Recently (ish) Read #2

After Me Comes the Flood by Sarah Perry A while back Serpent's Tail had an article about the naming of novels on their website and it told the story of how Perry's debut novel came to be titled After Me Comes the Flood. It was a really intriguing read that made me want to pick up the novel immediately. I think I heaved a massive sigh when I finished the novel, almost like I'd been bottling up a ridiculous amount of emotion. It was a brilliant read, but I think it'll need a revisit to truly get what's simmering below the surface.

He Wants by Alison Moore I think Moore is one of my favourite contemporary authors and He Wants just goes to show why. She writes fascinatingly real characters whose need for something (anything) is achingly palpable from the novel's pages. I found He Wants to be really quite sad but, like Perry's novel, I think it will benefit from a second look.

Virginia Woolf by Alexandra Harris I spoke about this biography in my Woolf Reading List but I'll say again that it is a brilliant introduction to Woolf's life and works and gives you just enough information to leave you wanting more. Which is where Hermione Lee's significantly meatier biography comes in.


> Insert a very long time without finishing anything here <


The Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness Oh, Patrick. You've done it again. My sister practically forced the second part of the Chaos Walking trilogy into my hands after I bemoaned my present inability to finish anything. I spoke about my new reading habit recently in a very lighthearted tone before I realised that actually there was something slightly off about my not finishing books. Anyway, Patrick came to the rescue and I read The Ask and the Answer in a few turbulent and emotional sittings. I cried in Pret a Manger - just saying. Now I'm on a mission to buy the final novel in the same edition that I have for one and two, but it's proving harder than I anticipated.

The Yellow World by Albert Espinosa I read this in a single train journey from London to Taunton. I have a few issues with it but my goodness it was powerful. I'll be dedicating an entire post to this one shortly.

What have you enjoyed reading recently?

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