SARAH JANE | BOOK REVIEW
SARAH JANE James Sallis (No Exit Press) Dubbed “an unsung hero of crime writing”, James Sallis never fails to satisfy. Sarah Jane Pullman floats around rural America after a court-ordered …
Books
Whether it's paperback, hardback or audio, we’ve got it covered when it comes to all the best new writers, authors and book releases.
THE WOMAN AND THE PUPPET | BOOK REVIEW
THE WOMAN AND THE PUPPET Pierre Louÿs, trans. Jeremy Moore (Dedalus Press) First published in 1898, this French novel receives a new edition from Dedalus, a publisher with a track …
REAL PRESELI | BOOK REVIEW
Real Preseli John Osmond (Seren Books) The book paints a vivid picture of Preseli, the not-so-oft-visited part of Pembrokeshire which Osmond calls “a magical country.” Osmond invites you to walk …
ENDLAND | BOOK REVIEW
ENDLAND Tim Etchells (AndOtherStories) Mashing together the digital, geographical and linguistic morphologies of modern Britain and the world-at-large, Tim Etchells’ Endland is a funny, dark series of fairy tales and parables …
COME A LITTLE CLOSER | BOOK REVIEW
COME A LITTLE CLOSER Karen Perry (Michael Joseph) In Dublin’s fair city, the past is not pretty. Not in the dilapidated mansion where these characters gather one long, hot summer. …
HAY FESTIVAL WINTER WEEKEND | UPFRONT
HAY FESTIVAL WINTER WEEKEND Hay-On-Wye, a small but perfectly formed market town tucked across the borders of England and Wales, once again supplements its week-and-a-half-long flagship summer festival with its …
DEPECHE MODE: FAITH AND DEVOTION | BOOK REVIEW
DEPECHE MODE: FAITH AND DEVOTION Ian Gittins (Palazzo) Palazzo have a good track record of producing handsome coffee table books of various artists – the two reviewed last year in …
BELLEVUE | BOOK REVIEW
Bellevue Ivana Dobrakovová, trans. by Julia and Peter Sherwood (Jantar Publishing) With a limited amount of Slovak literature having been translated into the English language this novel from Slovak writer …
THE WOLVES OF LENINSKY PROSPEKT | BOOK REVIEW
The Wolves of Leninsky Prospekt Sarah Armstrong (Sandstone Press) Having married her brother’s gay best friend, Kit, to help him appear more of a family man to his colleagues in …
HIS DARK MATERIALS | UPFRONT
HIS DARK MATERIALS One of the biggest literary successes to emerge from the UK, Phillip Pullman’s His Dark Materials series, are finally getting the adaptation they deserve. Buzz takes a …
A FLAME OUT AT SEA | BOOK REVIEW
A FLAME OUT AT SEA Dmitry Novikov, trans. Christopher Culver (Glagoslav) A Flame Out At Sea is full of neat character descriptions, and Novikov has an eye for effective metaphor. …
FLESH-COLOURED DOMINOES | BOOK REVIEW
FLESH-COLOURED DOMINOES Zigmunds Skujiņš, trans. Kaija Straumanis (Arcadia Books) Fans of Bulgakov will have much to admire in this charming, playful novel, first published in Latvia in 1999. Though its …
CAR PARK LIFE | BOOK REVIEW
CAR PARK LIFE Gareth E. Rees (Influx Press) This is the type of book one picks up without knowing what it is about, opens it to read the first page, …
PUNCH | BOOK REVIEW
PUNCH Kate North (Cinnamon) Punch’s title summarises the spirit of these short stories: they are punchy, pack lots of it, and like the character of the same name seem to …
THE EX-GIRLFRIEND | BOOK REVIEW
THE EX-GIRLFRIEND Nicola Moriarty (Penguin) Aussie noir is all the rage at the moment and The Ex-Girlfriend is as grand guignol a slice as anyone could wish for. Georgia is …
LOST IN THE SPANISH QUARTER | BOOK REVIEW
LOST IN THE SPANISH QUARTER Heddi Goodrich (HarperVia) An evocative novel which transports the reader to the city of Naples and a love affair between two students spanning their time …
THIS WAY TO DEPARTURES | BOOK REVIEW
THIS WAY TO DEPARTURES: STORIES Linda Mannheim (Influx) This story collection confronts the bleak realities of our urban milieu by stripping the world of its glossy veneer. Mannheim’s stories concern …
BOSH! BOYS | PROFILE
BOSH! BOYS As the vegan revolution gathers pace, The Bosh! boys, or Henry Firth and Ian Theasby to their mums, chat to Carl Marsh about plant-based progress. What do you …
IT WOULD BE NIGHT IN CARACAS | BOOK REVIEW
It Would Be Night In Caracas Karina Sainz Borgo, trans. Elizabeth Bryer (HarperVia) The devastating impact of revolution, and the destruction of a country and its inhabitants, is explored in …
THE IMAGINARY LIVES OF JAMES PŌNEKE | BOOK REVIEW
The Imaginary Lives Of James Pōneke Tina Makereti (Eye) Already a well-published and accomplished author in her native New Zealand, The Imaginary Lives Of James Pōneke is Tina Makereti’s fourth …
PLAYBOY | BOOK REVIEW
Playboy Joe Thomas (Arcadia) The third book as part of a quartet, this is another thrilling journey into the criminal world of São Paulo. As national protests take place over …
SHADOW ON THE LENS | BOOK REVIEW
A Shadow on the Lens Sam Hurcom (Orion) This book would be epic if I didn’t know any of the locations, but as a Cardiffian my familiarity with the places …
THE BLUE TENT | BOOK REVIEW
The Blue Tent Richard Gwyn (Parthian) The Blue Tent is Wales Book Of The Year-winning author Richard Gwyn’s latest novella, and it is dream-like, bizarre and mesmerising. The first-person narrator, …
THE HOMELESS HEART-THROB | BOOK REVIEW
The Homeless Heart -Throb Crystal Jeans (Honno) This, Crystal Jeans’ third book – feels like a novel to me, but could be classified as a collection of short stories; indeed, …