Famesick by Lena Dunham Continue reading
Tag Archives: American
Lost Lambs by Madeline Cash
I read Lost Lambs by Madeline Cash months ago – ridiculous to be writing a review now but I am because, since reading it (in May), I have recommended it to so many people.
And this is what I say when I recommend it – “The ending isn’t fab but it doesn’t matter because by the time you get there, you will have laughed so much, you won’t care.” Continue reading
First two collections for Short Story September
I began Short Story September with two remarkably similar collections – Other People We Married by Emma Straub and Middle-Aged Boys & Girls by Diane Bracuk. Continue reading
Some Bright Nowhere by Ann Packer
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
Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke
A ridiculously short review of Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke despite the fact that I have SO MUCH to say about this book. Continue reading
The Four Spent the Day Together by Chris Kraus
Are you familiar with Chris Kraus’s writing? I have never read her seminal work, I Love Dick, but did enjoy the TV series based on the book that came out a couple of years ago. It’s certainly not necessary to have read her previous work to appreciate her latest ‘novel’ (it’s actually a combination of autofiction, memoir and true crime), The Four Spent the Day Together, however, I suspect it would have been a richer reading experience had I. Continue reading
Latest Listens
Love Machines by James Muldoon Continue reading
We Love You, Bunny by Mona Awad
Looking for something bonkers? Look no further than We Love You, Bunny by Mona Awad. It’s both a prequel and a sequel to Awad’s breakout novel, Bunny (technically, it could standalone, but I reckon it would too weird if you hadn’t read Bunny).
The story opens with the Bunnies kidnapping Samantha, who has just published her first novel to critical acclaim (exposing the Bunnies and the highly selective writing workshop that they had all participated in). At the New England stop on Sam’s book tour, her one-time frenemies literally make her their captive audience, to tell their side of the story.
…Samantha’s a fucking asshole, and I do want her to fucking die, but then I thought: Why give her better book sales? Why go to jail for her when I don’t even like orange? Continue reading
The Art Thief by Michael Finkel
Aesthetics are higher than ethics.
– Oscar Wilde
When I was on my recent beach holiday, I read a book a day. I locked-in quickly on the day I picked up The Art Thief by Michael Finkel. It was gripping.
In a nutshell, it’s the true-crime story of Swiss master art thief, Stéphane Breitwieser, and his girfriend, Anne-Catherine Kleinklaus. Over the course of eight years, Breitwieser stole more than three hundred rare and precious objects, from paintings and ivory carvings to silver ware and weapons (he had a penchant for 16th century pieces). He targeted smaller museums and cathedrals all over Europe and the robberies occurred in broad daylight. His tools were nothing more than a Swiss army knife, stylish clothing, and his girlfriend’s designer handbag. As he later revealed, ‘…all forms of security have a weakness‘ and ‘…it isn’t action … that usually lands a thief in prison. It’s hesitation.’ Continue reading
Two memoirs
Not quite sure what compelled me to read these two memoirs one after the other, given that both deal with the topic of suicide (although the focus of the Toews is on her writing and how her life experiences have shaped that – those experiences include the death of her father and her sister by suicide). Anyway, it wasn’t the cry-fest I anticipated. In fact, not a tear was shed. Partly because Li has quite a different perspective on suicide than others I’ve come across, and in reading Toews, I was marvellously distracted by her plans for a wind museum. Continue reading