I've only participated in WWW Wednesday once before, and that was ages ago, so I felt like giving it another try. The idea is to post three things: What you most recently finished reading What you are currently reading What you will read next Hence 'WWW'! So here goes: What I recently finished reading: The Handmaid's… Continue reading WWW Wednesday, 1st March 2017
Tag: 20th Century
In Which I Finally Read The Handmaid’s Tale
There are always books that one means to read, that 'should' be read - and for me one of them was The Handmaid's Tale. It was published before I was even born, so it has always been popular, always been revered in my experience. This book was always on my list, always something I thought… Continue reading In Which I Finally Read The Handmaid’s Tale
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The Lottery and Other Stories by Shirley Jackson (1949)
I've read three of Shirley Jackson's novels, so it only felt right to try some of her short stories; and after all, The Lottery is heralded as one of the most brilliant (and controversial) in the genre. At first, some of these stories reminded me Truman Capote's with their edge of uncertainty and fear underlying… Continue reading The Lottery and Other Stories by Shirley Jackson (1949)
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In Praise Of: True Crime
Many years ago I worked as a bookseller for Borders and I have to admit that the true crime section was not one that I thought of as full of ‘literature’. All the books had sensational covers with big red letters and bad photographs. They were small fat books that didn't get many visitors, and while I… Continue reading In Praise Of: True Crime
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If This is a Woman by Sarah Helm: A Reading Experience
More than one of my fellow reviewers on GoodReads wrote that reading this book is more than that - you 'live it' as well. It is an experience I will never forget. If This is a Woman took me ten days to read, which for me is a long time - but then it is… Continue reading If This is a Woman by Sarah Helm: A Reading Experience
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New Fiction: The Last Photograph by Emma Chapman
As some readers may know, I was a big fan of Emma Chapman's first novel How To Be A Good Wife. It was a taught thriller with wonderful characters and plotting, and though dark in subject matter it was a joy to read. Chapman's literary skills are similarly showcased in her new novel The Last… Continue reading New Fiction: The Last Photograph by Emma Chapman
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Despite the Falling Snow by Shamim Sarif (2003)
I was kindly invited to take part in the blog tour for the new edition of this book and am very glad I accepted. The new edition was published to tie in with the new 2016 film adaptation. Despite the Falling Snow takes place in 1990s Boston and 1950s Russia, moving deftly between the two… Continue reading Despite the Falling Snow by Shamim Sarif (2003)
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The best books of 2015
My apologies for the mixture of photos in this post - I have lent out some of the books featured so wasn't able to take a nice photo of them and had to find images of the covers online. Not ideal, but there you go... Somehow 2015 is over, and I have naturally been… Continue reading The best books of 2015
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Sagan, Paris 1954 by Anne Berest
On the publisher's website, Sagan, Paris 1954 is described as am "intimate narrative" and I think that is the best way to describe it. "Intimate" because it is a deeply personal book for the author, Anne Berest, and it explores her relationship with Francoise Sagan as a reader; and "narrative" because it tells a story.… Continue reading Sagan, Paris 1954 by Anne Berest
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We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson (1962)
I had been wanting to read this for a while and finally got round to it last week... and it was just so brilliant. So weird. So good. Suffice to say, I gave it five stars on GoodReads. Even before reading I loved the premise, what I knew of it, and as with The Haunting… Continue reading We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson (1962)
These Little Words 