A Week in December by Sebastian Faulks
An interesting book but I haven’t got anything insightful to say about it that hasn’t been said by others — see for example this review in The Guardian.
Continue reading →Category Archives: Fiction
The Ghost by Robert Harris
A conspiracy theorists’s delight! An unpopular ex-Prime Minister who took the UK into a war in the Middle East, now staying in the USA earning big money from lectures and personal appearances, employs a ghost writer to produce his autobiography. … Continue reading →
Sum by David Eagleman
This is a strange little book, but in a good way. The author is described as "neuroscientist & writer" (find him on Wikipedia) but this is not about neuroscience. The book consists of 40 short pieces each describing a different … Continue reading →
The Millenium Trilogy by Stieg Larsson
Originally written in Swedish and set in Sweden, these three books deserve their reputation as ranking among the best modern crime fiction. They are dark and at times disturbing to read, dealing with violence, sexual abuse, trafficking of women for … Continue reading →
His Dark Materials (trilogy) by Philip Pullman
His Dark Materials is a trilogy consisting of Northern Lights, The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass. You’ll probably find these three books in the children’s section of your local library, but that doesn’t mean adults won’t enjoy reading them … Continue reading →
An Artist of the Floating World by Kazuo Ishiguro
Reading Ishiguro’s novels out of sequence – this is the second to be published – possibly makes it harder to give a fair assessment, as expectations are already set. The acclaimed quality of his writing is as evident here as … Continue reading →
Possession by A S Byatt
Fifteen years after it won the Booker prize I finally got round to reading this book. It is an impressive achievement: amusing, exciting, and entertaining; complex and mysterious. Intertwined stories are reflected and echoed in each other. It’s a post-modern … Continue reading →
Morality for Beautiful Girls by Alexander McCall Smith
The high standard continues in the third book. If anything the "detection" takes second place to the stories of the characters: one leading player is effectively sidelined for the whole of the book while others take a more prominent role. … Continue reading →
Tears of the Giraffe by Alexander McCall Smith
The second book in the series continues Mma Ramotswe’s story and is as delightful as the first. Maintaining the format there is one investigation which is pursued through the book, interspersed with shorter "cases" and development of the principal characters.
Continue reading →Secret History by Donna Tartt
Let’s be honest: despite the “bestseller” label and the eulogies on the back cover, this is far from being a great book. Here are echoes of many powerful classics – “The Magus“, “Crime and Punishment“, “Catcher in the Rye“, “Lord … Continue reading →