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REVIEW: The Moon is Down
I love John Steinbeck. For me, Of Mice and Men is the most poignant, perfectly-formed small novel ever written. The Moon is Down, however, appeals to me as much for the story inside the pages as for the story outside it. By the time this small book was published in 1942, Steinbeck was already lauded…
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REVIEW: Sweet Bean Paste
I’ve read a lot of novels this year, but this stands out as one of my favourites. First published in English in 2017, it is written by Durian Sukegawa, A Tokyo-based author who studied Oriental philosophy and previously worked as a journalist in Germany and Cambodia. I had never heard of the book or the…
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REVIEW: The Book Thief
This book, as it announces on the cover, is an international bestseller. In fact, it remained on the New York Times bestseller list for more than a decade. I, however, have only just got around to reading it for the first time. Now usually I devour books very quickly. If I do nothing else all…
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REVIEW: The Herd
Ooh, now who’s up for a nice, juicy moral dilemma? Yes? Well look no further than this timely novel, written by Emily Edwards and published this year (2022) by Penguin. Elizabeth and Bryony are best, though unlikely, friends with very different personalities. They have been close for many years and are godmothers to each other’s…
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A literary trip around the world
This huge chunk of gorgeousness was a present to myself on my 40th birthday in 2005. Yes, I know that makes me as old as the hills but that’s neither here nor there. I bought it because I love travelling and photography – there are some stunning pictures inside. It cost me £40, which seemed…
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What you will find in this blog
Hello and welcome. My name is Debby Raynor and I’ve blogged on and off for many years but this is a new venture for me – a blog about books. If something has words on it or in it, I will read it. That ranges from adult fiction and non-fiction to children’s books, newspapers and…
Raynor Reads Stuff 