Ramblings of a Bookworm
Posted in Fiction, Once Upon a Time on Mar 19th, 2010
On Sunday it’s the first day of spring and already there are signs here – the daffodils are now in bud and I’m hoping the trees will burst into leaf soon. Another sign of spring in the book blogging world is the Once Upon a Time Challenge run by Carl. This too begins on Sunday and [...]
Posted in Book Reviews, Fiction on Mar 18th, 2010
I’ve resisted reading Alexander McCall Smith’s books up to now partly because I couldn’t quite believe they would live up to my expectations and partly because I don’t like the style of the book covers. This one is quite off-putting because of its colours, which is really a trivial reason not to read a book. I am so [...]
Posted in Books, Fiction, Orange Prize for Fiction on Mar 17th, 2010
The Orange Prize for Fiction is awarded annually for the best fiction novel written by a woman. Here is this year’s longlist:
Rosie Alison The Very Thought of You
Eleanor Catton The Rehearsal
Clare Clark Savage Lands
Amanda Craig Hearts and Minds
Roopa Farooki The Way Things Look to Me
Rebecca Gowers The Twisted Heart
M.J. Hyland This is How
Sadie Jones Small Wars
Barbara [...]
Posted in Barbara Vine, Book Reviews, Crime Fiction, Crime Fiction Alphabet on Mar 15th, 2010
Kerrie’s Crime Fiction Alphabet series moves towards the end of the alphabet and has now reached the letter ‘V’.
A Fatal Inversion was first published in 1987 and was reissued in 2009 by Penguin Books.
Although about a group of not very likeable characters I was drawn into the world of this mystery. In 1976 Adam, a university [...]
Posted in Books, Crime Fiction, Fiction, Sunday Salon on Mar 14th, 2010
Today is Mother’s Day and I’ll be spending some time reading my present from my son – Amos, Amas, Amat … And All That by Harry Mount. It’s been on my wishlist for some time now! And a nice change it will make from all the crime fiction I’ve been reading recently. From the back cover:
In this delightful [...]
Posted in Crime Fiction, Ian Rankin, Short Stories on Mar 12th, 2010
A new Rebus short story by Ian Rankin, The Very Last Drop was published in The Scotsman today. I couldn’t find it online but it is in a four page pull-out in the paper, complete with illustrations and a photo of Ian Rankin reading his story at the Royal Blind School fundraising event that took place [...]
Posted in Crime Fiction, Short Stories, Teaser Tuesdays on Mar 9th, 2010
Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.
Share a couple or more sentences from the book you’re currently reading. You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser [...]
Posted in Books, Crime Fiction Alphabet, Fiction on Mar 8th, 2010
This week’s letter in Kerrie’s Crime Fiction Alphabet series is ‘U’.
I’ve chosen Umberto Eco, an Italian writer of post-modern fiction, full of allusions and references, using puzzles, playing with language, words and symbols.
I’ve read The Name of the Rose twice, some years ago now.It is a fantastic historical crime mystery novel set in a Franciscan monastery in 14th [...]
Posted in Book Reviews, Fiction, Historical Fiction on Mar 5th, 2010
Recently, I wanted to read something other than crime fiction, but chose The Warrior’s Princess by Barbara Erskine, which just happens to include a couple of rapes, kidnappings and a murder. However, it’s really a time-slip book, switching between the present day and the first century AD in Rome and Britannia, a mix of historical fiction, fantasy and [...]
Posted in Book Reviews, Crime Fiction, Crime Fiction Alphabet, Fiction on Mar 3rd, 2010
I’ve read two books by Jospehine Tey – The Daughter of Time and now The Franchise Affair. Josephine Tey was a pseudonym for Elizabeth Mackintosh(1896 – 1952). She was a Scottish author who wrote mainly mystery novels.
I read The Daughter of Time a few years ago and thought it was an excellent book, a mix of [...]
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Ramblings of a Bookworm
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