70 Reviews: 7. On Shopping by India Knight (Pocket Penguins) #review

I’m thoroughly enjoying my trawl through my Penguin boxset, and no. 7 is such a joy to read. I’ve been under canvas for much of the summer, relying on shower blocks to maintain a slim sense of personal hygiene and wearing eight items of clothing on rotation, so this was the perfect book to bring …

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Man Booker 2018 – Belinda Bauer’s Snap #Review

If 2017 was the Man Booker year of debut authors (and I still maintain Fiona Mosley's Elmet should have won), the notable feature of 2018’s longlist is the challenge to literary prize conventions – well, that’s how the narrative is playing out so far in certain circles. Nick Drnaso’s graphic novel, Sabrina, is certainly a …

Jackie Carreira’s Sleeping Through War #BlogBlitz

Set within a year of global turmoil, Carreira’s Sleeping Through War focuses on the experiences of three ordinary women in 1968. It is their ordinariness that gives this quiet novel a real power, and I found their three stories very moving. Rose, a nurse in a care home, is adjusting to life in London, comparing …

James Hartley’s Cold Fire – #BlogTour #Review #Giveaway

Taking his title from Romeo’s early speech about the pain of love, Hartley has spun a second tale of time-travel and mystery at St Francis School, a place where students find themselves caught up in events which closely mirror Shakespeare’s plays. This central idea in his stories allows his readers to consider the events and …