Annabel Gaskell
I'm going to say it straight up. If you loved Audrey Niffenegger's The Time Traveller's Wife or Kate Atkinson's Life After Life, it's entirely likely that you'll also like Meet Me in Another Life. I love all three of them. Silvey's novel has some similarities to the mechanisms used in both the other aforementioned novels, but also manages to have a completely unique take on the ‘timeywimey' SF aspects of the plot.
Read my full review on my blog: https://annabookbel.net/meet-me-in-another-life-by-catriona-silvey-blog-tour
This is one of those quiet novels that is full of drama! Following the life of Violette Toussaint, former level-crossing keeper, now a cemetery keeper. In dual timelines we follow her life with Philippe Toussaint who left her, and her tentative new relationship with detective Julien, and the troubles in her past that she needs to acknowledge and deal with and a mystery for Julien to solve. Violette is a wonderful narrator, and the pages just flew by. I loved it. Full review on my blog https://annabookbel.net/one-translator-two-novelists-two-translated-by-hildegarde-serle
A huge bestseller in France, this novel of an unfulfilled university professor seeking to make his name finally by discovering a dinosaur skeleton at the foot of a glacier high in the alps fell slightly flat for me. Hard to put my finger on why - but I've read similar stories done better (West by Carys Davies). The first person narration made for much internalisation, and not enough about the rest of his team and the splendour/terror of their situation. Full review on my blog here https://annabookbel.net/a-hundred-million-years-and-a-day-by-jean-baptiste-andrea
The best yet in this fab series set in and around Oxford. There is an ongoing story arc, but a resume of main characters is included, and key facts from before are skilfully integrated into the text, so not such a jump to get into the story.
Cara Hunter always incorporates the latest issues and social media etc trends into her work - the main crime in this one focuses on #MeToo with a twist, and the whole book is peppered with tweets, whatsapp convos, police and news reports - and this time podcast transcripts.
Absolutely brilliant - read my full review on my blog https://annabookbel.net/the-whole-truth-by-cara-hunter
Although I really enjoyed Silver, I wish I'd read Scrublands first so I could get a handle on the character of Mandy, the girlfriend of journo Scarsden, the protagonist. I found it a bit long and convoluted, and was amazed he managed to pull everything together in the end. Full review on my blog here: https://annabookbel.net/silver-by-chris-hammer
Loved this book, so glad it transcended the hype. Read my full review on my blog https://annabookbel.net/the-thursday-murder-club-by-richard-osman-blog-tour
Excellent family drama set in the 1970s which is perfectly realised. Told mainly from a mother's point of view, as she sits by her estranged dying husband. Tense mother and daughter stuff. Full review on my blog here: https://annabookbel.net/home-is-so-sad-how-it-was-janet-ellis-two-roads
A simply superb collection of essay/reviews from Penman, who started his career with the NME. From Charlie Parker to Sinatra, Elvis to Prince, his unique take which is full of literary and cultural metaphor makes this book a most intellectually satisfying dose of rock'n'roll. Full review on my blog here: https://annabookbel.net/fitzcarraldo-fortnight
A wicked and slightly cruel comic novel about life in a girl's boarding school where body image and food issues are the norm in a particular group of girls - told from the daughter of a Russian oligarch's PoV. A mystery subplot fails to take flight, but the character of Tash's Aunt Sonja is brilliant. Full review at Shiny New Books here: https://shinynewbooks.co.uk/oligarchy-by-scarlett-thomas/
Before this, I'd read only the first DI Fawley novel which I really enjoyed. Now I need to read nos 2 & 3, for while I really enjoyed this one, there was quite a lot that happened before that would have been good to know more about. Nice to see a police squad that works together though. Full review on my blog here: https://annabookbel.net/blog-tour-cara-hunter-all-the-rage-alltherage
Sometimes words aren't needed. Artist Donwood has created an allegory of our world in this book of gorgeous monochrome linocuts. Full review on my blog here: https://annabookbel.net/bad-island-by-stanley-donwood-hamish-hamilton
The subtitle of this novel – “A Story of Love &Transience, Opera & Venice.” says it all, and this book was all of those, and more. Paul, a researcher into a little-known opera star of the fin-de-siecle arrives in Venice to meet the widow of a collector who could have documents to help him in his endeavours. Eva brings him the first batch of papers, but they relate to an opera singer in the 1680s - what's going on? We then start to alternate between the past and the present, in a story of immortality and reinvention, the immortality aspect is made perfectly clear as we follow Elena through the ages. Back in the present, Paul and Eva are tiptoeing around each other, gradually falling in love, although Paul knows Eva is holding something back.
