Book news, reviews and recommendations
I spent quite some time dithering about whether to put my hand up for Lauren Mackenzie’s The Couples. The premise seemed a wee bit tacky: three couples go away together, shedding their domestic responsibilities, get wasted and embark on a game of partner swapping. What swung it for me was Mackenzie’s screenwriting credentials and Stinging […]
The Couples by Lauren Mackenzie: A grown up Sally Rooney Read More »
Colin Walsh’s Kala was the subject of the kind of prepublication brouhaha that usually puts me off plus it’s a thriller but Walsh is a Stinging Fly contributor and it’s published by one of my favourite publishers which was enough to make me want to read it. Set in an Irish seaside town, Walsh’s novel
Kala by Colin Walsh: Secrets and lies in small town Ireland Read More »
I very much enjoyed Nick Bradley’s The Cat and the City, its distinctive feline striding through the lives of a disparate set of Tokyoites, which made me keen to read Four Seasons in Japan. Similarly cleverly structured, Bradley’s second novel sees a young translator whose appetite for life is ebbing away, becoming captivated by an
Four Seasons in Japan by Nick Bradley: ‘Keep going. You can do it.’ Read More »
I’m more of a novella than a doorstopper reader but now and again one comes along that sounds irresistible, a novel you can lose yourself in. Your definition and mine may differ but anything over 400 pages has me worrying about whether at least 100 of those could have been cut by a discerning editor.
Five Doorstopping Novels I’ve Read 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 – Time Shelter to The Half Moon Read More »
Having had such a brilliant year reading Irish women writers in 2022, I’ve had my eye out for more this year which is what drew me to Chloe Michelle Howarth’s debut, Sunburn. Set in rural Ireland in the late ‘80s/early ‘90s, it’s a queer coming-of-age story which follows Lucy, long since assumed to be on
I was delighted to spot a new Jenny Erpenbeck on the horizon, putting up my hand as soon as I was offered a proof of Kairos. Erpenbeck’s books offer much food for thought on the events that have shaped modern Germany. Opening in 1986, her new novel charts an affair between Hans, a successful writer
Kairos by Jenny Erpenbeck (transl. Michael Hofmann): ‘The god of fortunate moments’ Read More »
It took me some time to get around to reading Brandon Taylor’s Real Life thanks to the hype surrounding it when it was first published but I enjoyed it when I did, certainly enough to read The Late Americans whose premise also appealed. Reading like a series of intricately linked short stories, Taylor’s thought-provoking novel
The Late Americans by Brandon Taylor: Finding your way in the world Read More »
The premise of Caroline O’Donoghue’s The Rachel Incident reminded me of Belinda McKeon’s Tender which I loved but was stunned to find I’d reviewed back in 2015. The novels turned out to have little in common besides being written by Irish women about the relationship between a young straight woman and her gay male friend.
The Rachel Incident by Caroline O’Donoghue: Paging Netflix Read More »
This second instalment of July’s new fiction has more chunksters than usual beginning with one I wasn’t sure I’d read. Despite feeling somewhat disappointed by Mary Beth Keane’s Ask Again, Yes I put my hand up for The Half Moon mostly because of that cover. Set in a small New York town, it follows the
Books to Look Out For Out for in July 2023: Part Two Read More »
No amount of obsessive weather app checking eased my packing anxiety before heading north. Last year’s Manchester trip had everything from snow to what felt like a mini heatwave, something Glasgow was apparently experiencing while Leeds, our first stop, looked distinctly chilly. We were staying in the city’s legal district very close to the civic
Three Days in Leeds, Five Days in Glasgow and One Book Read More »