Magpie Murders - Anthony Horowitz

54%
15.05.18

Another ingenious, slightly postmodern and very English novel from the prolific Horowitz. It was clever, and pleasing from my point of view to have an editor act as detective, but somehow ultimately unsatisfying.

How to be Both - Ali Smith

67%
17.09.15

It's a tale of two characters and the one you get first is, apparently, randomly allocated. My copy began with the strange and wonderful stream-of-consciousness of a 15th-century fresco artist, a skilful and vivid voice. By contrast, the modern-day second half seemed dull and irrelevant, throwing insufficient light on the painter's tale. It's impossible, however, to resist Googling Francesco del Cossa and his (or her) majestic works.

A Visit from the Goon Squad - Jennifer Egan

52%
04.08.14

I know this book's proofreader. She did a great job - the PowerPoint presentation chapter must have been a challenge. But the book itself was gimmicky, and not nearly as deep as it would like to be.

Lighthousekeeping - Jeanette Winterson

54%
10.02.14

Dreamy and lyrical but, like a dream, I had no idea what was going on. But that seemed to be the point - a 'real' story cannot be contained within the pages of a book. Which is ironic.

Black Box - Jennifer Egan

67%
03.10.12

I unexpectedly received a 'limited edition proof' of this, which is doubly unexpected when you consider it's an ebook originally published on Twitter. (Hence the low res cover; apologies for any resulting sore eyes.) And even more unexpectedly - it was rather good. Margaret Atwood crossed with Ian Fleming crossed with, well, the dry geeky humour of Star Trek. If that particular combination appeals, get downloading.