Book news, reviews and recommendations
Summer still hadn’t got off the ground by August. Very little time was spent on our new deck, reading or otherwise, and only one book stood out that month, too. Written in spare, crisp prose, Sarah Manguso’s Very Cold People was one of my books of 2022. Liars is the equally bleak story of a […]
Books of the Year 2024: Part Three Read More »
I jumped at the chance to read Christine Dwyer Hickey’s Our London Lives, getting stuck in as soon as it dropped through my letterbox. Hickey writes beautifully crafted thoughtful novels, often from the perspective of women. The Narrow Land, her last one, told the story of Edward Hopper’s marriage from his wife’s point-of-view while The
Our London Lives by Christine Dwyer Hickey: A love story Read More »
September sees the publication of several novels many readers are probably already well aware of from social media, beginning with a one I’m sure will be piled up on Christmas tables. Sally Rooney’s one of those authors who provokes strong reactions in readers but whether you love her writing or find it infuriating, it will
Books to Look Out For in September 2024: Part One Read More »
Not my favourite prize but I can’t resist putting together a wish list for the Booker, perhaps because I know very few will be fulfilled but I’m keen to give some more neglected titles an airing. To be eligible for the prize all books must be published in the UK between 1st October 2023 and
My 2024 Booker Wish List Read More »
This is the second set of novels with an art theme in this series of posts. I introduced the first wondering why I’d read so much recent fiction featuring artists, speculating about a publishing trend or that it was simply my own interest in the subject but perhaps it’s because artists often lead interesting lives
Five More Novels I’ve Read About Art Read More »
The first batch of February’s paperback goodies didn’t set foot outside America but this second instalment starts in the heart of Europe with Robert Menasse’s The Capital, something of a bittersweet read for me given my country’s Brexit shenanigans. This sprawling novel takes a sharply satirical view of the European Commission, exploring its many accumulated
Paperbacks to Look Out For in February 2020: Part Two Read More »
Another year, another Man Booker Prize longlist in the offing, except this year its reverted to the Booker Prize, thanks to a change of sponsorship with Crankstart stepping into the funding breach as of June 1st this year. To be eligible for the prize all books must be published in the UK between October 1st
My 2019 (Man) Booker Wish List Read More »
I’m a great fan of Christine Dwyer Hickey’s writing and was delighted when The Narrow Land turned up. It’s been quite some time since The Lives of Women and I’d wondered if there was a new one from her in the offing. This beautifully jacketed book, adorned with Edward Hopper’s ‘Sea Watchers’, spans the summer
The Narrow Land by Christine Dwyer Hickey: A study of a marriage Read More »
The longlist for my favourite UK literary award, The Women’s Prize for Fiction, is due to be announced next Monday. Only novels written by women in English published between April 1st 2018 and March 31st 2019 qualify. Over the past few years I’ve failed miserably in predicting what took the judges fancy but truth be
My Wish List for the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2019 Read More »
Here we go again and in my middle-aged way I can’t believe it’s that time already. The Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction longlist is due to be announced next Tuesday. Only novels written by women in English published between April 1st 2015 and March 31st 2016 qualify for the award. It’s one of the few
My wish list for the Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction 2016 Read More »
Another very tasty batch of paperback treats to keep the dreary British winter at bay, kicking off with a writer who seems very underrated to me. Christine Dwyer Hickey’s The Lives of Women tells the story of Elaine who has come back to Ireland where her widowed father is wheelchair-bound after surgery. She’s lived in
Paperbacks to Look Out For in January 2016: Part 2 Read More »