In a yoga class once (stay with me) the instructor talked of yogis who sat on the banks of the Ganges and allowed their thoughts, worries, stories to drift away on the water. If there was ever a book that described this, Diane Setterfield’s Once Upon a River is it. It’s a book about water,… Continue reading Review: Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield
Tag: book review
The Maid’s Room by Fiona Mitchell – Q&A session
Today I’m really pleased to be joined by Fiona Mitchell, whose novel The Maid’s Room, has just come out in paperback. The story of two sisters, Dolly and Tala, Filipino maids to the privileged community in Singapore, The Maid’s Room is a sometimes shocking, sometimes funny account of the hidden lives of others and how… Continue reading The Maid’s Room by Fiona Mitchell – Q&A session
Review: The End We Start From – Megan Hunter
Novellas still seem rare but are often intriguing. There is much in the 170 pages of The End We Start From that could have been fleshed out and given more detail but I’m not sure the end result would have been as powerful. All you need to know is that an enormous flood has wiped… Continue reading Review: The End We Start From – Megan Hunter
April reading round up
I feel perhaps I should change the target for my reading challenge this year, I’m well over halfway towards it already. I didn’t expect to get through so many books this year and still manage to keep up with writing every day but it turns out a healthier eating and exercise regime can have unexpected… Continue reading April reading round up
The Comfort of Others: Q&A with Kay Langdale
I’m so pleased to welcome Kay Langdale to the blog today, to answer questions about her most recent book, The Comfort of Others. Minnie and her sister Clara are two elderly spinsters living in an old house in the middle of a housing estate. They have an ordered lifestyle, trying where they can to stop… Continue reading The Comfort of Others: Q&A with Kay Langdale
Review: A Life Between Us by Louise Walters
I came to the second novel by Louise Walters with some anticipation, having enjoyed her debut Mrs Sinclair’s Suitcase very much. This second book is being self-published by Walters, an act of independence to be admired. A Life Between Us is set in the present day and features Tina, a lonely housewife, avid reader, compulsive… Continue reading Review: A Life Between Us by Louise Walters
In May I read…
This has been a good reading month, an interesting and absorbing reading month. Here’s my review: Shamim Sarif – Despite the Falling Snow I only realised when I got this home that it’s a film cover; I picked it up because it sounded intriguing. A spy-love story from Krushchev’s time, interspersed with some modern day reminiscences,… Continue reading In May I read…
Review: Between Here and Knitwear by Chrissie Gittins
Anyone who knows me will realise that a book with the word ‘knitwear’ in the title was bound to pique my interest. But Chrissie Gittins’s book has so much more to recommend it than just its name. The book is a memoir of Chrissie growing up, and then as an adult who has to deal… Continue reading Review: Between Here and Knitwear by Chrissie Gittins
Review: Mr Mac and Me by Esther Freud
How I long for the days when I could spend a long afternoon curled up on the sofa in a book. These days, 20 minutes of snatched bus journey or late at night with a book torch are more likely reading situations. The quality of reading is necessarily affected by having to check where you… Continue reading Review: Mr Mac and Me by Esther Freud
Review: Alice Hoffman – The Museum of Extraordinary Things
I’ve read Alice Hoffman books before but not for several years and in my memory her magical-y tales of witches and fables were the stuff of light hearted beach reads. So it was with pleasure to discover, with The Museum of Extraordinary Things, that she’s changed and, dare I say, matured somewhat. The Museum of Extraordinary… Continue reading Review: Alice Hoffman – The Museum of Extraordinary Things
Susan E Barsby 