Mr Wrong by Elizabeth Jane Howard While Elizabeth Jane Howard is best known for her multigenerational family epic, The Cazalet Chronicles, in 1975, she published a collection of short stories, Mr Wrong, which demonstrates a darker,…

New on the blog today, I've written about MR WRONG by Elizabeth Jane Howard.

Unnerving, beautifully written stories that showcase Howard's ability to mine the more disquieting aspects of human nature, especially where sexual relationships are involved. 💙📚

jacquiwine.wordpress.com/2026/04/21/m...

The Elegant Life of the Parisian High Society in the early 19th century by Anne Martin-Fugier

The Elegant Life, or the Rise of the Parisian Elite. 1815-1848 by Anne Martin-Fugier (1990). Original French title : La vie élégante. Ou la formation du Tout-Paris, 1815-1848. This essay about the…

The Mighty and Their Fall by Ivy Compton-Burnett – #1961Club My final 1961 Club read is by an author I’ve loved for years, and the most divisive writer out there – Dame Ivy Compton-Burnett. For those not in the know, her novels are told almost en…

Finishing off the #1961Club with a novel by Ivy Compton-Burnett: www.stuckinabook.com/the-mighty-a...

“…Doc Benway assessed the situation…” #1961Club #thesoftmachine I’ve been gradually making my way through the books of William S. Burroughs, starting with “Junky” back in 2024; so when I realised that the next book chronologically was “T…

For my final #1961club post, I delve into Burroughs' The Soft Machine kaggsysbookishramblings.wordpress.com/2026/04/19/d...

Five copies of The Bell, one hardback, on a yellow patterned background

I've re-read another Iris Murdoch - "The Bell" - librofulltime.wordpress.com/2026/04/16/b... #booksky 📚💙

Four copies of A Severed Head, one a hardback

Another Iris Murdoch re-read, I managed to fit in "A Severed Head" for #1961Week - hooray! librofulltime.wordpress.com/2026/04/18/b... #booksky 💙📚

War Isn’t Wonderful by Ursula Bloom – #1961Club It always feels slightly like cheating to pick a club book that is really about an earlier period… but with memoir, it’s kind of inevitable, isn’t it? Ursula Bloom wrote literally…

My thoughts on Ursula Bloom's wartime memoirs (for the #1961Club) www.stuckinabook.com/war-isnt-won...

Heaven Has No Favorites by Erich Maria Remarque – my second read for the #1961Club

Heaven Has No Favorites by Erich Maria Remarque (1961) French title: Le ciel n’a pas de préférés. Translated by Dominique Auclères. Heaven Has No Favorites by Erich Maria Remarque is my second read for Karen and…

“Oh, the sounds of time are pouring through the window…” #1961Club #PullMyDaisy The second Beat book I wanted to share some thoughts on for the #1961Club is perhaps an unusual one. Titled “Pull My Daisy”, it gathers together texts by Jack Kerouac that were based ar…

On the Ramblings today a little #kerouac wp.me/p2uTqr-5Bi

Paperbacks to Look Out For in May 2026: Part One - A Life in Books Book reviews, snippets of book news, and alerts about books outside the glare of the publicity spotlight.

New on my blog - Paperbacks to Look Out For in May 2026: Part One alifeinbooks.co.uk/2026/04/pape... #BookSky

“…nothing to weep for…” #1961Club #kaddish #allenginsberg As I mentioned in my first post of the week, in 1961 the world was changing; and although classic crime novels and lighter books like “Provincial Daughter” were being released, writers …

Exploring some Beat poetry for the #1961Club "...nothing to weep for..." #1961Club #kaddish #allenginsberg kaggsysbookishramblings.wordpress.com/2026/04/17/n...

Pen To Paper by Pamela Frankau – #1961Club I’m going to assume it was Brad’s review of Pen To Paper by Pamela Frankau that put it on my radar. I’ve only read a handful of her prodigious output, but I think she can be a bri…

An eccentric look into Pamela Frankau's writing advice www.stuckinabook.com/pen-to-paper... #1961Club

“You might think such a thing wouldn’t matter at all.” #1961Club #drseuss #thesneetches Something slightly different on the Ramblings today for the #1961Club – Dr. Seuss!! I’ve mentioned before on the blog how one of the books I remember most strongly from my childhood is …

For the #1961club today - Dr. Seuss!! "You might think such a thing wouldn't matter at all." #1961Club #drseuss #thesneetches kaggsysbookishramblings.wordpress.com/2026/04/15/y...

Abbie and Arthur by Dane Chandos – #1961Club I think my friend Caroline only ever gave me two books. One was A Wreath for the Enemy by Pamela Frankau, and the other was Abbie (1947) by Dane Chandos. Which goes to show that she had exceptional…

My thoughts on the irrepressible, extraordinary Abbie (and Arthur) www.stuckinabook.com/abbie-and-ar...

I really enjoyed it Jacqui! Lovely to see it with you 😊📽️

Small Comfort by Ia Genberg (Tr. Kira Josefsson): Money, money, money    - A Life in Books Book reviews, snippets of book news, and alerts about books outside the glare of the publicity spotlight.

