Currently Reading
-
Recent Posts
Featured Writers
- Adelle Stripe
- Agatha Christie
- Alan Bennett
- Alan Bray
- Alan Hollinghurst
- Alan Warner
- Alexandra Artley
- Alexandra Harris
- Algernon Blackwood
- Ali Smith
- Alison MacLeod
- Andrea Dunbar
- Andrea Lawlor
- Andres Barba
- Andrew Holleran
- Andrew Michael Hurley
- Andrew O'Hagan
- Angela Carter
- Angus Wilson
- Anna Whitwham
- Anne Enright
- Anne Sexton
- Anne Tyler
- Anthony Shaffer
- Anthony Simmons
- Antonia Barber
- Aretha Franklin
- Armistead Maupin
- At the Pictures: Letter to Brezhnev
- Barbara Comyns
- Barbara Euphan Todd
- Barbara Hepworth
- Barbara Pym
- Beautiful Books 1
- Beautiful Books 2
- Beautiful Books 3
- Beautiful Books 4
- Beautiful Books 5
- Beautiful Books 6
- Beautiful Books 7
- Beautiful Books 8
- Ben Lerner
- Benjamin Myers
- Bernard Ashley
- Bernardine Evaristo
- Beth Underdown
- Bob Stanley
- Books on Books 1
- Books on Books 2
- Bram Stoker
- Brett Easton Ellis
- Brian Masters
- Brigid Brophy
- Camilla Grudova
- Camille Paglia
- Carolyn Grant
- Cash Carraway
- Chantal Joffe
- Charlie Fox
- Charlotte Bronte
- Charlotte Perkins Gilman
- Chloe Griffin
- Christine Burns
- Christine Mangan
- Christopher Breward
- Claire Louise Bennett
- Claudia Roden
- Colin Barrett
- Colm Toibin
- Colman Andrews
- Colson Whitehead
- Compton Mackenzie
- Coronation Street
- Cristina Sanchez-Andrade
- Daisy Johnson
- Danielle Dutton
- David Cain: April
- David Cain: August
- David Cain: Autumn
- David Cain: December
- David Cain: February
- David Cain: January
- David Cain: July
- David Cain: June
- David Cain: March
- David Cain: May
- David Cain: November
- David Cain: October
- David Cain: September
- David Cain: Spring
- David Cain: Summer
- David Cain: Winter
- David Hockney
- David Kynaston
- David Park
- David Pinner
- David Whittaker
- Deborah Levy
- Delia Smith
- Derek Jarman
- Diana Davies
- Diana Frederics
- Diana Henry
- Diana Souhami
- Didier Eribon
- Dora Broome
- Dorothy Richardson
- Dorothy Whipple
- Dorris Lessing
- Dorthe Nors
- Douglas Coupland
- Dusty Springfield
- Edna O'Brien
- Edouard Louis
- Edward Carpenter
- Edward Parnell
- Eimear Mcbride
- Elain Harwood
- Eleanor Graham
- Eleanor Wasserberg
- Elieen Myles
- Elizabeth David
- Elizabeth Taylor
- Elizabeth von Arnim
- Emily Bronte
- Emily St John Mandel
- Emma Cline
- Emma Donoghue
- Emma Flint
- Evie Wyld
- Fanny Cradock
- Felice Picano
- Fiona Mozley
- Frank S Caprio
- Garry Mulholland
- Garth Greenwell
- Geoffrey Fletcher
- Geoffrey Grigson
- George Eliot
- Gerard Reve
- Germaine Greer
- Ghislaine Wood
- Glen James Brown
- Gordon Burn
- Graham Robb
- Gwendoline Riley
- H V Kershaw
- Hallie Rubenhold
- Han Kang
- Hannah Arendt
- Hannah Kent
- Hanya Yanagihara
- Havelock Ellis
- Helen Ellis
- Helen MacDonald
- Helen Oyeyemi
- Helen Walsh
- Helene Cixous
- Helene Schjerfbeck
- Henry James
- Herbert Van Thal
- Hilary Mantel
- Howard Jacobson
- Ian Sansom
- Ian Waites
- Introduction
- Isabel Waidner
- Jake Arnott
- James Goss
- Jan Morris
- Javier Marias
- Jean Alexander
- Jean Rhys
- Jeanette Winterson
- Jeffrey Weeks
- Jenny T Colgan
- Jeremy Sandford
- Jessica Andrews
- Jill Gardiner
