April 2020 Reading Roundup
In a short time, I've gone from travelling full-time to being under strict lockdown in a Belgrade apartment. Perhaps that's why I've spent the…
In the Name of Truth by Viveca Sten
In the Name of Truth by Swedish writer Viveca Sten is a well-plotted, intriguing crime novel whose central event is the disappearance…
March 2020 Reading Roundup
Overall, it was a very good month of reading for me. Books, as usual, were the lifeboats I ran for when things…
Amora by Natalia Borges Polesso: Review
Amora won several major literary prizes when it was first published in Brazil several years ago, and having just got my hands…
The Sound of the Mountain by Yasunari Kawabata: Review
Are you responsible for the sins and failures of your adult children? If so, what do you do about it? These are…
February 2020 Reading Roundup
From Japanese literature to the history of Serbia via the aftermath of war in Sierra Leone, this has been a good month’s reading for…
Is It a Good Idea to Frustrate Your Readers’ Expectations?
I was interviewed recently for a podcast by book blogger Charlie Place, and her perceptive questions got me thinking about my writing.…
January 2020 Reading Roundup
The first month of the year took me from Greece to Serbia via Vienna (don’t ask!), and in the world of books…
Shulem Deen’s Powerful Memoir of Hasidic Life
All Who Go Do Not Return by Shulem Deen is a powerful account of the author’s escape from the ultra-Orthodox Jewish sect…