The shortlist for the Wales Book of the Year 2020 awards for both English and Welsh-language books has been announced.
Humour
BOOK REVIEW: Reasons to be Cheerful
My third choice for 20 Books of Summer is Nina Stibbe’s new novel following the latest instalment in the life of Lizzie Vogel.
THOUGHTS ON: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
Written with warmth and humour as a series of letters, this novel appeared in my life when most needed.
THOUGHTS ON: ‘Scoop: A Novel About Journalists’
Described as “a brilliantly irreverent satire of Fleet Street and its hectic pursuit of hot news”, I was unfortunately unable to connect with Scoop – one of Evelyn Waugh’s most popular novels.
BOOK REVIEW: Asymmetry
Asymmetry is a story in which nothing and nobody is equal. It is inventive, compelling and altogether unforgettable. We should expect to hear a great deal more of its promising author over the coming months.
BOOK REVIEW: In Search of Nice Americans
The result of Geoff’s 2016 sabbatical is the light-hearted In Search of Nice Americans, subtitled, Off the Grid, On the Road and State to State in Trump’s America, a disorderly but entertaining drive across the USA.
THOUGHTS ON: Novel On Yellow Paper
I rather like Pompey Casmilus, the narrator of this slightly off-kilter stream of consciousness novel.