Archive: Recommendations

To The End of The Land – David Grossman

Buy this book: To The End of the Land David Grossman’s son fought in the Gulf War and was eventually killed. Although this book was not written as a reaction to that loss it is made more poignant by t…

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Invisibles – Ed Siegle

Invisibles – Ed Siegle Joel is born is Brazil to an English mother, Jackie, and Brazilian father, Gilberto. Gilberto gets caught up with another woman and ends up in jail. From there Gilberto’s life c…

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The Imperfectionists – Tom Rachman

The Imperfectionists – Tom Rachman This is an unusual book, billed as a novel it’s actually a collection of short stories around the central character of an international newspaper run out of an offic…

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Me Before You – Jojo Moyes

Me Before You – Jojo Moyes Read this book! If you want to be moved, read this book! If you want to swept up in a love story and get reminded what love is all about, read this book! If you want to reme…

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The Paris Wife – Paula McLain

The Paris Wife is about Ernest Hemmingway’s relationship with his first wife Hadley Richardson. Hemmingway was a notorious womaniser, and this account being told from Hadley’s point of view helps us t…

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50 Shades of Grey – E L James

50 Shades of Grey – E L James This was the first adult fiction book I’d read. I’d heard about them of course as a genre, but not a specific contemporary title in the mainstream. However as I think it’…

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Tideline – Penny Hancock

Tideline – Penny Hancock Tideline is a very creepy book and a real page turner. Sonia’s marriage is falling apart and she is reluctant to leave her childhood home a Greenwich house that backs onto the…

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The Art of Fielding – Chad Harbach

The Art of Fielding – Chad Harbach There’s been a lot of publicity surrounding this book, notably reports of a $650,000 advance and comparisons to Jonathan Franzen’s The Corrections.   I’d seen a lot…

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A Sense of an Ending – Julian Barnes

A Sense of An Ending – Julian Barnes Julian Barnes has finally won the Booker with this book, so I had some expectation that this might be a great read. It wasn’t, it’s OK, it’s an easy interesting re…

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Fold – Tom Campbell

Fold – Tom Campbell I’ve been reluctant to review this book. I went to one of Tom’s readings in Kentish Town and met some of his friends, some of which I’d met before. We had a great evening. He told…

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Snowdrops – A D Miller

Snowdrop – A D Miller Our main protagonist, Nicholas, is told by his best friend Steve, that, ‘In Russia… there are no business stories. And there are no politics stories. There are no love stories….

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Annabel – Kathleen Winter

Annabel – Kathleen Winter I rushed home to read this book, it’s that good. Set in a remote village in Labrador Canada  a child is born with both male and female parts, and only one close friend knows…

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Ordinary Thunderstorms – William Boyd

Ordinary Thunderstorms – William Boyd US resident, but British born, climatologist, Adam Kindred comes over to London for a job interview after splitting up with his wife. After the interview he witne…

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