- Joan Aitken
- Joan Lindsay
- Joan Lingard
- Joan Schenkar
- Joan Smith
- Joe Orton
- John Boughton
- John Fowles
- John Grindrod
- John Kennedy Toole
- John Rowe Townsend
- John Waters
- John Wyndham
- Johnny Marr
- Jon McGregor
- Jonathan Coe
- Jonathan Kemp
- Jonathan Rigby
- Joseph Cassara
- Josephine Tey
- Judith R Walkowitz
- Julia Grant
- Julia Peakman
- Julie Burchill
- Julie Myerson
- Julie Peakman
- Juliet Jacques
- Karl Geary
- Kate Atkinson
- Kate Bornstein
- Kate Moses
- Kate O'Brien
- Katherine Mansfield
- Kay Tobin Lahusen
- Kaye Webb
- Kazuo Ishiguro
- Kenneth Williams
- Kerry Hudson
- Kevin Jackson
- Laboria Cuboniks
- Ladybird books
- Lara Williams
- Lauren Aimee Curtis
- Leah W Leonard
- Linda Rosenkrantz
- Linder Sterling
- Lisa Taddeo
- Lorrie Moore
- Louise Welsh
- Lucie McKnight Hardy
- Lucinda Hawksley
- Lucy Wood
- Lydia Davis
- Lydie Salvayre
- Lynsey Hanley
- M R James
- Maggie Nelson
- Marc Almond
- Margaret Atwood
- Margaret Drabble
- Marghanita Laski
- Maria Barbal
- Marilynne Robinson
- maripol
- Marita Sturken
- Mark Gatiss
- Mark Haddon
- Marlon James
- Martin Gayford
- Mary Costello
- Mary Norton
- Matt Cook
- Maureen Duffy
- Max Porter
- Max Schaefer
- Melissa Harrison
- Merce Rodoreda
- Michael Collins
- Michel Faber
- Michelle Paver
- Mollie Panter-Downes
- Molly Ringwald
- Morrissey
- Muriel Spark
- Murray Smith
- Music Time: Althea and Donna
- Music Time: Broadcast
- Music Time: Christine and the Queens
- Music Time: Dusty
- Music Time: Kate Tempest
- Music Time: Le Tigre
- Music Time: Marine Girls
- Music Time: Neneh Cherry
- Music Time: Saint Etienne
- Music Time: Stealing Sheep
- Music Time: Virginia Astley
- Nancy Friday
- Nancy Spain
- Neil Tennant
- nell dunn
- Nicola Beauman
- Nicole Flattery
- Nigel Kneale
- Nigella Lawson
- Niven Govinden
- Ocean Vuong
- Olivia Laing
- Olivia Manning
- Oscar Wilde
- Ottessa Moshfegh
- Owen Hatherley
- Pat Barker
- Patricia Duncker
- Paul Cornell
- Paul Farley
- Paul Magrs
- Paul Tremblay
- Penelope Fitzgerald
- Peter Scott-Presland
- Phil Redmond
- Philip Hensher
- Philip Hoare
- Philippe Besson
- philippe Claudel
- Pretty Things
- Puffin
- Quentin Crisp
- Rachel Cooke
- Rachel Cusk
- rants and raves
- Rebecca Jennings
- Richard Church
- Richard Davenport-HInes
- Richard Ellmann
- Rictor Norton
- Rita Mae Brown
- Robin Hardy
- Roger Baker
- Ronald Searle
- Rose Collis
- Rupert Thomson
- Russell T Davies
- Saint Etienne
- Sally Rooney
- Sally Vickers
- Sara Collins
- Sara Taylor
- Sarah Moss
- Sarah Perry
- Sarah Schmidt
- Sarah Waters
- Sayaka Murata
- Sebastian Barry
- Shangri Las
- Shelagh Delaney
- Shena Mackay
- Shena Mackay 1
- Shirley Jackson
- Simon Raven
- Sjon
- Sofka Zinovieff
- Stephen King
- Steven Moffatt
- Stevie Smith
- Susan Hill
- Susan Owens
- Susan Sontag
- Sylvia Sherry
- Terrance Dicks
- The Modernist
- Thelma and Louise
- Tiles
- Tim Murphy
- Tomas Graves
- Tony Warren
- Tracey Thorn
- Truman Capote
- Victoria Wood
- Virginia Woolf
- Vivek Shanbhag
- Will Eaves
- William Peter Blatty
- Wyl Menmuir
- Zadie Smith
Tag Archives: Ali Smith
My favourite books of the 21st century, so far…
