How to Create a Cosy Reading Afternoon for Autumn – Not-So-Modern Girl
My tips to create a cosy Autumn reading experience!| Not-So-Modern Girl
I actually read 15 collections in total for Short Story September. I’m finally catching up on reviews, though I’m aware that I’ve missed out on Lisa’s link-up. (My other reviews: Heiny, Mackay, McEwan; the BBC National Short Story Award 2025 anthology; Donoghue, Grass, Isherwood, Mansfield as part of my Germany reading.) To keep it simple […]| Bookish Beck
(Part I covered Berlin.) Three works of short fiction embodied the rest of our journeying, from Berlin to Lübeck to home. We were sad to say goodbye to Lemmy and Roxanne, the affectionate, fluffy cats who came with our Berlin flat, but there were further adventures to be had. The hosts of our Lübeck Airbnb […]| Bookish Beck
We’ve actually been back for more than a week, but soon after our return I was felled by a nasty cold (not Covid, surprisingly), which has left me with a lingering cough and ongoing fatigue. Finally, I’m recovered just about enough to report back. This Interrail adventure was more low-key than the one we took […]| Bookish Beck
Another quick contribution to #ShortStorySeptember. I was delighted when Comma Press sent me a surprise copy of The BBC National Short Story Award 2025, which prints the five stories shortlisted for this year’s prize. Now in its 20th year, the award has recognised established authors and newcomers alike – the roster of winners includes Lucy […]| Bookish Beck
My tips to create a cosy Autumn reading experience!| Not-So-Modern Girl
Australian author Gerald Murnane isn’t known for sticking to convention, yet his recently republished 2009 novel addresses a quite conventional question: Why do writers write? Reviewed by Sam Tiratto The post Barley Patch appeared first on Rain Taxi.| Rain Taxi
It was Ann Patchett’s glowing puff that swung it for me with acclaimed short story writer Patrick Ryan’s, Buckeye. I liked the sound of its premise but thought I might find the spiritualism mentioned in the blurb a bit too much to swallow. Ryan’s first novel follows two families, linked by a devastating secret, over […] The post Buckeye by Patrick Ryan: If you like Ann Patchett… appeared first on A life in books.| A life in books
Every September I enjoy focusing on short stories, which I seem to read at a rate of only one or two collections per month in the rest of a year. This year, Lisa of ANZ Lit Lovers is hosting Short …| Bookish Beck
Neither of these appeared on my initial list, but I thought a middle-grade novel and a classic would be good for variety. Though I have an MA in Victorian Literature, I don’t often read from the pe…| Bookish Beck
I’d taken on too many titles for review when Andrew Porter’s The Imagined Life popped up on NetGalley but I couldn’t resist both its premise and that cover so jumped in. Porter’s novel sees a middle-aged man who’s been carrying the burden of his father’s disappearance since he was twelve years old, determined to get […] The post The Imagined Life by Andrew Porter: ‘In the imagined life, so much is different’ appeared first on A life in books.| A life in books
Book reviews, snippets of book news, and alerts about books outside the glare of the publicity spotlight.| A life in books
Book reviews, snippets of book news, and alerts about books outside the glare of the publicity spotlight.| A life in books
Book reviews, snippets of book news, and alerts about books outside the glare of the publicity spotlight.| A life in books
In its mixture of literary ambition and old-fashioned showmanship, John Pistelli’s latest novel is a throwback to the efflorescence of popular literary fiction in the mid-late 20th century. Reviewed by Andy Hartzell| Rain Taxi
Book reviews, snippets of book news, and alerts about books outside the glare of the publicity spotlight.| A life in books
Book reviews, snippets of book news, and alerts about books outside the glare of the publicity spotlight.| A life in books
Book reviews, snippets of book news, and alerts about books outside the glare of the publicity spotlight.| A life in books
Book reviews, snippets of book news, and alerts about books outside the glare of the publicity spotlight.| A life in books
Halfway there! And I’m doing better than it might appear in that I’m in the middle of another 7 books and just have to decide what the final 3 will be. This was a sobering but satisfying pair of no…| Bookish Beck
Book reviews, snippets of book news, and alerts about books outside the glare of the publicity spotlight.| A life in books
Book reviews, snippets of book news, and alerts about books outside the glare of the publicity spotlight.| A life in books
Two very good 2025 releases that I read from the library. While they could hardly be more different in tone and particulars, I couldn’t resist linking them via their titles. Three Days in Ju…| Bookish Beck
