No 412 Like Life by Lorrie Moore Book 8 of #20booksofsummer21
A character in the opening story of Like Life muses on how lost she feels, wondering ‘How did one get here? How did ones eye-patched, rot-toothed life lead one so cruelly, like a trick, to the middle of the sea?’ It is a question that many of the characters in these perceptive and poignant stories…
Read more No 412 Like Life by Lorrie Moore Book 8 of #20booksofsummer21
No 413 Saint Maybe by Anne Tyler Book 7 of #20booksofsummer
There is something I find comforting about novels that explore the intricacy and detail of everyday life. I enjoy books that are no less eventful than the lives of the majority of people, but which shine a light on the universal truths hidden inside. What strikes me most about Anne Tyler’s writing is the extent…
Read more No 413 Saint Maybe by Anne Tyler Book 7 of #20booksofsummer
No Other Life by Brian Moore for #brianmoore100
Brian Moore published No Other Life in 1993 when he was at the height of his writing career. The Booker nomination for Lies of Silence in 1990 had raised his profile and No Other Life was a great critical success. William Trevor in the New York Review of Books claimed that ‘Moore has written nothing…
No 414 A Kiss Before Dying by Ira Levin Book 5 of #20booksofsummer
I’m sure at some point Ira Levin has written a bad book, but so far, I haven’t read it yet. Following on from my enjoyment of Rosemary’s Baby and The Stepford Wives comes another crime classic, made all the more impressive by the knowledge that this was his debut novel, published when he was just…
Read more No 414 A Kiss Before Dying by Ira Levin Book 5 of #20booksofsummer
No 415 Cold Water by Gwendoline Riley Book 4 of #20booksofsummer
In the last few years I have read two books by Gwendoline Riley – First Love and My Phantoms – and have been incredibly impressed by both. My Phantoms was in my top books of 2020. Cold Water is Riley’s debut novel, published in 2002. While it is in no way as impressive as her…
Read more No 415 Cold Water by Gwendoline Riley Book 4 of #20booksofsummer
Consent by Nina Raine Book 3 of #20booksofsummer
Hype: How Scammers, Grifters, Con Artists and Influencers are Taking Over the Internet – and Why We’re Following by Gabrielle Bluestone
No 416 The Thief by Fuminori Nakamura, Book 1 of #20booksofsummer21
It’s 20 Books of Summer Time!
Well, here we are, it’s 1 June and the first day of 20 Books of Summer! I have to say I have been overwhelmed (literally!) by all your support and sign-up posts – we now have over 100 people taking part across Twitter, Instagram, You Tube, and blogs – which is quite amazing. You can…
