Ray Bradbury’s 1953 dystopian novel imagines a future American society where books are forbidden and ‘firemen’ burn those that are found.
Novel
THOUGHTS ON: The Testaments
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.
BOOK REVIEW: Barnhill: A Novel
I share my thoughts on Norman Bissell’s fictionalised retelling of a crucial period in George Orwell’s life.
THOUGHTS ON: The Bookshop
In a small English town of Hardborough Florence Green decides, against polite but determined opposition, to open a bookshop.
BOOK REVIEW: Doggerland
A cleverly inventive, well-crafted debut novel about loneliness and hope – set on an offshore windfarm in the near future.
MARM 2018: Bodily Harm by Margaret Atwood
We look back at the 1981 political thriller ‘Bodily Harm’ for Margaret Atwood Reading Month.
BOOK REVIEW: Crimson
Crimson is a tale of love, lust, despondency and queer life in modern Greenland.
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: The Great Believers
A powerful novel of friendship and redemption in the face of tragedy and loss set in 1980s Chicago and contemporary Paris.
THOUGHTS ON: Around the World in Eighty Days
One ill-fated evening at the Reform Club, Phileas Fogg rashly bets his companions £20,000 that he can travel around the world in 80 days – and he is determined not to lose!
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.
How to Read a Novel: Week #2
I’ve successfully completed the second week of my free online course, How to Read a Novel, in which we examined characterisation.
BOOK REVIEW: The Second Winter
Craig Larsen’s novel is a harrowing tale of survival in desperate circumstances. It will undoubtedly appeal to readers of gritty noir wartime thrillers.
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: The Unrivalled Transcendence of Willem J. Gyle
Writer, James Dixon, has created an offbeat protagonist in Willem Gyle.
BOOK REVIEW: Love
Love is an intelligent, compassionate, if melancholy tale, which demonstrates what can happen if we become too internalised and fail to be mindful of those we love most.
THOUGHTS ON: Novel On Yellow Paper
I rather like Pompey Casmilus, the narrator of this slightly off-kilter stream of consciousness novel.
THOUGHTS ON: Life After Life
It is difficult to know how to define Life After Life, Kate Atkinson’s 2013 Costa Book Award winning novel.
THOUGHTS ON: Zennor in Darkness
The British poet, novelist and children’s writer, Helen Dunmore died of cancer at the age of 64 on 5th June 2017.
THOUGHTS ON: Nightmare Abbey
Set in a former abbey whose owner is host to an eccentric gathering of visitors.