Light Falling on Bamboo by Lawrence Scott

This book is beautiful. Firstly, the cover is very attractive and engaging; and the hardback inside the slip cover is bright yellow, a colour that makes us think of the sun and the sand in Trinidad, where the novel is set. Secondly, the language and descriptions in Light Falling on Bamboo are really lovely. From… Continue reading Light Falling on Bamboo by Lawrence Scott

Girls in White Dresses by Jennifer Close

Before you say anything - Girls in White Dresses is not chick-lit. I wouldn't have read it if it was. It just sort of looks and sort of sounds like it; but when you think about it, it only looks like it because the cover has pink writing and a girl in a white dress… Continue reading Girls in White Dresses by Jennifer Close

Liza Klaussmann at The British Library

I loved Tigers in Red Weather so much, I jumped at the opportunity to see author Liza Klaussmann doing a reading and be interviewed at The British Library. The interview was conducted by Naomi Wood, the Writer in Residence at the Eccles Centre for American Studies at The BL. Wood is a writer in her… Continue reading Liza Klaussmann at The British Library

The Empty Glass by J. I. Baker

Having read Lois Banner's biography of Marilyn Monroe, Marilyn: The Passion and the Paradox, I was intrigued when I came across The Empty Glass in a magazine. The fact that it was about the mystery of Monroe's death, but it was a novel, was very interesting. The cover also attracted me. It is eye-catching and… Continue reading The Empty Glass by J. I. Baker

Jeanette Winterson on For Books’ Sake

Monday 27th August was author Jeanette Winterson's birthday. In honour of the day I wrote a 'Bookish Birthday' piece for For Books' Sake! Originally published on 27th August 2012 on For Books's Sake. Born on 27th August 1959, Jeanette Winterson grew up in a small town in the north of England with an ultra-religious adoptive mother who… Continue reading Jeanette Winterson on For Books’ Sake

The Receptionist: An Education at The New Yorker by Janet Groth

I cannot remember how exactly I came across Janet Groth's memoir of her time at The New Yorker. All I remember is that as soon as I did hear about it, I wanted to read it; a lot. Being a Londoner I had no experience of reading The New Yorker but knew of its popularity… Continue reading The Receptionist: An Education at The New Yorker by Janet Groth

The Free World by David Bezmozgis

After the intense, psychological intrigue and drama of Lois Banner's feminist biography of Marilyn Monroe, and the light-hearted romance of Delicacy, I was a little stuck about what to read next. I had a small pile of books sent very kindly from publishers, and spent way too long staring at them all, turning them over… Continue reading The Free World by David Bezmozgis

After Such Kindness by Gaynor Arnold on Fiction Uncovered

Recently I read Gaynor Arnold's fantastic second novel After Such Kindness and reviewed it for the fantastic Fiction Uncovered. Here it is! At the end there is a link to a fantastic blog piece by Gaynor, talking about the book and its inspiration - the relationship between Alice Liddell and Lewis Carroll. The two were… Continue reading After Such Kindness by Gaynor Arnold on Fiction Uncovered

Delicacy by David Foenkinos – The Real Readers Experience!

Real Readers is a scheme set up by AMS Digital Publishing, who also run the popular review sites Book Dagger, Book Geeks, Book Hugger and the newsletter Book Breeze. Real Readers was set up in order to allow bloggers and people who just really like reading to review books before their release and review them across… Continue reading Delicacy by David Foenkinos – The Real Readers Experience!

Interview with Liza Klaussmann

Liza Klaussmann's debut novel Tigers in Red Weather was published by Picador on 2nd August to great critical and commercial success, having already been very popular with book bloggers and literary critics. A carefully plotted family saga covering twenty years, with secrets and lies sizzling at their summer house. I reviewed the book in July and… Continue reading Interview with Liza Klaussmann