How to Kill Your Family by Bella Mackie There is a select sub-genre of crime novels featuring prison confessions of serial killers. One I read last summer was A Certain Hunger by Chelsea G Summers. In that book, Dorothy Daniels is a food critic and black widow, murdering her lovers – and enjoying eating select Read More
Month: August 2023
First Blood by Amélie Nothomb – #WITMonth
Translated by Alison Anderson Squeezing in a last review for #WITMonth. I was to have reviewed this novella for Shiny, but a longer form review escaped me. Belgian author Amélie Nothomb is always an exciting author, (see my reviews of The Book of Proper Names, Fear & Trembling, and Strike Your Heart). However, First Blood Read More
The Trap by Catherine Ryan Howard – blogtour
This was my first encounter with the Irish thriller writer, I very much doubt it’ll be my last, for I enjoyed The Trap very much, not wanting to put it down. Howard is particularly known for her twists, so I was hoping for some in this novel, which didn’t disappoint on that score – but Read More
Two in Spanish for #WITMonth – Piñeiro & Posadas
Today, two more from my #20booksofsummer23 for #WITMonth too, both novels written in Spanish for you – both by South American authors – one from Argentina, the other from Uruguay; I loved one, and nearly DNF’d the other! A Little Luck by Claudia Pineiro Translated by Frances Riddle I discovered Argentinian author Claudia Piñeiro last Read More
Fair Rosaline by Natasha Solomons – blogtour
I’m delighted to be one of those closing the blogtour today for this thought-provoking take on the forgotten character of Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet, for Natasha Solomons has done a very clever thing in giving Juliet’s cousin Rosaline her own voice. I’m looking forward to now going back to visit as many of the others Read More
Going Arthurian at Shiny …
Morgan Is My Name by Sophie Keetch Shiny is back from its summer break today with one of my reviews. I do love all these retellings of ancient myths and legends that have covered the bookshelves in recent years telling the stories from female perspectives, but if truth be told, I am getting fed up Read More
Assassin Eighteen by John Brownlow – blog tour
I am delighted to be one of those leading off the blog tour for this page-turning thriller. Imagine, if you will, that there is a long lineage of the world’s greatest hitmen – seventeen ‘generations’ actually – and that you only get to the top of the tree by killing the current leader. So seventeen Read More
Forgotten on Sunday by Valérie Perrin – #WITMonth
Translated by Hildegarde Searle Valérie Perrin’s third novel to be translated and published by Europa Editions this July is actually her debut from 2015. Her second novel Fresh Water for Flowers (reviewed here) was a huge bestseller in France, and has been widely translated. That is one of those quiet novels, the story of a Read More
Book Group Report – Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy by John Le Carré
This was my suggestion, actually a re-read for me, however, in between reading it for the first time decades ago and now, I must have watched the original 1979 TV series starring Alec Guinness as George Smiley at least four times including during lockdown, and I’ve seen Thomas Andersson’s film with Gary Oldman a few Read More
Six Degrees of Separation: Romantic Comedy
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
The Sound of Being Human by Jude Rogers
I’ve been a fan of Jude Roger’s writing for ages having followed her from music mags Q and Mojo to the much-missed The Word, where in all of which she was one of the few female voices. She’s also written for the Guardian and freelances, and has a substack column Stop, Look, Listen, which I Read More
Silly Season Stats Fun – Author Tag Frequency
I may be struggling with reviewer’s block, but my mind is still thinking bookishly! I was selecting the tags to accompany my post for this Saturday’s #6degrees, and I was struck by how some letters of the alphabet are more represented than others in author’s surnames. Cue a graph! Strictly speaking, what I’ve charted above Read More
#WITMonth 2023 – Women in Translation
Another reading month I always look forward to with great anticipation is WIT Month – Women in Translation, founded by Meytal Radzinski. One thing I like to do each year is review my past year’s reading of women authors in translation, and I’m delighted to say it’s my best year ever. Admittedly, that’s buoyed by Read More
