Book news, reviews and recommendations
I was delighted when a proof of Paul Lynch’s Booker-longlisted Prophet Song dropped through my letter box. I’d been so impressed by his novella, Beyond the Sea, that I’d included it on my 2019 books of the year list. Set in a near future Ireland in the grips of an increasingly authoritarian regime, his new […]
Prophet Song by Paul Lynch: There but for the grace… Read More »
Our first trip after the 2020 summer of social distancing and lockdowns was to the New Forest, staying at Daisybank Cottage, a delightful Arts and Crafts B & B on the edge of Brockenhurst. It was a slightly odd experience, hardly surprising in the circumstances, but we enjoyed ourselves very much. This time we stayed
Three days in the New Forest and Most of a Book Read More »
Brandi Wells’ debut is one of those novels that could have gone either way for me. I spotted it on NetGalley and liked the blurb which reminded me a little of Jen Beagin’s Pretend I’m Dead. Our unnamed narrator clears up the mess made by the workers on the top floor of an office building,
Cleaner by Brandi Wells: Doing the dirty work Read More »
I’m not a laugh out loud kind of reader, shying away from novels whose blurbs suggest that kind of jollity although I do let fly the odd snigger now and again. I’m partial to a bit of smartarse humour but what most appeals is satire. If done well, ridicule is one of the most effective
Five Novels I’ve Read that Made Me Laugh Read More »
I’d not come across Jamel Brinkley’s writing before I spotted Witness on NetGalley. It’s a collection of short stories all set in New York which, regular readers won’t be surprised to hear, was what attracted me to it. I’ve picked out my favourite pieces below, beginning with the opening coming-of-age story. In the image of
Witness by Jamel Brinkley: Ten New York stories Read More »
I’d somehow got it into my head that Khashayar J. Khabushani was a poet which was part of the attraction of his debut, I Will Greet the Sun Again, but it turns out that its title is a quote from a poem by Forugh Farrokhzad, one of Iran’s foremost female poets, whose work was banned
I Will Greet the Sun Again by Khashayar J. Khabushani: Finding your own way Read More »
September’s second batch of paperbacks begins with two of my books of 2022, the first of which I was reluctant to read despite it being by one of my favourite authors. Elizabeth Strout’s Lucy by the Sea is both the second outing in quick succession for Lucy Barton and a pandemic novel hence the wariness.
Paperbacks to Look Out For in September 2023: Part Two Read More »
Regular readers may have noticed that when reviewing books by Irish writers, I often mention they contribute to The Stinging Fly, a Dublin-based biannual magazine which publishes short fiction. From Wendy Erskine to Nicole Flattery, Kevin Barry to Louise Kennedy whose brilliant Trespasses was shortlisted for this year’s Women’s Prize for Fiction, their contributors are
Open Up by Thomas Morris: Tales of lost boys and seahorses Read More »
I’ve long had a penchant for Irish writing but either that’s becoming more pronounced or there are even more fine writers being published from that country. Whichever it is, that was what drew me to Noel O’Regan’s Though the Bodies Fall set on a stretch of Kerry headland which has been a suicide black spot
Though the Bodies Fall by Noel O’Regan: Mother’s little helper Read More »
I’d read and enjoyed Paula Cocozza’s debut, How to Be Human, back in 2017 but it was the enthusiasm of Rebecca at Bookish Beck that persuaded me to read her second novel. It also has an appealing premise, a riff on the social media theme which has emerged in fiction over the past few years.
Speak to Me by Paula Cocozza: ‘There are three of us in this marriage’ Read More »
I knew there was a new Ann Patchett on the horizon but wasn’t entirely sure of its publication date so when a proof of Tom Lake turned up out of the blue I was thrilled to bits. I’m a big Patchett fan and although her lovely collection of essays, These Precious Days, had been a
Tom Lake by Ann Patchett: A celebration of life and love Read More »