Andrew Blackman, literary fiction writer, traveller, book reviewer and essayist

Reading

Kokoro by Natsume Soseki

My thoughts on this Japanese classic, which explores themes of guilt, responsibility, individualism, and more.

Phoenix by Emblemata Nicolai Reusneri 1583

Reading

Borges Marathon, Part 25: The Cult of the Phoenix

What is the mysterious ritual at the centre of this Jorge Luis Borges story? Let's go through the hints and solve the riddle.

Reading

Vigil by George Saunders

How do we comfort and forgive a dying oil CEO whose climate change denial has ruined our futures? George Saunders explores the question in his new novel Vigil.

Reading

Borges Marathon, Part 24: The End

On the difficulty of reading and interpreting a story when you don't get the central references.

Reading

The Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann

Deep themes are explored in this slow, meditative novel set high in the Swiss Alps.

Reading

Cat’s Eye by Margaret Atwood

My review of Cat's Eye by Margaret Atwood, the story of a middle-aged artist who recalls traumatic bullying in her childhood.

Reading

The Heart of a Dog by Mikhail Bulgakov

My thoughts on Mikhail Bulgakov's long-banned satire on Soviet social engineering.

Reading

Indignity: A Life Reimagined by Lea Ypi

This book started with a social media post. The author, Lea Ypi, saw a photo of her grandmother posted online and going viral in Albania. Some of the comments were offensive and wildly inaccurate, and since her grandmother is now…

Reading

Borderline Fiction by Derek Owusu

I wanted to like this novel, but I couldn't. Here's why.

Reading

September Reading: A Month to Forget

My thoughts on a month when, for once, I didn't enjoy reading. Was it the books, or was it me?

Reading

Borges Marathon, Part 23: Three Versions of Judas

Did Judas really betray Jesus for thirty pieces of silver? In a piece of fiction masquerading as a scholarly article, Jorge Luis Borges explores more virtuous motivations.