A big #Book about being a gay man in #Jamaica that's choc full of gay sex & violence.There's a great story somewhere in The Disappearers by Marlon James but it's buried in amongst all sorts of stuff.Could've been half its length& packed a powerful punch.But evidently size matters

Sunday....

Full of vignettes about life for #Women& the secrets they keep but with the over riding arc of Heti's mother's story: Islamic religious fundamentalism &eventual escape to #USA where the novel is set among immigrants from(probably)#Iran.Female Life on Planet Earth by Laleh Khadivi

A compulsive, explosive and tense gritty #Gangland novel set in #Dublin with lots of drugs, violence and gay sex. But who's playing whom? Poor Tony's having a breakdown here with all these betrayals. All Them Dogs by Djamel White

Sunday....

Enjoyed this one tremendously.Superb writing whether talking about #NaturalHistory or herself & her family.Very relatable,sometimes funny or tragic, sometimes descriptive or informative. Land Beneath The Waves by Nic Wilson is upbeat, positive & ultimately hopeful.Wonderful book!

Drawn from a real 1960's experiment Black Bag by Luke Kennard is a comedy campus novel that is possibly better appreciated/understood by young men? Anyone read this one? Any comments?

Sunday....

A beautifully written, sharply observed series of vignettes about members of a family at different stages of their lives. In The Family by Sara Mesa, superbly #Translated from #Spanish by Katie Whittemore relationships& situations are expertly captured,particularly that last one!

Looking for a thoughtful & thought provoking novel about Turkey? The Renovation by Kenan Orhan looks at life in exile, belonging, identity, & memories & what they mean.Imaginatively written, it covers life in #Turkey under #Erdoğan's increasingly authoritarian & oppressive regime

Fancy a road trip with Greek myths, classical literature & philosophy thrown in? Beginning Middle End by Valeria Luisalli is a mosaic-like novel in v short sections with an original & poignant ending. Loved the postcards & photos. It's a writer & her 12yr old daughter in #Scicily

Sunday....

A gentle, compassionate, insightful novel about a man in his 70's with #Dementia heading to #Exit in Zurich. We're inside his confused mind as he travels. Switzy by Emma Cline is beautifully & sensitively written with a light touch that makes it an easy, if thought provoking read

Sunday....

Really interesting format & so well written.Gripping, intriguing & sometimes infuriating the theme throughout Wonderland by Hanna Nordenhök is deception,pretence& lies,told in 3 unconnected but threaded stories with extra vignettes.Great #Translation from #Swedish by Saskia Vogel

Part #Campus, part #Climate apocalypse novel with lots of other issues considered, The Vivisectors by Missouri Williams is a very well written & really interesting, if at times frustrating, read. There's also clearly been a family catastrophe that's still having an impact....

Sunday....

Fancy a fun, easy read that takes an interesting, lightweight look at #Britain, #Britons and our confused sense of identity? Finding Albion: Myth, Folklore and the Quest for a Hidden Britain by Zakia Sewell does exactly that. Enjoy!