Woodworking - Emily St James

69%

02.01.26

The new year's off to a strong reading start with this engaging, funny, moving and ultimately satisfying character-driven story that uses every type of narrative voice to convey many types of identity. I was less keen on the underplaying of the inappropriateness of the teacher/student relationship, and the lack of trans men amongst the vivid queer cast, but overall a good read.

I Kissed Shara Wheeler - Casey McQuiston

 

69%

30.06.22

A sweet and funny YA LGBTQ+ romantic drama set in an Alabama Christian high school. Compulsively readable, with some clever turns of phrase, the number of gay characters (spoiler: almost everyone) heroically tries to rebalance the usual straight stories. There is, strangely, no hint of sex - other than kissing, of course - and only a nod towards the real issues faced by kids in such communities, but it is a tonic to take in the relentlessly positive message. 

Wolf Brother - Michelle Paver

 

69%

11.02.22

A new acquaintance asked me what book I'm reading at the moment. I probably didn't make the best impression when I said it was a children's book about a Stone Age boy who can communicate with his wolf friend. But it was better than anything else I've read recently - exciting storytelling, impeccably researched and with excellent world-building. Since I got all six books in the series for a total of 99p, there will be more to come.

The Vanishing Half - Brit Bennett

 

69%

12.06.21

This is June's choice for both my reading groups and I was expecting such a trendy book to be political and preachy and worthily hardgoing. But, on the contrary, it's a lyrical, engaging account of the shifting nature of identity. Yes, it's a little heavy handed at times and, yes, nothing much actually happens, but it's an easy read with a sophisticated structure.

The Edge of Nowhere - Elizabeth George

69%
13.07.19

Clunky prose, irrational characters and a plot whose twist is that there's very little plot somehow combine to create a charming and engaging YA novel. The most enjoyable badly written book I've read for some time.

Crooked Heart - Lissa Evans

69%
15.06.19

Now, this is more like it. A sequel (prequel?) to the equally entertaining Old Baggage, juggling the same mix of humour, strong characters, social history and unusual take on a well-worn trope. And the unexpectedly sentimental last page floored me because I'm an old softy.

Old Baggage - Lissa Evans

69%
14.02.19

Who cares if there's not much plot when there are so many strongly drawn characters, and such a vivid sense of place? It is indeed the 'delight' that the cover promises, at least when it's not bogged down in pathos and foreshadowing.

One of Us is Lying - Karen M McManus

69%
13.01.19

This is rather a good novel masquerading as a trashy one. Yes, it's pretty clear whodunnit from the start, and the title gives you an instant Abba earworm, but the characters are unusually engaging and the writing style is surprisingly skillful. Most of all, it's simply entertaining.

The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle - Stuart Turton

69%
02.12.18

There's a thin line between intricate and confusing, and this novel crosses it several times. But, despite its many flaws, it's an original, engaging, surreal and highly readable take on the tired format of the country-house murder mystery. Too clever for its own good, and impossible to guess the ending, but for once those are plus points.

Flight Behavior - Barbara Kingsolver

69%
29.10.13

Kingsolver is a wise and lyrical writer specialising in razor-sharp characters and a passionate sense of place. Here, she takes the apocalyptic environmental message of Prodigal Summer a step further, and if she hammers it home a little hard, well, at least she cares. Her skilled use of narrative echoes and metaphor, mixed with a surprisingly intriguing (if over-long) story makes this enjoyable on any level you want to take it. And you're guaranteed to find yourself Googling monarch butterflies.

Fingersmith - Sarah Waters

69%
31.03.13

The incomparable Sarah Waters - reinventing the historical novel while referencing its ancestors (a whole load of Richardson, a bunch of Dickens, perhaps a little Gaskell). Her exploitation of the first person narrator's limitations enables fine plot twists and her rich storytelling makes you drop everything else and swallow the unlikely events and coincidences. For the first three-quarters, at least. After that the story seems to get dragged into its own detail, slowly spooling out to an inevitable conclusion that seems oddly lacklustre. But even that final quarter is more accomplished than the majority of books I've read recently.

