Book news, reviews and recommendations
It’s over three years since I read C Pam Zhang’s acclaimed How Much of These Hills is Gold which saw two children bearing the bones of their father through the desert in a reimagined America. I was impressed enough to put up my hand for Land of Milk and Honey when it appeared on NetGalley. […]
Land of Milk and Honey by C Pam Zhang: One rule for the rich Read More »
I’m much more of an optimist than a pessimist, sometimes a silly one particularly regarding the weather although an excellent German app is helping me over that. Perhaps that’s why dystopian fiction is far from my favourite genre. That said, I’m surprised by how many novels I’ve read which might be described in that way.
Five Dystopian Novels I’ve Read Read More »
It was the theme of male friendship which drew me to Pulitzer Prize-winning Hua Hsu’s Stay True, far less explored than the female variety in fiction, let alone non-fiction. Written well over two decades after the event, Hsu’s book explores his relationship with his college best friend and the aftermath of Ken’s murder during a
Stay True by Hua Hsu: Coming of age with grief and guilt Read More »
Kate Doyle’s I Meant It Once comprises sixteen short stories, some very short indeed which was about all I felt up to when I read it, plagued with a sore throat and headache. As ever, I’ll pick out a few favourites to give you a flavour of what’s on offer in this collection which features
I Meant It Once by Kate Doyle: A curate’s egg Read More »
0 Comments in moderati Yet another thin month for paperbacks, only one of which I’ve read, starting with a novel from an author whose name may well be familiar from news updates. For several years Andrey Kurkov was the go-to man for the British media wanting comment on Ukraine. His new novel Jimi Hendrix Live
Paperbacks to Look Out For in October 2023 Read More »
I was a big fan of Chloe Lane’s debut, The Swimmers, which handled the tricky theme of assisted dying with empathy lightly underpinned with humour. A hard act to pull off but Lane did it beautifully which made me keen to read her second novel. Spanning just a few weeks, Arms & Legs follows Georgie
Arms & Legs by Chloe Lane: Playing with fire Read More »
The blurb for Ia Genberg’s The Details begins with the premise of a woman confined to bed by a mild fever, putting me a little in mind of Julia Blackburn’s The Leper’s Companions which I loved when I read it years ago. Genberg’s novel is nothing like Blackburn’s but I was very pleased it snagged
The Details by Ia Genberg (transl. Kira Josefsson): Less is more Read More »
Eye-catching titles are thin on the ground for October although there are two strikingly good books and a few more for which I have high hopes. I’m not sure about Sandra Newman’s Julia which comes billed as a feminist reworking of George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four, a bold, confident idea likely to meet with a degree
Books to Look Out For in October 2023 Read More »
A new Anne Enright is always worth looking out for although it has to be said I still have a copy of Actress, her last novel, sitting unread on my shelves. Of course, that didn’t stop me putting up my hand for The Wren, The Wren when I spotted it. Enright’s new novel follows a
The Wren, The Wren by Anne Enright: Mothers and daughters Read More »
I was delighted when a proof of Paul Lynch’s Booker-longlisted Prophet Song dropped through my letter box. I’d been so impressed by his novella, Beyond the Sea, that I’d included it on my 2019 books of the year list. Set in a near future Ireland in the grips of an increasingly authoritarian regime, his new
Prophet Song by Paul Lynch: There but for the grace… Read More »
Our first trip after the 2020 summer of social distancing and lockdowns was to the New Forest, staying at Daisybank Cottage, a delightful Arts and Crafts B & B on the edge of Brockenhurst. It was a slightly odd experience, hardly surprising in the circumstances, but we enjoyed ourselves very much. This time we stayed
Three days in the New Forest and Most of a Book Read More »