The Literary Sofa
Book Reviews
2012 – My Year in Books
Although it’s not yet December, it’s not too early to do a round-up of my literary year. This post centres on the books I’ve enjoyed most in 2012, which effectively means up to the end of October because I set myself the huge challenge of reading in full every pre-release title on my forthcoming Fiction Hot Picks … Continue reading
Book Review – Hawthorn & Child by Keith Ridgway
I need to tell you something right up front – I don’t think any review can really do this book justice. It’s the impossibility of the task that makes me even willing to attempt it, and if that makes no sense, welcome to the strange world of North London detectives Hawthorn & Child. Keith Ridgway … Continue reading
Book Review – Tigers in Red Weather by Liza Klaussmann
Literary tigermania shows no sign of abating. White Tiger, The Tiger’s Wife, Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother… Like all of these, the latest addition to the string of Tiger-titled books, Tigers in Red Weather, has caused great excitement in the world of publishing, with hotly contested auctions on both sides of the Atlantic netting … Continue reading
Book Review – Canada by Richard Ford
In my Book Review: The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides I talked about the fear and apprehension that sometimes come with reading something new by a ‘Literary Giant’. I could very easily have included Richard Ford in my list – his status as a giant of American literature is beyond question – but it simply didn’t … Continue reading
Online Book Reviews – The Good, the Bad and the Downright Nasty
I’m writing this piece from a slightly uncomfortable position on the fence that separates readers and writers. I am most definitely a reader, of 32 novels in the first half of this year to be precise, so if I keep it up I’ll easily smash last year’s record. I also think of myself as a … Continue reading
Book Review – The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker
I’ve never posted a review on the day a novel is published before, but I’ve been excited about The Age of Miracles since I first heard about it last year and it’s one of my Fiction Hot Picks for 2012. 21 June is midsummer day, the longest day of the year and a fitting date for … Continue reading
Guest Author – Wendy Wallace on Being a Debut Novelist
Many thanks to Wendy Wallace, author of one of my Top 10 Summer Reads 2012 The Painted Bridge, for writing the first in a new series of Guest Author posts for my blog On the Literary Sofa. Wendy’s article gives a fascinating insight into what so many of us dream of – becoming a published debut … Continue reading
Book Review – The Light Between Oceans by M L Stedman
Sometimes you just get a feeling about a book. As I mentioned in a recent post Book Titles – (Don’t) Call It What You Like, I wanted to read The Light Between Oceans from the moment I heard the title: it is original, it conveys the theme and gives a real taste of the beauty … Continue reading
Book Groups – What’s Your Story?
It’s amazing to think that something so important in my life came about because of a casual comment to someone I didn’t know very well, just four little words: ‘I want to write’. It was probably the first time I’d said it out loud and I felt like a pretentious idiot, but the lovely smiley lady … Continue reading
Being Selective – How do you choose which books to read?
Those who follow my blog won’t be surprised to hear that my favourite kind of conversation goes something like this: Friend: Read anything good lately, Isabel? Me: Oh, I’ve just read this amazing book set in……about…. What have you been reading? Repeat ad infinitum. I’ve read so many excellent novels in the last few months … Continue reading
My new novel SCENT – out in paperback on 19 May 2022
The Literary Sofa 