July 28, 2022 Amy & Lan by Sadie Jones Reviewed by Harriet Set in the early 2000s, this is the story of three middle-class couples who have decided to abandon city life in…
July 26, 2022 Going to Church in Medieval England by Nicholas Orme Reviewed by Liz Dexter Shortlisted for the 50th anniversary of the Wolfson History Prize, this hugely comprehensive work is by Emeritus Professor of History…
July 19, 2022 Back to the Shops by Rachel Bowlby Reviewed by Harriet I’m not sure what attracted me to Rachel Bowlby’s book when I spotted it in the OUP catalogue. But I’m very…
July 14, 2022 Nemesis, My Friend: Journeys through turning times by Jay Griffiths Review by Peter Reason Nemesis is usually seen as the goddess of retribution, even of revenge, of implacable justice with no mercy, the avenger…
July 12, 2022 Horse by Geraldine Brooks Reviewed by Harriet Geraldine Brooks specialises in historical fiction. I read and hugely enjoyed her first two novels: the international bestseller Year of Wonders…
July 7, 2022 Water Over Stones by Bernardo Atxaga Translated by Margaret Jull Costa and Thomas Bunstead Reviewed by Gill Davies In his witty alphabetical epilogue to this novel, Bernardo Atxaga states that…
July 5, 2022 The Half Life of Valery K by Natasha Pulley Review by Annabel It was wonderful to discover that Natasha Pulley had a new novel published last month, I’ve been a fan since the…
June 30, 2022 A Spectre, Haunting: On The Communist Manifesto by China Miéville Review by Karen Langley It’s hard to think of a book or political system more reviled nowadays than The Communist Manifesto and the various…
June 28, 2022 The Facemaker: One Surgeon’s Battle to Mend the Disfigured Soldiers of World War I, by Lindsey Fitzharris Review by Annabel Lindsey Fitzharris is an American with a doctorate from Oxford in the History of Science, Medicine and Technology, and a post-doc…
June 23, 2022 I Used to Live Here Once by Miranda Seymour Reviewed by Harriet I discovered Jean Rhys in my twenties, and raced through her three great 1930s novels, After Leaving Mr Mackenzie, Voyage in…
June 23, 2022 One Day I Shall Astonish the World by Nina Stibbe Review by Annabel I’ve been a fan of Nina Stibbe since she first hit the literary scene in 2013 with Love, Nina, an hilarious memoir…
June 21, 2022 Letters to Gwen John by Celia Paul Reviewed by Karen Langley In recent years, artist Gwen John’s star has risen, with her work nowadays receiving much more acclaim than that of…
June 21, 2022 Cold Heaven by Brian Moore Reviewed by Harriet This is the first book I’ve read by the multi-award-winning Irish Canadian author, but on the strength of this remarkable novel…
June 16, 2022 Good Pop, Bad Pop: An Inventory by Jarvis Cocker Review by Annabel Since he first came into the public eye, Jarvis Cocker has always presented a delightful, non-conformist approach to life – droll…
June 16, 2022 Brave Hearted: The Dramatic Story of Women of the American West, by Katie Hickman Reviewed by Harriet Back in 2020 I reviewed Katie Hickman’s previous book, She-Merchants, Buccaneers and Gentlewomen, a fascinating account of the earliest British women…
June 14, 2022 Time Is a Mother by Ocean Vuong Review by Anna Hollingsworth War, identity, cultural outsiderness, exploitation, love, family and belonging (or more often not) were at the core of Ocean Vuong’s…
June 14, 2022 100 Voices: 100 Women Share their Stories of Achievement, ed. Miranda Roszkowski Review by Liz Dexter We need to read about the achievements of women, not least because we are constantly reminded of the achievements of…
June 9, 2022 Three by Valérie Perrin Translated by Hildegarde Serle Reviewed by Harriet My name is Virginie. I’m the same age as them. Today, out of the three, only Adrian still…
June 9, 2022 Snow Widows: Scott’s Fatal Antarctic Expedition Through the Eyes of the Women They Left Behind by Katherine MacInnes Review by Liz Dexter “I have chased the Snow Widows through dusty attics and auction rooms, and sifted them from history’s cutting room floors.”…
June 2, 2022 ‘Sensational Books’ at the Bodleian By Annabel On Tuesday I was privileged to be invited to join a press event for the Bodleian Libraries’ new (much-delayed by Covid) exhibition…
June 2, 2022 Exiles: Three Island Journeys by William Atkins Review by Karen Langley In our turbulent modern world, the concept of exile is never far away from the headlines. Wars and religious conflicts…
June 1, 2022 Guest Post: Sally Emerson on the themes and inspiration for her new book, ‘Perfect, Stories of the Impossible’. Back in 2017, Shiny editor Harriet reviewed a reprint of one of Sally Emerson’s novels, Separation, first published in 1992 – describing it as…
May 31, 2022 The Life of Crime by Martin Edwards Reviewed by Basil Ransome-Davies Here is a hefty and impressive package, a bumper fun book and prodigious resource guide for all serious crime fiction…
May 31, 2022 The Expectation Effect by David Robson Review by Terence Jagger We are all aware of placebos and their effects – the idea that a totally inactive substance can have a…
May 26, 2022 The Sound of Being Human: How Music Shapes our Lives by Jude Rogers Review by Liz Dexter What role does music really, deeply play in our lives, from our first days to our last? Jude Rogers in…
