Shiny Linkiness – Despentes and Ayoade

I’ve two recent reviews at Shiny to share with you here too. Both are lockdown books, such is the length of the publishing cycle. Dear Dickhead by Virginie Despentes Translated by Frank Wynne I would never have predicted that Virginie Despentes, creator/director of the 2000 rape-revenge novel and film Baise-moi, author of the superb ‘State of Read More

Nonfiction November Week 2 – Choosing NF

Week 2 of Nonfiction November is hosted by Frances at The Volatile Rune. She asks: What are you looking for when you pick up a nonfiction book? Do you have a particular topic you’re attracted to? Do you have a particular writing style that works best? When you look at a nonfiction book, does the Read More

Black Storms by Teresa Solana – blog tour

Translated from Catalan by Peter Bush I’m delighted to be today’s stop on the blog tour for another new to me crime author, now published by Corylus books in translation. It’s the third crime novel by Teresa Solana, and the first to feature her detective Norma Forester. Now I know you’re thinking that doesn’t sound Read More

Karla’s Choice by Nick Harkaway – blogtour

I’m delighted to be bringing the blog tour for this book to a close. Karla’s Choice was one of my most anticipated reads of the season, written by Harkaway – son of John Le Carre – who carries on the legacy of Smiley v Karla from his late father’s books to bring us a completely Read More

Six Degrees of Separation: Intermezzo by Sally Rooney

First Saturday of the month and time for the super monthly tag Six Degrees of Separation, which is hosted by Kate at Booksaremyfavouriteandbest, Six Degrees of Separation #6degrees picks a starting book for participants to go wherever it takes them in six more steps. Links to my reviews are in the titles of the books chosen. This Read More

The Peacock and the Sparrow by I.S. Berry – blog tour

You know me and spies! How could I resist? Especially given that this novel is set in Bahrain, (with their distinctive flag on the cover) a small island nation I knew little about, which would prove to be so fascinating. The author lived in Bahrain, and was a CIA ops officer for six years, so Read More

Dark as Night by Lilja Sigurðardóttir – blog tour

Translated by Lorenza Garcia This was the first novel by Lilja Sigurðardóttir that I’ve read, and it won’t be the last. Dark as Night is actually the fourth in her ‘Áróra Investigation’ series, but having encountered Áróra, boyfriend Daníel and the other supporting characters I need to know more. Áróra isn’t a police officer, which Read More

Nonfiction November – My Year in NF

Nonfiction November runs for 5 weeks from today! As always, week 1 is ‘My Year in NF’, and is hosted by Heather. I’ve participated since 2017! My best ever NF year was 2019 when I read 33 books, making up 25% of my total. This year, I’ve read the fewest non-fiction books for ages, 11 Read More

#RIPXIX Reprieve by James Han Mattson

I had no idea that ‘extreme haunts’ were a thing until I read this novel in which a team takes on the most extreme escape room of them all – Quigley House in Nebraska – a full-contact, (fake) blood-soaked, series of 5 cells with ‘actors’ in which contestants must find the hidden envelopes to progress Read More

Five Feat… Trains

The second in an occasional series that gives me an opportunity to recycle posts on a theme, (the first was geographical – Surrey). This time the five books I’ve chosen all feature a rail journey, three by French authors, two American. I had enough to pick from a couple of times over, so this one Read More

Simenon & a Maigret for the #1970club

It’s time for another reading week hosted by Simon and Kaggsy – this time books published in 1970. Looking at the Wikipedia page for 1970 in Literature I’ve read loads through the years, including classic SF&F from Larry Niven and Roger Zelazny, schmalz from Erich Segal with Love Story, inexplicably Jonathan Livingstone Seagull, and I Read More

Short reviews catch-up – Susie Dent, Fred Sirieix, Barbara Pym, Michael Findlay

Guilty by Definition by Susie Dent Popular broadcaster and lexcographer Susie Dent has written her first novel, after writing a handful of books all about words, and jolly good fun it was too. (I went to see her talk about it back in August.) And where else would a lexicographer choose to set their murder Read More

My Rude Awakening by E C Featherstone

It’s hard to know where to start with this memoir! I’ll be totally up front – I wasn’t sure it was a book for me. The cover suggests a polo-playing toff who pursues a woman and flies helicopters in the RAF. Now I’m not averse to a bit of Jilly Cooper and well-done smut, nor Read More

The Burning Stones by Antti Tuomainen – blog tour

Translated by David Hackston I’m delighted to be helping to lead off the blog tour for Antti Tuomainen’s latest novel, a standalone murder mystery set in the world of saunas, all done with his surefire comic touch. Once again, in 53-year-old Anni Korpinen, as with Henri Koskinen in Tuomainen’s wonderful Rabbit Factor Trilogy, he has Read More

