Book news, reviews and recommendations
A new Kate Atkinson is always a cause for celebration for me. I’ve been a fan since Behind the Scenes at the Museum back in 1995. Set against the backdrop of 1951’s Festival of Britain, Our Noble Selves follows Harry Flynn who becomes involved in the organisation of the extravagant event aimed at reviving British
Our Noble Selves by Kate Atkinson: A very British treat Read More »
The second instalment of September’s new fiction begins with one by an author I’ve been a fan of since her debut in the mid-1990s. Set in 1951, Kate Atkinson’s Our Noble Selves follows Harry Flynn who becomes involved in the organisation of the Festival of Britain. Despite his unassuming manner, Flynn is a magnet for
Books to Look Out For in September 2026: Part Two Read More »
Despite preferring novellas to chunksters, I’ve a fair few of the latter under my reading belt. A good doorstopper which swerves baggy over-indulgence can be a source of great pleasure. I’ve already written about five that fit that bill then posted five more. Below is another batch, all but one with a link to a
Another Five Doorstopping Novels I’ve Read Read More »
Jackson Brodie’s last outing came after a gap of nine long years so I was delighted when Death at the Sign of the Rook popped up on Netgalley a mere three years after Big Sky was published. For those who’ve yet to read Atkinson’s crime series or watch Jason Isacc’s brilliant portrayal of Jackson in
This second batch of August’s new fiction begins and ends with slight disappointments from two of my favourite authors. Heart, Be at Peace returns to the setting of Donal Ryan’s A Spinning Heart as the town struggles with the fallout from Augie Penrose’s lucrative drug business. Bobby becomes determined to do something about this menace,
Books to Look Out For in August 2024: Part Two Read More »
Some very tempting paperbacks to look out for as we head into proper spring in my part of the world, beginning with one of my books of last year. Caleb Azumah Nelson’s achingly beautiful Small Worlds proved to be even better than his Costa First Novel Prize-winning Open Water. Beginning in 2010, it follows Stephen,
Paperbacks to Look Out For in April 2024: 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 – Western Lane to Water Read More »
We’re in summer reading territory for this preview with the holiday season in full swing but there are still some gems to be found in the schedules starting with a big shiny one. I knew there was a new Ann Patchett on the horizon but wasn’t entirely sure of its publication date so when a
Books to Look Out For in August 2023 Read More »
I’ve read all but one of the first instalment of April paperback goodies, several of which turned up on my books of 2022 list beginning with acclaimed short story writer Louise Kennedy’s first novel, Trespasses, which sees a Catholic teacher falling in love with an older man, a prominent barrister, married and a Protestant. Michael’s
Paperbacks to Look Out For in April 2023: Part One Read More »
Every year I post two literary prize wishlists in the sure fire knowledge that few if any of those wishes will be fulfilled. That said, they’re fun to do and I always like to see what other readers would like the judges to plump for. The Women’s Prize for Fiction is the one I care
My Women’s Prize for Fiction 2023 Wishlist Read More »
This is the latest in a series of occasional posts featuring books I read years ago about which I was wildly enthusiastic at the time, wanting to press a copy into as many hands as I could. Hard to imagine a time when Kate Atkinson wasn’t a literary household name, albeit one seemingly doomed not
Blasts from the Past: Behind the Scenes at the Museum by Kate Atkinson (1995) Read More »