John of John by Douglas Stuart

Posted by Kate W in Fiction and tagged with , , , , , ,

This beautiful, devastating, wonderful book… John of John by Douglas Stuart is my first, hands-down five-star read this year.

The story begins simply – Cal, out of money and with little to show for his art school education in Edinburgh, takes the ferry home to the island of Harris  –

…the closer he got to home, the more lost he felt. Continue reading →

Some Bright Nowhere by Ann Packer

Posted by Kate W in Fiction and tagged with , , , , , ,

Most of the grief-lit that I read is nonfiction (either memoir or academic texts about grief). Lots of fiction that I read has elements of grief but rarely is it the main theme – I tend to avoid these because I fear there will be something that doesn’t ring true, which then colours my opinion of the entire book (probably unfairly).

So with that said, why did I pick up Some Bright Nowhere by Ann Packer? I was intrigued by the blurb that alluded to a ‘surprising’ end-of-life request. Continue reading →

Blank Canvas by Grace Murray

Posted by Kate W in Fiction and tagged with , , , , , , , , ,

I’m always drawn to campus-lit, so I didn’t need much convincing for Grace Murray’s debut, Blank Canvas. And then I read the blurb –

…Charlotte begins her final year with a lie. Her father died over the summer, she says. Heart attack. Very sudden. Charlotte had never been close with her classmates but as she repeats her tale, their expressions soften into kindness.

– and I carried the book straight to the counter (at the always lovely Ramona Books). Continue reading →

In Defence of Leisure by Akshi Singh

Posted by Kate W in Non-fiction and tagged with , , , , , , ,

I picked up Akshi Singh’s In Defence of Leisure on one of my leisurely afternoons browsing at Readings… that tells you I probably don’t ‘need’ the book but hey, who doesn’t like a little validation every now and then?

The premise of Singh’s book is that we all want more free time but don’t necessarily know how to use it. I think I’m pretty good at leisure time, and I’m never short of ideas on how to use it. What drew me to the book was the fact that Singh’s thoughts about leisure are explored in parallel with her reading of the works of celebrated psychoanalyst Marion Milner. I have never read any Milner, so In Defence of Leisure will perhaps prompt a Milner-reading-project. Continue reading →