I’m not certain what to make of Weather. I bought it on a whim in the LRB Bookshop, enamoured by the cover, synopsis and refreshing slimness. (that way one can read more books!) Jenny Offill’s tale centres on a librarian without a degree, Lizzie, who bags a job working for her old mentor’s, Sylvia, podcast,…
Tag: book review
The RITUAL, POLITICS & POWER of Our World
Correct me if I’m wrong, but I’ve never seen the term ‘ritual’ used much to describe life in the UK. It’s almost always imbued with a kind of exoticism and alienness, evoking images of localism, ancient heritage, simplicity. It is, essentially, othered. It’s also, obviously, complete bullshit, as David Kertzer’s Ritual, Politics & Power illustrates…
A Kingdom of Posh Boys
How big is the world? It’s a question with an answer in constant flux. The world was once divided into four-walled rooms, extending only as far as a fence or front door. It is also what’s told in technicolour from behind a glass screen, images and shapes that might not make sense but seem to…
Learning HOW TO STOP TIME
(spoilers) It does me little pleasure to write a negative review of a book, especially when it comes so highly acclaimed; its front cover contains proclamations of positivity from Stephen Fry, Graham Norton and Marian Keyes. But, besides some enjoyable writing here and there and fun moments, I couldn’t get into How to Stop Time….
THE BOY WHO BELONGED TO THE SEA
It’s not often that I pick up books on a whim, but there was something in the cover of The Boy Who Belonged to the Sea that brought me to think, “yes, I should definitely buy this and read it as quickly as I can.” Is it the lone seagull? The blending of the plain…
Feel THE POWER of Naomi Alderman’s Writing
I don’t normally read fiction. For some reason, I’ve mentally associated films with fiction and books with non-fiction. Books are for facts. Analysis, typically political. Or, if they must tell a story, it must be a story well-known and well-told – a classic, like Lord of the Rings, or Fifty Shades of Grey. Nonetheless, I…
Musings on Stephen Fry’s More Fool Me
I’m terrible with impulse purchases – or, rather, rents. As a frequent visitor to my local library, I often pick up books on a whim (even though my reading list is physically towering), the latest victim being Steph
