Waiting for these new books
In my previous post I gave myself a stern warning to not have preconceived notions about new books from authorsContinue Reading
Category: Review of new novel
I just could not get into it – The Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki
There is such a thing as an intended audience: when a writer produces a book outline for a publisher, itContinue Reading
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Getting the hang of the Chinese novel
Updated discussion and reviews After many years of reading and reviewing novels by Chinese authors, that have been translated into English,Continue Reading
Discussion of writing style Mysteries and Thrillers Review of historical fiction Review of new book Review of new novel
Dust, diamonds and damnation in the Namib Desert – The Forbidden Zone, by Jon Gliddon
Radio interview with Jon Gliddon about The Forbidden Zone Becca · Jon Gliddon Interview Review There’s a reason whyContinue Reading
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Departing from the winning formula? The latest Night Vale novel
The Welcome to Night Vale (WTNV) phenomenon is now so well known that the listeners to the podcast are actuallyContinue Reading
Art-themed Fiction Arts-themed novels Discussion of writing style Künstlerromane Modern fiction music musicians Review of literary fiction Review of modern fiction Review of new book Review of new novel rock opera The Who
Listening to Someone Else’s Dreams – The Age of Anxiety, by Pete Townshend
All the Aging Groovies like me out there would know the name Pete Townshend, the Pete Townshend – a.k.a. Peter DennisContinue Reading
Art-themed Fiction Arts-themed novels CanLit Discussion of writing style kunstlerromane Review of Biographical Fiction Review of historical fiction Review of literary fiction Review of new book Review of new novel
Falling for the Leopard – Lampedusa, by Steven Price
Do you where Lampedusa is? Or what it is? Steven Price’s historical novel, Lampedusa, is not actually about the islandContinue Reading
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Challenging the limits of physicality – Frankissstein – A Love Story, by Jeanette Winterson
Frankissstein (with 3 s’es) is a collection of interwoven love stories that takes place from the mid 1800s to theContinue Reading
Art-themed Fiction Best of 2018 Creative Process kunstlerromane Review of modern fiction Review of new novel Review of translated novel
An idea that asks to be murdered – Killing Commendatore, by Haruki Murakami
Killing Commendatore was published in Japanese with the title 騎士団長殺し (Kishidancho Goroshi) in 2017, and the English translation came outContinue Reading
Best of 2018 Discussion of writing style Review of modern fiction Review of new book Review of new novel The Grim Reaper
Death Made Beautiful – Beirut Hellfire Society, by Rawi Hage
This is one those novels that will change the way you look at death and burial methods – and Beirut.Continue Reading
Discussion of writing style Review of literary fiction Review of modern fiction Review of new book Review of new novel romance Romances and Love Stories
It’s not about mixed doubles at all – The Only Story, by Julian Barnes
Julian Barnes’ latest novel is called The Only Story and, despite the subject (the “scandalous” love affair between a manContinue Reading
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A novel about a poet that’s filled with delightful poetry – Diary of a Somebody, by Brian Bilston
Comment from Brian Bilston: Brian Bilston “What a lovely review. Thank you so much. I’m delighted you enjoyed it – andContinue Reading
Books for Summer Discussion of writing style Modern fiction Review of modern fiction Review of new book Review of new novel
A long trip without a decent map – A Long Way From Home, by Peter Carey
Despite two trips to Australia, I have failed to figure out the archetypal Australian or the layout of the country.Continue Reading
Art-themed Fiction kunstlerromane Review of new book Review of new novel Review of novel Unlikeable Protagonists
It’s a family thing – but is it art? The Family Fang, by Kevin Wilson
It says on the cover that The Family Fang is a comedy – but I did not find it funny.Continue Reading
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Flummoxed by a “J” – J – A Novel, by Howard Jacobson
Sometimes a novel just flummoxes me. I have tried my best to get to grips with “J” by Howard Jacobson, whichContinue Reading
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Nice but Light-Weight – Britt-Marie Was Here by Fredrik Backman
I did not like Backman’s previous novel, A Man Called Ove, but was spurred on to buy book no.3, Britt-MarieContinue Reading
Discussion of genre Discussion of writing style Modern fiction Review of literary fiction Review of new book Review of new novel
From the inside looking out – A Gentleman in Moscow, by Amor Towles
This is a stylized, studied novel, about a stylish gentleman, written in elegant style. It has a fin-de-siècle feel to it,Continue Reading
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“Kǔ lé”, a state of both joy and sorrow in Do Not Say We Have Nothing, by Madeleine Thien
This important novel about two families of brilliant musicians in China during the “Great Leap Forward” (1958 – 1961), the “Cultural Revolution” (1966 –Continue Reading
A perfect world you’d kill to escape from – The Heart Goes Last, by Margaret Atwood
