Deeply satisfying crime novel of the 1950s in which a London headmaster gets mixed up in food rationing scams. Unexpectedly violent and ruthless, wellDeeply satisfying crime novel of the 1950s in which a London headmaster gets mixed up in food rationing scams. Unexpectedly violent and ruthless, well plotted, entirely absorbing. ...more
Phenomenally racist even by the low standards of 1920s pulp, depressingly short on any sort of convincing info on the 1920s drug trade, and not even ePhenomenally racist even by the low standards of 1920s pulp, depressingly short on any sort of convincing info on the 1920s drug trade, and not even entertaining. Bobbins. ...more
The memoir of a posh gay British man across the 20th century, of which the main takeaway is HE BOINKED SEAN CONNERY. Oh my God.
This could easily haveThe memoir of a posh gay British man across the 20th century, of which the main takeaway is HE BOINKED SEAN CONNERY. Oh my God.
This could easily have been intolerable as a depiction of a life of incredible privilege (the author constantly refers to himself as hard up for cash while being an Etonian waiting for a whacking inheritance, he's a gay man in pre Wolfenden times who entirely avoided the law, etc). It's not intolerable largely because of the immense likeability of the author, who comes across as the kind of person who'd monologue at you for hours but you wouldn't mind. He also has a strong sense of responsibility, even if in an extremely old fashioned paternalistic way, plus a profoundly relaxed attitude to sex (his only criteria is 'consenting adults', can' argue) and a cheery acceptance of human foibles. It's very long (apparently cut down from 700,000 words, dear god) but it kept me busy through a long flight/train journey very happily. Lots of name dropping, he went to school with Christopher Lee, lodged with Jackson Pollock, and did I mention he boinked Sean Connery.
Basically, if you're interested in the minutiae of life as it was lived by posh gay Brits in the 20s to 60s, with lots of travel, this is great. Falls off a lot once we get into the 70s and after. ...more
Great idea--walk up the dead straight line that runs through England to Lindisfarne through a startling number of prehistoric and sacred sites--but I Great idea--walk up the dead straight line that runs through England to Lindisfarne through a startling number of prehistoric and sacred sites--but I could not get on with it. The author's grumpy and mildly incompetent persona is fairly standard for walking books, but there's a point where the constant criticism of everyone he passes becomes wearing, especially because it seems to be mostly women (fat women, annoying women, loud women). Relatedly he's managed to quote an awful lot of male writers so far and only one woman I noted. And phrases like "the place was full of Japanese" (not "Japanese people") are funny to come across in 2020.
Also approximately every third paragraph ends in an ellipsis, and I had to bail because it was running a cheesegrater over my nerve endings. Editor where art thou....more
Love the cover. Love the fact that M&B are doing sapphic historicals. Love the setting in British regional theatreland, it's nice to get out of LondonLove the cover. Love the fact that M&B are doing sapphic historicals. Love the setting in British regional theatreland, it's nice to get out of London. Liked the set up a lot--fresh-faced Ruth, dumped into becoming manager of her father's failing theatre, gets grumpy reclusive playwright Artemis to write them a hit play.
Sadly this didn't come together in a satisfactory way, despite all the potential. There's a lot of internal narrative which kind of feels like filler in the middle section, and the romance is uneventful after a strong beginning. (It also doesn't engage at all with any issues of a sapphic romance in the 1830s--not in a Bridgerton TV way, because nobody else in this theatre set book seems to be queer, just not mentioning it.)
However, the main issue is the editing, which is dreadful. One woman is repeatedly addressed as Ms in 1832, people do things "carefully but perfunctorily" or have no appetite while being ravenous, several sentences just don't make sense, and mostly, something absolutely hatstand is going on with dashes, commas and especially ellipses. The following extracts are transcribed exactly as they appear in the book (Kobo ebook).
I don't know how--and I do know it will be...the worst thing I've ever written, that will likely ruin us both, but I will write her a play.
And one of the most exceptional things was that... Unlike other encounters she'd had--Thomas being the exception, not that she was comparing--it didn't feel as though... There was any pressure of time, for her to reach her peak. The sounds Artemis was making... The way she left no spot--save for those Ruth didn't react well to--untouched...
What the Emily Dickinson fuck.
I don't know what the hell is going on in the editorial department but this is not a state in which you let a book go out. This had a massive amount of potential and I am really unimpressed for the author. (It's also the second shockingly edited f/f book from M&B I've read in a few days. I am *side eyeing*.)...more
Discursive read about a nature writer's obsession with his local crows and rooks in Norfolk. I don't know if I learned a huge amount but nicely writteDiscursive read about a nature writer's obsession with his local crows and rooks in Norfolk. I don't know if I learned a huge amount but nicely written and absolutely makes you want to go and watch rooks roosting at the end of the day. ...more
Intriguing 1950s novel set in publishing, in which a war hero's widow is blackmailed by a sleazy lawyer on the make, but things get a lot more complicIntriguing 1950s novel set in publishing, in which a war hero's widow is blackmailed by a sleazy lawyer on the make, but things get a lot more complicated. One of those 'comedy of manners' type books that dissects feelings rather than conveying them. Funny in a chilly sort of way; I might read more by her but it's all a bit Evelyn Waugh for my taste tbh....more
Retired stage magician as series detective, which I obviously found irresistible and I love a 20s or 30s Golden Age type murder.
