9) The Pesthouse by Jim Crace I remember finding this book somewhere shortly after I'd been prompted to read it by Ronnie Hughes in an exchange under this blog post. That tells me that I"ve been hanging on to the book for more than a year, and it was worth the wait. Crace is a… Continue reading Year 4 / Book 9: The Pesthouse
Category: historical fiction
Year 3 / Book 47: A Rising Man
47) A Rising Man by Abir Mukherjee This is the first of the series of Sam Wyndham novels by Mukherjee, and they've been on my list for a while, after they won a few crime prizes way back when. There's another two in the series that have been published since, so I have some catching… Continue reading Year 3 / Book 47: A Rising Man
Year 3 / Book 33: A Quiet Flame
33) A Quiet Flame by Philip Kerr I'm slowly working my way through Philip Kerr's wonderful Bernie Gunther novels, which combine a Chandler-esque wit with the perils and history of 1930s-40s (Nazi) Germany. As I wrote in a previous review, Kerr very sadly died earlier this year, which is all the more reason (as far… Continue reading Year 3 / Book 33: A Quiet Flame
Year 3 / Book 14: The Lady From Zagreb
14) The Lady from Zagreb by Philip Kerr Philip Kerr has become one of my favourite police and crime writers: you cannot go wrong in picking any of his Bernie Gunther stories, and I've been un-chronologically making my way through the whole series. So I was really saddened to learn about his death at the… Continue reading Year 3 / Book 14: The Lady From Zagreb
Year 3 / Book 6: Things Fall Apart
6) Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe This was recommended to me by our good friend Nina, and although it's taken a while for me to get to it, I"m really glad she did, and mea culpa on my part for having not got to a novel that has sold over 20 million copies and… Continue reading Year 3 / Book 6: Things Fall Apart
Year 2 / Book 49: The Long Drop
49) The Long Drop by Denise Mina This has been recommended in lots of places as one of the best crime novels of the year, and I have to say it lives up to that billing. It has a cleverly structured plot that kind of unwinds slowly, gradually encompassing more characters and viewpoints, with the… Continue reading Year 2 / Book 49: The Long Drop
Year 2 / Book 39: Lincoln in the Bardo
39) Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders Fortuitously, I found myself finishing this off as it was announced as this year’s Booker Prize winner. I’m a fan of George Saunders: if you haven’t read any of his short stories, you are in for a treat: they are moving, incisive and extremely funny by turns.… Continue reading Year 2 / Book 39: Lincoln in the Bardo
Year 2 / Book 7: March Violets
7) March Violets by Philip Kerr It seemed like a strangely appropriate moment to read a novel set in mid 1930s Germany - can't imagine why. So I returned to Philip Kerr's great set of Bernie Gunther novels, a detective who is like Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe with a heavy side-dose of British sarcasm and quick-wittedness.… Continue reading Year 2 / Book 7: March Violets
Books 13-19 / 2016
13) The One From the Other - by Philip Kerr. I've been meaning to read a Bernie Gunther crime novel for a while, and this was worth waiting for. Set in pre- and post-war Germany, it covers a really wide range of ground whilst staying (mostly) believable and, in places, quite powerful. Gunther has a… Continue reading Books 13-19 / 2016
Books 1-6 / 2016
1) Spill, Simmer, Falter, Wither by Sara Baume. Attracted a bit of awards attention - a quite involving story of an outcast man and his outcast dog. But a bit overwritten (like someone fresh out of a Creative Writing programme) if affecting. Recommended for dog and adjective lovers only. 5.5/10 2) Jeff in Venice, Death… Continue reading Books 1-6 / 2016
Dog-eared Man: a book a week 