I feel like I’m in both a reading and a reviewing slump at the moment so I’ve decided to write a bunch of mini reviews in the hope that this will revive my will to write full-length reviews. My brain has been like a sieve recently (I blame essay marking) so I’m only including five… Continue reading Midweek Mini Reviews
Title: White is for WitchingAuthor: Helen OyeyemiPublisher: Picador Date: 2010 (2009)Genre: Contemporary FantasySummary: In a vast, mysterious house on the cliffs near Dover, the Silver family is reeling from the hole punched into its heart. The twins, Miranda and Eliot, and their father, Luc, are mourning the sudden death of Lily, beloved mother and wife. All… Continue reading Book Review: White is for Witching by Helen Oyeyemi
Title: Olivia Author: Dorothy Strachey Publisher: Vintage Classics Date: 2008 (1949) Genre: Fiction Summary: When Olivia turns sixteen she is sent to a Parisian finishing school to broaden her education. Soon after her arrival, she finds herself falling under the spell of her beautiful and charismatic teacher. But Madamoiselle Julie’s life is not as straightforward… Continue reading Book Review: Olivia by Dorothy Strachey
Title: Whose Body? Author: Dorothy L. Sayers Publisher: Hodder Date: 2016 (1923) Genre: Mystery Summary: A It was the body of a tall stout man. On his dead face, a handsome pair of gold pince-nez mocked death with grotesque elegance. The body wore nothing else. Lord Peter Wimsey knew immediately what the corpse was supposed to… Continue reading Book Review: Whose Body? by Dorothy L. Sayers
Title: Drive your Plow over the Bones of the Dead Author: Olga Tokarczuk Translator: Antonia Lloyd-Jones Publisher: Fitzcarraldo Editions Date: 2018 (2009) Genre: Mystery Summary: After her two dogs go missing and members of the local hunting club are found murdered, teacher and animal rights activist Janina Duszejko becomes involved in the ensuing investigation. This book… Continue reading Book Review: Drive your Plow over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk
Title: A Canticle for Leibowitz Author: Walter M. Miller Jr Publisher: Orbit Date: 2020 (1959) Genre: Science fiction Summary: In a nightmarish ruined world slowly awakening to the light after sleeping in darkness, the infant rediscoveries of science are secretly nourished by cloistered monks dedicated to the study and preservation of the relics and writings of… Continue reading Book Review: A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller Jr
Title: The Fifth Season Author: N. K. Jemisin Publisher: Orbit Date: 2020 (2015) Genre: Fantasy Summary: It starts with the great red rift across the heart of the world’s sole continent, spewing ash that blots out the sun. It starts with death, with a murdered son and a missing daughter. It starts with betrayal, and… Continue reading Book Review: The Fifth Season by N. K. Jemisin
Title: The Golem and the Djinni Author: Helene Wecker Publisher: Blue Door Date: 2013 Genre: Historical Fantasy Summary: Unlikely friends whose tenuous attachment challenges their opposing natures – until the night a terrifying incident drives them back into their separate worlds. But a powerful threat will soon bring Chava and Ahmad together again, challenging their… Continue reading Book Review: The Golem and the Djinni by Helene Wecker
Title: About Love and Other Stories Author: Anton Chekhov Translator: Rosamund Bartlett Publisher: Oxford University Press Date: 2008 (1885-1902) Genre: Short stories Summary: While his popularity as a playwright has sometimes overshadowed his achievements in prose, the importance of Chekhov’s stories is now recognized by readers as well as by fellow authors. Their themes – alienation, the… Continue reading Book Review: About Love and Other Stories by Anton Chekhov (translated by Rosamund Bartlett)
Title: Hercule Poirot’s Christmas Author: Agatha Christie Publisher: HarperCollins Date: 2013 (1938) Genre: Crime / Mystery Summary: It is Christmas Eve. The Lee family reunion is shattered by a deafening crash of furniture, followed by a high-pitched wailing scream. The tyrannical Simeon Lee has been murdered, and Hercule Poirot is called in to investigate. Christmas was over… Continue reading Book Review: Hercule Poirot’s Christmas by Agatha Christie
warm days will never cease 