Julie Martis
Julie Martis is a postgraduate student at the University of Glasgow, studying Creative Writing. She is mainly to be found with a book in one hand and a coffee in the other or at her piano. She particularly enjoys reading contemporary fiction and poetry but will read anything at all that catches her eye. Her most treasured book is a worn out copy of Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast Trilogy given to her by her teacher in high school.
The Child Who, by Simon Lelic
Reviewed on January 2, 2012
This is the third novel from ex-journalist Simon Lelic, and it centres on Leo Curtice, a lawyer assigned to defend Daniel Blake, a young boy accused of murdering his classmate Felicity Forbes. It examines the results of the subsequent press coverage, Leo’s attempts to get Daniel to open up, and the resulting disintegration of Leo’s [...]
The Stars in the Bright Sky, by Alan Warner
Reviewed on May 6, 2011
The Stars in the Bright Sky tells the story of six young women attempting to go on a holiday. I say ‘attempting’ because something stops them every time they try to book a flight. As a result of these farcical mess ups (mostly perpetrated by loudmouth Scot Manda), they spend almost the entire book trapped [...]
Old Masters, by Thomas Bernhard
Reviewed on September 17, 2010
This is an odd book. Reading it was sort of like taking a bite out of an apple to find that it contains banana on the inside. Firstly, it doesn’t really follow the rules that novels are supposed to adhere to. If you asked someone to describe a novel to you, they would say things [...]
36 Arguments for the Existence of God, by Rebecca Goldstein
Reviewed on September 9, 2010
“‘Feh” says a lot’. And so does Rebecca Goldstein. So much so that only someone with a degree in philosophy would catch every reference in 36 Arguments for the Existence of God, which is part philosophical treatise, part novel. This might seem somewhat daunting at first, and when first reading it I couldn’t help feeling [...]
The Death of Lomond Friel, by Sue Peebles
Reviewed on July 13, 2010
Psychological realism characterises The Death of Lomond Friel, which explores the impact of a father’s stroke on his extended family and close friends. As the story unfolds we take the vantage point of each of the main characters in turn, viewing Lomond, and life, through their eyes. In a sense, his stroke is the least [...]
Grace Williams Says It Loud, by Emma Henderson
Reviewed on June 27, 2010
Grace Williams Says It Loud tells the story of a severely mentally and physically disabled young girl, sent to live in a mental institute at the age of eleven. Set in the 1950s, it explores the stigma attached to disability and the consequences for Grace in particular. Nothing really happens as such, and that is [...]
Beatrice and Virgil, by Yann Martel
Reviewed on June 3, 2010
Like the Booker Prize winning Life of Pi, Yann Martel’s third novel centres on animals, in this case Beatrice the donkey and Virgil the howler monkey. The story follows Henry, a writer who has achieved worldwide success with his previous novel yet encounters setbacks with his sequel; a ‘flip book’ consisting of a novel and [...]
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The Bookgeeks Interview
Simon Kernick
Simon Kernick is one of Britain’s most exciting new thriller writers. He arrived on the crime writing scene with his highly acclaimed debut novel The Business of Dying, the story of a corrupt cop moonlighting as a hitman. However, Simon’s big breakthrough came with his novel Relentless which was selected by Richard and Judy for [...]
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Latest Competition
Five copies of John le Carré’s Smiley vs Karla Trilogy to be won
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy was one of the big film releases of 2011, and to celebrate its release on DVD we have five copies of John le Carré’s Smiley vs Karla Trilogy to be won – consisting of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, The Honourable Schoolboy and Smiley’s People.
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