Book news, reviews and recommendations
My last review for 2023 is an uncharacteristic one for me: it’s not fiction. Nina Stibbe’s Went to London, Took the Dog is a delightfully easy read, a world away from my usual non-fiction diet of politics or history. It’s her diary of her year lodging with novelist Deborah Moggach, along with her cockerpoo, Peggy, […]
Went to London, Took the Dog by Nina Stibbe: Diary of a sabbatical 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 in as many hands as I could. A rare non-fiction blast from me, this time reprising Lorna Sage’s Bad Blood, her wonderfully eloquent, witty, heart-wrenching
Blasts from the Past: Bad Blood by Lorna Sage (2000) 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 »
I’ve been a fan of Amy Bloom’s writing for many years. Both her short stories, collected together in Rowing to Eden, and her novels are marked by clarity, elegance and insight. It’s been over four years since White Houses was published and In Love, her memoir, explains the saddest of reasons why. In 2019, Bloom’s
In Love by Amy Bloom: ‘He is a strong, determined man of mettle and courage’ Read More »
This is my penultimate review for 2021 and it’s an unusual one. Recently published in paperback, Doireann Ní Ghríofa’s A Ghost in the Throat made quite a splash back in 2020, winning three awards and shortlisted for several others. Having read it, I can see why. A memoir of obsession, literary detection and motherhood, it’s
A Ghost in the Throat by Doireann Ní Ghríofa: ‘This is a female text’ Read More »
Cathy Rentzenbrink has been a successful writer for some time but way back when Waterstones was still in full possession of an apostrophe, I was the reviews editor for their magazine and she was a bookseller who regularly reviewed for me. She was a joy to work with: enthusiastic, reliable, always happy to help me
Dear Reader by Cathy Rentzenbrink: A bookish treat Read More »
I suspect I wouldn’t have read Charlie Gilmour’s memoir had it not been for the persuasive, clearly heartfelt enthusiasm of its editor coupled with a great quote in the letter which accompanied the proof. Gilmour’s name may be familiar to many through his stepfather, Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour, or his brief period of notoriety
Featherhood by Charlie Gilmour: Of birds and fathers 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 in as many hands as I could. It’s not that I don’t read any non-fiction but I review very little of it. This is only
Blasts from the Past: Skating to Antarctica by Jenny Diski (1997) Read More »
Regular readers will know that I’m not one for words like ‘charming’ and ‘delightful’ – smacks too much of tweeness for me – but when I read the pitch for Isabel Vincent’s Dinner with Edward, they immediately popped into my head. Another one was ‘Christmas’, but that’s the old bookseller in me. Vincent’s book tells
Dinner with Edward by Isabel Vincent: A Story of an Unexpected Friendship Read More »
I was initially attracted to Elizabeth Hay’s memoir for the same reason I read Ann Patchett’s This is the Story of a Happy Marriage: I’d enjoyed several of her novels very much, in particular Late Nights on Air. Truth be told, though, aren’t we all fascinated by other people’s families, perhaps looking for similarities with
All Things Consoled by Elizabeth Hay: Families and how to survive them Read More »
One of the many good things about shadow judging this award is that it’s made me review non-fiction. It’s not that I don’t read it but the last book I reviewed that wasn’t fiction was back in May. Laura Freeman’s The Reading Cure was already in my sights before the shortlist was announced but if