Something for the weekend - Small Comfort by Ia Genberg (Tr. Kira Josefsson): Money, money, money    alifeinbooks.co.uk/2026/04/smal... #BookSky

The #1961Club comes to an end – but what year will we choose next??? 🤔📚 Well, as the saying goes – that’s a wrap! The 1961 Club has come to an end, and what a fabulous week it was! This turned out to be a particularly good year for books and I don’t k…

The #1961Club comes to an end - but what year will we choose next??? 🤔📚 kaggsysbookishramblings.wordpress.com/2026/04/20/t...

The Methods of Sergeant Cluff by Gil North – #1961Club It’s always good to throw in some classic crime into a club year – though by the 1960s, we are well past the Golden Age. But thankfully there was still an option from my teetering piles…

For the #1961Club, I nervously go back to a Sergeant Cluff murder mystery, after having a pretty shaky time with the first one www.stuckinabook.com/the-methods-...

A Snapshot of My Reading #14 - A Life in Books Book reviews, snippets of book news, and alerts about books outside the glare of the publicity spotlight.

A Snapshot of My Reading #14 alifeinbooks.co.uk/2026/04/a-sn... #BookSky

Winding Up the Week #467 This week I look at books read and reviewed, discover some of the best writing about literature across the blogosphere, keep up with a variety of literary anniversaries (including National Library …

bookjotter.com/2026/04/18/winding-up-the-week-467/ #Booklovers #AmReading #Books #BookReview #Reading #bookbloggers @buriedinprint.bsky.social @lauratisdall.bsky.social

“Who could be frightened in as wide and bright, as clean and quiet a house as this?” (Richard Yates, Revolutionary Road) One of the benefits of taking part in events like the 1961 Club, hosted by Kaggsy and Simon this week, is that it encourages me to finally get to novels languishing in the TBR, such as Revolutionar…

Today on the blog, a 20th century classic for the #1961Club, hosted by @kaggsy59.bsky.social & @stuckinabook.bsky.social “Who could be frightened in as wide and bright, as clean and quiet a house as this?” (Richard Yates, Revolutionary Road) madamebibilophilerecommends.co.uk/2026/04/15/w...

New billet: Voices in the Evening by Natalia Ginzburg for #1961Club.

Heat Wave in Berlin (1961), by Dymphna Cusack Hard on the heels of a contemporary novel about resurgent post-war Nazism in the 1950s, (The Watchmaker’s War (2026) by Danny Ben-Moshe, see my review), came the utterly unexpected same theme…

A completely unexpected same theme in a novel I read for the #1961Club: Heat Wave in Berlin (1961), by Dymphna Cusack
anzlitlovers.com/2026/04/14/h...

“The world was changing…” #1961Club #Simenon #AgathaChristie I’ve got into the habit of starting our Club Reading Weeks with some Golden Age crime; it’s often the case that there’s an Agatha Christie or one of Simenon’s Maigret titles…

"The world was changing..." #1961Club #Simenon #AgathaChristie kaggsysbookishramblings.wordpress.com/2026/04/13/t...

Hosted by @stuckinabook.bsky.social and myself, the #1961club starts today! Share your posts on my dedicated page here kaggsysbookishramblings.wordpress.com/club-pages/1... and on Simon's blog! www.stuckinabook.com

“Every woman who writes is a survivor.” (Tillie Olsen) Simon and Kaggsy are running one of their marvellous Club events all week, this time it is the 1961 Club. I’m hoping to do a few posts, and I’m starting with a short story. Tell Me a Riddle by Till…

Tday on the blog, starting the #1961Club hosted by @stuckinabook.bsky.social & @kaggsy59.bsky.social with a short story “Every woman who writes is a survivor.” (Tillie Olsen) madamebibilophilerecommends.co.uk/2026/04/13/e...

Cover of D. E. Stevenson's Bel Lamington

My first (maybe only) read for #1961Club - D. E. Stevenson's "Bel Lamington", an excellent one librofulltime.wordpress.com/2026/04/13/a... @deanstpress.bsky.social #booksky📚💙

The Ha-Ha by Jennifer Dawson As I have mentioned before, there is a long tradition of women writers depicting crushing mental health conditions in fiction, from Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s unforgettable short story The Yellow W…

New on the blog today, I've written about THE HA-HA by Jennifer Dawson.

A striking modernist novella which explores issues of mental health and society’s treatment of a young woman who simply doesn’t fit in. An early entry for the #1961Club! #BookSky 💙📚

jacquiwine.wordpress.com/2026/04/12/t...

Where I write about books I didn't like or didn't finish.

A pic of books include in this post: Bird in a Cage Clock Without Hands Call for the Dead Voices in the Evening No Fond Return of Love The Wycherly Woman

Giving this another bump as the #1961Club, hosted by @kaggsy59.bsky.social & @stuckinabook.bsky.social, is happening next week.
Some recommendations of books first published in 1961, featuring Barbara Pym, Natalia Ginzburg, John le Carré & more! #BookSky 💙📚

jacquiwine.wordpress.com/2026/03/26/t...