I honestly didn’t know much about Joan Leigh Fermor when I asked for this book for Christmas last year, but I knew a little about her travel writer husband Paddy, and the blurb intrigued me. I decided to take the book in holiday with me to Devon, where I read it in two days, mostly… Continue reading Joan: The Remarkable Life of Joan Leigh Fermor by Simon Fenwick (2017)
Year: 2018
Once We Were Sisters by Sheila Kohler (2017)
Like the last book I read, I found Once We Were Sisters through my GoodReads recommendations. I had never heard of Sheila Kohler but soon discovered that she is well-established writer of fiction, and this is her first memoir. It centres around her relationship with her older sister Maxine, and the devastation of Maxine's sudden… Continue reading Once We Were Sisters by Sheila Kohler (2017)
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The Bridesmaid’s Daughter by Nyna Giles (2018)
I discovered this book through the wonder that is GoodReads recommendations, which are surprisingly good at times. I have found a number of unknown-to-me books this way that I ended up loving. I've been on a non-fiction kick recently, and have always loved reading unusual or off-beat memoirs, especially by women. The Bridesmaid's Daughter has… Continue reading The Bridesmaid’s Daughter by Nyna Giles (2018)
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I’ll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara (2018)
As soon as I heard about this book I wanted to read it. It was published in February 2018, and just two months later its subject, the Golden State Killer, was finally captured. His first recorded attack was in 1974, and he had finally been identified and caught. It was a big moment for all… Continue reading I’ll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara (2018)
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Her Hidden Life by V.S. Alexander (2018)
I bought this novel on a whim in the supermarket (something I hardly ever do) because I was just in the mood to buy a book. It happens. Almost all of the novels on sale were sensational crime, romances, or what was once called 'chick lit' and this was the only one that appealed to… Continue reading Her Hidden Life by V.S. Alexander (2018)
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Little Man, What Now? by Hans Fallada (1932)
As some regular readers may know, I absolutely love Hans Fallada's novel Alone in Berlin, and re-read it in 2017 (post here). For some reason this remained the only book of his I had read for some time. I bought a copy of Little Man, What Now? a while ago, I actually can't remember when,… Continue reading Little Man, What Now? by Hans Fallada (1932)
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Death in Spring by Mercè Rodoreda (1986)
I adored Rodoreda's novel A Broken Mirror (my review here) and so when I saw that Penguin had brought out a new edition of her novel Death in Spring, I had to get myself a copy. And what a beautiful cover! Ostensibly the novel tells the coming-of-age story of a teenage boy in a small… Continue reading Death in Spring by Mercè Rodoreda (1986)
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Reuben Sachs by Amy Levy (1888)
I bought this book about three years ago in the lovely Persephone bookshop in London, and for some reason have only now got around to reading it. As a rule I love Persephone books and am keen to read more of them. I hadn't heard anything about Amy Levy, or Reuben Sachs, when I found… Continue reading Reuben Sachs by Amy Levy (1888)
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Where I Was From by Joan Didion (2003)
A disclaimer: I did not manage to finish this book, even though it's not very long. I love Joan Didion's journalistic writing, as well as the two other memoirs of hers that I have read (The Year of Magical Thinking and Blue Nights), but I just could not get on with Where I Was From.… Continue reading Where I Was From by Joan Didion (2003)
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Smile Please: An Unfinished Autobiography by Jean Rhys (1979)
I first read Jean Rhys at university when her novel Good Morning, Midnight was on the reading list for a course about the 20th century novel. Since then she has been on my radar and I have kept most of her books on my long term TBR. I read Wide Sargasso Sea a few years… Continue reading Smile Please: An Unfinished Autobiography by Jean Rhys (1979)
These Little Words 