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…
May 26, 2022 Elektra by Jennifer Saint Review by Annabel The current vogue for feminist retellings of stories from Greek and Roman myths and legends is showing no signs of slowing…
May 24, 2022 Tell Me an Ending by Jo Harkin Reviewed by Harriet ‘What if you didn’t have to live with your worst memories?’, asks the cover of this debut novel. Anyone who’s seen…
May 24, 2022 The Palace Papers by Tina Brown Review by Elaine Simpson-Long I recently reviewed a biography of the Queen by Robert Hardman (reviewed here) which I described as an “admirable book”…
May 19, 2022 Dear Little Corpses by Nicola Upson Reviewed by Harriet It’s the first of September 1939. Hitler has invaded Poland, and though Britain is not yet at war with Germany, there…
May 19, 2022 America Over the Water by Shirley Collins Review by Annabel Shirley Collins is widely regarded as one of the most influential British folk singers of our times. Often singing alongside her…
May 17, 2022 Traitor in the Ice by K.J. Maitland Review by Julie Barham This book is a powerful, sometimes brutal historical novel set in the winter of 1607, when life seemed frozen by…
May 17, 2022 Lean Fall Stand by Jon McGregor Review by David Hebblethwaite If Jon McGregor’s name is on the front of a book, I want to read it – it’s as simple…
May 12, 2022 Maternal Mental Health Awareness Month: Birth Notes by Jessica Cornwell & After the Storm by Emma Jane Unsworth Reviewed by Rebecca Foster May is Maternal Mental Health Awareness Month and so the perfect time to consider two memoirs of postnatal depression, one…
May 12, 2022 Garden Physic by Sylvia Legris Review by Anna Hollingsworth Imagine all the life crawling in the undergrowth of a garden. In Garden Physic, Sylvia Legris digs it all up…
