Book after Book

By Sheena Kamal Published by BonnierZaffre Synopsis: When Nora Watts is approached by a man claiming to know her late father, she is thrown into turmoil. Struggling with the imminent death, from cancer, of her friend and mentor Sebastian Crow, she is unprepared for the memories that this encounter brings back. What happened to her father that made him kill himself and abandon Nora and her sister? Heading to Detroit to try and find some answers about his life there, Nora expects to discover a reason behind his suicide. Instead, she finds more questions than answers. How did this book end up in my hands? I won a copy of this book ahead of publication date. I’m on a lucky streak! Was it a page-turner? Totally. It took me some time to get into the book because I felt like there was something missing. Or – better – that I was missing something. Turns out I was right and – even though this can be read as a stand-alone novel – it is the second book featuring Nora Watts and there...

By Jessica J. Lee Published by Virago Press Synopsis: At the age of twenty-eight, Jessica Lee, who grew up in Canada and lived in London, finds herself in Berlin. Alone. Lonely, with lowered spirits thanks to some family history and a broken heart, she is there, ostensibly, to write a thesis. And though that is what she does daily, what increasingly occupies her is swimming. So she makes a decision that she believes will win her back her confidence and independence: she will swim fifty-two of the lakes around Berlin, no matter what the weather or season. She is aware that this particular landscape is not without its own ghosts and history. This is the story of a beautiful obsession: of the thrill of a still, turquoise lake, of cracking the ice before submerging, of floating under blue skies, of tangled weeds and murkiness, of cool, fresh, spring swimming - of facing past fears of near drowning and of breaking free. When she completes her year of swimming Jessica finds she has...

Dulwich Picture Gallery is currently hosting – for the first in the UK – a major exhibition of one of Canada’s greatest modern painters, David Milne (1882-1953). Never heard of him before? Neither had I – and that’s why, on my latest visit to this beautiful south London art gallery, I decided that I would visit the permanent collection only. This is an exquisitely rich collection of European Baroque paintings and British portraits from Tudor times to the 19 th century, which – with its ornate, golden frames - perfectly complements the elegance of the building. The Gallery was busier than I expected it to be on a Wednesday morning and I got a glimpse of the reason as the door leading to the David Milne exhibition area was briefly opened to let more visitors in. I knew then, in that quick glance, that I would go back to reception to have my ticket upgraded. I am not an art critic so I won’t launch myself into a detailed analysis of Milne’s work. I am simply someone who en...