Books Archives

Masterful & gripping, French novel THREE hits all the right notes

May 25, 2022

Valérie Perrin’s Three – translated from French by Hildegarde Serle – is a gripping and epic story about a trio of friends.

Category: Books, Reviews

Emilie Pine’s debut novel RUTH & PEN is a moving portrait of love & grief

May 25, 2022

Set over the course of a single day in Dublin, acclaimed essayist Emilie Pine’s debut novel tells the separate, overlapping stories of its eponymous characters.

Category: Books, Reviews

A delight to read, RIVERS OF WALES takes the nation’s rivers into its stride

May 25, 2022

Beautifully bound in a thick, matt-textured hardback, Rivers Of Wales is a delight to hold as well as read, with extremely high production values.

Category: Books, Environment Region: Wales-Wide

From music hall & jazz to post rock’n’roll: witness the birth of Pop in LET’S DO IT

May 25, 2022

Pre-pop pop, as chronicled in Let's Do It, is a story of systemic racism, sexism and necessarily concealed sexuality - basically all of the last century’s entertainment industry.

Category: Books, Music, Reviews

Anita Sethi’s award-winning I BELONG HERE is an inspirational testament to resilience

May 25, 2022

I Belong Here is moving and beautifully written, but so much more: it is an inspirational testament to strength and resilience that is unquestionably informative and compelling.

Category: Books, Reviews

THE FLAMES: Sophie Haydock breathes electrifying life into Egon Schiele – and his muses

May 18, 2022

Sophie Haydock’s debut novel The Flames is an electrifying blend of fact and fiction: a well-researched look at Egon Schiele, Viennese painter and protege of Gustav Klimt.

Category: Books, Reviews

Set in post-nuclear Ukraine, THE HALF-LIFE OF SNAILS is a beautiful yet unsettling story

May 18, 2022

Philippa Holloway’s The Half-Life Of Snails is a vivid and emotional exploration of human connections and the surrounding landscapes.

Category: Books, Reviews Region: North Wales

Did people foresee Aberfan? THE PREMONITIONS BUREAU investigates psychiatry & the paranormal

May 18, 2022

Psychiatrist John Barker was inspired to found The Premonitions Bureau in 1966 after hearing of a Welsh schoolgirl who had foreseen the Aberfan disaster.

Category: Books, Reviews

Renewed Welsh Women’s Classic SPRING’S GREEN SHADOW remains a magnificent read

May 18, 2022

Spring’s Green Shadow’s focus on women’s emancipation lends contemporary relevance to scenes from a century past, in what remains a magnificent read.

Category: Books, Reviews Region: South Wales

EXIT STAGE LEFT entertainingly explores life after fame for pop stars

May 18, 2022

Revealing testimonies from Shaun Ryder, Rufus Wainwright, Lisa Maffia, Lloyd Cole and more make Exit Stage Left an enlightening, humorous and extremely entertaining read.

Category: Books, Reviews

“Representation is often unfairly reserved for minor characters” – Welsh novelist Caryl Lewis on debut kids book SEED

May 12, 2022

Karla Brading speaks to a novelist who has written variously in Welsh and English, and has a new title Seed, her debut kids’ novel, out this month.

Category: Books, Interviews Region: Mid Wales

THE NO-SHOW: a twisting plot that will stay with you long after you finish

May 11, 2022

An endearing clash of people combine with a twisting plot for the latest book from Beth O'Leary, The No-Show.

Category: Books, Reviews

A wake-up call to the music industry: BODIES investigates addiction & rock ‘n’ roll

May 11, 2022

A deeply affecting read, and an almighty wake-up call to the music industry, music writer Ian Winwood digs into why drugs and alcohol are so prevelent in rock 'n' roll.

Category: Books, Music, Reviews

Secrets always come to the surface: THE BEACH HOUSE leaves you reeling for more

May 11, 2022

A delight to read and an absolutely fantastic opportunity to leave behind one’s own reality and delve into another, Welsh crime novelist Beverley Jones leaves you reeling for more in The Beach House.

Category: Books, Reviews Region: South Wales

THE LIGHT POURS OUT OF ME leaves no stone unturned in detailed John McGeoch biography

May 11, 2022

Siouxsie & The Banshees bassist Steven Severin describes John McGeoch as the “BEST. GUITARIST. EVER” in The Light Pours Out Of Me, and his praise is not unfounded.

Category: Books, Reviews

HOW TO BE A WOMAN ONLINE: Nina Jankowicz takes the fight to the trolls

May 11, 2022

Furious at the constant trolling she and her female peers have been subjected to, internationally-renown journalist Nina Jankowicz has decided to fight back.

