As regular readers will know, I came across When Nights Were Cold on the Fiction Uncovered website as part of their selection of best British novels for 2012. The blurb looked appealing and I was delighted when a copy of the book was sent to me by the publisher, Mantle at Pan Macmillan. I started… Continue reading When Nights Were Cold by Susanna Jones
Year: 2012
The Murder of Halland by Pia Juul
What a funny little book. I was unaware of Pia Juul until The Murder of Halland was kindly sent to me by Peirene Press, a fantastic independent publisher that "specializes in contemporary European novellas in English translation." Having been aware of them for a while, I was thrilled to receive a book from their latest… Continue reading The Murder of Halland by Pia Juul
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A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin
Game of Thrones is everywhere. Everywhere - Twitter; the train; the bus; magazines; newspapers; and of course bookshelves and TV. I was a little late to the - I think we can call it this now, in a slightly ironic way - phenomenon. The original series of books is actually called A Song of Ice… Continue reading A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin
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Fiction Uncovered Announce their Best of British for 2012
Fiction Uncovered are hard to pinpoint at first. I use/view their site as a news source, a book review site and a blog. They describe themselves as: Fiction Uncovered is a promotion which celebrates our best British fiction writers. The promotion is supported by Arts Council England and funded by the National Lottery. In 2012, retailers including Waterstone’s, Foyles, iBookstore, Amazon and The Book… Continue reading Fiction Uncovered Announce their Best of British for 2012
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Ten Reasons To Love Daphne du Maurier
Originally published on 14th May on For Books' Sake: Yesterday would have been Daphne du Maurier‘s birthday. In celebration, here’s ten things we love about the iconic author of classics including Rebecca, My Cousin Rachel and Jamaica Inn… 1. Her name To start with, ‘Daphne’ is a beautiful name. In Greek mythology, Daphne was a minor goddess (possibly some sort… Continue reading Ten Reasons To Love Daphne du Maurier
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True Grit by Charles Portis
When the latest version of True Grit was released in cinemas in 2010 (the first film was released in 1969 and starred John Wayne), I was eager to see it. Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon and the Coen brothers were a big yes, and my dad recommended the story. I'm not usually a fan of Westerns, but… Continue reading True Grit by Charles Portis
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Apologies For The Delay
Hello all, Sorry for not posting for a while. Health problems have prevented me from getting on with my usual work and reading, but normal service will resume in the next couple of weeks. Until then, I would love to hear about what you've been reading! Tell me on Twitter: @LittleWordsRev As always, happy reading!… Continue reading Apologies For The Delay
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Another book from the Penguin Bloggers Night – Russia, science and space! Reviewed by the lovely Hannah on Writing About Books.
Yet another of the spoils of Penguin Book Bloggers’ Night, Konstantin is soft-spoken Welsh author Tom Bullough‘s most recent novel about the father of russian space travel, Konstantin Tsiolkovsky(see the stamp below).
Turning to this novel the moment I had finished Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina, I was deeply immersed in Russia, and keen to learn more of this great country.
Even before opening this book, without having the faintest idea of what it was about, I was drawn to it’s beautiful cover, simple, white, with russian-looking details drawn in red. The opening phrases,
Kostya hurried down the bank towards the frozen Oka, fine and light in his heavy sheepskin coat as a sparrow in its winter plumage
echoed the white simplicity of the cover and drew me into an icy expanse of Russian history from the very first words. I have always been a judge-by-the-cover kind of reader…
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More Lives Than One: A Biography of Hans Fallada by Jenny Williams
Last year (2011) I read Fallada's final novel Alone in Berlin, after reading about it in various magazines - it seemed to be unanimously praised, and thee subject matter seemed interesting, so I gave it a go. I wrote a review of it for a former (and frankly less good) incarnation of this blog, which… Continue reading More Lives Than One: A Biography of Hans Fallada by Jenny Williams
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Another great writer from the Penguin Bloggers Night, Nell Leyshon read from ‘The Colour of Milk’ with real feeling and engaged us all. Read Hannah’s review on her blog Writing About Books – it’s really rather good.
this is my book and i am writing it by my own hand.(…) my name is mary and I have learned to spell it. m. a. r. y. that is how you letter it.
On the very first page of Nell Leyshons newest bok, The Colour of Milk, we are introduced to the protagonist who, writing in first person is writing it by her own hand. Do not be scared off by this assumed tautology, but rest assured that it is set in 1831 and even if Jane Austen took it for granted to write not everybody else did. Definitely not hardworking fifteen-year-old farm girl Mary, whose hair I think it will surprise no one to learn is the colour of milk.
As Mary’s life is gradually introduced to us, it appears it was not easy to be her. With a truly horrible father, who beats his daughters…
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These Little Words 