A list of books to read in Summer| Not-So-Modern Girl
Book reviews, snippets of book news, and alerts about books outside the glare of the publicity spotlight.| A life in books
Book reviews, snippets of book news, and alerts about books outside the glare of the publicity spotlight.| A life in books
Book reviews, snippets of book news, and alerts about books outside the glare of the publicity spotlight.| A life in books
Book reviews, snippets of book news, and alerts about books outside the glare of the publicity spotlight.| A life in books
Three summers ago, we first explored the Outer Hebrides, moving south from Lewis through Harris to North Uist and Benbecula. It took longer than expected to make it back to the Western Isles. (It’s…| Bookish Beck
Book reviews, snippets of book news, and alerts about books outside the glare of the publicity spotlight.| A life in books
Book reviews, snippets of book news, and alerts about books outside the glare of the publicity spotlight.| A life in books
Book reviews, snippets of book news, and alerts about books outside the glare of the publicity spotlight.| A life in books
Book reviews, snippets of book news, and alerts about books outside the glare of the publicity spotlight.| A life in books
Book reviews, snippets of book news, and alerts about books outside the glare of the publicity spotlight.| A life in books
It’s the start of the third annual week-long Reading the Meow challenge, hosted by Mallika of Literary Potpourri! For my first set of reviews, I have two lovely memoirs of life with cats, and a few…| Bookish Beck
Book reviews, snippets of book news, and alerts about books outside the glare of the publicity spotlight.| A life in books
Book reviews, snippets of book news, and alerts about books outside the glare of the publicity spotlight.| A life in books
Book reviews, snippets of book news, and alerts about books outside the glare of the publicity spotlight.| A life in books
Book reviews, snippets of book news, and alerts about books outside the glare of the publicity spotlight.| A life in books
Book reviews, snippets of book news, and alerts about books outside the glare of the publicity spotlight.| A life in books
Book reviews, snippets of book news, and alerts about books outside the glare of the publicity spotlight.| A life in books
Book reviews, snippets of book news, and alerts about books outside the glare of the publicity spotlight.| A life in books
Book reviews, snippets of book news, and alerts about books outside the glare of the publicity spotlight.| A life in books
Book reviews, snippets of book news, and alerts about books outside the glare of the publicity spotlight.| A life in books
Book reviews, snippets of book news, and alerts about books outside the glare of the publicity spotlight.| A life in books
Book reviews, snippets of book news, and alerts about books outside the glare of the publicity spotlight.| A life in books
Book reviews, snippets of book news, and alerts about books outside the glare of the publicity spotlight.| A life in books
Book reviews, snippets of book news, and alerts about books outside the glare of the publicity spotlight.| A life in books
Book reviews, snippets of book news, and alerts about books outside the glare of the publicity spotlight.| A life in books
Book reviews, snippets of book news, and alerts about books outside the glare of the publicity spotlight.| A life in books
Book reviews, snippets of book news, and alerts about books outside the glare of the publicity spotlight.| A life in books
Book reviews, snippets of book news, and alerts about books outside the glare of the publicity spotlight.| A life in books
I’ve gotten to 22 books with a 2025 publication date so far, most of them for paid reviews for Foreword Reviews or Shelf Awareness. I give review excerpts, links where available, and ratings below …| Bookish Beck
Book reviews, snippets of book news, and alerts about books outside the glare of the publicity spotlight.| A life in books
Book reviews, snippets of book news, and alerts about books outside the glare of the publicity spotlight.| A life in books
Book reviews, snippets of book news, and alerts about books outside the glare of the publicity spotlight.| A life in books
Book reviews, snippets of book news, and alerts about books outside the glare of the publicity spotlight.| A life in books
Book reviews, snippets of book news, and alerts about books outside the glare of the publicity spotlight.| A life in books
Book reviews, snippets of book news, and alerts about books outside the glare of the publicity spotlight.| A life in books
Book reviews, snippets of book news, and alerts about books outside the glare of the publicity spotlight.| A life in books
