*Bounce* *Bounce* *Bounce* *Bounce* *Bounce* Why am I bouncing? Because I'm excited. Why am I excited? Because sitting in front of me is Irish short fiction legend Kevin Barry's latest short story collection, Dark Lies the Island (Jonathan Cape), and … [Read more...]
Forethoughts: Me and You by Niccolò Ammaniti
March 20, 2012 By 6 Comments
*Please note, I've now posted my afterthoughts for Me and You. It's not every day that I'll leapfrog a new arrival to the top of my review pile (especially while I'm reading as a shadow judge for this year's Independent Foreign Fiction Prize), but … [Read more...]
Forethoughts: Scenes from Village Life by Amos Oz
March 14, 2012 By Leave a Comment
*Please note, I've now posted my afterthoughts for Scenes from Village Life. And so I take a first tentative step into this year's Independent Foreign Fiction Prize as a 'shadow judge', by reading one of the shortest books on the longlist, … [Read more...]
Forethoughts: Accabadora by Michela Murgia
October 20, 2011 By 2 Comments
Hand's up, who knows what an accabadora is? I'd be impressed if you did know. I didn't, but I soon found out when I picked up my lasted read which uses this word as its title. The meaning of accabadora is revealed in the cover blurb (see below). … [Read more...]
Forethoughts: The Art of Fact edited by Kevin Kerrane and Ben Yagoda
August 7, 2011 By Leave a Comment
The Art of Fact: A Historical Anthology of Literary Journalism (Simon & Schuster) may have been published in 1997 but it still stands as one of the finest anthologies on the subject of literary nonfiction. So what better book to complement my read … [Read more...]
Forethoughts: Atlas of Remote Islands by Judith Schalansky
August 2, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Note: My afterthoughts for Atlas of Remote Islands have now been posted (but I'd still like it if you read my forethoughts for this title, if you haven't already). The first thing I have to make clear about this, my next read in preparation for … [Read more...]