Recently I’ve been exploring the role and function of book blogging and how I want to fit into it. For a while I’ve just reviewed each book I read individually, and I think for me that format was getting a little stale, and I wasn’t sure how appealing it actually was to readers - especially… Continue reading Reading Diary: January 2022
Tag: Viking
Death in Spring by Mercè Rodoreda (1986)
I adored Rodoreda's novel A Broken Mirror (my review here) and so when I saw that Penguin had brought out a new edition of her novel Death in Spring, I had to get myself a copy. And what a beautiful cover! Ostensibly the novel tells the coming-of-age story of a teenage boy in a small… Continue reading Death in Spring by Mercè Rodoreda (1986)
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Leopard at the Door by Jennifer McVeigh (2017)
I loved Jennifer McVeigh's first novel The Fever Tree (my review is here) so I was eager to read her new novel Leopard at the Door. It has a similar setup, in that it's central character is a young British woman thrown into turmoil on foreign soil. This time its Rachel, a British woman returning… Continue reading Leopard at the Door by Jennifer McVeigh (2017)
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All the Good Things by Clare Fisher
This novel was one of four that I accepted for review from Viking, and it was the one I was least sure about. I liked the initial premise, the question of whether doing a bad thing makes you a bad person, and I am always intrigued by debut novels. Not knowing much more than that,… Continue reading All the Good Things by Clare Fisher
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The Witchfinder’s Sister by Beth Underdown
I have read a couple of books about English witch trials, and the history of why they happened, so this book wasn't entirely new ground for me - but is certainly an original take on the period the events. The Witchfinder's Sister gives the infamous Matthew Hopkins a fictional sister in the form of Alice,… Continue reading The Witchfinder’s Sister by Beth Underdown
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My Name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout
My Name is Lucy Barton has been included on the longlist for the Man Booker Prize 2016, and so understandably it’s quite popular at the moment generating a bit of hype. Almost every review I have read (both in newspapers/magazines and online) has been favourable, mentioning the beauty of the writing and the emotional depth… Continue reading My Name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout
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Man at the Helm by Nina Stibbe
I must say that reading Man at the Helm was quite a departure for me. As my boyfriend and, I'm sure, my readers will testify, I usually read sad/serious books. Apparently someone always dies and/or cries. There's a fair bit of crying in Man at the Helm, and a small amount of death, but on… Continue reading Man at the Helm by Nina Stibbe
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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
These Little Words 