I’ve not read Albert Camus before (I know, I know) but after discovering and reading ‘The Outsider‘ I can honestly say that I’ll be reading a lot more of his works (I’ve just ordered ‘The Fall’ and again it looks deliciously brilliant). ‘The Outsider‘ is a slow burning drama around one mans decent into chaos
I’ve been going on a journey recently with regards to Kealan Patrick Burke’s books, and boy what a journey it is turning out to be. Steve Stred who had read and advanced copy of my novella Juniper and kindly offered me a quote to use in the publicity of it mentioned that my writing reminded
Always North by Vicki Jarrett is a strange little beast, on the one hand I thought that the location and isolation that she brought to the book were astonishingly well written – you could feel the bleakness of it, the coldness of the arctic and at times when I was reading in bed, I’m sure
‘Consider This: Moments In My Writing Life After Which Everything Was Different‘ (which from this moment on will be referred to as Consider This) is not just a book it is an investment. Chuck Palahniuk has produced a fabulous book about writing craft, which as a fan of Palahniuk I’m thrilled with, but as a
Blanky by Kealan Patrick Burke is a slow brooding meditation on grief, one that pulls no punches – one that will have you wrapped with anticipation and dread, a story that drips with grief and sorrow and fear. This is a story and an author that I highly recommend you check out! As this is
Transforming the mundane into something intriguing, ‘Above the Fat’ is a wonderfully weird collection of short stories which slowly pulls readers in with obscure plots and layered characters. Chadwick has a skill for spotting the strange in something that could be so ordinary, presenting us with odd tales where the characters rarely have a traditionally
I picked up Grand Union in the hope that I would be blown away by the powerhouse that is Zadie Smith, and so I was very excited to learn that this was her first and much awaited short story collection. Zadie Smith is an astonishingly great writer, there is no shadow of doubt in that
STORGY reviewer Rachael Smart takes us on a journey of the best books that she read in 2019, and her recommendations are something that always throw up books that we then put straight to the top of our overflowing to be read piles! So, grab yourself a coffee and some biscuits and enjoy, then you
Flare and Falter is a humorous and light-hearted short story collection, occasionally bordering on the absurd. Conley gives us a delightful glimpse into the inner workings of his creative talents, creating bizarre worlds, plot lines that move in every which way, and relatable characters, in these short pieces that leave us questioning our own society.
It’s a neat little ritual, thinking about the best books I’ve read over the last year. It’s also hard to whittle it down to a manageable list. It’s also hard to remember what I’ve read half the time. With that in mind, perhaps the list then writes itself – if I can remember it, then