Category: Books, Reviews

PERSIANS: as close as one can get to stepping back into the Persian Empire

May 5, 2022

Cardiff University professor Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones takes a different approach to chronicling the rise of the Persian empire: telling the story from a Persian standpoint, rather than a purely from a Western one.

Category: Books, Reviews Region: South Wales

Power, politics & religion collide in Louise Kennedy’s astonishing debut novel TRESPASSES

May 4, 2022

Following Kennedy’s superb short story collection, The End Of The World Is a Cul De Sac, it’s no surprise that her debut novel has proved to be such an impressive story.

Category: Books, Reviews

CAST A LONG SHADOW: Welsh women’s crime anthology mixes melodrama & myth

May 4, 2022

With 20 short stories featuring everything from an avenging gorgon to a little girl impaling the schoolyard bully on a spike, there is enough crime on display in Cast A Long Shadow to make even Wind Street at closing time look quiet.

Category: Books, Reviews Region: Wales-Wide

Witness the birth, boom and bust of Britpop in Adams & Pooler’s literary chronicle

May 4, 2022

The decade that brought us the last truly great chart battle and some of the most iconic songs to ever grace a gig is both brilliantly analysed and celebrated in Britpop: Decades.

Category: Books, Music, Reviews

THE HERRING MAN beautifully embraces Welsh oral storytelling tradition

May 4, 2022

A fine example of Welsh nature writing, The Herring Man is embellished by beautiful hand-drawn sketches that graciously lead you by the hand through this personal story.

Category: Books, Reviews Region: South Wales

New poetry for April: uplifting verse in LITTLE DEAD RABBIT & documenting disability in 163 DAYS

April 28, 2022

Mab Jones is back with another brace of poetry reviews for April, from Astrid Alben's Little Dead Rabbit to Hannah Hodgson's 163 Days.

Category: Books, Reviews Region: South Wales

THE AERIALISTS vibrantly brings infamous Cardiff balloon accident to life

April 28, 2022

This fictionalised account reimagines the ill-fated journey of 14-year-old Louisa Maud Evans, who in the late 19th century tumbled from a hot air balloon over the Bristol Channel.

Category: Books, Reviews Region: South Wales

Seminal author Alice Walker’s life intimately revealed in GATHERING BLOSSOMS UNDER FIRE

April 27, 2022

Gathering Blossoms Under Fire comprises entries from the journals of Alice Walker, spanning a life’s journey and memories of one of the most important writers of the 20th century.

Category: Books, Reviews

Masterful & gripping, French novel THREE hits all the right notes

Emilie Pine’s debut novel RUTH & PEN is a moving portrait of love & grief

A delight to read, RIVERS OF WALES takes the nation’s rivers into its stride

From music hall & jazz to post rock’n’roll: witness the birth of Pop in LET’S DO IT

Anita Sethi’s award-winning I BELONG HERE is an inspirational testament to resilience

THE FLAMES: Sophie Haydock breathes electrifying life into Egon Schiele – and his muses

Set in post-nuclear Ukraine, THE HALF-LIFE OF SNAILS is a beautiful yet unsettling story

Did people foresee Aberfan? THE PREMONITIONS BUREAU investigates psychiatry & the paranormal

Renewed Welsh Women’s Classic SPRING’S GREEN SHADOW remains a magnificent read

EXIT STAGE LEFT entertainingly explores life after fame for pop stars

“Representation is often unfairly reserved for minor characters” – Welsh novelist Caryl Lewis on debut kids book SEED

THE NO-SHOW: a twisting plot that will stay with you long after you finish

A wake-up call to the music industry: BODIES investigates addiction & rock ‘n’ roll

Secrets always come to the surface: THE BEACH HOUSE leaves you reeling for more

THE LIGHT POURS OUT OF ME leaves no stone unturned in detailed John McGeoch biography

HOW TO BE A WOMAN ONLINE: Nina Jankowicz takes the fight to the trolls

PERSIANS: as close as one can get to stepping back into the Persian Empire

Power, politics & religion collide in Louise Kennedy’s astonishing debut novel TRESPASSES

CAST A LONG SHADOW: Welsh women’s crime anthology mixes melodrama & myth

Witness the birth, boom and bust of Britpop in Adams & Pooler’s literary chronicle

THE HERRING MAN beautifully embraces Welsh oral storytelling tradition

New poetry for April: uplifting verse in LITTLE DEAD RABBIT & documenting disability in 163 DAYS

THE AERIALISTS vibrantly brings infamous Cardiff balloon accident to life

Seminal author Alice Walker’s life intimately revealed in GATHERING BLOSSOMS UNDER FIRE

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