literary hoohah
I took a risk with this book - it was a review copy (something I am accepting less and less these days), and I wasn't sure what to expect. I knew there was a boarding school, and the lasting effects of female friendship, but that was it. The Exclusives is the story of Josephine and… Continue reading The Exclusives by Rebecca Thornton
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)
In brief, this is the story of a man who was once a Nazi officer, a story of his war; it is a fictional autobiography of an intellectual thrown into the horror of the Second World War. It is the War from 'the other side'. But it is so, so much more than that. Dr… Continue reading In Which I Am So, So Glad I Finally Read The Kindly Ones by Jonathan Littell
The premise for Look at Me is simple but effective; and in fact I'd describe most of the book that way too. Our central character Lizzy and her brother Ig discover that their father has a daughter they didn't know about. They find out by chance after coming across a letter from said daughter, and… Continue reading Look at Me by Sarah Duguid
As a rule I love Peirene Press, but I haven't actually read one of their books for a while. So I was very pleased to be offered a review copy of book no. 19, The Man I Became, which is part of the new 'Fairy Tale' series. It's quite an odd one, given that it… Continue reading A new Peirene! The Man I Became by Peter Verhelst (tr. David Colmer)
My sister gave me this book for my birthday, so I really really wanted to like it. I'd heard a lot of good things. I wasn't sure what I'd think of it. I went in with hope. Some basic premise for those who don't know: our main character is Peter the priest, who is recruited… Continue reading In Which I Read The Book of Strange New Things by Michel Faber and Had Some OPINIONS About It
Greeting all! I hope Christmas and the New Year have treated you well. So far 2016 for me has been my birthday, and then five days of being ill (today is day five...). So not the best start in the world. But, I am happy to start a new year and excited for what is… Continue reading Christmas and birthday haul: new year, new books!
Yes, horror. As in the genre, not the feeling in real life. When I think of the horror genre, I think first of movies. I have always been a bit a scaredy-cat with them and let them get into my head, and find it hard to sleep after watching them. But this has begun to… Continue reading In Praise Of: Horror!
I purchased Cheerful Weather for the Wedding while out with other bloggers and book-tubers when we visited the lovely Persephone shop on Lamb's Conduit Street in London, and it is the first Persephone I have ever actually read, despite having admired their books for some time. I would encourage a visit to the shop if… Continue reading Meeting Persephone Books: Cheerful Weather for the Wedding by Julia Strachey
I had never read anything by Shirley Jackson before this, and I don't know what it was specifically that made me choose this book, Hangsaman, over her others. Possibly because it was just not the one that everyone has been talking about recently (that would be We Have Always Lived in the Castle, which honestly… Continue reading Hangsaman by Shirley Jackson (1951)
These Little Words 