Six Degrees of Separation: Long Island

I’m a day late to the first Saturday of the month, but there’s still time for the super monthly tag Six Degrees of Separation, which is hosted by Kate at Booksaremyfavouriteandbest, Six Degrees of Separation #6degrees picks a starting book for participants to go wherever it takes them in six more steps. Links to my reviews are Read More

Five Feat… “Surrey”

This is the first of a new occasional series ‘Five Feat…’ (apologies to those who don’t like the slangy abbreviation of ‘featuring’, but it keeps it neat!). I’ve decided to start at my beginning and have found five books I’ve read that are set or partially set in or adjacent to my home county of Read More

Red Dwarf: Discovering the TV Series by Tom Salinsky

Volume 1: 1988-1993 – Review with Guest Fun Facts by the author Having been a fan of Red Dwarf since the very beginning, I had to read this book. Of course it brought all the memories flooding back – well most of them! Back in the day, we struck lucky getting tickets for one of Read More

Shiny Linkiness – Rare Singles by Benjamin Myers

I’m over at Shiny today with my review of the rather wonderful Rare Singles – a heartwarming book with a ‘Northern Soul’. Some superb characters, superb descriptions of the North Sea, state of the nation comment and all that music! I loved it. Read my full review HERE. Bloomsbury Circus, 209pp. hardback. BUY at Blackwell’s via Read More

Paul Auster Reading Week II anyone?

Back in February 2020 I hosted a Paul Auster Reading Week. He was my most admired living author then, but sadly he died from cancer last April. Rather than time a second reading week for the anniversary of his death, I’ve decided to celebrate his birth instead, which was on 3rd Feb 1947. So who Read More

Blood Debt by M.K. Murphy – blogtour

Imagine the scene: you’re a hitman, hired to take out property developer Jason Florens before he can ruin someone else’s nefarious plans. But you reach the site where he is and someone has been there before you, he’s gagged and cable tied to the bath taps, you remove the gag. ‘Oh, God,’ Floren wails, his Read More

20 Books of Summer – final review part 2 – books #23-24, Smythe & Sterling

Here are my final reviews of the extra books from my TBR piles that I managed to squeeze in for 20 Books of Summer in August. As they were extras to the 20, I don’t feel guilty at all for the reviews being later. You may have read that Cathy will step down from hosting Read More

Watchlist: July to the start of September

Bingeworthy TV Slow Horses (AppleTV+) is back for series 4 – what more can I say – it’s the best thing on any TV platform! Initially centring around River’s father played by a wonderful Jonathan Pryce, with all our favourite disgraced spies back led by Jackson Lamb, the action is never far away. Gary Oldman Read More

The Torments by Michael J Malone – blogtour

I’m delighted to be one of those leading off the blogtour for The Torments – Michael J Malone’s sequel to The Murmurs which introduced us to Annie Jackson and her twin brother Lewis. I’ll say straight off that you don’t necessarily need to have read the prior instalment, you could jump straight in with The Read More

20 Books of Summer – final reviews part 1 – Orwell + books #21-22 by Barrett & deWitt

Now the first week of being back at School is over, I shall revert to some shorter reviews for the remaining books I read which, Orwell excepted, were extras to my twenty! So I don’t feel guilty about reviewing them late. Animal Farm by George Orwell This was a book group choice – we’re on Read More

Six Degrees of Separation: After Story

First Saturday of the month, time for the super monthly tag Six Degrees of Separation, which is hosted by Kate at Booksaremyfavouriteandbest, Six Degrees of Separation #6degrees picks a starting book for participants to go wherever it takes them in six more steps. Links to my reviews are in the titles of the books chosen. This month Read More

#20booksofsummer24 – Round-up!

I’ve signed up to Cathy’s annual ‘20 Books of Summer‘ challenge every year since 2016. Although you can pick your level of 10, 15 or 20 books – I’ve always aimed for the full 20, but only achieved it three times – in 2022, 2021 and this year. This year I even reached twenty books Read More

Shiny Linkiness – Walsh and Towles for 20 Books of Summer

I’ve had two recent reviews published at Shiny New Books recently, both read as part of my #20booksofsummer24 reading. Kala by Colin Walsh A superb slowburn literary dual time-lined thriller, Irish author Walsh’s debut was a huge hit last year in hardback. I was sent a proof, but didn’t get the time to read it Read More

Two Fab Thrillers – Jordan Harper & Steve Cavanagh

Two superb thrillers for you today, one from last year and in my #20booksofsummer and one brand new out. Everybody Knows by Jordan Harper I love the tag line of this novel, ‘In Hollywood, nobody talks, but everybody whispers.’ It immediately drew me in, and simultaneously got me humming Leonard Cohen’s wonderful song that shares Read More

The Instrumentalist by Harriet Constable

Historical novels have long taken characters from real life as their inspiration, whether it be for an imagined narrative or a retelling of a life, which can be well-known, or little-known. The Instrumentalist does the latter. Anna Maria della Pietà was abandoned as a baby and grew up in the Ospedale della Pietà in Venice Read More