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Kim Wiltshire on Julian Stannard’s The University of Bliss:

“This is not just a book for those working in humanities in HEIs across the UK, this doesn’t just speak to that handful of Creative Writing academics who get asked ‘Yes, but what are you employability statisitics like?’ It is for anyone who values education, who values culture, who considers the world their children or grandchildren are going to inherit in terms of learning, philosophy, literature and art. It is a highly readable novel, biting, funny and fast paced, but at the same time, do take a pause every now and then to consider the world Stannard is creating—how close do you think we’re getting to that now?”

—Kim Wiltshire, in Everybody’s Reviewing

“In just over 100 pages, Mead’s lean but energetic story forgoes both extraneous plot detail and subjective self-reflection in favor of keen, outward-facing observation…. While Visiting Babette is largely propelled by Meads’ skillfully deployed powers of suggestion; no explanation is offered for the women’s institutionalization, nor is the work interested in taking up this thematic work as its mantle…. wonderfully playful.”

—Devyn Andrews, in L’Esprit

Reggie Chamberlain-King on John Patrick Higgins’ Fine:

“[A] witty debut novel…. The lines of action are as invisibly elegant and neatly crafted as any one of the writer’s beautiful sentences. Both gut-bruisingly funny and achingly sad. The line between the tragic and the comic is, of course, a fine one.”

—Reggie Chamberlain-King, in Pop Matters

“It’s been a long time since a book has made me laugh this much…. Our main character is Paul Reverb, great name, seems nice enough, a gentle well meaning person and what follows is a series of ridiculous events. Paul is lonely, tragically so it seems at times, nothing seems to go his way, in fact things seem to become sentient enough to make sure they don’t go his way, from buying a coffee, meeting mates in the pub or a nice quiet toss in the privacy of his own lounge, when Paul puts his mind on a task you soon learn to spot the incoming catastrophe…. Absolutely wonderful book, great characters, funniest writing ever and if you ever wanted to get into the head of a horny lonely man then this is the book for you.”

—Jason Denness, in Gnome Appreciation Society

Anne Cunningham, in her First Chapters review series, takes on Julian Stannard’s The University of Bliss:

“With many acid observations on how our hallowed halls of learning have plummeted into grimy halls of profit, and of how college deans have been persuaded to ‘fumble in the greasy till’ of questionable sponsorship and patronage, this funny, futuristic satire is one that’s not so much 2035 as 2025.”

—Anne Cunningham, in the Westmeath Independent

In its year-end list of 78 recommended books, Scientific American recommends Lee Upton’s novel:

“This book is delightful for readers and would-be writers alike. The main character is trying to kick-start her career as a biographer, and her ups and downs are unexpected and entertaining. Think Diane Keaton in the 2003 movie Something’s Gotta Give.”

—Maria-Christina Keller, in Scientific American

Brian Martin reviews Julian Stannard’s The University of Bliss:

“[Stannard delivers] a devastating evisceration … The University of Bliss belies its title. This is a work of high satire and Stannard vents his frustration with more than a touch of Swiftian saeva indignatio. His ridicule is extreme and addictively readable.”

—Brian Martin, in The Spectator

“As the Bard himself once said, ‘The course of true love never did run smooth,’ and that certainly is the case in C.J. Spataro’s debut novel, More Strange Than True, a story of fairy mischief in truly Shakespearean proportions. Instead of existing merely as a retelling of a beloved classic, the novel luxuriates in themes from A Midsummer Night’s Dream, expanding on and complicating them and sometimes rejecting them entirely…. [A] feminist take on tropes that are so old, they almost seem to be natural occurrences. Spataro’s work is complex and delightfully odd.”

—Emilee McIntyre, in Glassworks

“A brow-raising book of short stories…. [Stone employs a] density of wordplay … to keep readers delighted and surprised. His approach prompts thoughts of Nikolai Gogol’s absurdist short story ‘The Nose,’ while his sly nods to cultural touchstones as varied as Back to the Future and Bela Lugosi add modernist ridiculousness in the best of ways. In Sporting Moustaches, there are no appearances from famously moustachioed real-life athletes like Rollie Fingers, Mike Ditka or Dale Earnhardt Sr…. But the creative athleticism required to knit together this many hirsute sports yarns would have made them proud.”

—Daniel Fleschner, in The Daily Nutmeg

“Like the best comedy, Tabitha, Get Up contains deep feeling behind the sharp quips and humorous antics…. Joy and levity accompany Tabitha as she learns to make her life her own and decides to live it.”

—Ceillie Clark-Keane, in Necessary Fiction