Caroline

LATEST ARTICLES ( 440 )

• On Elizabeth Von Arnim’s “Elizabeth and Her German Garden”

  

  I thought this would be my first book by Elizabeth von Arnim but I’d totally forgotten the wonderful The Enchanted April, which I’ve read a long time ago and... Read more

  Posted on 18 August 2016 BOOKS, CULTURE

• Lisa Jewell: The Girls in the Garden Aka The Girls (2015)

  

  It doesn’t happen often that I stay up late because I have to finish a book but in this case it did. I guess that shows how captivated I was by Lisa Jewell’s... Read more

  Posted on 10 August 2016 BOOKS, CULTURE

• All Virago/All August

  

  I have many Virago titles on my piles and always meant to do at least a Virago reading week for myself. So, when I discovered  All Virago/All August, hosted by... Read more

  Posted on 02 August 2016 BOOKS, CULTURE

• On Ferdinand Von Schirach’s Terror (2015)

  

  Ferdinand von Schirach’s latest book Terror contains the play Terror and von Schirach’s speech on the occasion of the M100-Sanssouci Media Award for Charlie... Read more

  Posted on 25 July 2016 BOOKS, CULTURE

• Colm Tóibín: Brooklyn (2009)

  

  I can’t understand why I haven’t read Colm Tóibín before. He’s outstanding. I admire his writing, his luminous prose. It’s not easy to say why it is so great bu... Read more

  Posted on 19 July 2016 BOOKS, CULTURE

• Georges Simenon: La Chambre Bleue – The Blue Room (1963)

  

  While I’ve read some of Simenon’s Maigret novels, I hadn’t read any of his so-called “romans durs” until now.  Many people say they are far better than the... Read more

  Posted on 08 July 2016 BOOKS, CULTURE

• Lucie Whitehouse: Keep You Close (2016)

  

  This is just a quick review of Lucie Whitehouse’s latest novel Keep You Close. It’s short because it’s more easily spoilt than other crime novels. Read more

  Posted on 04 July 2016 BOOKS, CULTURE

• On Maria Stankowa’s Novella The Black Woman and the Archer – Bulgarian Literatur...

  

  I’ve never read Bulgarian literature before and when Thomas (Mystwostotinki) announced he would host a Bulgarian Literature Month in June, I thought it would... Read more

  Posted on 29 June 2016 BOOKS, CULTURE

• New Fiction in The Vignette Review and Ink in Thirds

  

  May was a particularly good month for acceptances. I’ve had three stories accepted, two of which have been published by now, the third is forthcoming at the... Read more

  Posted on 22 June 2016 BOOKS, CULTURE

• Ursula Bloom: Wonder Cruise (1934)

  

  Before Corazon Books contacted me and asked me whether I would be interested in reviewing Ursula Bloom’s Wonder Cruise, I had never even heard of the author... Read more

  Posted on 08 June 2016 BOOKS, CULTURE

• James Salter: The Hunters (1956) Literature and War Readalong May 2016

  

  The Hunters was James Salter’s first novel. It is based on his own experience as a fighter pilot during the war in Korea.The Hunters tells the story of Cleve... Read more

  Posted on 31 May 2016 BOOKS, CULTURE

• On Claudia Piñeiro’s “Elena Sabe” (Elena Knows) – “Elena Weiss Bescheid” (2007)

  

  Claudia Piñeiro is an Argentinian crime writer. Most of her novels have received prizes. This one is no exception. It received an Argentinian and a German prize... Read more

  Posted on 27 May 2016 BOOKS, CULTURE

• Pia Juul: The Murder of Halland – Mordet På Halland – Das Leben Nach Dem Happy...

  

  If you know that Pia Juul’s novel The Murder of Halland (Mordet på Halland – Das Leben nach dem Happy End) plays with reader expectations, then you might... Read more

  Posted on 23 May 2016 BOOKS, CULTURE

• Elizabeth Taylor: At Mrs Lippincote’s (1945)

  

  Published in 1945, At Mrs Lippincote’s was Elizabeth Taylor’s first novel. It’s my fourth Elizabeth Taylor novel and while it’s not my favourite, I liked it a... Read more

  Posted on 17 May 2016 BOOKS, CULTURE

• Dorothy B. Hughes: In a Lonely Place (1947)

  

  I came across Dorothy B. Hughes excellent noir novel In a Lonely Place in Books to Die For, a book of essays on important crime novels. Each of the articles... Read more

  Posted on 06 May 2016 BOOKS, CULTURE

• Literature and War Readalong May 31 2016: The Hunters by James Salter

  

  James Salter’s The Hunters is this month’s Literature and War Readalong title. It’s the first novel about the Korean war that we’re reading in the read along. Read more

  Posted on 02 May 2016 BOOKS, CULTURE

• Elizabeth McKenzie: The Portable Veblen (2016)

  

  There are a few things you might see differently after having read The Portable Veblen—squirrels, marriage, clinical trials, mental health, consumerism,... Read more

  Posted on 20 April 2016 BOOKS, CULTURE

• Three Short Reviews – Eileen (2015) – The Loney (2014) – Saturday (2005)

  

  I finished so many novels recently that I will never be able to review them all. That’s why I decided to do a post with shorter reviews. It doesn’t mean that th... Read more

  Posted on 15 April 2016 BOOKS, CULTURE

• Nicci French: Friday On My Mind (2015) Frieda Klein 5

  

  I just finished the fifth novel in Nicci French’s Frieda Klein series, Friday On My Mind. I really like this series although not all the books are equally good. Read more

  Posted on 13 April 2016 BOOKS, CULTURE

• Linda Pastan’s The Happiest Day

  

  I don’t read a lot of poetry. Maybe one or two books a year, often less. Last year, I discovered the poems of Linda Pastan. One of my favourites is The... Read more

  Posted on 06 April 2016 BOOKS, CULTURE