Book news, reviews and recommendations
I was intrigued by Hernan Diaz’s ambitious, complicated novel when I spotted it on Twitter, presented as a ‘literary puzzle’. That eye-catching cover might have had something to do with it, too. It sounded like the kind of book that could fall flat on its face but I put up my hand for a proof. […]
Trust by Hernan Diaz: ‘Bending and aligning reality’ Read More »
No prizes for guessing which novel will be piled sky high in bookshops this Christmas with the announcement of a new Kate Atkinson. Shrines of Gaiety is set in London in 1926 with the city’s nightlife back in full swing after the war. Nellie Coker is making the most of the opportunities on offer, determined
Books to Look Out For in September 2022: Part One Read More »
Six Degrees of Separation is a meme hosted by Kate over at Books Are My Favourite and Best. It works like this: each month a book is chosen as a starting point and linked to six others to form a chain. A book doesn’t need to be connected to all the titles on the list,
Six Degrees of Separation – The Book of Form and Emptiness to Bridget Jones’s Diary Read More »
It’s seven years since I reviewed Jo Bloom’s debut, Ridley Road, based on a conversation she’d overheard between her grandfather and an old friend. You may have watched the BBC’s excellent adaptation of this novel about fascism in ‘60s East End London. I enjoyed it very much and was eager to read her new book
Permission by Jo Bloom: ‘We need to talk’ Read More »
Jill Dawson incorporates historical figures and events into much of her fiction, often giving them a slightly subversive spin. Her last novel, The Language of Birds, explored the Lord Lucan case from the perspective of the nanny he murdered, neatly redressing the balance of the aristocracy-obsessed media’s coverage which seemed to have forgotten there was
The Bewitching by Jill Dawson: ‘Is there any reason you should not be hanged?’ Read More »
I’ve long found an apartment building setting appealing in fiction. Fertile ground for storytelling, exploring characters’ backstories while reflecting the society they inhabit. Here are five favourites that share that setting, two with links to my reviews the other three read pre-blog. I’m beginning with Georges Perec’s Life a User’s Manual, the first novel that
Five Books I’ve Read Set in Apartment Buildings Read More »
It was that cover that caught my eye on Twitter. Something about the title’s sharp angles. Then I saw it was billed as a campus satire so put up my hand. I’m the partner of an academic so find this niche genre very enjoyable. So often they’re written by authors getting something off their chest.
Disorientation by Elaine Hsieh Chou: A case of mistaken identity Read More »
I still haven’t got around to reading Jessica Andrews’ debut, Saltwater, leapfrogging over the copy on my TBR to read her new novel. Milk Teeth follows an unnamed young woman, restless and unable to define quite what she wants from life, who falls in love with a man who seems to want her as much
Milk Teeth by Jessica Andrews: ‘I want everything’ Read More »
I’m starting the second part of August’s paperback preview with one that didn’t seem to get quite the coverage it deserved when it was first published, or maybe I missed it. Heather Marshall’s Looking for Jane begins with the chance discovery of a misdelivered letter which sets the woman who stumbled upon it on a
Paperbacks to Look Out For in August 2022: Part Two Read More »
Almost exactly two years ago I reviewed Susannah Dickey’s debut, Tennis Lessons, which championed the value of friendship through two young women, one painfully awkward saved by the other. I enjoyed it very much so was eager to read Common Decency which picks up some of her first novel’s themes through the story of Lily,
Common Decency by Susannah Dickey: A tale of two women Read More »
Not my favourite prize – sadly one of those bit the dust earlier this year when Costa withdrew their sponsorship – but I can’t resist posting some wishes for the Booker longlist, keen to give some more neglected titles an airing even though they’re unlikely to make the judges’ grade. To be eligible for the
My 2022 Booker Wish List Read More »