It bothered me that I took so long to finish reading Colum McCann's "Let the Great World Spin" - but in the end it was simply of question of 'it's me, not you'... I needn't have worried that it was a reflection on the quality of the book, because it isn't: "Let the Great World … Continue reading “Let the Great World Spin”
Category: Books
The Impossible Readers
I am a registered Goodreads.com author. I had hoped that membership of Goodreads would allow my work to reach a wider audience. In support of this ambition - and possibly naïvely - I have twice indulged in Goodreads' 'giveaway' promotions. The basic premise is that you offer 100 e-books to Goodreads members in what is … Continue reading The Impossible Readers
“Homie”
From its earliest origins in aural tradition, poetry has inevitably tracked the metamorphosis of language through time. You only have to reflect on the differences between Chaucer, Shakespeare, Wordsworth and Larkin to see how poetry maps not only the journey of a civilisation but its language and mores too. Perhaps poetry takes a little while … Continue reading “Homie”
The Daunting Prospect of Reinvention
At the end of this month I'm giving up work. More or less by choice. It is a step that has been labelled in various ways by various people, me included: 'retirement' seems the most common, with the upcoming period a 'glide-path to retirement' - after all, I'm not officially qualified to be there yet...! … Continue reading The Daunting Prospect of Reinvention
“The Human Stain”
There is a section toward the end of Philip Roth's "The Human Stain" where one of the book's characters, Ernestine, confronts the author/narrator about her life and the life of her family, African-Americans from New Jersey. What follows from Ernestine/Roth seems to me - a white, non-American - a brilliant and powerful exposé of racism, … Continue reading “The Human Stain”
Did you know this? Stunning…
According to the trade publication, The Bookseller, in the UK today - Thursday 3rd September 2020 - some 600 books are going to be published. Yes, 600! On one day! Books from 'big' publishing houses as well as the myriad of independent and Indie publishers. The suggestion is that this figure represents a catch-up from … Continue reading Did you know this? Stunning…
“In the Lateness of the World”
Carolyn Forché's "In the Lateness of the World" is a collection of poetry about which it's very easy to be ambivalent. Not because the work is insipid or dull - far from it! - but because for me it veers toward both extremes on the good-bad poetry continuum. If I start with the more negative … Continue reading “In the Lateness of the World”
“To Have and Have Not”
Some books just don't travel well through time. "To Have and Have Not" is, I suspect, one such. There are all too obvious examples of where some of the words Hemingway uses - and the prejudices expressed - are clearly not acceptable to a modern twenty-first century readership, and the dated nature of language is … Continue reading “To Have and Have Not”
“Memory Wall”
Although I first came across Anthony Doerr through his novel "All the Light We Cannot See", if you wanted a more subtle introduction then his collection of short stories then "Memory Wall" wouldn't be a bad place to start. The stories are engaging and well-written, and you somehow feel 'safe' in Doerr's hands. The subject … Continue reading “Memory Wall”
“Thirteen Ways of Looking”
"Thirteen Ways of Looking" is the novella headlining this collection where it is joined by three much shorter stories. Although the subject matter of each is different, they all share a number of characteristics like tone, voice and style. More importantly, they also have in common the fact that they are really well-written. I admit … Continue reading “Thirteen Ways of Looking”
Ian Gouge - Writer 