What Do I Read?
I thought I would introduce myself in terms of my reading and what I will be posting on this blog. I read widely, I read a lot, I tend to listen more these days.
My switching-off reads are usually detective novels and I wait impatiently for new releases by my favourite writers. I am particularly interested in well-written novels in which landscape is a key character. I love intelligent British crime fiction such as the novels by Ann Cleeves, Peter May, Ian Rankin, William Shaw. I need to explore French noir, since I live in France, but in terms of European writers I have read lots of Scandinoir like Jorn Lier Horst, Camilla Lackburg, Jussi Alder-Olsen. I love Aussie Noir authors like Jane Harper, Garry Disher, Shelley Burr, Patricia Wolf, Margaret Hickey. For US writers my favourites include: Attica Locke, Tana French, Liz Moore, Chris Whittaker, Laura Lippman, S.A. Cosby (a bit violent).
For literary reads I don't even know where to start! My recent favourite reads or re-reads include 'Kes' by Barry Hines (am doing this with my Yrs7-9 reading group), 'I Who Have Never Known Men' by Jacqueline Harpman, 'How High We Go in the Dark' by Sequoia Nagamatsu, 'A Whole Life' by Robert Seethaler, 'Exit Party' by Emily St John Mandel, 'The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie' by Murial Spark. I am currently reading 'Still Life' by Sarah Winman which is stunning. I particularly enjoy books in which people have to survive (often alone) in difficult worlds, dystopian novels, closely observed character studies, novels which push prose into different and interesting places.
And I read lots of children's novels: recent excellent reads include 'Tadpole Summer' by Catherine Bruton, 'The Butterfly Circus' by Francesca Armour-Chelu, 'The Benefits of Being an Octopus' by Ann Braden, 'The Falling Boy' by David Almond, and 'The Things We Leave Behind' by Clare Furniss. But I will reveal more about these over time as I post videos.
Detailed reviews of many of the novels I have read are on my GoodReads site so do follow me there. You can see my videos on Instagram (please like and follow!).
In my Instagram posts, I am focusing on novels for readers preparing for 11 plus exams, but I may occasionally be desperate to share a recent favourite adult literary novel. These posts are designed for the parents and guardians of young readers so there are occasionally spoilers. Sometimes I will suggest a great novel to pair with the one I recommend; sometimes I will point to something you could discuss with your child after they have read it.
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