Tag Archives: Fiction
February 16, 2018 · 3:05 pm
2018 marks the 50th anniversary of the Man Booker Prize and the organisers have launched a one-off prize to celebrate the best of the winning novels to date.
Five writers and poets will be choosing what they consider to be the best winner from each decade. The judges and their categories are Robert McCrum (1969-1979), Lemn Sissay (1980s), Kamila Shamsie (1990s), Simon Mayo (2000s) and Hollie McNish (2010s). There were joint winners in 1974 and 1992 hence why there are 51 winning novels to date. The “Golden Five” shortlisted books will go to a public vote between 26th May until 25th June and the winner will be announced at the Man Booker 50 festival at the Southbank Centre in London on 8th July. Continue reading →
Filed under Books
Tagged as Book, Book Awards, Booker Prize, Fiction, Golden Man Booker Prize, Literary Awards, Literary Fiction, Literature, Man Booker Prize, Man Booker Prize 50, Novels, Reading
February 11, 2018 · 5:16 pm
Winner of the Orange Prize for Fiction in 1998, ‘Larry’s Party’ is the third book I have read by Carol Shields. I read ‘Unless’ a couple of years ago but didn’t love it, didn’t review it and now can’t really remember anything about it. However, I really enjoyed The Stone Diaries back in 2013 and ‘Larry’s Party’ is very similar in many ways – both novels are fictional biographies of “ordinary” people who live quiet yet complex lives. While ‘The Stone Diaries’ spans nearly the whole 20th century, ‘Larry’s Party’ is slightly more focused in scope covering a mere two decades of the life of Laurence “Larry” J. Weller, born in 1950 in Winnipeg to English immigrant parents. Continue reading →
Filed under Books
Tagged as Book, Book Review, Book Reviews, Canada, Carol Shields, Fiction, Larry’s Party, Literary Fiction, Literature, Novels, Reading, Reviews, Women's Prize for Fiction
February 8, 2018 · 8:30 pm
This year’s Wellcome Book Prize longlist has been announced today. The twelve books are:
Stay With Me by Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀
The Butchering Art: Joseph Lister’s Quest to Transform the Grisly World of Victorian Medicine by Lindsey Fitzharris
In Pursuit of Memory: The Fight Against Alzheimer’s by Joseph Jebelli
Plot 29: A Memoir by Allan Jenkins
The White Book by Han Kang (translated by Deborah Smith)
With the End in Mind: Dying, Death and Wisdom in an Age of Denial by Kathryn Mannix
Midwinter Break by Bernard MacLaverty
To Be a Machine: Adventures Among Cyborgs, Utopians, Hackers, and the Futurists Solving the Modest Problem of Death by Mark O’Connell
I Am, I Am, I Am: Seventeen Brushes With Death by Maggie O’Farrell
Mayhem: A Memoir by Sigrid Rausing
Behave: The Biology of Humans at Our Best and Worst by Robert Sapolsky
The Vaccine Race: How Scientists Used Human Cells to Combat Killer Viruses by Meredith Wadman Continue reading →
Filed under Books
Tagged as Book, Book Awards, Fiction, Health, Medicine, Non fiction, Popular Science, Reading, Science, Translated Fiction, Wellcome Book Prize, Wellcome Book Prize 2018
February 4, 2018 · 4:53 pm
I have really enjoyed all of the books by Sarah Moss I have read to date and I recently read her 2009 debut novel ‘Cold Earth’. It follows a team of six archaeologists and academics who travel to western Greenland for a three week dig excavating the remains of a Viking settlement. They leave behind their homes in the United States and Europe just as a deadly flu-like virus has started to spread rapidly across the world. Archaeologists Catriona, Ben, Jim and Ruth are joined by team leader Yianni and his friend Nina, the only non-archaeologist in the group whose academic research is vaguely linked to Norse literature. However, Nina experiences night terrors and becomes convinced that the supernatural events are the result of ghosts disturbed by the group’s dig at their resting place. Continue reading →
Filed under Books
Tagged as Archaeology, Book, Book Review, Book Reviews, Cold Earth, Fiction, Greenland, Literary Fiction, Literature, Norse, Reading, Reviews, Sarah Moss
January 28, 2018 · 5:13 pm
Set in eighteenth century Britain, ‘The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock’ by Imogen Hermes Gowar tells the story of Jonah Hancock, a middle-aged widower and respectable Deptford merchant who discovers that the captain of one of his ships has sold his vessel in exchange for a stuffed “mermaid”. Although initially horrified by this transaction, Mr Hancock is later persuaded to profit from the rare curiosity he has acquired and loans the mermaid to Mrs Chappell for display at her infamous high society parties and Soho brothel. Celebrated courtesan Angelica Neal is tasked with entertaining Mr Hancock which she sees as an irritating distraction at first. However, as the display becomes the talk of London, Angelica decides she wants a mermaid of her own and Mr Hancock does whatever it takes to find another one. Continue reading →
