01. I’ve just returned from my annual fortnight of salt water. It was glorious.
Drawing a Line Under 2020 Reading – Part 1
These books deserve thorough reviews but I also really want to be done with 2020. So, for the sake of completeness, quick reviews of the books I read in November and December last year – Continue reading
Sample Saturday – death, surveillance, and a scam
Sample Saturday is when I wade through the eleventy billion samples I have downloaded on my Kindle. I’m slowly chipping away and deciding whether it’s buy or bye. Continue reading
Daddy by Emma Cline
I battle with reviewing short story collections – there’s usually a standout or two and the rest are simply okay. Rarely does a whole collection shine or fail.
So, what comes to mind when reflecting on Emma Cline’s collection, Daddy? It lacked. It lacked substance, resolution, and guts. Continue reading
The Man Who Saw Everything by Deborah Levy
Welcome to my first review of 2021 where I say absolutely nothing about the plot of the book.
Deborah Levy’s The Man Who Saw Everything is best read cold. There’s a blurb, but don’t worry about it. If stories about East Germany, or The Beatles, or how memory works are of interest, add this book to your list. If that’s not enough to convince you, know there’s an extraordinarily clever plot twist. Continue reading
Sample Saturday – families, essays, and a death
Sample Saturday is when I wade through the eleventy billion samples I have downloaded on my Kindle. I’m slowly chipping away and deciding whether it’s buy or bye. Continue reading
If I Had Your Face by Frances Cha
I am genetically blessed with what some refer to as ‘good skin’. I never had pimples as a teen and I’ve never worn makeup. My skin routine is essentially washing my face with water and using a supermarket moisturiser when I remember. When I was 42, a cosmetic-surgeon-acquaintance told me that Botox at my age was ‘pointless because the wrinkles were already there’. Apparently you need to start young so that you never have any wrinkles to smooth out in the first place. Thankfully I don’t care about wrinkles* and nor was I in anyway offended that the acquaintance assumed Botox was on my radar!
Anyway, this is a long introduction to Frances Cha’s accomplished and fascinating debut, If I Had Your Face. Continue reading
Coco Was Paradise by Gary Brun
Gary Braun’s novel, Coco Was Paradise, reminded me of all the reasons why I can’t stand info-dumping in novels. Continue reading
Six Degrees of Separation – from Hamnet to Wild Game
It’s time for #6degrees. Start at the same place as other wonderful readers, add six books, and see where you end up. Continue reading
I’m waiting for… 2021 edition
Proving that I don’t actually care about my never-really-shrinking-TBR-list is this list of new releases that are on my radar for 2021. Continue reading