This Ragged, Wastrel Thing by Tomas Marcantonio

It has been a little while since my last review. With the world around us crazier than ever, reading has become much more difficult for me than usual. The only book I have managed to finish in the last two weeks was too boring to consider reviewing (a review in and of itself). Then, however, …

Southernmost by Silas House

What’s it about? Southernmost is about a preacher from a small Tennessee town named Asher Sharp. After a flood devastates his parish, Asher tries to help everybody he can. This includes a gay couple, who have recently moved into the area. The church, including Asher’s own wife, cannot accept a gay couple into their community …

Q & A with Linda Mannheim

Earlier this year I read the astounding This Way to Departures. I absolutely loved the short story collection (you can read my review here: https://fallenfigsbookblog.com/2020/03/26/this-way-to-departures-by-linda-mannheim/ ) Now I have been fortunate enough to be given the opportunity to ask the author, Linda Mannheim, some questions about the collection! 1.      An eclectic mixture of locations and …

The Sailor Who Fell From Grace With The Sea by Yukio Mishima

What’s it about? This book tells the story of Noboru, a thirteen-year-old boy, Fusako, his mother, and the new love interest on the scene, a sailor called Ryuji. At the beginning of the story, Ryuji is a sailor on leave who has a fling with Fusako, but this then progresses to a more serious relationship …

My 10 favourite pages from The Boy, the mole, the fox and the Horse

During the course of this lockdown I read The Boy, the mole, the fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy. I have gone on to read it every single day of the lockdown. It is a beautiful, powerful and uplifting book. Below, I have shared my 10 favourite pages from it but to give you …

Circe by Madeline Miller

What’s it about? “In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. But Circe is a strange child--not powerful, like her father, nor viciously alluring like her mother. Turning to the world of mortals for companionship, she discovers that she does possess power--the power of witchcraft, …

5 books (or series) to read while we are staying in to stay safe

The Dark Tower by Stephen King What’s it about? The Dark Tower tells the story of Roland of Gilead as he embarks on an epic journey to reach the Dark Tower. Along the way we meet a whole host of mystical characters and creatures, visit mesmerising places and have fantastic adventures. Why should I read …

This Way to Departures by Linda Mannheim

This Way to Departures is a short story collection published in 2019 by Influx Press. It didn’t receive an awful lot of publicity, but I came upon it after reading a very short review of the book in a newspaper. It sounded interesting so I thought it was worth punt. The first thing I need …

Silver Sparrow by Tayari Jones

“My father, James Witherspoon, is a bigamist.” So starts Silver Sparrow. A complicated, elaborate tale of marriage, lies, deceit and the effect it has had on the two teenagers caught in the middle of it all. I adored Silver Sparrow. Tayari Jones writes with an empathy and an understanding unlike many other writers. This was …

The Strange Bird and Dead Astronauts by Jeff Vandermeer

I’ve decided to do something a bit different for this week’s blog. It is going to do two reviews in one as I review two books written by Jeff Vandermeer before bringing both together. Through reading the Southern Reach trilogy, Borne and now these two books, Jeff Vandermeer has become possibly my favourite modern author …