The Bullet That Missed – Richard Osman

When you're onto the third in any series, the main characters have perhaps lost some of their ability to surprise you; now, as long as you're in good hands, the joy is meeting them again. And so it is with Osman's return to the gang at Coopers Chase - Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron are …

Keeping Up Appearances by Rose Macaulay and Which Way? by Theodora Benson #BritishLibraryWomenWriters

Today's post is a look at two books I've been desperately trying to get to for some time. It's been a good summer for reading and I've managed to shift clear about half of the TBR pile - and I've finally read these two crackers from the marvellous British Library Women Writers series. I've been …

Daughters of Paris – Elisabeth J. Hobbes #Blogtour

I may have had something in my eye as I finished Hobbes' latest superb novel; it's certainly another emotional cracker and I loved the way the story ended. I'd really grown to care about what happened to Fleur and Colette, the eponymous daughters in the title, and Hobbes uses the full scale of the French …

The Woman in the Dunes – Kōbō Abe

I've just spent the morning reading this utterly brilliant and very disturbing 1964 novel from Japan's award-winning Kōbō Abe. Following a trip to look for new insects in a forgotten part of the coast, Niki Jumpei finds himself trapped in a sand dune pit with little hope of escape. The only other occupant in the …

Summer Holiday Insta Roundup

I'm painfully aware I haven't been blogging much at all recently, but I was determined to log my thoughts, however briefly, on the books I've read whilst away in France. So here are my Instagram posts which I did as I was going. They're inevitably more brief than my usual reviews, but I hope you …

Take a Bite; The Rhys Davies Short Story Award Anthology 2022

I've been in a real reading slump this month. I've started a million (very decent) books and I've only finished the marvellous Still Life. This collection of stories also made it through the mire, because it is a brilliant anthology of writing from authors from, or linked to, Wales. It's really exciting to find new …

Still Life – Sarah Winman

I've been in a real reading slump this spring (and my reviewing has hit an all-time low in terms of productivity). Thankfully, my sister-in-law sent me Winman's Still Life, and there's so much to love about this novel that I don't know where to start. It might just be easier if I list what I …

The Write Balance; How to Embrace Percolation, Revision & Going Public – Bonni Goldberg #blogblitz

Just for reassurance, Goldberg makes it clear early on that ‘this book is for anyone who writes.’ As a writer herself and as a teacher of writing, she is best placed to know that many authors suffer with a version of Imposter Syndrome, and this guide speaks to the sense of embarrassment some feel when stating …

Bewilderment – Richard Powers

I got the 'this-will-be-amazing' tingles as I started this novel, and so it was - I will forever remember finishing reading Bewilderment in a beautifully sunny Somerset park on our way home from Cornwall, emotionally stunned by the ending and completely unaware of my surroundings and those physically around me. To read a book where …

May Day – Josie Jaffrey #BBNYA2021

I took part as a Panelist in the 2021 BBNYA competition, and was lucky enough to read the novel which would go on to win. During the process, I read many excellent excerpts and full novels and so I know how high the standard was last year. I wasn't at all surprised when May Day …