Monthly Archives: July, 2017
Odd Girl Out: Being Autistic in a Neurotypical World by Laura James
I read a review about Odd Girl Out in a newspaper. I have friends and have had clients on the autistic spectrum, but it is not really a condition I understand. So, the idea of reading a book written by a women with asberger’s syndrome, about life with the condition appealed to me. The author, …
The Blackhouse by Peter May
I first met Peter May some years ago in 2014, the year he won the McIlvanney Prize, for his novel Entry Island at the Bloody Scotland Crime Writers’ Festival. He is a quiet, courteous man, but one whose work I had never read until The Blackhouse became book of the month for our book group. The …
10 of the Best Poems about Stars by guest author Dr Oliver Tearle
This article was first published on the Site Interesting Literature founded and edited by Dr Oliver Tearle, Lecturer in English at Loughborough University and freelance writer. It appeared on 28 July 2017 at https://interestingliterature.com/2017/07/28/10-of-the-best-poems-about-stars/#more-12016. The best starry poems Stars, like flowers and the moon and sunsets, are part of the ‘paint-by-numbers’ poetry toolkit: if you want …
Closed Casket by Sophie Hannah
Sophie Hannah had a fine reputation as a writer (indeed her poetry is taught in the GCSE syllabus) before she raised Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot from the dead. Generally I am not a fan of such derivative works and find them unnecessary. I do not understand why writers cannot create their own chararcter rather than …
Burning Air by Erin Kelly
Erin Kelly is one of my favourite authors. I frst met her a couple of years ago when she was tutoring at Swanwick Writers’ Summer School. She is an excellent tutor and wrote one of my favourite novels, The Poison Tree, which is reveiwed on this site at https://bookreviewstoday.info/2016/10/11/the-poison-tree-by-erin-kelly/ as is her novel, The Ties That …
The Darkest Goodbye by Alex Gray
I enjoy the crime novels that Alex Gray writes. She is surely the crown princess of Tartan Noir. The Darkest Goodbye is both tense and topical. It is the thirteenth book in Alex’s DCI Lorimer’s series and starts when young DC Kirsty Wilson, whose father is soon to retire from the force, is faced with …
Out of Bounds by Val McDermid
It has been a while since I read a Val McDermid novel, so I was delighted when she got to the top of my ‘to be read’ pile. Out of Bounds is a 2016 crime drama novel by Scottish crime writer Val McDermid. The novel is set during 2016 but because the main detective is …
The Fear Index by Robert Harris
I enjoy books by Robert Harris and was delighted when The Fear Index was recently book of the month at my book group. Ths novel deals with the world of finance, at its worst. The hero of The Fear Index is a brilliant physicist called Dr Alex Hoffman who seems to lack empathy with those around him. …
Even Rain is Just Water by Lynette Davis book review by guest author Yecheilyah
This book review was first published by Yecheilyah in Pearls Before Swine on 7 July 2017 at https://thepbsblog.com/2017/07/07/yecheilyahs-book-reviews-even-rain-is-just-water-a-memoir-of-rejection-revelation-redemption-by-lynette-davis/. Title: Even Rain is Just Water: A Memoir of Rejection, Revelation & Redemption Author: Lynette Davis Print Length: 296 pages Publisher: Reflections Books; 1 edition (May 30, 2017) Publication Date: May 30, 2017 Sold by: Amazon …
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