A life in books

Spill Simmer Falter Wither by Sara Baume: Spring summer autumn winter

6 November 2015 / 17 Comments

The trouble with marketing is its constant use of superlatives – too much hype. We’re all over familiar with ‘dazzling debuts’, ‘stunning achievements’ and the like so that when a book comes along that is truly original, absolutely dazzling, those descriptions ring hollow. Sara Baume’s Spill Simmer Falter Wither comes into that category for me. […]

Spill Simmer Falter Wither by Sara Baume: Spring summer autumn winter Read More »

My Mother is a River by Donatella Di Pietrantonio (transl. Franca Scurti Simpson): Calisi Press – ‘Celebrating Italian women writers’

4 November 2015 / 12 Comments

I’m always a little uncomfortable when I get a review copy from a small publisher. I can’t guarantee that I’ll review it unless I think it’s worth recommending and those books cost money, time and effort to post out. It’s easy shrugging off the likes of Penguin Random House but small presses prick my conscience,

My Mother is a River by Donatella Di Pietrantonio (transl. Franca Scurti Simpson): Calisi Press – ‘Celebrating Italian women writers’ Read More »

Books Read (But Not Reviewed) in October 2015

2 November 2015 / 11 Comments

Bit of a thin month on the read (but not reviewed) front thanks to the sheer door-stopping size of one of the two books I finished. Philipp Meyer’s The Son was raved about last year – fulsome tweets were legion and it was a Waterstones Book Club choice, although presumably only for thoroughly committed readers

Books Read (But Not Reviewed) in October 2015 Read More »

Significance by Jo Mazelis: A Jerwood Fiction Uncovered Prize 2015 winner

30 October 2015 / 15 Comments

Fiction Uncovered was set up in 2011 with the aim of promoting British writing. Last year with the support of a charitable foundation it became the Jerwood Fiction Uncovered Prize. It’s an unusual award in that there are eight winners including, this year, Jo Mazelis’s Significance. I’m more than a little late to the party

Significance by Jo Mazelis: A Jerwood Fiction Uncovered Prize 2015 winner Read More »

The Inflatable Woman by Rachel Ball: Ways without words

28 October 2015 / 8 Comments

Well, this is a first for me – a review of a graphic novel. Back in my early bookselling days I was pretty sniffy about this particular genre which appeared to consist almost entirely of rather lurid fantasy novels: catnip to shoplifters or so it seemed. I’m not sure I sold one in all the

The Inflatable Woman by Rachel Ball: Ways without words Read More »

Paperbacks to Look Out For in November 2015

26 October 2015 / 15 Comments

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 »

Golden Age by Jane Smiley: Or is it?

23 October 2015 / 6 Comments

Three Jane Smileys in a year seems a little greedy but once started on The Last Hundred Years Trilogy all thoughts of delayed gratification go out of the window. For those who haven’t yet come across the first two, the trilogy tells the sometimes torturous history of the United States through the story of an

Golden Age by Jane Smiley: Or is it? Read More »

Thirteen Ways of Looking by Colum McCann: A novella and three stories

21 October 2015 / 16 Comments

I’ve been a fan of Colum McCann’s novels since way back in the late ‘90s when I read This Side of Brightness. His fiction ranges far and wide – from Dancer’s Rudolf Nureyev to the Roma of Zoli – and his writing is often strikingly poetic. Unsurprisingly, then, I’ve been looking forward to his new

Thirteen Ways of Looking by Colum McCann: A novella and three stories Read More »

Books to Look Out For in November 2015: Part 2

19 October 2015 / 12 Comments

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 »

A Manual for Cleaning Women by Lucia Berlin: Saving some for later

16 October 2015 / 13 Comments

Lucia Berlin’s short story collection seem to be everywhere at the moment – her beautiful face shines out from broadsheet reviews, her book sits at the front of every bookshop I’ve been in recently – yet her work isn’t new. She died in 2004 having written intermittently over a long period stretching back to the

A Manual for Cleaning Women by Lucia Berlin: Saving some for later Read More »

The Heart Goes Last by Margaret Atwood: Fun with dystopia

14 October 2015 / 11 Comments

It’s been quite some time since I’ve read a new Margaret Atwood – a little too much dystopia in her later novels for me – but the synopsis of The Heart Goes Last appealed: homeless couple in the nearish future signs on for a project where they alternate a month in prison with a month

The Heart Goes Last by Margaret Atwood: Fun with dystopia Read More »