Book news, reviews and recommendations
This is my penultimate review for 2021 and it’s an unusual one. Recently published in paperback, Doireann Ní Ghríofa’s A Ghost in the Throat made quite a splash back in 2020, winning three awards and shortlisted for several others. Having read it, I can see why. A memoir of obsession, literary detection and motherhood, it’s […]
A Ghost in the Throat by Doireann Ní Ghríofa: ‘This is a female text’ Read More »
This is my first non-fiction Five Books I’ve Read post and to no one’s surprise it’s about readers, book collectors and bookshops, although I suppose it could have been about travel or food. Here then are five books I’ve read about the wonderful world of books, each with a link to my review. White Spines
Five Books I’ve Read about Readers Read More »
I became interested in utopian societies as an idealistic teenager when I learnt about Welsh philanthropist Robert Owen‘s experimental socialist community in New Harmony, Indiana. Then I read about the Whiteway Colony in Gloucestershire whose original owners burnt their deeds in the name of egalitarianism. Anna Neima’s The Utopians explores six such communities, their aspirations,
The Utopians by Anna Neima: ‘Absurdity, possibility and hope’ Read More »
I’m a reader rather than a collector which is probably a good thing, keeping my book acquisitions clear of duplicates (or worse) bought because I couldn’t resist a new edition’s cover. Nicholas Royle is both but his collecting habits are very particular: his imprint of choice is Picador, the white spined variety although he has
White Spines by Nicholas Royle: Confessions of a Book Collector Read More »
You might be forgiven for thinking that’s a self-referential subtitle but the life it refers to is Michiko Kakutani’s, the New York Times’ book critic from 1983 to her retirement in 2017, renowned for her incisive criticism and knowledge. The beautifully presented Ex-Libris is a testament to her consuming passion for literature, listing over one
Ex-Libris by Michiko Kakutani (illustrated by Dana Tanamachi): A life in books Read More »
Cathy Rentzenbrink has been a successful writer for some time but way back when Waterstones was still in full possession of an apostrophe, I was the reviews editor for their magazine and she was a bookseller who regularly reviewed for me. She was a joy to work with: enthusiastic, reliable, always happy to help me
Dear Reader by Cathy Rentzenbrink: A bookish treat Read More »
I suspect I wouldn’t have read Charlie Gilmour’s memoir had it not been for the persuasive, clearly heartfelt enthusiasm of its editor coupled with a great quote in the letter which accompanied the proof. Gilmour’s name may be familiar to many through his stepfather, Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour, or his brief period of notoriety
Featherhood by Charlie Gilmour: Of birds and fathers 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. It’s not that I don’t read any non-fiction but I review very little of it. This is only
Blasts from the Past: Skating to Antarctica by Jenny Diski (1997) Read More »
When I spotted Priya Basil’s beautifully jacketed Be My Guest it was the third word in its subtitle that caught my eye. Food is pretty high up my agenda, mixing well with that other passion, travel. Basil’s book looked like the sort of comfort reading that would restore my faith in human nature which has
Be My Guest by Priya Basil: Reflections on Food, Community and the Meaning of Generosity Read More »
Regular readers will know that I’m not one for words like ‘charming’ and ‘delightful’ – smacks too much of tweeness for me – but when I read the pitch for Isabel Vincent’s Dinner with Edward, they immediately popped into my head. Another one was ‘Christmas’, but that’s the old bookseller in me. Vincent’s book tells
Dinner with Edward by Isabel Vincent: A Story of an Unexpected Friendship Read More »
I was initially attracted to Elizabeth Hay’s memoir for the same reason I read Ann Patchett’s This is the Story of a Happy Marriage: I’d enjoyed several of her novels very much, in particular Late Nights on Air. Truth be told, though, aren’t we all fascinated by other people’s families, perhaps looking for similarities with
All Things Consoled by Elizabeth Hay: Families and how to survive them Read More »