The dual time-line works pretty well, and on this occasion the modern one just edged the historical for me, due to its slight claustrophobia. Heron's style has an intensity, amplified by the lack of he said/she saids in the dialogue which is simply signposted with a dash, this keeps you on your toes. This tale of reinvention and love will appeal to anyone who enjoys historical fiction with a twist, or reading about Venice, the city which, arguably, is the real star of this novel be it in 2000, 1680, or anywhere in between.
Amazing to discover that the events in this novel were inspired by a true life Christian cult that existed up into the 1960s. The novel uses the Panacea Society's leaflets etc in the text telling this story of a young cult member in the 1920s. Well-researched, pacy and unexpectedly thought-provoking. Full review on my blog here: https://annabookbel.net/review-assortment-jhumpa-lahiri-ian-mackenzie-somerset-maugham
I don't read much YA these days, but wanted to see Dawson's take on the world of modelling as she is such an advocate for young people. It was very enjoyable, and covers all the big issues you'd hope for, sending out a positive message to be yourself. A bit sweary though. More on my blog here: https://annabookbel.net/review-assortment-jennifer-johnston-claire-mcglasson-juno-dawson
Third volume in Stibbe's Lizzie Vogel trilogy in which Lizzie gets a job as a dental nurse. Her mother still manages to get into her life though. Full of gentle humour, a little heartbreak, but a lovely read. Full review at Shiny New Books https://shinynewbooks.co.uk/reasons-to-be-cheerful-by-nina-stibbe-pbk/
Marvellous memoir! An abusive father, an alcoholic mother, sex, drugs and more sex, multiple marriages, it's a wonder the author survived to discover she could write. However you need to be of strong stuff to read this - it opens with an account of the stillbirth of her daughter while in her twenties. Powerful and moving. Loved it. Full review on my blog here: https://annabookbel.net/the-chronology-of-water-by-lidia-yuknavitch
A wonderful collection of short stories from Japan all set on the last day of WWII, when the Japanese Emperor surrendered. These tales of hunger, disbelief and sacrifice were beautifully rendered into English by Ginny Tapley Takamori the translator. Very moving. More on my blog here: https://annabookbel.net/japanese-literature-challenge-13
Beautiful writing, but the structure of this essay didn't totally gel for me - the beginning comparing book covers to school uniforms was a bit laboured, the ending about the books translation (from Italian) was irrelevant to the theme of covers. Enjoyable though. More on my blog here: https://annabookbel.net/review-assortment-jhumpa-lahiri-ian-mackenzie-somerset-maugham
Absolute classic - I loved it. With soaring uplifting moments, beautiful nature writing, but full of poverty and tragedy. Full review on my blog here: https://annabookbel.net/book-group-report-yorkshire-classic-barry-hines-kes-kestrel-knave
A cli-fi, spec fic, dystopian, noir crime thriller - this novel has all of those! Third novel, but first available in English from Tuomainen. I really enjoyed it. Full review here: https://annabookbel.net/nordicfinds-finland-week-a-cli-fi-spec-fic-dystopian-noir-crime-thriller
What fun! A locked room mystery set in Oslo in 1968, with a great investigative pairing and due homage to Conan Doyle and Christie. Full review here https://annabookbel.net/nordicfinds-norway-week-locked-room-mystery-lahlum-human-flies
An interesting adaptation of the first part of Auster's New York Trilogy. I enjoyed this a lot, and the adapters found some interesting ways to express the internal thoughts of the novel. Full review here: https://annabookbel.net/paul-auster-reading-week-city-of-glass-the-graphic-novel
Simply wonderful novella by one of Norway's greats. Full review here: https://annabookbel.net/nordicfinds-norway-week-a-modern-classic
The crime is secondary to the superb character study of the narrator (whose husband is shot) in this novella. Full review on my blog https://annabookbel.net/nordicfinds-denmark-week-an-unusual-crime-novel