Tag Archives: Ali Smith

My favourite books of the 21st century, so far…

Posted on October 26, 2019 by

  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 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Books of the year…so far

Posted on July 9, 2019 by

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 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Back to the fold…

Posted on April 20, 2019 by

Where has the year gone? Time has flown and its now Easter Saturday and I haven’t posted anything since January! How did that happen? To be honest the start of the year found me struggling to find books to grab … Continue reading →

Posted in Ali Smith, Barbara Comyns, Bob Stanley, Diana Souhami, Edouard Louis, Elizabeth David, Hallie Rubenhold, Max Porter, Michelle Paver, Nicole Flattery, Sara Collins, Tracey Thorn | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Pant-wetting excitements

Posted on January 20, 2019 by

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 →

Posted in Ali Smith, Edouard Louis, Ian Sansom, Jeanette Winterson, Mark Haddon, Max Porter, Michelle Paver, Tracey Thorn, Zadie Smith | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

This week’s book haul

Posted on November 19, 2017 by

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 , , , | Leave a comment

‘Reservoir 13’ Jon McGregor

Posted on May 16, 2017 by

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 , , , , , | 2 Comments

Autumn – Ali Smith

Posted on January 2, 2017 by

‘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 , , | 3 Comments

As if by magic: Boty, Dunn, Smith and Me.

Posted on October 20, 2016 by

Do books impart a magic of their own? Some might call it ‘psychometry’, or the ability to make connections with an object’s history through physical contact. Of course, logic tells me this is nonsense, but part of me always succumbs… On Tuesday it was … Continue reading →

Posted in Ali Smith, nell dunn | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Treats -Lara Williams

Posted on June 4, 2016 by

When shopping in Waterstones, have you ever stopped to read the little cards which stand before certain books, resplendent with artfully cultivated handwriting which says ‘I’m interesting, me!’ and exuding gushing praise with today’s most overused (and inapproriate) adjectives: ‘Adorable!’, … Continue reading →

Posted in Ali Smith, Colin Barrett, Lara Williams, Shena Mackay | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Beautiful Books 3

Posted on May 12, 2016 by

or, ‘You can (sometimes!) judge a book by its cover’ Not due until late Summer, Ali Smith’s ‘Autumn’ moves away from the photographic covers (at least in the hardback versions) of her last few novels and boasts David Hockney’s beautiful ‘Early November … Continue reading →

Posted in Ali Smith, Beautiful Books 03, David Hockney, Martin Gayford | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment