Reviews

If you are looking for a compulsive read, then go no further than the books of James Oswald, who was the guest speaker at our first spring talk of 2024. The library holds All that Lives and six others in the series.

Amitav Ghosh is an Indian writer who has won many awards for his wide range of published works that include both historical fiction and non-fiction. Thanks to our library member for such an enthusiastic review.

Etaf Rum is a Palestinian-American best-selling author whose debut novel A Woman is Man gained a lot of interest. She was raised in a traditional family, entered an arranged marriage at a young age, moved to North Carolina and taught literature at a community college. Her own experiences clearly influence her writing. Her success has continued with Evil Eye being named as USA National Public Radio Best Book of the Year in 2023.

Claire Keegan is an Irish writer who is best known for her short stories. Small Things Like These was shortlisted for the Booker Prize and also the Rathbones Folio Prize, awarded for the finest work of literature, regardless of form, to be published in the English language. It won the Kerry Group Irish Novel of the Year Award, and also the Orwell Prize for Political Fiction.

Benjamin Myers is a journalist and author whose published books include historical, crime, and literary fiction and poetry. He was brought up in County Durham and his love of this part of Northern England is reflected in many of his novels including The Offing, which was a best seller in the UK. The sea is ever present in this novel, from the coal black beaches of home to the spectacular coastline at Robin Hood’s Bay.

Slow Down When Someone Dies, is a very practical guide to a subject that people still find hard to talk about, yet we all know we will have to deal with at some time. So do think about looking at this book which is held in the library.

The Bookseller’s Tale was both a Spectator and Evening Standard book of the year in 2020. What could be more appropriate for our newsletter than a title about books, bookshops and libraries? It sounds an ideal Christmas present for any booklover and will give readers ideas for other books to add to their ‘must read’ list…

Charles Cumming is one of our best contemporary writers of spy fiction. Born in Scotland he was apparently approached by the intelligence service to work for them while at university but declined their offer. Some critics describe him as similar to John Le Carré, but our reviewer finds his work easier to read and more enjoyable. So if you are looking for a page turner then this is it.

This review is of a memoir set against the backdrop of Argentina after the fall of Peron’s regime – with a penguin as the protagonist!

Both reviews are of novels, one Irish and one American. John McGahern is often described as one of the greatest Irish writers of the 20th century. His stark descriptions of rural Ireland made him one of the country’s most acclaimed fiction writers and we feature his final novel, published in 2003 three years before his death. Amor Towles lives in Manhattan and his novels Rules of Civility, A Gentleman in Moscow and The Lincoln Highway have all featured on the New York Times bestseller list.