Margaret Atwood’s sequel to ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ begins fifteen years after Offred makes her final appearance in the original novel. I share my thoughts on this highly anticipated dystopian tale.
21st Century Literature
THOUGHTS ON: Public library and other stories
A splendidly inventive collection of short stories from Ali Smith, author of How to be both, winner of the Baileys Women’s Prize and the Costa Novel Award.
BOOK REVIEW: Doggerland
A cleverly inventive, well-crafted debut novel about loneliness and hope – set on an offshore windfarm in the near future.
BOOK TAG: Shelfie by Shelfie #2
A fun tag in which I share a picture (or ‘shelfie’) of a favourite bookshelf and answer ten associated questions. This time I celebrate Margaret Atwood Reading Month.
Margaret Atwood: The Works
A comprehensive checklist of Margaret Atwood’s publications from 1961 to the present day.
THOUGHTS ON: Autumn (Seasonal #1)
Daniel is a century old. Elisabeth, born in 1984, has her eye on the future. The United Kingdom is in pieces, divided by a historic once-in-a-generation summer.
BOOK REVIEW: Where the World Ends
In the summer of 1727, a party of men and boys are put ashore on a remote sea stac to harvest birds for food. No one returns to collect them. How will they survive?
BOOK REVIEW: Home is Nearby
Magdalena McGuire’s debut novel is a vivid and intimate exploration of a young woman’s struggle to find her place in the world.
BOOK REVIEW: Disbanded Kingdom
A 21st-century coming-of-age story, set against the emotive backdrop of the United Kingdom’s breakaway from the European Union and its threatened rupture with Scotland.
THOUGHTS ON: 24 Stories: of Hope for Survivors of the Grenfell Tower Fire
We look at an anthology of short stories written on themes of community and hope by a mix of the UK’s best known writers and previously unpublished authors, whose pieces were chosen by Kathy Burke from over 250 entries.
BOOK REVIEW: The Great Believers
A powerful novel of friendship and redemption in the face of tragedy and loss set in 1980s Chicago and contemporary Paris.
BOOK REVIEW: Ghost Wall
Young Silvie, along with her mother and abusive father, are in a remote Northumberland camp as an exercise in experiential archaeology. Sarah Moss’s forthcoming novel has much to say about female affinity and friendship.
BOOK REVIEW: Orchid & the Wasp
A dark but highly amusing coming-of-age story, which encompasses sexuality, mental health, class, religion and contemporary politics. Caoilinn Hughes has written a stunningly ambitious debut novel.
#VOTE100BOOKS: A Century of Memorable Books by Women Writers
After masses of nominations and much lively debate Hay Fest came up with the top 100 books by women over the last century. I intend to read my way through the list!
BOOK REVIEW: Swan Song
A deft, dazzling, diligently researched debut about a literary icon and his beautiful, wealthy, spoiled Swans.
THOUGHTS ON: Freedom: Vintage Minis
Can we ever be wholly free? In this book Margaret Atwood holds a mirror up to our own world. The reflection we are faced with, of men and women in prisons literal and metaphorical, is frightening but not without hope.
BOOK REVIEW: Meet Me at the Museum
Meet Me at the Museum is an epistolary story of love and selflessness. It put a smile on this reader’s face.
BOOK REVIEW: The End of Loneliness
Told through the ruptured lives of three siblings, The End of Loneliness is a heartfelt, enriching novel about loss and loneliness, family and love.
BOOK REVIEW: Lost For Words
Stephanie Butland’s novel is the ideal read for a tome-weary bibliophile looking for something undemanding but intelligent to fill a relaxing evening.
BOOK REVIEW: The Only Story
A moving story of first love told in old age, looking back at a hidden world of suburban secrets and sham respectability.