Latest Previews (Forethoughts)
Forethoughts: Things We Didn’t See Coming by Steven Amsterdam
Is it a novel or is it a short story collection? I think I’m going to treat as the former. Regardless, I’m hugely excited to be reading Steven Amsterdam’s dystopian debut.
Forethoughts: Today by David Miller
Billed as a novel which is “beautiful in its understatement and profound in its psychological acuity”, this debut from London-based David Miller has the promise of something wholly sublime.
Latest Reviews (Afterthoughts)
Afterthoughts: The Birth Machine by Elizabeth Baines
A good novel but one, due to the subject matter, which is probably best appreciated by a female audience. That said I personally came away from this book feeling more than contented.
Afterthoughts: Kapitoil by Teddy Wayne
A very readable novel made all the more enjoyable by the presence of a wonderfully crafted main character. If you think this novel is all about corporations and oil then think again. It’s so much more than that. Highly recommended!
General Book News
Waterstones 11 for 2012 unveiled
UK book retailer Waterstones reveal their ‘Waterstones 11′ for 2012; the eleven debut authors that they will be championing this year.
‘Book Bites’ for Wednesday 7th September 2011
Meet Charles Mysak, cigar-puffing bookseller extraordinaire. How to write a book behind bars. Can short stories be skimmed?
‘Book Bites’ for Tuesday 6th September 2011
Man Booker shortlist revealed. Giller Prize unveils its longlist. The Dundee International Book Prize reveals this year’s shortlist.
‘Book Bites’ for Monday 29th August 2011
New Yorker serves up 1Q84 extract. The Economist on Murakami theatre show. Teju Cole’s top novels of solitude.
‘Book Bites’ for Saturday 13th August 2011
Readers like spoilers. Join France 24 on a video tour of Paris’s literary hotspots. The Outlet launches a new column.
‘Book Bites’ for Friday 12th August 2011
Edinburgh City Libraries produce an interactive literary guide for their city. Andrey Kurkov spends a minute with Boyd Tonkin. Edward Nawotka asks how we can encourage our children to read.
Although I tend to focus more on under-represented literary forms at RobAroundBooks, there is always room for fiction of a more general nature. Pretty much 'anything goes' as far as this section is concerned, but I will admit to having something of a major soft spot for debut novels.