Recently ‘The Guardian’ published a list of the ‘best’ books of the twenty first century so far. It got me to thinking and so here I present my own list. They may not be acknowledged ‘classics’ (though some are) … Continue reading
Posted in Alan Warner, Alexandra Harris, Ali Smith, Andrew O'Hagan, Camille Paglia, Claire Louise Bennett, Cristina Sanchez-Andrade, Elain Harwood, Garry Mulholland, Gwendoline Riley, Hallie Rubenhold, Han Kang, Jill Gardiner, John Grindrod, Julie Peakman, Kate Atkinson, Maggie Nelson, Michelle Paver, Nigella Lawson, Ottessa Moshfegh, Owen Hatherley, Philip Hensher, Sarah Waters, Shena Mackay, Zadie Smith
Tagged Alan Warner, Alexandra Harris, Ali Smith, Andrew O'Hagan, Camille Paglia, Claire Louise Bennett, Cristina Sanchez-Andrade, Elain Harwood, Garry Mulholland, Gwendoline Riley, Hallie Rubenhold, Han Kang, Jill Gardiner, John Grindrod, Julie Peakman, Maggie Nelson, Michelle Paver, nigella lawson kitche, Ottessa Moshfegh, Owen Hatherley, Philip Hensher, Sarah Waters, The Argonauts, Zadie Smith
Leave a comment
Books of the year…so far
It’s been a funny, strange and often disturbing year so far and it started with a bit of a book drought for me – I couldn’t seem to settle on anything until, that is, Tracey Thorn’s Another Planet came along … Continue reading
Posted in Ali Smith, Andrea Lawlor, Bernardine Evaristo, Edouard Louis, Hallie Rubenhold, Ian Sansom, Jon McGregor, Kerry Hudson, Max Porter, Tracey Thorn
Tagged Ali Smith, Andrea Lawlor, Another Planet, Bernardine Evaristo, Books of the year 2019, Edouard Louis, Girl Woman Other, Hallie Rubenhold, Ian Sansom, Kerry Hudson, Kerry Hudson Lowborn, Lanny, Max Porter Lanny, The Five, The Sussex Murder, Tracey Thorn, Who killed my Father
1 Comment
Pant-wetting excitements
It is cold and dark and wet and Britain seems hell bent on self destruction so I’m going to try to cheer myself up my thinking about some of the literary treats we have in the months ahead. Lanny by … Continue reading
This week’s book haul
First, of course, is Ali Smith’s ‘Winter’, a sort-of sequel to ‘Autumn’ which has been nominated for just about every book prize this year, but won none. I’m about a third of the way through it already and it doesn’t … Continue reading
Posted in Ali Smith, Armistead Maupin, Elizabeth von Arnim, Han Kang
Tagged Ali Smith, Armistead Maupin, Han Kang, Katherine von Arnim
Leave a comment
‘Reservoir 13’ Jon McGregor
Jon McGregor’s fourth novel present us with a panoramic presentation of life in the here and now. It is a stylistic dream, immersing the reader in what is the literary equivalent of 3D cinema. It is soap opera (not a dirty phrase in … Continue reading
Posted in Ali Smith, Jon McGregor, Melissa Harrison, Virginia Woolf
Tagged Ali Smith, At Hawthorn Time, Autumn, Jon Mgregor, Melissa Harrison, Reservoir 13
2 Comments
Autumn – Ali Smith
‘It was the worst of times, it was the worst of times.’ Ali Smith has written the novel of 2016, a book which exhibits Smith’s usual linguistic playfulness coupled with a raw edge, forged in the fury to get down thoughts and … Continue reading
Posted in Ali Smith, Richard Davenport-HInes
Tagged Ali Smith, Autumn, Book of the year 2016
3 Comments