Book news, reviews and recommendations
Back in July I was approached to take part in a Twitter initiative to promote diversity in writing under the hashtag #DiverseAuthorDay. This was, of course, long before the announcement of both this year’s Man Booker shortlist, let alone its gay Jamaican winner. You may have seen a few tweets on September 24th, the elected […]
#DiverseAuthorDay: A reprise Read More »
You may have dim memories of this particular literary prize. It’s been in abeyance for several years but has just been relaunched with an announcement of the shortlist for this year’s award. Contenders must be writers of literary fiction, non-fiction or poetry, aged thirty-five and under. Past performance suggests that previous judges have had a
In contrast to November’s surprising hardback bounty, paperback treats are pretty thin on the ground: just a paltry three, I’m afraid. I’ll start with the one I’ve already reviewed – Helle Helle’s This Should Be Written in the Present Tense which surprised me when it was first published last year with its low-key but strangely
Paperbacks to Look Out For in November 2015 Read More »
The second instalment of November goodies begins with a debut – Sloane Crosley’s The Clasp – although you may already know her from the delightfully named set of essays I Was Told There’d be Cake. Crosley’s novel follows a set of college friends as they make their way in the big wide world of jobs,
Books to Look Out For in November 2015: Part 2 Read More »
Well, knock me down with a feather! I would never have expected to be posting a two-part November hardback preview. Often it’s a rather dull publishing month but here it is: part one of two starting off with a new Jonathan Coe. I’m treating this one with caution as after many years of Coe fandom
Books to Look Out For in November 2015: Part 1 Read More »
I’m quite a fan of bloggers’ monthly reading recaps so thought I might try it myself. As ever, I’ll only include books I feel are worth recommending so should this become a regular feature they’re unlikely to be long posts. I almost gave up Ellen Ullman’s By Blood, mainly because it has a curiously antiquated
Books Read (But Not Reviewed) in September 2015 Read More »
Sad to say I’ve not found many titles that appeal in the October paperback lists. Lots of commercial big names but the more literary variety seem to be even further in the back seat than usual. I’ve reviewed only one so I’ll start with that. Per Petterson’s I Refuse seems even more sombre than his
Paperbacks to Look Out for in October 2015 Read More »
Bit of a lean month for those of us who tend towards the more literary end of fiction. The novel that stands out above all others for me is Golden Age, the final part of Jane Smiley’s The Last Hundred Years Trilogy. Some Luck followed the Langdon family from just after the First World War,
Books to Look Out For in October 2015 Read More »
H and I were listening to Radio 4 on our way home the other day. There was a somewhat alarming item on whether employees should share Fitbit data on their sleep, diet and exercise with their employers. Neither of us had the faintest idea why anyone would voluntarily do this which led to a discussion
The Tyranny of Stats, Fitbit and otherwise Read More »
I spotted this on Twitter courtesy of David at David’s Book World whose title I’ve also pinched. He, in turn, had come across it at Annabel’s House of Books. I’m not one for memes but I’d enjoyed Reading Bingo so much last year I thought I’d give this one a whirl too. The idea is
A reading acrostic Read More »
My second selection for September seems to be made up almost entirely of books by American novelists. No particular reason, it just turned out that way. No starry names either but a couple of the authors already have several excellent novels to their credit so I hope they’ve come up with the goods this time,
Books to Look Out For in September 2015: Part 2 Read More »