Books

These are all the books I read in 2024 - in separate catagories but in order of recommendation - so my very own Best Books List! Best Fiction Praiseworthy, Alexis Wright Bee Sting, Paul Murray The House of Doors, Tan Twan Eng The Arch of Triumph, Eric Maria Remarque The Empusium, Olga Tocarczuk Second Best Fiction Black … [Read more...] about Books Read 2024

Kingmaker: Pamela Churchill Harriman’s astonishing life of seduction, intrigue and power, Sonia Purcell I am becoming wary of best book lists! This one was listed on the ten best books of 2024 by The Economist. They called it a romp - but I found the romping all a bit much! I had bought and read it before that list came out because I'd … [Read more...] about Books December 2024

This Devastating Fever, Sophie Cunningham I liked this a lot. It's a terrific evocation of the Bloomsbury set, about which I've read a lot except not so much about Leonard Woolf. He's the focus here. We follow the trials and tribulations of a writer as she attempts a biography of him; taking years and years, finally giving up when she sees … [Read more...] about Books October – November 2024

I read these books back in September - October both before and during my reading of Praiseworthy when in need of light relief. The Friday Afternoon Club, Griffin Dunne I read this before starting Praiseworthy. It was spruiked as a memoir by a Hollywood insider that was a cut above the usual, but I didn't find it so. The author is of the … [Read more...] about Books Pre-Praiseworthy

A big picture of a big book. Seven hundred and twenty three pages. I bought it as soon as it came out - I loved Wright's Carpentaria and enjoyed Tracker. But I knew it would take energy and commitment to read it, so it's taken me this long to finally do so. Conscientiously avoiding all the rave reviews - I like to make my own mind up without being … [Read more...] about Praise for Praiseworthy

I've been immersed in the world of Iris Murdoch these last eight weeks. While I've read them in the past I couldn’t remember anything about her novels, including the three I own: The Sea The Sea, The Book & The Brotherhood and A Fairly Honourable Defeat. My renewed interest was sparked by Peter J. Conradi's Family Business: A memoir which I … [Read more...] about Books June/July 2024 – Iris & Friends