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The Stone Diaries by Carol Shields
When I was in Canada last year (how I miss it and how I want to return!), I met up with Debra and she very kindly gave me a copy of The Stone Diaries (1993) by Canadian literary royalty Carol Shields....
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The Clocks by Agatha Christie
I’ve reached the point where I can’t really remember which Agatha Christie novels I’ve read and which I haven’t. Which I suppose is a good thing, because it means I can go back and re-read them and...
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Life hacks and hand cream! Peas in a Podcast #17
Oh my gosh Peas in a Podcast is BACK! Due to HUGE DEMAND! https://www.stuckinabook.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/PiaP2024.mp3 For those not in the know, it’s the very occasional podcast I do with my...
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Barrel Fever by David Sedaris
I remember falling in love with David Sedaris. I was staying in a Youth Hostel in the Lake District, having gone there to give a talk on ‘the fantastic fringes of the Bloomsbury Group’ to a room of...
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The Spring House by Cynthia Asquith
We all know that the quality of a book is no guarantee that it will stay in print. The ones that survive almost always have merit, but the ones that disappear could be equally brilliant. And I was...
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#131: Do We Read Deeply or Shallowly? and One Year’s Time vs Which Way?
Angela Milne, Theodora Benson, and reading deeply – welcome to episode 131 of Tea or Books?! https://www.stuckinabook.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/tea-or-books-131.mp3 In the first half of the...
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Unnecessary Rankings! Muriel Spark
It’s time for another unnecessary rankings! In today’s iteration, I’m turning my attention to a very prolific novelist – I’ve been steadily reading her for years, helped by the fact that most of her...
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Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri
A Century of Books can sometimes turn up some real gems that I wouldn’t have otherwise read. When I was looking through my books, I didn’t find anything I particularly wanted to read from 1999 – so I...
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#1970Club coming up on Monday!
Just popping in for a quick reminder that the 1970 Club is coming on Monday! Hosted by me and Karen (see her post about it), we ask everyone to read one or more books published in 1970 and post a...
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#1970Club: your reviews!
It’s the 1970 Club! This week, we’re reading and reviewing any books published in 1970. Please share your links to 1970 Club reviews in the comments, wherever you write them – blog, instagram,...
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Trespasses by Paul Bailey – #1970Club
When I reviewed Jenny Offill’s brilliant novel Dept. of Speculation earlier in the year, I asked for recommendations for other books told in fragments or vignettes. The comment section has lots of...
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Island in Moonlight by Kathleen Sully – #1970Club
You may well know Brad’s blog Neglected Books. As the name suggests, he reads and reviews books that are neglected – but we’re not talking about authors who could do with a boost, like E.M. Delafield...
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The Listeners by Monica Dickens – #1970Club
The 1970 Club is drawing to an end, and I have a LOT of reviews to catch up on – perhaps foolishly, I’ve been away since Thursday. But it’s been great, as always, and Karen and I will be announcing...
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And the next club will be…
Thanks so much for your contributions to the 1970 Club! There are so many books I now want to read (with The Woods in Winter by Stella Gibbons head of the pack) – and some I now know to avoid… There...
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All Men Are Liars by Alberto Manguel
I see quite a few people write about Alberto Manguel’s non-fiction, about reading and libraries, but not so often his novels. I picked up All Men Are Liars (2008, translated from Spanish by Miranda...
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#132: Interview: Edward Carey on Edith Holler
Edward Carey joins us to discuss his latest novel, Edith Holler. Welcome to episode 132! https://www.stuckinabook.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/tea-or-books-132-Edward-Carey.mp3 Rachel and I both love...
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A Pint of Semi-Skimmed Down The Old Gullet: Peas in a Podcast #18!
Somehow it’s episode 18 of the podcast I do with my identical twin brother Colin! https://www.stuckinabook.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/peas-18.mp3 In this episode of the usual nonsense, we cover...
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Such A Fun Age by Kiley Reid
I don’t hear much about the latest fiction, but there are some titles that break through my early-20th-century mindset. Everyone was talking about Such A Fun Age by Kiley Reid five years ago,...
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Casualties by Lynne Reid Banks
Long-termers here will know how much I love The L-Shaped Room, and over the past couple of years I’ve been exploring more of Lynne Reid Banks’s considerable output – further prompted by her death...
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Norah Lofts – now in British Library Women Writers series!
I realise I haven’t yet said that Lady Living Alone by Norah Lofts is out in the British Library Women Writers series – with another lovely cover: It’s another quick turnaround – I only read it for the...
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