Category: Literary fiction

Norwegian Wood – Haruki Murakami

READ FOR BOOKCLUB Chosen by Jo A romantic, 1960s coming-of-age story recaptures a young man’s first, hopeless, and heroic love. ✚ “Norwegian Wood is the book that made Haruki Murakami famous. Which some would say is surprising considering it is a move away from… Continue Reading “Norwegian Wood – Haruki Murakami”

The Man Who Saw Everything – Deborah Levy

READ FOR BOOKCLUB Chosen by Rachel In the opening pages of The Man Who Saw Everything, Saul Adler, a young historian, steps onto the famous Abbey Road pedestrian crossing and is hit by a vehicle. This is the key event of the story, against… Continue Reading “The Man Who Saw Everything – Deborah Levy”

2020 – Narrative direction

A novel must contain many things to hold the reader’s attention: compelling plot, relatable characters and distinct settings. But another, sometimes underrated, feature is narrative direction. It can be overstated for purpose, or discreet so as not to be obtrusive, but narration is usually… Continue Reading “2020 – Narrative direction”

2019 – End Of Year Thoughts

Overcoming adversity is an effective literary theme, creating controversy and hope and edge-of-your-seat dynamics. It is also an apt reflection of the real world. Looking back over our reading list in 2019, it’s easy to see how overcoming adversity dominated the featured titles. From… Continue Reading “2019 – End Of Year Thoughts”

2019 Bookerthon

Wow, what a year! The books on the (now named Booker Prize, without the Man) shortlist this year are gigantic, in every expression of the word. There are books of many pages, books written by literary giants, books that deal with the huge topics… Continue Reading “2019 Bookerthon”

Ducks, Newburyport – Lucy Ellmann

READ FOR BOOKERTHON Written in stream of consciousness style, an Ohio housewife worries about the state of the world ⚑ “the fact that Lucy Ellmann has written an absolutely remarkable novel with what will be perceived by some as an entirely unremarkable protagonist, the fact… Continue Reading “Ducks, Newburyport – Lucy Ellmann”

Girl, Woman, Other – Bernadine Evaristo

READ FOR BOOKERTHON A story of modern Britain and black womanhood told through the eyes of 12 different women ⚑ “This is a beautifully paced novel which at first I thought was a collection of separate stories. However the links and interwoven threads soon… Continue Reading “Girl, Woman, Other – Bernadine Evaristo”

Quichotte – Salman Rushdie

READ FOR BOOKERTHON A modern re-write of Don Quixote that broaches traditional elements as well as the current state of the world.  ⚑ “Confession time: I have not read Don Quixote. While I know the premise I don’t know its intricates nor how cleverly… Continue Reading “Quichotte – Salman Rushdie”

An Orchestra of Minorities – Chigoze Obioma

READ FOR BOOKERTHON A Nigerian chicken farmer sells everything he owns in order to win over his girlfriend’s wealthy family. ⚑ “An Orchestra of Minorities is about a Nigerian chicken farmer who falls in love with a girl from a wealthy family. The family… Continue Reading “An Orchestra of Minorities – Chigoze Obioma”

The Testaments – Margaret Atwood

READ FOR BOOKERTHON The sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale in which the republic of Gilead is taken down. ⚑ “I haven’t anticipated a book as much as this one since Go Set a Watchman was released (side story: when I bought Go Set a… Continue Reading “The Testaments – Margaret Atwood”