literary fiction | The Reader's Room

Apr 30

Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood

I am a huge Margaret Atwood fan and several of her books are among my favorites of all time. So when it came to selecting a book for Women’s History month for my joint reading challenge (my partner and I are reading and discussing a book each month), I immediately thought of this book. I’m late to reviewing it since I wanted to pair the review with the series and it took us over a month to get to the series. I had read Alias Grace when it first came out but didn’t remember too much about it. I tend to gravitate more toward her less conventional (e.g., dystopian, genre bending) books than her straight historical fiction novels. My partner had not read any of her books, and I was a bit tired of some of the other types of genres we had picked in prior months (I needed a serious break from books like Black Leopard, Red Wolf – sorry James). So it was the perfect time for us to read an Atwood novel. Here’s what I thought.

Mar 25

Parade by Rachel Cusk

I’ve been trying to be proactive this year in my selection of novels in preparation for a more informed Booker prediction list. So, I requested, and received, an ARC of Cusk’s latest novel Parade (thank you to Farrer,Straus, and Gioux and net galley).

I have a love-hate relationship with Cusk’s novels. They are brilliant but they also often make me feel like I need an advanced literary degree in order to make it through them. So how did this latest novel stack up for me?

Mar 20

James by Percival Everett

If you have yet to read a novel by Percival Everett, then you are missing out. While Everett has written 19 books over the last 20+ years, I didn’t discover his works until reading The Trees, which was shortlisted (it should have won) for the Booker in 2022. His latest novel, James, came out yesterday and will undoubtedly make its way onto at least one literary award list. I was lucky enough to get an advanced copy and here is what I thought…

Mar 11

1 Comment

Wild Houses by Colin Barrett

Acclaimed short story writer, Colin Barrett, is coming out with his debut novel, Wild Houses and I was fortunate enough to snag an Advanced copy (thank you to Grove Press). This book has been getting quite a lot of buzz in literary circles. Here is my review…

Aug 31

1 Comment

2023 Booker Longlist: House of Doors by Tan Twan Eng

Next up for our panel, we travel to Malaysia with Tan Tan Eng’s The House of Doors

Tan Twan Eng is probably one of the more well known authors on the list. He was born in Penang, Malaysia, and worked as an advocate in one of Kuala Lumpur’s leading law firms before becoming a full-time writer. His prior two novels were also listed as candidates for the Booker Prize. His second novel, The Garden of Evening Mists was shortlisted for the 2012 Booker prize and was named one of the 1001 books to read before you die (a list that brought several of our panelists together).

Synopsis from Booker Prize website: It is 1921 and at Cassowary House in the Straits Settlements of Penang, Robert Hamlyn is a well-to-do lawyer, his steely wife Lesley a society hostess. Their lives are invigorated when Willie, an old friend of Robert’s, comes to stay.

Willie Somerset Maugham is one of the greatest writers of his day. But he is beleaguered by an unhappy marriage, ill-health and business interests that have gone badly awry. He is also struggling to write. The more Lesley’s friendship with Willie grows, the more clearly she see him as he is – a man who has no choice but to mask his true self.

As Willie prepares to face his demons, Lesley confides secrets of her own, including her connection to the case of an Englishwoman charged with murder in the Kuala Lumpur courts – a tragedy drawn from fact, and worthy of fiction.

The novel will be released in the US on October 17th, 2023 and you can pre-order your copy here

Keep reading to find out how our panelists rated this book.

Aug 23

1 Comment

2023 Booker Longlist – If I Survive You by Jonathan Escoffery

Next up for our panel is a debut novel by Johnathan Escoffery: If I Survive You

Jonathan Escoffery is no stranger to the literary world. His short stories have won several awards including the Plimpton Prize for fiction and 2020 ASME award for fiction. His work has appeared in the Paris Review, Electric Literature’s Recommended Reading, and American Short Fiction. He has taught creative writing at numerous well-renowned colleges and universities and he founded the Boston Writers of Color Group.

If I Survive You is his debut novel and has received high praise from reviewers and authors across the world.

Synopsis from Booker Prize website: In 1979, as political violence consumes their native Kingston, Topper and Sanya flee to Miami. But they soon learn that the welcome in America will be far from warm.

Trelawny, their youngest son, comes of age in a society that regards him with suspicion and confusion. Their eldest son Delano’s longing for a better future for his own children is equalled only by his recklessness in trying to secure it.

As both brothers navigate the obstacles littered in their path – an unreliable father, racism, a financial crisis and Hurricane Andrew – they find themselves pitted against one another. Will their rivalry be the thing that finally tears their family apart?

You can purchase a copy of the book here

Keep reading to find out how our panelists rated this book.

Aug 21

1 Comment

2023 Booker Longlist – Old God’s Time by Sebastian Barry

It’s Booker season and our panel has begun our review of all the longlist books. Over the next month, we will be reviewing each of the 13 nominees. First up for our panel is Sebastian Barry’s Old God’s Time. Barry’s novels have been nominated several times for the Booker prize. A Long Long Way and The Secret Scripture were both shortlisted for the Booker, two others were nominated for the longlist, and he has won numerous other literary prizes.

The Booker panel describes Barry’s latest book as a “beautiful, haunting novel, in which nothing is quite what it seems, Sebastian Barry explores what we live through, what we live with, and what may survive of us.” Keep reading to see how our panel rated the book.

May 16

The Parking Lot Attendant by Nafkote Tamirat

It’s not often that a book leaves me with such conflicting feelings. This debut by Boston author Nafkote Tamirat is a coming of age story set in Boston and an unnamed tropical island. It’s the sort of book that left me with many questions and a mix of reactions. Here’s my review… Read more

Dec 26

5 Comments

Non 1001 Book Review: The Reservoir Tapes Jon McGregor

Happy Holidays to all our loyal readers! We hope everyone has had a lovely holiday season. As we approach 2018, Book Worm and I have lots of plans for the blog. In a few days we’ll be posting our top 10 books of 2017 and we’ll also be announcing a new schedule for Read Around the World for those who want to join us. Today, Book Worm will be reviewing a new book by Jon McGregor. Keep reading to find out what she thought. Read more

Oct 11

8 Comments

2017 Man Booker Shortlist: History of Wolves

Over the past month, our panel has been giving their thoughts on each of the nominated shortlist books. We tell you briefly what we think of the book, the reasons we think it might win, and the reasons why it might not win. Next up is History of Wolves by Emily Fridlund. Keep reading to see what we think about whether it will be our 2017 Man Booker winner. Read more