slouching towards bethlehem // joan didion


Book Reviews

The force of Joan Didion’s writing astounds me. I think her secret lies in only telling what she knows, and telling it true, out of the corner of her eyes – “remember what it was to be me: that is always the point” – she never shies of laying bare her own feelings, her own […]

July 27, 2020

five books I read this summer


Book Reviews

Something that struck me about myself the other day was this: With music, I mostly listen to men’s voices. With books, I mostly listen to the voices of women. This summer I have spent a considerable amount of time reading some excellent female writers: How to Be Both by Ali Smith (4.5/5) This is a […]

September 27, 2019

the secret history // donna tartt


Book Reviews

“The snow in the mountains was melting and Bunny had been dead for several weeks before we came to understand the gravity of our situation. […] and though once I thought I had left that ravine forever on an April afternoon long ago, now I am not so sure. Now the searchers have departed, and […]

June 17, 2018

little fires everywhere // celeste ng


Book Reviews

This novel’s set-out is simple: In Shaker Heights, everything is perfect. The city has been planned perfectly; the street lay-out is designed to eliminate traffic problems and there are rules for what shades of paint are allowed for each neighbourhood so that the houses look harmonious together – it’s a city where everything is planned […]

April 29, 2018

lincoln in the bardo // george saunders


Book Reviews

“We must try to see one another in this way.” – roger bevins iii “As suffering, limited beings- “ – hans vollman “Perennially outmatched by circumstances, inadequately endowed with compensatory graces.” – roger bevins iii This novel is so strange in the way it’s told, so utterly unprecedented and special, I think one either loves […]

March 4, 2018

a monster calls // patrick ness


Book Reviews

I’ve started reading this book on a long train journey home. It was late in the evening and I almost couldn’t keep my eyes open but at the same time I just could. not. stop. reading. First of all: It’s about a boy. And a sick mother. And a yew tree, planted atop a hill […]

February 11, 2018

just kids // patti smith


Book Reviews

Johnny Depp called this book a “poetic masterpiece, a rare and privileged invitation to unlatch a treasure chest” and although he may be an eccentric hollywood/rockstar/model god with an alcohol problem I must side with him on this one. It. is. so. good. You-don’t-even-have-to-be-a-fan-of-Patti-Smith-or-her-music-to-enjoy-it kind of good, even though it’s basically just her life spread […]

January 17, 2017