Wonder - RJ Palacio

69%
27.02.13

You can read this in a couple of sittings while you're in bed with the flu (as I did) and yes, it is ever so slightly cheesy and preachy. But on another level, it's a surprisingly complex exploration of the nature of appearance, identity, friendship, growing up, even parenthood. It's wise, funny, engaging, quirky, and the narration from a variety of kids' viewpoints gives it a further level of insight. There's even an extensive quote from The Magnetic Fields and yes, if Steven Merritt were to write a book, it would probably be a little like this one.

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry - Rachel Joyce

69%
22.11.12

My daughter runs from the room if a story hints at anything sad or uncomfortable. She's only four but I've got 30 years on her and I still know how she feels. While often billed as a gentle, bitter-sweet humorous novel of manners, I found it dark, tragic, even, right from the start, when it's clear at once why the couple at its centre are so estranged. The language was beautiful, the descriptions of nature flawless, which is appropriate for a novel that highlights the balance between the joy of life and its apparent futility.

Spies - Michael Frayn

69%
11.11.12

Normally, I hold boldly to the view that life's too short to read a book twice, but exceptions can be made. Reading group choices, for example - life is not too short to chat about books with your friends over a nice cup of tea. In any case, I first read this 10 years ago and, despite thinking it really rather good, I remembered almost nothing about it. And yes, I still think it's really rather good and yet... painstakingly structured, deeply evocative, nuanced, an hilariously painful account of childhood confusion... and yet... the emotional depth is somehow lacking, the semi-surprise ending a little hurried. Or perhaps my older self is just harder to please.

The Help - Katherine Stockett

69%
05.02.11

I struggle with popular books. Especially popular books that have recently been filmed. I want to like them, really I do, but usually I don't. And sometimes I do, despite myself, or even though I shouldn't. So, what of this example, with its inconsistent, two-dimensional characters, its creaky structure and heavy handed political commentary? Well, I can't pretend I didn't enjoy it, that I didn't want to spend my rare spare time reading it, that I didn't cry, just a little bit, at the end. When's the film out on DVD?

Rules of Civility - Amor Towles

69%
26.01.12

Having the rare pleasure of book tokens, I bought this on impulse from a real bookshop - the sort of simple decadence this book celebrates. Although it celebrates sophisticated decadence as well. But while marketed as a tale of 30s glamour, it's actually complex literary fiction, at times a little too complex for the rather light plot. While the characters were all slightly irritating, the true pleasure lay in the evocative re-creation of a significant moment in time, like a Time Out to the best places to spend a night in pre-war New York.

Throne of Jade - Naomi Novik

69%
01.07.11

This is just as good as the first in the series, the excellent Temeraire. It shouldn't be - an American interpretation of early 19th-century European history with dragons doesn't sound too promising on the face of it. But it's so well researched, cleverly written, densely plotted and the characters are drawn so lovingly that any prejudices are overcome. Yes, it is badly edited and there could be more of the wonderful dragon Temeraire and less of his self-righteous companion Laurence, but who can resist a ripping yarn?

Temeraire - Naomi Novik

69%
31.05.09

This was such good fun after all the turgid literary fiction I've been wading through recently, as well as being quite well written and researched. A dash of fantasy for added fizz. The character of the dragon Temeraire was more vivid and appealing than most human characters are in historical fiction.

Engleby - Sebastian Faulks

69%
15.07.08

Someone lent me this - I would never have chosen to read it - but it turned out to be one of the best novels I've read for a long time. A compelling, psychopathic, unreliable narrator, a carefully constucted examination of perception, interpretation and the nature of truth and reality. Some annoying anachronisms, and a disappointingly self-reflective ending, but generally a great read on many levels.

We Need to Talk About Kevin - Lionel Shriver

69%
14.05.07




I don't think this is a book to enjoy, but its cunning structure is certainly one to admire. It's impressive not so much for the issues is raises but for the way it raises and then intriguingly examines them. Sometimes the symbolism is overdone, and the dialogue and narrative voice do not always ring true, but overall it manages to be thought-provoking without its characters becoming ciphers. A perfect reading group book - it kept us talking about Kevin for much longer than usual. [Ju's note: This book has stuck in my mind and I've often thought about it over the past few years, as if it's burrowed into my brain. This is a rare thing and a significant sign of a good novel.]