I confess that I still haven’t got round to reading Ann Patchett’s best known book Bel Canto but her recent works, including the book of essays, These Precious Days, have really made me love her, demonstrating as they do, the work of a writer who is covering the subjects close to her heart as she… Continue reading Whistler – Ann Patchett
Tag: books
May reading round up
Well, I thought January was a long month but May seems to have gone on forever. Is it because I’ve read the longest novel I’ve ever read? Is it because work is difficult right now? Is it because there’s been lots going on outside work? Who knows. But here’s what I read this month anyway.… Continue reading May reading round up
Review: Waiting on a Friend – Natalie Adler
Where to start with this? If you’re in the market for a first person narration set during the AIDS crisis in New York, exploring grief, community and friendship but with a sprinkling of Ghostbusters, then you’re in luck. And even if you don’t think you’re in the market for this, I recommend it anyway. Waiting… Continue reading Review: Waiting on a Friend – Natalie Adler
April reading round up
I ended April with all the books I had on order at the library arriving at once, including one that’s been on order for months and has 1,460 pages. But here’s what I’ve got to this month before I start to tackle that… The Names – Florence Knapp This debut novel had A LOT of… Continue reading April reading round up
March reading round up
It’s been a stop start month for reading. I put two books down half read because they weren’t doing it for me. I bought a few books, I cleared a few out and sold them to World of Books. And it feels like a long time since I read the first two books in this… Continue reading March reading round up
February reading round up
I write this on the first day of March, traditionally a rainy month, and yet feel cheered that we’ve made it through the first two months of this year. Wet and troubled but still here and still reading. Here’s what I got through this month, including twentieth century fiction for my reading challenge. Twentieth century… Continue reading February reading round up
January reading round up
When I was younger, a new year took a few weeks to get my head around; just writing it and thinking about it as the present felt odd and I would have to actively focus on writing the date correctly and so on. That doesn’t happen any more and here we are and it already… Continue reading January reading round up
Reading challenge 2026
Every year someone starts wanging on about how much they dislike reading challenges and why should we engage in competitive reading and when did reading get all performative and so on. And every year this annoys me. Don’t like it? Don’t do it. If you do it and don’t read as many as you thought… Continue reading Reading challenge 2026
December reading round up
Sometimes I miss this post off, with the end of the year reading, so getting on top of it this year. Advent – Gunnar Gunnarsson This is a gorgeous little hardback reissue of Icelandic writer Gunnarsson who is little known in this country. This is a short story of a man, his dog and his… Continue reading December reading round up
2025 books of the year round up
My reading resolutions this year were to be less impulsive, more balanced and slow in my reading. So I vowed to try and not fall for the overhyped books everyone was talking about, to read more from the library and to do some more careful reading before buying. I also wanted to try and do… Continue reading 2025 books of the year round up
Susan E Barsby 