Reading Archives - Page 30 of 43

Reading

“Making Inroads” by the Rowan Arts Project

I really enjoyed this free book put together by the Rowan Arts Project. It’s a series of interviews with people who live and work on the Holloway Road in north London, each one accompanied by a photograph. The stories are…

Reading

“The Buddha of Suburbia” by Hanif Kureishi

I grew up in Beckenham, the exact part of London suburbia in which this novel is set. To my knowledge it’s the only time a novel has ever been set in Beckenham – in fact, it’s probably the only time…

Reading

“Lux the Poet” by Martin Millar

I thought I would like this book more than I did. It’s a comedy set in the Brixton Riots of the early 1980s, set around the adventures of a narcissistic poet called Lux. In a wonderfully creative mix of storylines,…

Reading

My non-review of the best books of 2010

So all the newspapers have been publishing their end-of-year roundups. Some even started back in November. Here’s why I won’t be doing my own little roundup of the best books of 2010. Basically, it’s because I haven’t read very many…

Reading

“Best European Fiction 2010” edited by Aleksandar Hemon

This was a very interesting collection of short stories from around Europe. There’s one piece from each country, so it really felt like a broad and varied collection rather than being weighted toward particular countries. One thing I didn’t like…

Reading

“Crow” by Ted Hughes

I rarely read poetry, but I enjoyed this strange little book by Ted Hughes. It’s full of dark imagery, violence and unexpected humour. The poems read like myths of the origins of the world, except that at the middle of…

Reading

“Ruminations from the Garden” by Don Henry Ford, Jr.

Almost all writers carry a notebook around with them to record thoughts and ideas as they arise. They usually end up being quite random, a mix of the brilliant and the mundane, day-to-day worries mixed in with the germs of…

Reading

Reading binge

I was on a panel recently at Whitechapel Idea Store with Alex Wheatle and Mark Piggott, discussing “London: fact and fiction”. When I heard a week in advance what the topic was going to be, I thought about all the…

Reading

“Ashes” by Matthew Crow

The opening image of Ashes is a powerful one – a group of kids trying to stone a cat to death. The reason? “Something to do”. The tone is set for the rest of the novel. Bleakness, lack of hope,…

Andrew Blackman

Andrew Blackman

Andrew Blackman

Reading

“Making Inroads” by the Rowan Arts Project

“The Buddha of Suburbia” by Hanif Kureishi

“Lux the Poet” by Martin Millar

My non-review of the best books of 2010

“Best European Fiction 2010” edited by Aleksandar Hemon

“Crow” by Ted Hughes

“Ruminations from the Garden” by Don Henry Ford, Jr.

Reading binge

“Ashes” by Matthew Crow