There are countless books on Marilyn Monroe already - so why another? And why did I choose to read this one? The author of Marilyn: The Passion and the Paradox, Lois Banner, is a prominent American feminist scholar and historian, and teaches history at the University of Southern California. The inside cover of this book, as… Continue reading Marilyn: The Passion and the Paradox by Lois Banner
Was Marilyn Monroe a Feminist?
I've almost finished a new biography of Marilyn Monroe, to be published in August to coincide with the 50th anniversary of her death. Feminist scholar and historian Lois Banner wrote Marilyn: The Passion and the Paradox over a number of years, interviewing an enormous cast of people who knew the beautiful and tragic star. Her… Continue reading Was Marilyn Monroe a Feminist?
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Tigers in Red Weather by Liza Klaussmann
Tigers in Red Weather has created and is still creating rather a lot of, dare I say it, 'buzz' and 'hype' on GoodReads and the book blogs, with lots of good reviews and 4 or 5 star ratings. It is the debut novel of former journalist Liza Klaussmann, which after having read it I… Continue reading Tigers in Red Weather by Liza Klaussmann
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The Forbidden, by F. R. Tallis
When ambitious Doctor Paul Clement takes a job at the mission hospital on Saint Sebastien, he has dreams of discovering cures for tropical diseases. What he finds is a place where the black arts are just a way of life. After witnessing the ritualistic murder of a young man said to be one of the… Continue reading The Forbidden, by F. R. Tallis
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The Pleasures of Men by Kate Williams
Another great book by a graduate of and now lecturer at Royal Holloway (where I went). Must be something in the water... I'd been eyeing this book for a while on Amazon and GoodReads, and finally bought a copy in Waterstones. As a huge fan of Sarah Waters and a good unreliable narrator, this is just… Continue reading The Pleasures of Men by Kate Williams
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55 Reading Questions
I saw these questions on Follow The Thread, and liked the way they approached reading, and the fact they were just for bloggers - so I thought I'd give them a go! 1. Favourite childhood book? When I was very young it was The Worst Witch, and then Lord of the Flies when I was slightly… Continue reading 55 Reading Questions
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You Came Back by Christopher Coake
The premise of You Came Back instantly appealed to me: Mark and Chloe lost their young son Brendan in an accident in their home. Grief-stricken, they moved out and later divorced. Now, Mark is engaged to Allison and thinks he's moved on, until he is contacted by a woman living in his old house who… Continue reading You Came Back by Christopher Coake
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When Nights Were Cold by Susanna Jones
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
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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
These Little Words 