Reading Archives - Page 4 of 40

Reading

Race & Class in Jamaican Fiction: Dog-Heart by Diana McCaulay

Dog-Heart tells the story of two Jamaicans from very different worlds. Sahara is a light-skinned “uptown” woman who runs a successful Kingston restaurant. Dexter is a poor, dark-skinned boy from the “ghetto” neighbourhood of Jacob’s Pen.

Reading

Borges Marathon, Part 7: Hakim, the Masked Dyer of Merv

One of the fun parts of working my way through the Fictions of Jorge Luis Borges is trying to understand where the boundary lies between fact and fiction. In Hakim, the Masked Dyer of Merv, as far as I can…

Reading

The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa

How can human relationships be formed without shared memories? Can mathematical order overcome the chaos of a life without memory? Yoko Ogawa's novel explores these fascinating themes through the simple story of a professor and his housekeeper.

Reading

Vagabonds! by Eloghosa Osunde

Vagabonds! is a startlingly original Nigerian debut novel that introduces us to a compelling cast of marginalised characters struggling to survive and thrive on the chaotic streets of Lagos.

Reading

February 2022 Reading Roundup

Last month I read some excellent books, including Japanese literary fiction and some more Caribbean literature from local bookshops.

Reading

Lote by Shola van Reinhold #ReadIndies

Lote, a debut novel by Shola van Reinhold, is an intelligent, beautifully written piece of literary fiction that explores issues of art, beauty, race, sexuality and more.

Reading

Pick of the Crop by Nailah Folami Imoja

The annual calypso competition is a big deal in Barbados, so when I saw a novel about it on a recent trip to a second-hand bookshop, I wanted to give it a try. It has a promising start, but the…

Reading

January 2022 Reading Roundup

I had a good reading month, including a few books from my trip to a Barbadian bookshop, plus a couple for the Japanese Literary Challenge. Here are the details.

Reading

Borges Marathon, Part 6: The Uncivil Teacher of Court Etiquette, Kôtsukéno Suké

The theme of honour runs through many of the fictions of Jorge Luis Borges. But why bother retelling such a well-known story if all you’re going to do is reinforce the standard narrative?

Andrew Blackman

Andrew Blackman

Andrew Blackman

Reading

Race & Class in Jamaican Fiction: Dog-Heart by Diana McCaulay

Borges Marathon, Part 7: Hakim, the Masked Dyer of Merv

The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa

Vagabonds! by Eloghosa Osunde

February 2022 Reading Roundup

Lote by Shola van Reinhold #ReadIndies

Pick of the Crop by Nailah Folami Imoja

January 2022 Reading Roundup

Borges Marathon, Part 6: The Uncivil Teacher of Court Etiquette, Kôtsukéno Suké