Very much a puzzle boRetired stage magician as series detective, which I obviously found irresistible and I love a 20s or 30s Golden Age type murder.
Very much a puzzle book rather than character driven. A few crucial clues were so concealed in the text that the author felt obliged to put your actual footnotes in the denouement speech to evidence they were mentioned (for which I'll have to take his word because the publisher didn't bother to update the references from the print page numbers for the ebook). That felt a bit cheaty for me. Would I have felt like that without the footnotes? Dunno. The actual murder plan was very ingenious but the footnotes left me feeling vaguely narked.
A thing that may or may not bother you: there are a lot of uses in this that just are not the right word for the job, eg "She was diffuse--almost icy--in her approbation", or describing a policeman's nervous voice as "insipid", or someone waking "with a priapic jolt". Bit disappointing from House of Zeus. ...more
Murder mystery set during the Great Fire, which is a great idea. No idea if it works because approximately chapter 3 there is an on page rape of the vMurder mystery set during the Great Fire, which is a great idea. No idea if it works because approximately chapter 3 there is an on page rape of the viewpoint character (unwarned for, obv), and I have a shelf called "men explain it sucks to be women" for a reason. DNF at however percent it was. ...more
Very relatable, contemporary British f-f romcom which is actually a romcom, unlike literally every other book described as a romcom that I have read tVery relatable, contemporary British f-f romcom which is actually a romcom, unlike literally every other book described as a romcom that I have read this year.
This is partly a story about an aimless late 20something looking for more in her life, and partly a story about a group of friends moving to a dilapidated house in a village to found a queer commune, and also a f-f super slow burn romance where the narrator has a long lasting crush on one of the people she moves with.
It's well written, lots of fun, and highly readable but, perhaps because it's trying to be three books, it wasn't completely satisfying as any of them. I would have loved more on the house restoration and living together because that was really fun, I'd have liked more soapy group drama. And I wanted more out of the romance, which...after 200pp of the narrator pining for Ray, I actually really wanted her to hit it off with one of the other cute girls she meets because Ray's obliviousness began to grate, and I never quite pulled that back. Basically I wanted the book to do lots more of the things it's doing, which is no bad thing....more
A very striking story. Renee Goh is the daughter of a mega rich businessman, in constant battle with her two brothers for their father's approval--CraA very striking story. Renee Goh is the daughter of a mega rich businessman, in constant battle with her two brothers for their father's approval--Crazy Rich Asians meets Succession, sort of thing. She fell in love with Yap Ket Siong at college. He's a talented musician whose family lost everything when they came up against a dangerous case of corruption and Ket Siong's elder brother's activist boyfriend (Stephen) was kidnapped and probably murdered. The Yap family had to flee to London where Ket Siong is scraping a living. He bumps into Renee at an event where she's schmoozing for business advantage and he's trying to force a rich guy into admitting what happened to Stephen, and we go from there.
The first half of the book is pretty dark and quite stressful. The impact of Stephen's disappearing on the family is brutal, and Ket Siong's life feels fairly bleak, with a strong sense of threat. Renee has all the privilege but is living a tense, joyless life, tied into a vicious family, forced to put up with gross sexism for financial/familial gain. We really see the harm done by rampant capitalism, and the ghastliness of its perpetrators--and Renee's complicity in the system is absolutely an issue. Their reunion is intense and physical, but there's unquestionably too much baggage and too much unspoken on both sides for it to work initially.
With all that, it's something of a triumph that the author shifts gears to make this really work as a contemporary romance. The plot pivots impressively and takes the mood with it, opening out into people reaching for joy and self-respect in a way that doesn't deny the pain of the first half. This isn't a book that pretends everything's OK globally, or that the millionaire fantasy is other than horrifically problematic, but it is a book that says you can fight to make things better for at least some other people, and that doing so is worth more than scrabbling for the next million for yourself. It is in fact a super-rich person romance that doesn't shy away from the reality of what super-rich means, with a level of honesty we rarely get, and I'm absolutely here for it.
We also see that Renee has the drive but is in desperate need of unconditional love and warmth in her life; Ket Siong is quiet and caring and needs a push to achieve what he's capable of. We end the book genuinely believing they will be good for each other.
It's a compelling read, doing something distinctly different in the romance field. The title is bafflingly inappropriate, though. Wtf publisher.
In which I write a murder mystery. NOT A ROMANCE. Just to be clear on that, genre betrayal/confusion being a thing.
This book is my stab at a detectivIn which I write a murder mystery. NOT A ROMANCE. Just to be clear on that, genre betrayal/confusion being a thing.
This book is my stab at a detective novel and I am terrified and excited. It's also whatever the opposite of a love letter to Oxford University might be. Possibly hate mail.