Filed under Books
Tagged as Book, Book Review, Book Reviews, Fiction, Georgian, Historical, Imogen Hermes Gowar, London, Mermaids, Novels, Reading, Reviews, The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock
January 21, 2018 · 4:08 pm
‘Winter’ is the second volume in the seasons cycle of novels by Ali Smith. It is loosely set at a family gathering in which twenty-something Art (Arthur) visits his mother Sophia Cleves in Cornwall over Christmas. Art has recently been dumped by Charlotte and hires a Croatian-Canadian immigrant, Lux, to pretend to be his girlfriend. Meanwhile, Sophia has a frosty relationship with her subversive sister Iris who has a long history of political activism. Continue reading →
Filed under Books
Tagged as Ali Smith, Art, Book, Book Review, Book Reviews, Fiction, Literary Fiction, Literature, Novels, Politics, Reading, Reviews, Winter
January 7, 2018 · 2:15 pm
Happy new year! Without further ado, here is a selection of 20 upcoming titles I will be looking out for in 2018 (publication dates where known apply to the UK):
Among non-fiction titles, 21 Lessons for the 21st Century by Yuval Noah Harari will be out in August as the historian turns his attention to issues in the present day following the success of Sapiens and Homo Deus. I have a particular interest in non-fiction concerning healthcare and medicine and two books I will be looking out for are Shapeshifters: On Medicine and Human Change by Gavin Francis and Brainstorm: Detective Stories from the World of Neurology by Suzanne O’Sullivan. Elsewhere, Feel Free by Zadie Smith is a collection of the celebrated author’s essays on a variety of subjects due in February. Continue reading →
Filed under Books
Tagged as 2018, Book, Debut Fiction, Fiction, Literary Fiction, Literature, New Books, News, Non fiction, Novels, Reading, Short Stories
January 4, 2018 · 4:00 pm
Last year’s Man Booker Prize longlist was largely dominated by established authors apart from the surprise inclusion of PhD student Fiona Mozley with her debut novel ‘Elmet’ which made the shortlist but lost out to Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders for the overall prize. Set in Yorkshire, it tells the story of teenage siblings Daniel and Cathy and their father Daddy (also known as John) who relocate from their red-brick house in town to secluded woodland where they have built their own home by hand and living according to ethical principles. However, they soon come into conflict with the rich landowners, putting their way of life in danger. Continue reading →
Filed under Books
Tagged as Book, Book Review, Book Reviews, Elmet, Fiction, Fiona Mozley, Literary Fiction, Literature, Man Booker Prize, Man Booker Prize 2017, Novels, Reading, Reviews, Yorkshire
December 31, 2017 · 2:00 pm
I have read a lot of great books this year, some new and some not quite so new. Here are some of my favourites:
Among new fiction titles, The Nix by Nathan Hill and Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng were both memorable stand-outs. I also reread His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman ahead of the publication of La Belle Sauvage, the first part of the Book of Dust trilogy – a thrilling and imaginative story which did not disappoint. Solar Bones by Mike McCormack was an unexpected delight from this year’s Man Booker Prize longlist – beautifully written, gripping, funny and inventive. Continue reading →
Filed under Books
Tagged as 2017, Book, Books of the Year, Fiction, Literary Fiction, Literature, Memoir, New Books, Non fiction, Novels, Reading, Reviews, Translated Fiction
December 29, 2017 · 4:02 pm
My first review of the year was of Kate Atkinson’s debut novel Behind the Scenes at the Museum which prompted me to make more of an effort to read the back catalogues of my favourite authors. It therefore seems fitting to end the year with a review of Atkinson’s third novel ‘Emotionally Weird’ which was first published in 2000 and tells the story of Euphemia (Effie) Stuart-Murray and her mother Nora who live on a remote Scottish island. Effie is telling Nora about her life as a student in Dundee living with her Star Trek-obsessed boyfriend Bob. However, Effie also has questions about her family history and what she really wants is for Nora to disclose who her real father is. Continue reading →
