The Uncommon Reader: Alan Bennett
In January, I read James Mustich’s 1,000 Books to Read Before You Die—and Uncommon Reader was one of the thirty …
Tag Archives: Brit lit
My Life in Middlemarch by Rebecca Mead
Why did I delay reading this book for so long? I finally brought it to work, where it sat on …
Arcadia by Iain Pears
I loved Arcadia; it’s my favorite book of 2016 (so far, anyway). It encompasses time travel, history/alt-history, romance, clever literary …
Life After Life by Kate Atkinson
“Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both…” Did you ever wonder what your …
Excellent Women by Barbara Pym
Excellent Women is, indeed, excellent: one of the most satisfying novels I’ve read in a while. Written in 1952 and …
NW by Zadie Smith
NW opens with “Visitation,” a chronicle of life according to Leah, told through artfully written stream of consciousness and more …
Angels and Insects by A.S. Byatt
I’ve loved some of A.S. Byatt‘s other works—Possession and The Children’s Book (both novels) and The Matisse Stories (a collection …
53 of 55: Imagined London by Anna Quindlen
I like Anna Quindlen’s writing: novels such as Black and Blue and essays enjoyed over the years. I have a …
50: Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand by Helen Simonson
This seemed like an ideal book for me: set in a small English village and featuring an intelligent, charmingly old-fashioned …
35 of 55: Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel
Each time I dip into Bring Up the Bodies, I feel as if I’ve taken a vacation from my own …
