Books Archives

CARDIFF BOOK FESTIVAL | REVIEW

November 8, 2016

Cardiff Book Festival came to the Welsh capital from the 28th of October till the 30th of October, and for its first time did a great job. The event had big British …

Category: Books, Reviews Region: South Wales

THE TRANSMIGRATION OF BODIES | BOOK REVIEW

November 4, 2016

Yuri Herrera (And Other Stories) Discussions pertaining to Latin and Central American literature in the West have revolved around the same stale stereotypes, writers and motifs: until now, that is. …

Category: Books Region: South Wales

THE IMMIGRATION HANDBOOK | BOOK REVIEW

September 14, 2016

Caroline Smith (Seren) Poetry and immigration may not be topics you’d usually associate with each other, but Caroline Smith, an asylum caseworker, shines a light on the world of bureaucracy …

Category: Books, Reviews

MAMETZ | BOOK REVIEW

September 13, 2016

Aled Rhys Hughes (Seren) For five years, photographer Aled Rhys Hughes visited Mametz on the anniversary of the battle which claimed the lives of over 4000 Welsh soldiers, and Mametz …

Category: Books, Reviews

Joris-Karl Huysmans (Dedalus) Originally published in 1884, Huysmans’ book instantly divided critics between those who saw it as a masterpiece and those with more disparaging opinions. Brendan King’s new translation …

Category: Books, Reviews

MORFFIN & MÊL | BOOK REVIEW

September 11, 2016

Sion Hughes (Y Lolfa) Delving into the subject of espionage during the Second World War, this Welsh-language story is the second novel from author Sion Hughes. The story follows Richard, …

Category: Books, Reviews

THE GREAT ROALD DAHL ROUND UP| EVENT PREVIEW

September 10, 2016

Jacob Mier takes a gander at the gloriumptious and squiffling surprises on offer this month as part of the Roald Dahl 100 celebrations. Roald Dahl – author of {The BFG}, …

Category: Art, Books, Previews Region: South Wales

THE SEAMSTRESS AND THE WIND | BOOK REVIEW

August 29, 2016

César Aira (And Other Stories) A journey through the plains of Patagonia sets the scene for this intriguing and innovative story. Aira weaves a fantastical tale of a missing boy …

Category: Books, Reviews

I’LL SELL YOU A DOG | BOOK REVIEW

August 22, 2016

Juan Pablo Villalobos (And Other Stories) The highly acclaimed and much-loved Mexican author Juan Pablo Villalobos is releasing his third comedic novel this August I’ll Sell You a Dog. Having …

Category: Books, Reviews

THE FAMILY MAN | BOOK REVIEW

August 15, 2016

T.J. Lebbon (HarperCollins) Set in the beautiful Monmouthshire countryside, this dark and bloody thriller is something of an oxymoron: from dinner parties and school runs to suspenseful car chases and …

Category: Books, Reviews Region: South Wales

COUSIN BAZILIO | BOOK REVIEW

August 8, 2016

Eça de Queiroz (Dedalus) Cousin Bazilio was a popular novel when it was first released in 1878, first published in Portugal and then translated around the world. Margaret Jull Costa, a …

Category: Books, Reviews

FLORENCE GRACE | BOOK REVIEW

July 27, 2016

FLORENCE GRACE Tracy Rees (Quercus) Set in Cornwall and London during the late 1800s, Florence Grace is a charming and captivating tale. The title goes some way to give away the …

Category: Books, Reviews

KICKING OFF IN NORTH KOREA

July 22, 2016

KICKING OFF IN NORTH KOREA Tim Hartley (Y Lolfa) For a book that literally has a football reference in the title, it’s about much more than just football. If anything, …

Category: Books, Reviews

WALES BOOK OF THE YEAR | BOOK FEATURE

July 20, 2016

Celebrating the written word has become a popular pastime as the abundance of literary awards would suggest, and it’s no different in Wales with the winners of the annual Wales …

Category: Books Region: South Wales

THE GREASY POLL | BOOK REVIEW

July 18, 2016

THE GREASY POLL Mike Parker (Y Lolfa) The Greasy Poll is an insider’s account in diary form of the ups and downs of the murky world of Welsh political life, as …

