30) White Sands by Geoff Dyer Geoff Dyer is recognised for being a bit uncategorisable, which makes describing his books a little tricky to say the least. Suffice to say that he is one of my favourite writers and that he walks along the tightrope between non-fiction and fiction in his books. This collection, his… Continue reading Year 2 / Book 30: White Sands
Category: literary fiction
Year 2 / Book 29: The Ballad of Peckham Rye
29) The Ballad of Peckham Rye by Muriel Spark My experience of Muriel Spark had been limited to the Prime of Miss Jean Brodie before this, so thanks to Gen for sending this little gem through. It's a slim, sharp novel featuring a mischievous Scotsman, Dougal Douglas (or possibly Douglas Dougal) causing havoc amongst the… Continue reading Year 2 / Book 29: The Ballad of Peckham Rye
Year 2 / Book 16: My Name Is Lucy Barton
16) My Name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout I'll be honest with you: I'd never heard of Elizabeth Strout until this Christmas (or was it the Christmas before?) when I was reading those pre-Xmas 'authors recommend their books of the year' articles, and this book got mentioned more than any other. So excuse ignorance, but… Continue reading Year 2 / Book 16: My Name Is Lucy Barton
Year 2 / Book 14: The Power
14) The Power by Naomi Alderman Have you ever wondered what a world in which teenage girls and then women are the ones with the power and the strength? And what might become of society? Or felt a little burst of lightning between your finger tips? Well, wonder no more. Naomi Alderman's near-future dystopia is… Continue reading Year 2 / Book 14: The Power
Year 2 / Book 12: Devices and Desires
12) Devices and Desires by PD James Busy times tend to mean more crime in reading terms for me, and there are few better at the top of the game than PD James in her pomp. She is as quintessentially English as her main detective leading man, Adam Dalgleish - and incredibly adept at bringing… Continue reading Year 2 / Book 12: Devices and Desires
Year 2 / Book 3: Harry Potter & the Philosopher’s Stone
3) Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J. K. Rowling. Yes, I know what you're thinking. Either a) how have you not read this already? or b) why are you, an adult, reading a children's book? I very much come from the latter camp, and have read this largely because I became so vitriolic… Continue reading Year 2 / Book 3: Harry Potter & the Philosopher’s Stone
Books 30-36 (& spares) / 2016
So it's been a while. Last update was start of July when I was on book number 29). So I think I missed 6 weeks. Fortunately, packed in quite a few hours of reading while on hols, so here goes. I've picked my summer faves (and one to avoid). Excuse epic post. 30) The White… Continue reading Books 30-36 (& spares) / 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 