41) Conclave by Robert Harris If you’re going to read a literary thriller, you can do a lot worse than Robert Harris, in my opinion. Fatherland is top notch, of course, and I hugely enjoyed The Fear Index and, to a lesser extent, The Ghost as well. And the Roman ones - and we are back… Continue reading Year 2 / Book 41: Conclave
Category: Year 2
Year 2 reviews
Year 2 / Book 40: Dear Ijeawele
40) Dear Ijeawele, or A Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie This is a short book, written as a letter to a friend who has just given birth to a daughter and who has asked for help on how to bring her up as a feminist. It is a follow-up, I assume to… Continue reading Year 2 / Book 40: Dear Ijeawele
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 38: By Grand Central Station I Sat Down and Wept
38) By Grand Central Station I Sat Down and Wept by Elizabeth Smart So this is about as far from my typical read as it’s possible to get: I picked it up at the trusty Acton Central community bookshelf, partly because the title rang a bell from past studies, and partly because it was thin… Continue reading Year 2 / Book 38: By Grand Central Station I Sat Down and Wept
Year 2 / Book 37: A Dark Redemption
37) A Dark Redemption by Stav Sherez I’ve been running behind on reviews, as work has been a bit busy, but am catching up gradually on books I’ve read. This is a really good police procedural by Stav Sherez, a British crime writer I hadn’t heard of until stumbling across on the Guardian books pages… Continue reading Year 2 / Book 37: A Dark Redemption
Year 2 / Book 36: Grit
36) Grit by Angela Duckworth So this is an interesting book. I was biased towards it from the start, having long been of the view that most of the good stuff takes perseverance, something I’ve written about a few times in different ways. This book, based on years of research, puts some evidence and substance behind… Continue reading Year 2 / Book 36: Grit
Year 2 / Book 35: The Thirst
35) The Thirst by Jo Nesbo I'm mid-way through a book on the Booker longlist and a business book based on scientific research...but there are times when you just have to reach for some Scandinavian crime: pure, instant escapism. Jo Nesbo is the publisher-acclaimed Scandi noir king, and a massive bestseller with his series of… Continue reading Year 2 / Book 35: The Thirst
Year 2 / Book 34: A Beautiful Young Wife
34) A Beautiful Young Wife by Tommy Wieringa Tommy Wieringa is a Dutch writer, and this slim novel(la) is the first I've read by him: I can't remember where I ran across his name but he's been on the Wish List for months, and I took the plunge a few weeks back. And I'm very… Continue reading Year 2 / Book 34: A Beautiful Young Wife
Year 2 / Book 33: Missing, Presumed
33) Missing, Presumed by Susie Steiner This came highly recommended, although I think it was last year's thriller / police procedural of choice (there's now a follow-up on the market as well). For obvious reasons, I won't go too much into the plot, but it starts with a young woman disappearing, and that is the… Continue reading Year 2 / Book 33: Missing, Presumed
Year 2 / Book 32: The Fact of a Body
32) The Fact of a Body by Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich In my search for new books to read and to expand my repertoire (left to my own devices, I might only be reading about Icelandic detectives with a drink problem), I've taken to listening to book podcasts, asking lots of friends for suggestions but also reading… Continue reading Year 2 / Book 32: The Fact of a Body
Dog-eared Man: a book a week 