Book news, reviews and recommendations
I’d been looking forward to reading Naoise Dolan’s Exciting Times for a while when I was offered a review copy. Nolan’s debut is one of the five titles shortlisted for the Sunday Times/University of Warwick Young Writer of the Year award which I helped shadow judge two years ago. I have very fond memories of […]
Exciting Times by Naoise Dolan: The art of self-sabotage Read More »
I owe this post to H who came up with the idea when we were out walking one day, I can’t remember when or where. At first I dismissed it, rather snottily it has to be said, but by the time we were home I’d become quite enthusiastic and already had five striking openers all
Five Books I’ve Read with Memorable Opening Lines Read More »
Readers blessed with excellent memories may recall I mentioned Bradford Morrow’s The Forger’s Daughter in a November preview. I put up my hand but for some reason wasn’t sent a copy then I noticed its precursor on NetGalley. Not my favourite way to read but by this time I was all primed and ready for
The Forgers by Bradford Morrow: ‘It takes a lot of truth to tell a lie’ Read More »
From Grey Souls, a novel about three murders set in First War France, to Parfums, his scent memoir, each book I’ve read by Philippe Claudel has been different from the others. What they have in common is a strong sense of humanity and all are beautifully expressed. Set on a tiny volcanic island in a
Two years ago, looking for something easy to read after a tree root tripped me up landing me with a nasty headache, I picked up Anne Youngson’s first novel, Meet Me at the Museum, having previously dismissed it thinking it looked too schmaltzy for me. It turned out to be one of the best books
Three Women and a Boat by Anne Youngson: The kindness of strangers Read More »
Hubert Mingarelli’s The Invisible Land comes billed as the final part of a trilogy linked by the theme of war. I’ve read and reviewed both A Meal in Winter and Four Soldiers, struck by Mingarelli’s exquisite writing, not a description I’d expect to spring to mind when reading about the grimmest of subjects. This third,
The Invisible Land by Hubert Mingarelli (transl. Sam Taylor): The devastation of war 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. Amongst Women is the first John McGahern novel I managed to get through and only because I’d been
Blasts from the Past: Amongst Women by John McGahern (1990) Read More »
Edward Carey’s Little was one of those books I tucked away at the back of my shelves when it arrived. The story of Madame Tussaud, accompanied by a good deal of brouhaha and not published for months, it didn’t immediately appeal. Then Twitter fever started to take off so I decided to give it a
The Swallowed Man by Edward Carey: Geppetto’s story Read More »
Nicole Krauss’ The History of Love was one of those novels you couldn’t get away from when it was published here in the UK back in 2006. I loved it. Since then I’ve read several novels by Krauss but none have quite matched it for me, including the smartly clever Forest Dark. That didn’t deter
To Be a Man by Nicole Krauss: Men, women and the tensions in between Read More »
If your only acquaintance with Scandinavian novels is a cursory glance at the British bestseller lists, you’d be forgiven for thinking that the entire region turns out nothing but crime fiction. I’m here to tell you that there’s more to Scandi fiction than murder around every corner beginning with five Norwegian novels free of blood
Five Norwegian Novels I’ve Read Read More »
Recently launched, Fum D’Estampa Press is a small publisher dedicated to introducing Catalonian literature to English-speaking readers. A little niche you might think but if Jordi Llavina’s London Under Snow is anything to go by, worth seeking out. I was attracted to Llavina’s collection partly thanks to enjoying a short story roll after reading Dierdre
London under Snow by Jordi Llavina (transl. Douglas Suttle): Wintery Catalonian tales Read More »