2014 is officially The Year of Reading Women, thanks to the ReadWomen campaign (you can follow on Twitter here), and the growing disgruntlement among the reading community at the ratio of men to women winning literary awards and being featured in publications like the LRB. Gender has been an ongoing issue in the literary world… Continue reading Reading Women… And Men
Tag: Fiction
Sex, Lies and Holiday Homes: The Lemon Grove by Helen Walsh
We all behave differently when we're on holiday, indulging ourselves and letting everything go a bit. But does being away from home really make life any different? Does it really change how we behave and how we live our lives? It certainly seems to for Jenn, the central character in Helen Walsh's The Lemon Grove.… Continue reading Sex, Lies and Holiday Homes: The Lemon Grove by Helen Walsh
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The Wind is Not a River by Brian Payton
I know, I know - another book about World War II. Another book about a separated couple, a woman lost... but that is all that The Wind is Not a River shares with the last book I reviewed, City of Women. That and the fact that they are both set in the same year, 1943,… Continue reading The Wind is Not a River by Brian Payton
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City of Women by David Gillham (2013)
Having read Alone in Berlin, and a biography of Hans Fallada (the amazing More Lives Than One), I came to read City of Women with some idea of the world I was stepping into. A world filled with conflicts, both political and social but also psychological, as ordinary Germans dealt with the often devastating effects… Continue reading City of Women by David Gillham (2013)
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New Fiction: The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd
On her eleventh birthday Sarah is given her own personal slave as a present by her mother. This slave is Handful, and she is thrust in front of Sarah during her birthday celebrations with a ribbon around her neck. Sarah is horrified that she is expected to own another human being; and she decides to… Continue reading New Fiction: The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd
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Let The Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist
I got some books for Christmas - of course - and will probably get some - I hope - for my birthday on 4th January. I normally wait until after my birthday to assess the entire haul and choose a new book for the new year, but for some reason this time I wanted to… Continue reading Let The Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist
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Best of 2013
2013 has been another fantastic year for books, with some super duper award winners and releases. I've read a relatively low number of books this year (about 35 I reckon), and I haven't loved them all, but there have been a few real gems (click on the links for my original reviews). Brain on… Continue reading Best of 2013
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Snow White Must Die by Nele Neuhaus (2010)
Is it ever wise to impulse-buy a book? Annoyingly the answer is sometimes yes and sometimes no. I've bought a lot of books over the years on the spur of the moment, both online and in bookshops that I've put on the shelf and then never bothered with again... luckily, that did not happen on… Continue reading Snow White Must Die by Nele Neuhaus (2010)
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The People in the Photo by Helene Gestern (2011)
I'm a big fan of Gallic Books and was very pleased when they sent me this novel out of the blue, despite never having heard of it or author Helene Gestern. According to Gallic's website The People in the Photo has won more than twenty literary awards, which is incredible. It has a very simple… Continue reading The People in the Photo by Helene Gestern (2011)
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An Evening With Donna Tartt
Let me just say this now: Donna Tartt is my favourite writer. Hands down. I read The Secret History and then The Little Friend about ten years ago, and something latched on inside of me and has never let go. I was amazed and excited to hear that she would be publishing a new novel… Continue reading An Evening With Donna Tartt
These Little Words 