Book news, reviews and recommendations
Despite a preference for spare, concise fiction, I do enjoy a good chunkster. Done well, they can be the perfect escape when all you want is lose yourself in a good old-fashioned piece of storytelling. Below are five doorstoppers, each with a link to a review on my blog. Set in an Irish seaside town, […]
Five More Doorstopping Novels I’ve Read 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 Anniversary to Potterism Read More »
May’s first batch of paperbacks features lots of Irish writers beginning with last year’s Booker winner, followed by a close contender. I’d been so impressed by Paul Lynch’s Beyond the Sea I was delighted when Prophet Song popped through my letterbox. Set in a near future Ireland in the grips of an increasingly authoritarian regime
Paperbacks to Look Out For in May 2024: Part One Read More »
I’m feeling quite pleased with myself having pared back this year’s list to twenty books, a first for me, although I’ll have to guard against more sneaking in as I look back over 2023. As usual, I’m planning four posts, one per quarter, beginning with a remarkable piece of writing which got my reading year
Books of Year 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 »
I’m more of a novella than a chunkster reader but now and again one comes along that sounds irresistible. Despite the inevitable comparisons with Succession, which I didn’t get on with at all, Sarah May’s twenty-first century take on William Thackeray’s Vanity Fair, looked as though it would fit that bill with its story of
Becky by Sarah May: ’When it comes to the past, I enjoy being flexible with the truth’ Read More »
The second instalment of January fiction is all about and written by women beginning with a novel set in a world which tends to be dominated by men. Based on interviews with a female horse trainer, Kathryn Scanlan’s Kick the Latch follows one woman’s career while exploring all aspects of life at the racetrack, from
Books to Look Out For in January 2023: Part Two Read More »