Filed under Books
Tagged as Book, Book Review, Book Reviews, Dundee, Emotionally Weird, Fiction, Humour, Kate Atkinson, Literature, Novels, Reading, Reviews, Scotland
December 17, 2017 · 1:00 pm
In the opening chapter of ‘Little Fires Everywhere’ by Celeste Ng, the Richardson family home in the affluent suburb of Shaker Heights near Cleveland, Ohio, is burning to the ground in a fire believed to have been started deliberately by their rebellious daughter, Izzy. The story looks back at the events which led to this catastrophe, ultimately beginning when the Richardsons’ tenant, Mia Warren, becomes a part-time housekeeper for the family and Mia’s fifteen-year-old daughter Pearl, befriends the Richardson teenage siblings Lexie, Trip, Moody and Izzy. Continue reading →
Filed under Books
Tagged as Book, Book Review, Book Reviews, Celeste Ng, Fiction, Literary Fiction, Literature, Little Fires Everywhere, Novels, Ohio, Reading
December 10, 2017 · 5:33 pm
‘Reservoir 13’ by Jon McGregor begins with the disappearance of Rebecca Shaw, a thirteen-year-old girl who goes missing while on holiday with her family in the Peak District in the early 2000s. In the years that pass following her disappearance, the various residents of the small rural village get on with their lives, but the mystery of what happened to Rebecca continues to have an impact on the tight-knit community. Continue reading →
Filed under Books
Tagged as Book, Book Review, Book Reviews, Fiction, Jon McGregor, Literary Fiction, Literature, Novels, Reading, Reservoir 13, Reviews
December 3, 2017 · 6:42 pm
Translated from the Turkish by Alexander Dawe, ‘Women Who Blow on Knots’ by Ece Temelkuran won the Edinburgh First Book Award earlier this year and I bought my copy during my visit to the city last summer. It tells the story of four women embarking on a road trip across North Africa from Tunisia to Lebanon during the Arab Spring. They are Tunisian activist and dancer Amira, Egyptian academic Maryam who is obsessed with Dido, Queen of Carthage, an unnamed Turkish journalist who narrates the story and the mysterious elderly Madam Lilla who has connections with the Russian mafia and intelligence agencies. It is Madam Lilla who invites the three women to accompany her on the trip although her real intentions for travelling to Lebanon only become clear much later. Continue reading →
Filed under Books
Tagged as Africa, Arab Spring, Book, Book Review, Book Reviews, Ece Temelkuran, Fiction, Literature, Novels, Reading, Reviews, Translated Fiction, Translation, Women Who Blow On Knots
November 29, 2017 · 8:00 am
And the shadow panel winner is…
The Lucky Ones by Julianne Pachico!
The overall shortlist was very strong indeed and I enjoyed reading all of the books by five very talented writers. However, we were particularly impressed with the exceptional skill and creativity Pachico demonstrated in her ambitious debut collection of interlinked short stories. The Lucky Ones is a worthy shadow panel winner but we’ll have to wait until Thursday 7th December to see who will win the overall prize. Continue reading →
Filed under Books
Tagged as Book, Fiction, Julianne Pachico, Literature, Novels, Reading, Reviews, Shadow Panel, The Lucky Ones, Young Writer Award, Young Writer of the Year 2017
November 22, 2017 · 8:40 pm
The Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year Award isn’t just about literary debuts – occasionally, young writers can be prolific and I am pleased that there has been some recognition on this year’s shortlist for Claire North, a pseudonym for Catherine Webb. Webb/North has somehow found the time to publish several science fiction and fantasy novels under her own name and two pseudonyms, writing her first book when she was just 14 and is best known for ‘The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August’. Her latest novel ‘The End of the Day’ begins with an intriguing premise in which Charlie is the Harbinger of Death, living in Dulwich and answering to his boss, Death, at head office in Milton Keynes, travelling around the world usually to meet people before their lives end: “sometimes he is sent as a courtesy, sometimes as a warning”. However, the demands of the job begin to take their toll on Charlie and put a strain on his relationship with his girlfriend Emmi. Continue reading →
Filed under Books
Tagged as Book, Book Review, Book Reviews, Claire North, Death, Fantasy, Fiction, Novels, Reading, Reviews, Science Fiction, The End of the Day, Young Writer Award, Young Writer of the Year 2017
