Book news, reviews and recommendations
I was thrilled when I spotted a new Lissa Evans on social media, knowing that not only would I be in for a treat but that it would be a cheery one. I wondered if Small Bomb at Dimperley might follow the characters I’d become so fond of in V for Victory and Old Baggage […]
Much of my reading can be described as contemporary fiction but I sometimes stick my toe in the historical fiction water. I was convinced that was a rare occurrence but, apparently, I’ve read enough to put together several of these posts spread across different centuries. I should start off in the twentieth century but that
Five Novels Set in the Nineteenth Century I’ve Read Read More »
As regular readers will know, I’m a keen Elizabeth Strout fan. I’ve been reading her fiction since Amy and Isabelle was first published in the UK, over twenty years ago now, and have enjoyed every one of her novels. Occasionally, there’s a tinge of disappointment but a slightly disappointing Strout is very much better than
Tell Me Everything by Elizabeth Strout: When Olive met Lucy Read More »
I jumped at the chance to read Christine Dwyer Hickey’s Our London Lives, getting stuck in as soon as it dropped through my letterbox. Hickey writes beautifully crafted thoughtful novels, often from the perspective of women. The Narrow Land, her last one, told the story of Edward Hopper’s marriage from his wife’s point-of-view while The
Our London Lives by Christine Dwyer Hickey: A love story Read More »
A disappointing October paperback preview, just enough to fill one post beginning with the latest from an author whose previous novel was a surprise hit for me. I enjoyed Hiroko Oyamada’s Weasels in the Attic ending my review saying that I was keen to explore more of her writing. Originally published in Japan in 2013,
Paperbacks to Look Out For in October 2024 Read More »
It’s become something of a tradition for Barack Obama to issue his summer reading list. It seems to have been extended to an end of year favourites now, too. I bet publishers’ hearts sing with joy if one of their titles appears on either, the next best thing to an Oprah recommendation. I won’t lie,
Back from a short break in Lyme Regis (more of which later in the week) with a second batch of October fiction which begins with a novel that didn’t quite fulfil my hopes. Set in the rain-soaked coastal community of Faha in December 1962, Time of the Child is a sequel of sorts to This
Books to Look Out For in October 2024: Part Two Read More »
The one thing I’m sure about with my first October title is that it will be all over what used to be called the broadsheet review pages. I was not nearly as fond of Alan Hollinghurst’s Man Booker Prize-winning The Line of Beauty as many hence my doubts about Our Evenings which follows two men,
Books to Look Out For in October 2024: Part One 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 in as many hands as I could. Iain Banks was one of those writers talented enough to excel in at least two genres. Not being
Blasts from the Past: The Crow Road by Iain Banks (1992) Read More »
Jackson Brodie’s last outing came after a gap of nine long years so I was delighted when Death at the Sign of the Rook popped up on Netgalley a mere three years after Big Sky was published. For those who’ve yet to read Atkinson’s crime series or watch Jason Isacc’s brilliant portrayal of Jackson in
Despite a preference for spare, concise fiction, I do enjoy a good chunkster. Done well, they can be the perfect escape when all you want is lose yourself in a good old-fashioned piece of storytelling. Below are five doorstoppers, each with a link to a review on my blog. Set in an Irish seaside town,
Five More Doorstopping Novels I’ve Read Read More »