Category: Books, Reviews Region: Mid Wales

THE HATRED OF POETRY | BOOK REVIEW

July 14, 2016

THE HATRED OF POETRY Ben Lerner (Fitzcarraldo Editions) For generations, poetry has been said to be something of a dying art, but in reality it has changed and morphed with …

Category: Books, Reviews

FOOTBALL | BOOK REVIEW

June 27, 2016

Jean-Phillippe Toussaint (Fitzcarraldo Editions) Belgian writer Toussaint begins with a self-effacing disclaimer: that this compendium of intellectually-minded essays about football will be a turnoff to both intellectuals and football buffs. …

Category: Books, Reviews, Sport

SECOND-HAND TIME | BOOK REVIEW

June 22, 2016

Svetlana Alexievich (Fitzcarraldo Editions) In what is considered to be the magnum opus from the Belarusian writer, and winner of the 2015 Nobel Prize in Literature, Svetlana Alexievich, she weaves …

Category: Books, Reviews

WE AND ME | BOOK REVIEW

June 14, 2016

Saskia de Coster, trans. Nancy Forest Flier (World Editions) Saskia de Coster is already an established Belgian author, and now the award winning We and Me has been translated into English. With a …

Category: Books, Reviews

WIND/PINBALL | BOOK REVIEW

June 11, 2016

Haruki Murakami (Penguin) Haruki Murakami is beyond any doubt Japan’s most internationally successful writer, with novels like Norwegian Wood and 1Q84 stunning critics and audiences alike. However, his first two novels Hear …

Category: Books, Reviews

THE PRODIGIOUS PHYSICIAN | BOOK REVIEW

May 31, 2016

THE PRODIGIOUS PHYSICIAN Jorge De Sena (Dedalus) Translated by Margaret Jull Costa, this novella holds the classic foundations of a medieval fairy tale yet told in a modern voice. Three …

Category: Books, Reviews

INVESTIGATING MR WAKEFIELD | BOOK REVIEW

May 27, 2016

INVESTIGATING MR WAKEFIELD Rob Gittins (Y Lolfa) If the cult hit Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn left boyfriends and husbands across the globe sleeping with one eye open, Investigating Mr Wakefield by …

Category: Books, Reviews

BRET EASTON ELLIS AND THE OTHER DOGS | BOOK REVIEW

May 24, 2016

BRET EASTON ELLIS AND THE OTHER DOGS Lina Wolff (And Other Stories) It’s not often that you come across a novel as wonderful, alluring and surreal as Lina Wolff’s Bret …

Category: Books, Reviews

PRETENTIOUSNESS: WHY IT MATTERS | BOOK REVIEW

May 20, 2016

PRETENTIOUSNESS: WHY IT MATTERS Dan Fox (Fitzcarraldo Editions) Arguably relevant anecdote: the other day, I went into a shop while carrying this book, put it in my basket and instinctively, …

Category: Books, Reviews

CARDIFF BOOK FESTIVAL | REVIEW

THE TRANSMIGRATION OF BODIES | BOOK REVIEW

THE IMMIGRATION HANDBOOK | BOOK REVIEW

MAMETZ | BOOK REVIEW

AGAINST NATURE | BOOK REVIEW

MORFFIN & MÊL | BOOK REVIEW

THE GREAT ROALD DAHL ROUND UP| EVENT PREVIEW

THE SEAMSTRESS AND THE WIND | BOOK REVIEW

I’LL SELL YOU A DOG | BOOK REVIEW

THE FAMILY MAN | BOOK REVIEW

COUSIN BAZILIO | BOOK REVIEW

FLORENCE GRACE | BOOK REVIEW

KICKING OFF IN NORTH KOREA

WALES BOOK OF THE YEAR | BOOK FEATURE

THE GREASY POLL | BOOK REVIEW

THE HATRED OF POETRY | BOOK REVIEW

FOOTBALL | BOOK REVIEW

SECOND-HAND TIME | BOOK REVIEW

WE AND ME | BOOK REVIEW

WIND/PINBALL | BOOK REVIEW

THE PRODIGIOUS PHYSICIAN | BOOK REVIEW

INVESTIGATING MR WAKEFIELD | BOOK REVIEW

BRET EASTON ELLIS AND THE OTHER DOGS | BOOK REVIEW

PRETENTIOUSNESS: WHY IT MATTERS | BOOK REVIEW

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