Search
Oct 4, 20221 min read
1018. Ian McEwan - Machines Like Me
About a man Charlie, his lover Miranda, and a synthetic man, Adam, whom Charlie has bought. Set in an alternative 1980’s when Thatcher is...
Oct 13, 20211 min read
905. Susanna Clarke - Piranesi
One of P’s. Very strange book – if it reminded me of anything it was Philip Pullman with the parallel world's theme. Or it could be a...
Sep 22, 20211 min read
897. Dolly Alderton - Ghosts
Borrowed from P, as between library books. Inherently far too girly for me, but full of sharply observed points. Ghosts means (news to...
Aug 11, 20211 min read
883. Nick Hornby - Just Like You
Quite enjoyed this. A romance between a 40 year old white woman, divorced with two kids, and a 20+ old black man, who works in the local...
May 21, 20211 min read
861. William Boyd - Love Is Blind
Local library now open again, post lockdown, so opportunity to try some books. This was very good – an almost 19th century novel written...
Jan 7, 20211 min read
841. Tayari Jones - An American Marriage
This was good, but not that good - I think the publicity has over-egged it. I struggled with a couple of aspects; were the 3 central...
Dec 24, 20201 min read
837. Émile Zola - Thérèse Raquin
I am reading these in chronological order as I find the complete works pretty un-navigable on my kindle. I have read this before, but...
Jun 30, 20191 min read
693. Tessa Hadley - Late In The Day
I half enjoyed this, if that is possible. Paddy said it reminded her a bit of Iris Murdoch, although it was better written and without...
Jun 17, 20181 min read
600. Laura Barnett - Greatest Hits
One of Paddy’s, the fictionalised biography of an English, Sandy Denny type and era folk/rock singer (born c1950 so of our era)....
Oct 8, 20171 min read
538. Ali Smith - Autumn
Complete change from Herron, but this is very good as well. Written in bold, experimental and poetic prose, it features mainly 2...
Sep 28, 20171 min read
534. Cath Staincliffe - The Silence Between Breaths
Airport/aeroplane reading but this was completely different. A disparate group of characters are travelling Manchester to Euston in the...
Sep 27, 20171 min read
532. Emma Cline - The Girls
Strange novel about a Manson type cult set in California in the late 60’s and the fascination of a young girl for an older cult member. I...
Apr 6, 20171 min read
478. E.L. James - Fifty Shades Of Grey
Could be a parody of Pride and Prejudice, except I can’t think of 2 suitable nouns. Nonetheless, girl falls for incredibly rich and...
Feb 22, 20171 min read
469. Jane Austen - Sense And Sensibility
I found this difficult and hard work. The two sisters (Elinor – sense) and (Marianne – which I think means passion) both fall in love...
Sep 8, 20161 min read
428. Paul Scott - The Towers Of Silence
Barbie now comes into focus. The whole thing is quite brilliant and I am amazed that he is not better known as a writer, and how long it...
Jul 29, 20161 min read
421. Chris Cleave - Everyone Brave Is Forgiven
Another library book via P. I am not reading at all fluently at the moment; this was quite a good book but I didn’t really enjoy it at...
May 6, 20161 min read
396. Mary Wesley - The Camomile Lawn
I am not sure if I have ever read this before; although I have seen the TV adaptation many times and the book drags back memories,...
Jan 21, 20161 min read
371. Charity Norman - The New Woman
A library book via P, although probably a ‘woman’s book’, I loved this, beautifully written with a really well constructed plot – would...
Jan 10, 20161 min read
369. James Booth - Philip Larkin: Life, Art And Love
An Xmas present from B, maybe with Larkin’s most famous opening line in mind. (?) I started hating it, seeing it as a typically footnoted...
Sep 24, 20151 min read
340. Patrick Gale - The Whole Day Through
A short and unplanned read post no.339 above. This is a very good book, but as I had forgotten about it I can’t think of much to say. If...