NOTE: My final afterthoughts on this anthology have now been posted. It's not often that a short story anthology comes in to my hands and I have a warm and endearing attraction to it even before I begin reading it, but with this one - Various … [Read more...]
Forethoughts: The Art of the Personal Essay
January 24, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Aside from the fact that essays get little attention in the reviewing world, there are two reasons why I choose to focus on this literary form at RobAroundBooks. The first came about because of my adoration for the 'father of the essay', Michel de … [Read more...]
Forethoughts: At Large and At Small by Anne Fadiman
January 23, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Anyone who has read Anne Fadiman's debut essay collection Ex Libris (Allen Lane), will know what a great essayist she is. The collection, which pays homage to Fadiman’s love of the printed word, is beautifully penned and the reader is left in no … [Read more...]
Afterthoughts: Kapitoil by Teddy Wayne
September 13, 2010 By 5 Comments
In a Nutshell: 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! … [Read more...]
Forethoughts: Kapitoil by Teddy Wayne
September 9, 2010 By 4 Comments
I come to the next novel on my reading list - Kapitoil by Teddy Wayne (Duckworth Publishers (US - Harper Perennial)) - knowing very little about it, or its author. Given that this is a debut novel, that's probably not surprising, but if you know … [Read more...]
Forethoughts: Fists by Pietro Grossi
April 30, 2010 By 10 Comments
And so my reading journey through this year’s Independent Foreign Fiction Prize shortlist brings me to smallest of the offerings in the final six, Fists by Pietro Grossi (Pushkin Press). And if my expectations were soaring ahead of the last … [Read more...]
Forethoughts: Brodeck’s Report by Philippe Claudel
April 23, 2010 By 6 Comments
Exciting times ahead then as I set off on my reading journey through this year’s Independent Foreign Fiction Prize shortlist. And my excitement couldn’t be higher as I begin with the novel that in my mind holds the most expectation - Brodeck’s … [Read more...]
Forethoughts: A Life Apart by Neel Mukherjee
February 7, 2010 By 4 Comments
*Note: My afterthoughts for this novel have now been posted* With the read through of my last novel done ‘n’ dusted I thought I’d keep the cultural ball rolling with a ‘kick around’ of A Life Apart by Neel Mukherjee. Recently published … [Read more...]