If you follow Nora (Pear Jelly) on Bluesky or Instagram, you’ll know that she’s been gearing up to host #SpinsterSeptember, a brilliant reading event showcasing books featuring spinsters, from the …| JacquiWine's Journal
The critically acclaimed novelist, essayist and screenwriter Eileen Chang was one of the greatest chroniclers of Chinese life in the 20th century. In Love in a Fallen City, an insightful, exquisite…| JacquiWine's Journal
5 posts published by JacquiWine during August 2025| JacquiWine's Journal
Ivy Compton-Burnett is widely considered to be one of the most original British modernist writers of the early 20th century. She published twenty novels in her lifetime, of which A House and Its He…| JacquiWine's Journal
7 posts published by JacquiWine during July 2025| JacquiWine's Journal
In this fascinating, deeply moving book, the Italian writer Marta Barone takes the reader on a journey to reconstruct the father, Leonardo Barone (LB), she only partially knew before his death – an investigation that takes us back to The Years of Lead, a time of radical protest and political turmoil in Italy during the […]| JacquiWine's Journal
What a phenomenal book this is, an autobiographical feminist novel first published in Italian in 1906, under a pseudonym due to its radical content. Touching on similar themes to Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s seminal text The Yellow Wallpaper and Alba de Cespedes’ startling confessional novel Forbidden Notebook, in which a woman explores the right to her […]| JacquiWine's Journal
The Japanese crime writer Seichō Matsumoto has been experiencing something of a renaissance in recent years, largely due to the Penguin reissues of some of his fiction. Tokyo Express proved a hit with many readers, myself included, with Inspector Imanishi Investigates following suit, strengthening the interest in this writer’s work. Despite not publishing his first […]| JacquiWine's Journal
Long Live the Post Horn! is my second encounter with the acclaimed Norwegian writer Vigdis Horth’s work, and happily, it’s a much more satisfying experience than my first. Her 2020 novel, Is Mother Dead was too intense and claustrophobic for me, but Post Horn is right up my street. Ostensibly, a portrayal of a lonely […]| JacquiWine's Journal
Over the past few years, the British Library has continued to develop its excellent Women Writers series, reissuing lesser-known novels by female authors from the 20th century for modern-day readers to enjoy. Alongside these novels, the series includes a handful of carefully curated anthologies, one of which, Stories for Summer and Days by the Pool, I’m […]| JacquiWine's Journal
When Dorian (at Eiger, Mönch & Jungfrau) first introduced me to Laurie Colwin’s books, he described them as very New York-y. Wry rather than funny, bittersweet but not sentimental – and Jewish, albeit in a low-key kind of way. A little like Woody Allen’s films, back in the days when they were good. (Annie Hall […]| JacquiWine's Journal
Firstly, thank you for all the lovely messages and support regarding my eye problems. Everyone has been remarkably kind, and I really do appreciate all your good wishes – thank you! Apologies for not replying to everyone individually, but I’m heavily reliant on dictation at the moment… So, while I await specialist referrals and eye […]| JacquiWine's Journal
If you follow the International Booker Prize, the name Solvej Balle will be familiar to you. This critically acclaimed Danish writer scored a hit in the 1990s with According to the Law: Four Accoun…| JacquiWine's Journal
Mostly books, with a little wine writing on the side| JacquiWine's Journal
While Simenon is probably best known for his Inspector Maigret novels, he also wrote many darker novels, often referred to as his romans durs or ‘hard’ psychological novels with an existential edge…| JacquiWine's Journal
I love stories featuring trains, mostly because the settings offer so many possibilities for interesting fiction, from chance encounters and illicit affairs to good old-fashioned murder mysteries. …| JacquiWine's Journal
7 posts published by JacquiWine during May 2025| JacquiWine's Journal
While the prolific Belgian writer Georges Simenon is probably best known for his Inspector Maigret novels, he also wrote many darker books, often referred to as his romans durs or ‘hard’ …| JacquiWine's Journal
If you’re a fan of Mariana Enriquez’s dark, deeply disturbing stories on the horrors rooted in Argentina’s history, you will love Hungry for What, a ferocious collection of short fiction from Spani…| JacquiWine's Journal
