The Literary Sofa
Fiction in Translation
French Fiction Special Edition
In a normal year about a quarter of my reading is in French but due to the toxic combination of Covid and Brexit, I didn’t read a single French novel in 2020 and really missed it, along with everything else I love about France. That changed when I read All Men Want to Know by … Continue reading
Spring Spotlight 2021
I’m a bit rusty on the art of the chatty intro so here is my Spring Selection: 8 fantastic books, including several which give a voice to people and subjects we don’t hear often enough. I look forward to hosting some of the authors – see the Sofa Dates – and an honorary addition to … Continue reading
Reading Round-up – October 2020 #1
The first quick-fire round-up went down well last week, prompting lots of shares and interesting conversations, which was the whole idea. Thanks to you I also added a few promising titles to my own TBR list. Today I’m going to dive straight in with four more novels I’d recommend as there’s lots to say about … Continue reading
Autumn Sofa Spotlight 2019
It’s hard to know how to introduce this year’s Autumn Sofa Spotlight, though that’s no reflection on the six fantastic books included. When I announced I was taking a few weeks away from the blog before bringing you today’s selection, I had no idea this would coincide with the last agonising crisis in my mother’s … Continue reading
The Verdict on my Summer Reading 2018 – Part One
As always at this time of year, this is an informal round-up of the books I read during my summer blog shutdown (as distinct from my Summer Reads selection of recommended new releases, where I’m delighted to hear that many of you found something of interest). To be precise, it’s my verdict on half of … Continue reading
Writers on Location ̵ Philip Teir on Jakobstad, Finland
This week’s post concludes the coverage of my Summer Reads selection; a record number of authors (7/12) have joined me on the Literary Sofa and I’m very grateful to all of them for their fantastic pieces and all of you for your interest and positive feedback. One of the best things about running the blog … Continue reading
Summer Reads 2018
I’m delighted to be bringing you my Summer Reads 2018. I’ve been hard to impress recently but the outcome is a selection of compelling and powerful titles which I really loved and for each one I tell you why! As always, there is a wide variety of settings – Italy [1], Australia [4], Chicago/Paris [8], … Continue reading
Summer 2017 – Sofa Spotlight (Summer Reads)
Welcome to my Sofa Spotlight for Summer 2017 – despite my switch to a shorter quarterly format, this is the full dozen as with my previous Summer Reads selections because I’ve found so many excellent novels. Far more than could be included, which says a lot about those which made the cut – plus I now … Continue reading
Sofa Spotlight – Winter 2016
It’s an exciting day on the Literary Sofa as I launch my new quarterly ‘Sofa Spotlight’ for Winter 2016. As mentioned when the blog reached its fifth anniversary, these shorter, more frequent selections will replace the Hot Picks and Summer Reads, but I hope they will be just as popular! The new system is already proving more … Continue reading
Book Review/Conversation with the Author – The Age of Reinvention by Karine Tuil
This is my first in-depth look at a novel since Michel Houellebecq’s Submission back in March and coincidentally it is of another French bestseller that has caused a stir internationally. The Age of Reinvention (L’invention de nos vies) is the ninth novel by Karine Tuil and her first to be translated into English, by Sam Taylor. I … Continue reading
My new novel SCENT – out in paperback on 19 May 2022
The Literary Sofa 