Posts Tagged “Books”
Review: Behind the Scenes at the Museum by Kate Atkinson
by Stephen Tall on April 21, 2017
Behind the Scenes at the Museum, Kate Atkinson This is the thirteenth book chosen from my #40booksby40 list. I absolutely loved her later historical books Life After Life and its sort-of-sequel A God in Ruins, so I was curious to (…)
Review: The Trial by Franz Kafka
by Stephen Tall on March 16, 2017
The Trial, Franz Kafka This is the twelfth book chosen from my #40booksby40 list. It’s the one which surprised me most so far. I guess, because I already knew the basic plot — Josef K. is charged with a crime (…)
Review: The Siege by Helen Dunmore
by Stephen Tall on February 23, 2017
The Siege, Helen Dunmore This is the eleventh book chosen from my #40booksby40 list. The question ‘The Siege’ asks is blunt and raw: what happens when you starve a city for 2½ years? Leningrad found out, from 1941 to 1944 (…)
Review: Moon Tiger by Penelope Lively
by Stephen Tall on February 22, 2017
Moon Tiger, Penelope Lively This is the tenth book chosen from my #40booksby40 list. It is — let me cut to the chase — superb. I have long loved Penelope Lively’s writing, and this was one of those rainy day (…)
Review: The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters
by Stephen Tall on December 20, 2016
The Little Stranger, Sarah Waters This is the ninth book plucked from my #40booksby40 list. I’ve read all Sarah Waters’ other novels, loved each of them in their different ways, but had put off The Little Stranger: ghost stories aren’t (…)
Review: A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James
by Stephen Tall on December 13, 2016
A Brief History of Seven Killings, Marlon James This is the eight book plucked from my #40booksby40 list. And I’ll get straight to it: there are books I admire more than I enjoy, and this is definitely one of them. (…)
Review: Homage to Catalonia by George Orwell
by Stephen Tall on December 12, 2016
Homage to Catalonia, George Orwell This is the seventh book plucked from my #40booksby40 list. I have a bit of a love-hate thing for The Other Mr Blair. Animal Farm was one of my GCSE English Lit set texts (along (…)
Review: The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro
by Stephen Tall on November 2, 2016
The Buried Giant, Kazuo Ishiguro This is the sixth novel plucked from my #40booksby40 list. And what I’m about to write pains me because Ishiguro is one of my favourite writers… but The Buried Giant is a crashing disappointment. I (…)
The original meaning of the three Rs
by Stephen Tall on October 28, 2016
We all know what the three Rs stand for, don’t we? More accurately, we know what they stand for now. ‘Twas not ever thus… So if, like me, you end up desperately searching for YouTube videos to show you how (…)
Review: Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson
by Stephen Tall on October 27, 2016
Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit, Jeanette Winterson This is the fifth novel plucked from my #40booksby40 list. If you know it only as a “coming out novel” or, worse, “that lesbian book”, you are missing out, bigly. Jeanette Winterson’s (…)
