic drudgery. Elke wanted me to know how
Venus, Vanishing by Rebecca Birrell: Art, deception and desire in 1930s Berlin Read More »
I dithered about reading Roshan Sethi’s The Simp, put off by a few dismissive reviews, but given it’s published by a favourite imprint, decided to take the plunge. As Thackeray fans will have spotted from the subtitle, it’s a twenty-first century take on Vanity Fair, set in Hollywood in 2020, the year Black Lives Matter
The Simp by Roshan Sethi: A novel without a hero Read More »
Given how much I enjoyed both her short story collection, How to Gut a Fish, and her debut novel, Falling Animals, you’d think I’d jump at the change to read Sheila Armstrong’s The Red Mouth, but the blurb’s hints of otherworldliness, curses and strange magnetism put me off. Fortunately, the supernatural strand proved to be
The Red Mouth by Sheila Armstrong: Uncovering the past 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 into as many hands as I could. I often feel that publishers fail their authors with book covers. Sometimes I wonder if the designer was
Blasts from the Past: The Last Banquet by Jonathan Grimwood (2013) Read More »
I was delighted to spot a new Ann Patchett in the publishing schedules, even more so when a proof dropped through my letterbox. Whistler begins with Daphne and her husband sharing a day at the Metropolitan Museum of Art when he spots an elderly man who seems to be following her. I hadn’t known there
Whistler by Ann Pattchett: Doing what she does best 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 »
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 »
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 »