I have plenty to read at the moment, but when I see a Library of America story come through that is set in the early days of the Civil Rights Movement in the American South, well, I can't resist. I've never heard of the author Bettye Rice Hughes, which turns out to be not surprising … Continue reading Bettye Rice Hughes, A Negro tourist in Dixie (Review)
Literature by period
Kyung-Sook Shin, Please look after mom (Review for the Shadow Man Asian Literary Prize 2011)
Image by Matt Todd of A Novel Approach Am I right in thinking that mothers are more often the subject of novels and memoirs than fathers? Or, is it just that I'm a woman and am subconsciously (or even consciously, if I'm honest) drawn to the topic? Of course, with the Shadow Man Asian Literary … Continue reading Kyung-Sook Shin, Please look after mom (Review for the Shadow Man Asian Literary Prize 2011)
Shadow Man Asian Literary Prize 2011: Reviews from the week January 8-14
Week 9 of our Shadow Man Asian Literary Prize 2011 project and the shortlist has now been announced, as I reported earlier this week. However, we are still reading and reviewing in preparation for announcing "our" Shadow winner in early March, just before the announcement of the winner. This week's reviews are: Amitav Ghosh's River … Continue reading Shadow Man Asian Literary Prize 2011: Reviews from the week January 8-14
Francesca Rendle-Short, Bite your tongue (Review)
How much do you think about the first sentence of your review? Like me, you probably try to find some anchor or point of interest to lead off from, but my problem with novelist-journalist Francesca Rendle-Short's fiction-cum-memoir, Bite your tongue, is that I have too many angles to choose from. Which one do I use? Do … Continue reading Francesca Rendle-Short, Bite your tongue (Review)
Man Asian Literary Prize 2011 Shortlist announced
... And my preferred two books - those by Ahmad and Yoshimoto - of the three I've read are in the final seven books. Woo hoo ... but I have a lot to read to catch up to the rest of the team. The shortlisted books are: Jamil Ahmad's Wandering falcon Jahnavi Barua's Rebirth Rahul … Continue reading Man Asian Literary Prize 2011 Shortlist announced
Shadow Man Asian Literary Prize 2011: Reviews from the week January 1-7
Week 8 of our Shadow Man Asian Literary Prize 2011 longlist reviewing project and we now have only a few days to the shortlist announcement on January 10. This week's reviews are: Tahmima Anam's The good Muslim (Bangladesh) by Fay of Read, Ramble. She says "it is beautifully structured, the story well told, the characters alive" … Continue reading Shadow Man Asian Literary Prize 2011: Reviews from the week January 1-7
Jamil Ahmad, The wandering falcon (Shadow Man Asian Literary Prize 2011)
I'm not sure how to describe Jamil Ahmad's Man Asian Literary Prize novel, The wandering falcon. Is it a disjointed novel, a picaresque, or a collection of connected short stories? It doesn't matter greatly - it is what it is - but at least by raising the question I've given you a sense of how … Continue reading Jamil Ahmad, The wandering falcon (Shadow Man Asian Literary Prize 2011)
Shadow Man Asian Literary Prize 2011: Reviews from the week December 26-31
Week 7 of our Shadow Man Asian Literary Prize 2011 longlist reviewing project and we're moving along with less than two weeks now to the shortlist announcement. This week's reviews are: Jahnavi Barua's Rebirth (India) by Fay of Read, Ramble who thinks it has some interesting things to say about women's lives in contemporary India … Continue reading Shadow Man Asian Literary Prize 2011: Reviews from the week December 26-31
Ana Menéndez, Celebrations of Thanksgiving: Cuban offerings
I love food and I enjoy reading about food. I particularly enjoy reading about food - and food traditions - from other cultures. And so, when Ana Menéndez's story popped up on the Library of America last month I made a note to read it. The last piece of food writing that I read from LOA, … Continue reading Ana Menéndez, Celebrations of Thanksgiving: Cuban offerings
Banana Yoshimoto, The lake (Shadow Man Asian Literary Prize 2011)
Image created by Matt Todd of A Novel Approach When I saw that Banana Yoshimoto's novel The lake was shortlisted for the 2011 Man Asian Literary Prize I knew that it would be a high priority for me to read, because I like Japanese literature and I have read and enjoyed Yoshimoto (her novel Kitchen) … Continue reading Banana Yoshimoto, The lake (Shadow Man Asian Literary Prize 2011)
Whispering Gums 