November 19, 2017 · 6:27 pm
Following her debut ‘The Shore’ which was shortlisted for the Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year Award in 2015, Sara Taylor has been nominated again for the same prize with her second novel ‘The Lauras’. I read it several months ago before the shortlist was announced but didn’t have enough time to review it, so I have revisited it this week ahead of our shadow panel meeting on Friday when we will choose our winner. ‘The Lauras’ is a road trip novel in which Ma and thirteen-year-old Alex leave their home and Alex’s father behind in Virginia and travel across North America visiting five places which all hold some significance in Ma’s past. Ma attempts to track down a friend from each of these places, all of whom are called Laura and were an important part of Ma’s life at the time. Continue reading →
Filed under Books
Tagged as Book, Book Review, Book Reviews, Fiction, Literary Fiction, Literature, Novels, Reading, Reviews, Road Trip, Sara Taylor, The Lauras, Young Writer Award, Young Writer of the Year 2017
November 12, 2017 · 6:30 pm
‘The Lucky Ones’ by Julianne Pachico is described as a novel by its US publishers whereas it has been billed as a collection of interlinked short stories in the UK where it has recently been shortlisted for this year’s Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year Award. I approached ‘The Lucky Ones’ as a collection of short stories when reading it for the shadow panel discussions earlier this month but I think it can be read and enjoyed equally as a novel too, albeit a relatively fragmented one. Continue reading →
Filed under Books
Tagged as Book, Book Review, Book Reviews, Colombia, Fiction, Julianne Pachico, Novels, Reading, Reviews, Shadow Panel, Short Stories, The Lucky Ones, Young Writer Award, Young Writer of the Year 2017
November 5, 2017 · 5:37 pm
I reread the His Dark Materials trilogy in July in anticipation of the release last month of the first volume of the new Book of Dust trilogy by Philip Pullman which he describes as an “equel” to stand alongside ‘His Dark Materials’ as neither a prequel or a sequel. This particular volume is set before the events in ‘His Dark Materials’ in Lyra’s universe when she is a baby and features 11-year-old Malcolm Polstead, son of a local pub landlord, who ends up supplying information to a resistance group attempting to subvert the Magisterium, a powerful church authority. With the help of Alice, an older girl who works at the pub with him, and his trusty canoe named La Belle Sauvage, they seek to protect baby Lyra from the church, and specifically from the clutches of Gerard Bonneville and Lyra’s mother, Mrs Coulter. Continue reading →
Filed under Books
Tagged as Book, Book Review, Book Reviews, Children's Books, Fantasy, Fiction, His Dark Materials, La Belle Sauvage, Novels, Oxford, Philip Pullman, Reading, Reviews, The Book of Dust
November 4, 2017 · 4:08 pm
‘The Evenings’ by Gerard Reve has been hailed as a “postwar masterpiece” and “the best Dutch novel of all time” but has only recently been translated by Sam Garrett and published in the UK for the first time by Pushkin Press late last year, nearly seven decades after it was first printed in the Netherlands. It tells the story of Frits van Egters, a 23-year-old clerk living with his parents in Amsterdam who struggles to fill his non-working hours with anything meaningful, spending his evenings walking past the canals, seeking out conversation with his small group of friends including his brother Joop.
Continue reading →
Filed under Books
Tagged as Amsterdam, Book, Book Review, Book Reviews, Dutch, Fiction, Gerard Reve, Literature, Novels, Reading, Reviews, The Evenings, Translated Fiction, Translation
October 29, 2017 · 9:00 am
The PFD Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year Award shortlist for 2017 has been announced today. This year, the official judges have selected five books rather than four and they are:
Outlandish Knight: The Byzantine Life of Steven Runciman by Minoo Dinshaw (biography)
The End of the Day by Claire North (novel)
The Lucky Ones by Julianne Pachico (short stories)
Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney (novel)
The Lauras by Sara Taylor (novel) Continue reading →
Filed under Books
Tagged as Book, Book Awards, Claire North, Fiction, Julianne Pachico, Literary Awards, Literature, Minoo Dinshaw, News, Reading, Sally Rooney, Sara Taylor, Young Writer Award, Young Writer of the Year 2017
A Little Blog of Books 
You must be logged in to post a comment.