The Heart Goes Last held no surprises for me. Dystopia set somewhere in the future? Check. All doomed to implode due toContinue Reading
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Prepare to have your head messed with, brilliantly – Icelandic writer, Sjón
Sjón: the final frontier. These are the voyages of the Reader of Sjón. Her current mission: to explore strange new worlds,Continue Reading
They don’t exist: The High Mountains of Portugal, by Yann Martel
Let’s just get one thing out of the way: the title of the book and the setting: First, there areContinue Reading
Discussion of writing style List of similar books Review of new book Review of new novel Review of novel Romances and Love Stories
The Buried Giant – It remains in the mind long afterwards
I have found that truly memorable books have something in common: they make you think. As Science Fiction author Neil Gaiman says of KazuoContinue Reading
Cold Climate Novels for Summer Detective fiction Discussion of writing style List of similar books Mysteries and Thrillers Review of historical fiction Review of new book Review of new novel
An Excellent Cold Climate Mystery: Wolf Winter, by Cecilia Ekbäck
Murder on an imaginary mountain I wondered, when I read this, how Cecilia Ekbäck came to know Blackåsen Mountain inContinue Reading
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J.J. Abrams and Doug Dorst’s love letter to the written word: “S.” or “Ship of Theseus”
This year I’ve read highly forgettable, beautifully written, distressing, hilarious and puzzling books. For me, S., by Doug Dorst and J.J.Continue Reading
Discussion of genre Discussion of writing style List of similar books Modern fiction Review of modern fiction Review of new novel
Still feels fresh 60+ years on – Go Set A Watchman, by Harper Lee
This novel cannot be discussed without reference to Lee’s first and famous novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. However, as Go SetContinue Reading
Discussion of writing style Modern fiction Review of modern fiction Review of new novel Romances and Love Stories Unlikeable Protagonists
Hausfrau, by Jill Alexander Essbaum – A Modern Parable with Switzerland Substituted for Moral Subtext?
The lead character in Hausfrau, “Anna Benz”, must be one of the most disagreeable people I have had the misfortuneContinue Reading
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Awkward love scenes but lovely music – Vienna Nocturne, by Vivien Shotwell
A nocturne, as in the title of this novel, is a musical composition that is inspired by, or evocative of,Continue Reading
A face you’ll never forget, a story that will move you – Mary Coin, by Marisa Silver
Recently, while PBS was airing the documentary The Dust Bowl by Ken Burns, I bought Mary Coin by Marisa Silver. IContinue Reading
Discussion of author’s portfolio Review of new book Review of new novel Review of new science fiction Review of science fiction
Leaving a sense of wonder – The Long Earth by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter
Terry Pratchett (Sir Terence David John Pratchett, OBE) died on 12 March 2015. Last week Thursday. He was only 66Continue Reading
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An old hack remembers “The Dismissal” – Amnesia by Peter Carey
In Peter Carey’s new novel, Amnesia, the subtext of press freedom is woven through a plot about hacking, love, eco-terrorism,Continue Reading
Letting go at last – The Quarry, by Iain Banks
Three novels I recently read have a plot in common: an individual’s urge to ferret out the truth, come hellContinue Reading
Remembrance of horrors past – The Fat Years, by Chan Koonchung & The Zone of Interest, by Martin Amis
Halloween has come to be associated with TV and film horror. Actually Halloween has nothing to do with costumes, cartoonContinue Reading
Poor Vlad Ţepeş, sadly misrepresented – The Historian, by Elizabeth Kostova
Despite being 676 pages of dense text accompanied by glowing reviews from major newspapers and magazines, this biographical novel aboutContinue Reading
Books for Summer road trips – Stories from Iceland, Denmark and Canada’s small towns
Books for Summer road trips This past month I travelled south into the USA, down through Washington State, into Oregon,Continue Reading
DBC Pierre’s Lights out in Wonderland – Not the Wonderland you’re thinking of
Vicariously living the drug-addled, suicide-obsessed life of the delinquent first-person narrator, “Gabriel Brockwell”, in DBC Pierre’s Lights Out in Wonderland, wasContinue Reading
Umbrella, by Will Self – Writing as avant-garde Jazz
(Bloomsbury Publishing, 2012) You have to be determined to finish Umbrella. It’s 379 pages of text with no line breaks.Continue Reading
And the Mountains Echoed, by Khaled Hosseini
(Penguin Group, 2013) Introduction Khaled Hosseini’s latest novel has made me cry and made me miss my family. I knew,Continue Reading
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The Goldfinch, by Donna Tartt
Update The Goldfinch won the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. Amazon selected the novel as the 2013 Best Book ofContinue Reading
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Depicting the minutiae of life – Dear Life, by Alice Munro
– (Penguin Books Canada, 2012) The significant moments in Alice Munro’s latest collection of short stories tend to creep upContinue Reading
The Rosie Project, by Graeme Simsion
Overview I initially liked this novel, written from the point of view of a man who shows quite a fewContinue Reading
SEVEN CIRCUMSTANCES 