It's your classic Group Of University Friends Reunite With Murder set 1895/1905, enjoy. I am thrilled by the cover. ...more
Bought on a random whim because it's set in an area where I just set a couple of books and that seemed cool. An extremely competent and highly readablBought on a random whim because it's set in an area where I just set a couple of books and that seemed cool. An extremely competent and highly readable detective novel with well intertwined and ingenious plots, several elements of which I didn't see coming at all, and a nicely drawn cast. I will look out for more.
Also, extremely smoothly written and almost completely impeccably edited, as in I found one minuscule error in the entire book, and I can't remember when I last said that about a book from a publisher....more
Jeevani Charika is one of the most reliable, relatable, not to mention delectable romance authors out there. Her books revel in classic romance tropesJeevani Charika is one of the most reliable, relatable, not to mention delectable romance authors out there. Her books revel in classic romance tropes (this one has the woman runs bakery / rivalry with cafe opposite set up) but the characters have a realness to them that grounds the stories and gives them a lot of emotional heft. We really care about Elodie's wobbles and her bakery and her crappy family because she feels like a person, not a heroine, and it doesn't have to devolve into high drama because the small problems feel quite big enough.
Mal is a lovely, gentle hero who makes me sympathise with a keto-eating gym bro, which shouldn't really have been possible. Really interesting backstory on the keto stuff, too.
A thoroughly engaging contemporary romance, I enjoyed every minute, but in the name of God stop giving me Abba earworms.
Women's fiction/chick lit quite reminiscent of Queenie, which I suspect will work like magic for a lot of readers but with which I'm just not clickingWomen's fiction/chick lit quite reminiscent of Queenie, which I suspect will work like magic for a lot of readers but with which I'm just not clicking at all: I find books about women desperate for men and worrying about their weight and jobs and body hair etc chokingly frustrating and uncomfortable. This may be because I'm 50 and joyously done with that shit, but tbh I hated Bridget Jones's Diary at the time, so maybe it's just me.
If you did like Queenie/Bridget Jones, you will love this, as it's well written and well observed. Just not for me. ...more
Overview of publishing looking at it from multiple perspectives--editorial, printing, footnotes, cover copy, translations etc etc. Probably aimed moreOverview of publishing looking at it from multiple perspectives--editorial, printing, footnotes, cover copy, translations etc etc. Probably aimed more at people who don't already know this stuff, in that a lot of it is pretty straightforward info, but there are some terrific stories including one about a translation of Maigret that had me literally crying with laughter.
Rammed with jokes in footnotes, which just don't work in e, then includes a passage on how footnotes don't work in e. /side eye/
Strong +1 for the author's attitude towards UK/US difference in punctuation and the Oxford comma in particular, which is basically "just grow up and recognise there's a cultural difference instead of insisting you're right."
Overview of all sorts of cool prehistoric/ancient to medieval artefacts and sites, lots of pictures. A useful-to-have-around-if-this-interests-you booOverview of all sorts of cool prehistoric/ancient to medieval artefacts and sites, lots of pictures. A useful-to-have-around-if-this-interests-you book rather than revelatory; uses "we don't know what this was for" a LOT. ...more
I feel I am too cynical, or not open hearted enough, or possibly too habituated to saying "There seems to be a plot hole here" or indeed "Well that's I feel I am too cynical, or not open hearted enough, or possibly too habituated to saying "There seems to be a plot hole here" or indeed "Well that's wildly implausible". So yeah, didn't work for me....more
Eliot is, regrettably, the author of some of the poetry I most love in the world. He is not my favourite poet, because, as this extraordinary book makEliot is, regrettably, the author of some of the poetry I most love in the world. He is not my favourite poet, because, as this extraordinary book makes clear, he was a pretty awful person in many ways: poor friend, terrible husband, largely driven by disgust and despair. Disgust, of course, correlates with bigotry, and this book doesn't shy away from Eliot's antisemitism or attempt to weasel around it (plus very informative on the violent racism of his American home).
The disgust/despair that rendered his interior landscape so broken and ugly also built The Waste Land, a poem that arose out of a broken world full of terrible things, and probably couldn't have been written by someone less fucked up. This book does a really good job of illustrating that world: the political chaos, the ongoing damage of WW1 and the flu pandemic, the Treaty of Versailles already dooming Europe to a second round, the neurasthenia and bed-hopping and general acting out of people staggering under the incredible psychic load of the times they were living through, the uncountable deaths.
If you like The Waste Land, this is revelatory in many ways, few of them flattering. It's got tons on Ezra Pound's editorial interventions, and lots of chewy physical detail of typewriters and manuscripts and fonts. Plus the best explanation of the objective correlative that I've come across: the concept may even stick now.
An excellent book if you want a ridiculously deep dive into The Waste Land or TS Eliot's psyche, which you may well not. ...more
Academic book with an overview of the intersection of magic and politics in the UK (heavy emphasis on the relationship to the monarchy). ComprehensiveAcademic book with an overview of the intersection of magic and politics in the UK (heavy emphasis on the relationship to the monarchy). Comprehensive and informative, a little dry in the way of academic books but useful if you're after the info: I have dog eared many pages. Author obviously doesn't like Dion Fortune, which I regard as a sign of good judgement....more
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