“She asked me to tell you she would break the world for you.” “I begin this story with the lie, and like a great whale leading other sea creatures in her wake, it was followed by a whole pod. I wish I can say I had doubts. I didn’t. I jonahed that whale, swam rightContinue reading “THE TRUE TRUE STORY OF RAJA THE GULLIBLE (AND HIS MOTHER) -Rabih Alameddine”
Category Archives: Uncategorized
THE IRISH GOODBYE – Heather Aimee O’Neill
“In her clenched hand, the ashes felt like the remains of something destroyed.” Heather Aimee O’Neill’s debut novel, The Irish Goodbye ( Henry Holt 2025) immediately called to mind Joyce Carol Oates’s We were the Mulvaneys (which I read in the ‘90s). Both are set in NY, both deal with family tragedy and family secrets,Continue reading “THE IRISH GOODBYE – Heather Aimee O’Neill”
THE WILDERNESS – Angela Flournoy
With the Booker dozen under my belt, I decided to swing for the National Book Award . (I’d already read two, so I figured why not.) First up is Angela Flournoy’s longlisted The Wilderness (Mariner 2025). An ambitious novel, it felt at times much longer than its 290 pages. It’s weighty, with so much heartContinue reading “THE WILDERNESS – Angela Flournoy”
WILL THERE EVER BE ANOTHER YOU – Patricia Lockwood
“A warm afternoon in winter, and Shakespeare’s wife was asking to see me. She wanted to buy my brain, but how to explain that is was no longer worth anything?” Y’all may recall the 2021 Booker season and my dark horse favorite, Patricia Lockwood’s No One is Talking About This. Her follow-up was published thisContinue reading “WILL THERE EVER BE ANOTHER YOU – Patricia Lockwood”
I SEE YOU’VE CALLED IN DEAD – John Kenney
“Maybe we’re all obituary writers. And our job is to write the best story we can now.” @rolly.looks.at.books recommended John Kenney’s I See You’ve Called in Dead (Zibby Publishing 2025), and when the world’s most well-read bichon recommends something, you listen. It’s quirky, hilarious, and full of heart. I can see why it draws comparisonsContinue reading “I SEE YOU’VE CALLED IN DEAD – John Kenney”
THE LONELINESS OF SONIA AND SUNNY – Kiran Desai
THE LONELINESS OF SONIA AND SUNNY: Kiran DesaiRandom House : 23 September 2025 (US)Hamish Hamilton (Penguin): 25 September 2025 (UK)Page Count: 670 First line: The sun was still submerged in the wintry murk of dawn when Ba, Dadaji, and their daughter, Mina Foi, wrapping shawls closely about themselves, emerged upon the veranda to sip theirContinue reading “THE LONELINESS OF SONIA AND SUNNY – Kiran Desai”
AMONG THE BURNING FLOWERS – Samantha Shannon
“Hope was now a dying lamp, and hers only had a little more oil.” “I am a wine-makers’ child – I will not waste the fruits of my labour by tipping them on to the ground.” The Bone Season was my introduction to Samantha Shannon well over a decade ago. While I still love theContinue reading “AMONG THE BURNING FLOWERS – Samantha Shannon”
THE REST OF OUR LIVES – Ben Markovits
THE REST OF OUR LIVES: Ben MarkovitsSummit Books : 13 January 2026 (US)Faber & Faber : 27 March 2025 (UK) (I’m using the UK edition)Page Count: 239 First line: When our son was twelve years old, my wife had an affair with a guy called Zach Zirsky, whom she knew from synagogue. Blurbed by: Lucy CaldwellContinue reading “THE REST OF OUR LIVES – Ben Markovits”
THE LAND IN WINTER – Andrew Miller
Booker 101 Quick & Dirty Monday! THE LAND IN WINTER: Andrew MillerEuropa Editions: 4 November 2025 (US)Sceptre: 24 October 2024 (UK) (I’m using the UK edition)Page Count: 371 First line: He was lying on a varnished wooden board, the top of a boxed-in radiator. Blurbed by: Hilary Mantel – (Nominated for the Booker four times, she’sContinue reading “THE LAND IN WINTER – Andrew Miller”
ONE BOAT – Jonathan Buckley
Booker 101 Quick & Dirty Monday! ONE BOAT : Jonathan BuckleyW.W. Norton: 4 November 2025 (US)Fitzcarrldo Editions: 13 March 2025 (UK) (I’m using the UK Kindle version)Page Count: 168 First line: “The first time the intention was simply to find a place that was quiet, but not somnolent” Blurbed by: I could find no blurbs forContinue reading “ONE BOAT – Jonathan Buckley”
A Girl Named Tommi 