The Dig by Cynan Jones
Reviewed by Victoria Hoyle Cynan Jones’ third novel The Dig was high on my list of anticipated releases in early 2014, bought as soon as it came out in January. It was a…
Falling into the Fire by Christine Montross
Written by Victoria Best I begin to wonder whether there is an entry in the DSM (the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) for readers like me, who find themselves…
The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton
Reviewed by Victoria Best You have to imagine a big chest in the corner of the attic, containing the inscription: Plot Fireworks: Handle With Care! Then picture Eleanor Catton, that…
Some Questions for Alice Hoffman
Shiny Editor, Annabel asks Alice Hoffman some questions about the themes in her writing career and her latest novel The Museum of Extraordinary Things, which is reviewed here. Annabel: Before I get…
Born in Siberia by Tamara Astafieva
Translated by Luba Loffe Reviewed by Karen Langley Speak, memory, that I may not forget the taste of roses, nor the sound of ashes in the wind; That I may…
The Love-Charm of Bombs by Lara Feigel
Reviewed by Harriet Devine For the past couple of years, I have been fascinated by the events of WW2, and have found myself drawn again and again to novels written…
A Tangled Web by L.M. Montgomery
Reviewed by Mahathi G A Tangled Web is one of L M Montgomery’s ‘adult’ novels. As such, it is rather different from Montgomery’s usual. There is nothing really ‘adult’ about it…
The Genesis of ‘After Me Comes The Flood’, by Sarah Perry
Sarah Perry has lived in Cambridge, Manila and London. A winner of the Shiva Naipaul Memorial prize and a Royal Holloway doctoral studentship, she was Writer-in-Residence at Gladstone’s Library in…
Stuff Matters by Mark Miodownik
Reviewed by Annabel Gaskell Good popular science books don’t come along that often, and when they do, they’re inevitably about four topics it seems: quantum physics, space, genetics or the…
Sebastian Barry on The Temporary Gentleman
Sebastian Barry fills in some of the background to his latest novel, which Harriet reviewed here. Questions by Shiny Editor, Harriet. 1. The Temporary Gentleman takes place mainly in Ireland and Africa. What…
The Temporary Gentleman by Sebastian Barry
Reviewed by Harriet Devine A lark, a single bird with her dowdy plumage, burst up from her cup of sand just in front of me and like a needle flashing…
Appointment with Yesterday and With No Crying by Celia Fremlin
Reviewed by Harriet Devine. Why on earth have we not heard of Celia Fremlin? Well, I certainly hadn’t until recently, and having discovered her brilliant ‘novels of domestic suspense’ through…
Books That Changed the World by Andrew Taylor
Reviewed by Hayley Anderton The 50 most influential books in human history? There is a definite place in my life for books about books and I’m fond of a good…
After I’m Gone by Laura Lippman
Reviewed by Ann In 1976, Felix Brewer, unable to face the prospect of fifteen years in jail for illegal gambling offences, arranges to skip bail and cross the US border…