Book news, reviews and recommendations
I’ve long since given up trying to work a thematic link into these previews but May’s first batch of paperbacks is the exception that proves the rule – they’re all by Irish writers beginning with oncologist Austin Duffy’s The Night Interns which takes us back to his workplace, the setting for his debut, This Living […]
Paperbacks to Look Out For in May 2023: 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 – Born to Run to Mouth to Mouth Read More »
At the beginning of April, H and I took ourselves off to Manchester, a city I’d not visited since the ‘80s. Unsurprisingly, it’s changed considerably since then. We had a great time exploring and meeting up with two dear friends with not much time for reading. Plenty of that when we got back, beginning with
Books of the Year 2022: Part Two 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 »
I’ve read and enjoyed David Park’s fiction before, admiring his quietly elegant style, and was keen to read Spies in Canaan, putting it aside for a little while after it popped through my letterbox. In the event, I read it against the backdrop of Russia’s preparations for invading Ukraine, horribly appropriate for this novel which
Spies in Canaan by David Park: ‘Stand up straight and true’ Read More »
The second instalment of May’s new fiction kicks off with Georgi Gospinov’s Time Shelter. There are a multitude of novels about dementia but Gospinov’s takes a very different tack with its ‘clinic for the past’ offering rooms set up to mirror various time periods. As the rooms become more authentic, the healthy and wealthy book
Books to Look Out For in May 2022: Part Two Read More »